by John Crace
On the face of it, this was nothing more than a heart-warming snapshot of a man who loved football so much he couldn’t stay away and was happy to donate his expertise for nothing. True – but there may have been more to it. ‘It wouldn’t have been in Harry’s interests to be paid,’ says one ex-club chairman. ‘For one thing, he wouldn’t want to be too closely linked to a club that might struggle; it would devalue his own currency as a future manager elsewhere. I would also guess there were clauses in his severance deal from Tottenham that limited the amount of compensation he was due if he was offered another job. He’d have been a fool to jeopardize that for a part-time job at Bournemouth. And Harry isn’t a fool.’
Redknapp’s most bravura performance was reserved for his offer to act as a go-between in the ongoing dispute between Portsmouth FC and some of the playing staff over unpaid salaries that threatened the club with going into administration. He told the TV station ESPN that he was going to talk to two of the players, Nwankwo Kanu and Tal Ben Haim, whom he had himself signed, and ask them to reconsider their demands. ‘If players have a contract and are owed money, you can see why they think they should get it,’ he said. ‘But if the club closes down, they won’t get a penny. They need to think hard about that. Portsmouth has got to be saved. It’s a great club with great traditions. It would be a disaster if this club went out of business.’
This took some nerve, considering there was a good argument for saying Redknapp’s free-spending, hyper-inflationary wage deals during his time in charge had been a major contributor to Portsmouth’s current predicament. The irony wasn’t lost on one former football club chairman. ‘For years and years, Harry had been persuading players to come to clubs he was managing by offering them huge salaries,’ he said. ‘And the Professional Footballers Association was complicit in this. Neither party paused for a moment to think about how much the club could actually afford to pay. So it’s a bit rich for them both to start affecting concern that the club is in danger of going out of business.’
The main focus of Redknapp gossip, though, was in west London. Having struggled to stay up in their first season back in the Premiership the previous season, Queens Park Rangers had spent the best part of £25 million on strengthening the squad, only to find the team was continuing to struggle. By the beginning of November, with the team rooted to the bottom of the table without a single league win, it seemed a question of when, not if, manager Mark Hughes would be sacked. It also seemed to be a question of when, not if, Redknapp took over.
Queens Park Rangers and Redknapp were a match made in heaven; two more perfect partners you couldn’t have found. QPR ticked all the Redknapp boxes; close enough to Bournemouth for him to commute daily; an underperforming, misfiring squad; and a rich owner in Tony Fernandes who had shown he was prepared to dig deep into his own pockets to ensure Premiership survival. Typically, Redknapp kept his cards close to his chest, insisting in one radio interview that he had received eight job offers in the previous week. At that rate, if he’d held on for another three months, he could have taken his pick of any of the ninety-two league clubs.
For seasoned Harry-watchers, the clearest sign that he fancied the QPR job came when he started talking about how tempted he was to be manager of the Ukraine national side. ‘It’s a fantastic job,’ he told reporters. ‘I found out about it a couple of weeks ago when they got in touch with my advisors. I am serious about it. They are an up-and-coming football country with some very good young players, some great teams like Shakhtar and some great stadiums. I will talk to them and see if we can sort something out. I’m definitely interested, without a doubt.’
The only person who could really see Redknapp going to Ukraine was . . . Redknapp. To everyone else, his Ukrainian courtship had all the hallmarks of a gentle reminder to Fernandes that he didn’t want to hang around indefinitely and that he wasn’t going to come cheap.
Planned or not, that’s the way it panned out as Redknapp was offered the QPR job in the last week of November. All was now revealed. He wasn’t going to be anybody’s new Fergie, Wenger, Mourinho or Villas-Boas; nor even their temporary Di Matteo or Benitez. He wasn’t ever going to be the kind of manager to whom chairmen of the big clubs looked to lead them to Premiership and European glory. That had been a beautiful, golden chimera that briefly seemed possible for two years at Spurs. Redknapp’s number had been called. He was a scrapper, a typically English manager whose gift was to squeeze the best out of his players when the chips were down. A man to whom you would turn to get you out of trouble, but not to take you onwards and upwards once you were in the clear.
If Redknapp was disappointed in this judgement, he gave no sign of it. Within minutes of arriving at Loftus Road, Redknapp’s stock phrases were wheeled out again, saying how pleased he was to have the job and how all his family were now QPR fans. It was also like Groundhog Day in most other respects, as he prepared the ground for possible failure by deflecting all the blame for the club’s predicament on to the players, while talking up the insane idea of bringing David Beckham to play in the Premiership along with his desire to sign Darren Bent in the January transfer window, along with several members of his old Spurs squad. He could have been reading from one of his old scripts.
This time, though, there was no immediate Redknapp bounce. QPR were held to draws in his first three games against fellow strugglers Sunderland, Aston Villa and Wigan. A home win against Fulham hinted at a revival, but the year ended with three straight defeats, including a 3-0 home surrender to Liverpool. Redknapp’s immediate response was to criticize several members of his squad in the press for not being worth the money they were paid – in particular, José Bosingwa, whom he had fined two weeks’ wages for refusing to sit on the substitutes’ bench for the game against West Bromwich Albion. His analysis was undoubtedly right; some of the QPR players were earning too much, although he could hardly blame them for taking the money that the club’s owner and previous manager had offered. And what about humiliating his squad in public? It definitely didn’t seem to be the best way to raise morale, even if it did echo the feelings of many QPR supporters.
Remarkably, though, the new year began with another of those totally unexpected results that have so often been a feature of his career and on which his reputation has largely been made – a 1-0 victory away at Stamford Bridge, thanks to some dogged defending against an under-strength Chelsea team, who had clearly thought they only had to turn up to claim the three points. It was, perhaps inevitably, eventually won via a late winner on the break. In just ninety minutes, the ‘Harry Houdini’ headlines were back on the sports pages.
Then came the game that somehow seemed more symbolic than most – the home fixture against Spurs. The old versus the new. A victory against the club that had sacked him would be worth more than three points won; it would be a sign that the revival had substance.
The media came rushing to Redknapp’s door for pre-match quotes and he didn’t disappoint, suggesting that ‘you’d have to be a dope’ to mess up managing Chelsea – an implied dig at Spurs manager, André Villas-Boas, who had been sacked by the west London club after just eight months in charge the previous season. Redknapp’s timing was a little off, though, as the day before the game Villas-Boas was named Premiership manager of the month, and Redknapp quickly performed a volte-face, claiming his words had been taken out of context.
Both managers shook hands before the game and embraced for the cameras after it. In between, not a lot happened. There were no Harry chants from the away fans signifying any lasting devotion to their former manager. It was almost as though there had never been a bond between them and that the events of the previous three seasons had taken place in a forgotten universe.
On the field, Spurs were at their most anaemic, QPR defended in depth and the game petered out in a goalless stalemate. Both managers could leave with their pride intact, claiming it was a point earned rather than a couple dropped. But the truth was that a draw was of little value to either
manager, and Redknapp in particular, as QPR ended the day still rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table with just fourteen points from twenty-two games, two points behind Reading in nineteenth place and six away from escaping the relegation zone. It was by no means all over for QPR and Redknapp but it was getting harder by the day and, if the club was to stay up, it would need grit and guts rather than fun and flair. Redknapp’s own demeanour suggested he thought it unlikely his squad would be up to the challenge.
There again, game on. If he pulled off the miracle, his reputation would be enhanced and he would pick up a £1 million bonus. And if he didn’t . . . well, he’d been through that situation before several times at other clubs, such as Bournemouth and Southampton. And perhaps the fact that he was still on the best part of £3 million per year at QPR would ease the pain a little.
It wasn’t the worst situation to be in. And yes, he’d bought into bigger dreams and ambitions for a while, but they’d always really been other people’s dreams and ambitions. All he’d ever wanted was to make a living out of football and he’d done far better for himself than he’d ever dared imagine in a virtually uninterrupted fifty-year career. Only fans and romantics think that football is all about the glory. It isn’t – it is about survival. And Harry Redknapp will for ever be remembered as one of the greatest of all football’s survivors.
Bibliography
Books
Anon, I Am the Secret Footballer: Lifting the Lid on the Beautiful Game (Guardian Books, 2012).
Steve Blowers, Nearly Reached the Sky, West Ham United 1989–2005 (Football World, 2005).
Tom Bower, Broken Dreams (Pocket Books, 2007).
Steve Claridge with Ian Ridley, Beyond the Boot Camps (Orion, 2010).
Martin Cloake and Adam Powley, The Glory, Glory Nights (VSP, 2012).
David Conn, Richer Than God, Manchester City, Modern Football and Growing Up (Quercus, 2012).
Michael Lewis, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (Norton, 2004).
Kevin Nash, Cherries: First Hundred Years, AFC Bournemouth 1899–1999 (Red Post Books, 1999).
Harry Redknapp with Derek McGovern, Harry Redknapp, My Autobiography (Collins, 1998).
Les Roopanarine, Harry Redknapp – The Biography (John Blake, 2011).
Jim Smith with Bob Cass, Jim Smith, The Autobiography: It’s Only a Game (Andre Deutsch, 2000).
Julie Welch, The Biography of Tottenham Hotspur (VSP, 2012).
Newspapers and Magazines
Guardian, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Independent, Daily Mail, Sun, Mirror, Four Four Two, When Saturday Comes.
Index
Abramovic, Roman 170
AC Milan FC 209
Adebayor, Emmanuel 60, 183, 185, 213
Al Ahli FC 228
Allardyce, Sam 85–6, 88, 177
Arsenal FC 13, 45, 94, 115, 164, 181, 189, 198, 204, 221
Associate Members Cup 75
Assou-Ekotto, Benoit 204–5
Aston Villa FC 34, 115, 153, 221, 234
Aylott, Trevor 74
Bale, Gareth 139, 183, 188, 199, 204–5, 208, 211
Ball, Alan 148
Barcelona FC 88, 192, 219
Barnes, Bobby 75
Bassong, Sebastien 190
Bayern Munich FC 219, 222
Beasley, Rob 36–7, 41, 203
Beattie, James 165
Beauchamp, Joey 109
Beckham, David 212, 234
Ben Haim, Tal 232
Bent, Darren 200, 234
Berg, Henning 230
Berkovic, Eyal 47
Bernard, Oliver 165
Bevan, Richard 33
Big Match, The 15
Birmingham City FC 47
Bishop, Ian 72, 79
Black QC, John 33, 37–8, 40
Blackburn Rovers FC 142–3, 173, 191, 193, 229–30
Blackpool FC 129–30
Blissett, Luther 75, 157
Blowers, Steve 107, 110, 113, 122
Bolton Wanderers FC 144–5, 182, 191, 198, 220
Bond, John 22, 23
Bond, Kevin 39, 157, 167, 172, 173, 193, 202–3
Bonds, Billy 91, 97, 98–108, 149, 150, 216
Boogers, Marco 110–11
Boswinga, José 234
Bournemouth FC 16, 22–3, 61–79, 150
ask HR to return 101–2, 104–5
financial difficulties 79–81
HR resigns 78–9, 80–1, 82–4
HR’s advisory work 231–2
Jamie Redknapp 77, 81–2
transfers 72–4, 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 124–5
Bower, Tom 4, 128, 129, 130, 206
Boyer, Phil 22
Brady, Karren 47
Brentford FC 16
bribery allegations against HR 4
Brighton & Hove Albion FC 67
Brooking, Sir Trevor 135, 216–17
Brown, Terry 102, 103–4, 128, 132
Brown, Violet (grandmother) 11–12, 41
Burton Albion FC 143
Camara, Henri 165
Capello, Fabio 2, 55–6, 57–8, 86, 93, 175–6, 214, 219
car crash 76–8
Cardiff City FC 175
Carling Cup 41, 197, 199, 203
Carlisle United FC 72, 79
Carr, Tony 126
Carrick, Michael 126
Caulker, Stephen 190
Champions League 187, 188, 192, 204, 208–10, 211, 219, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225–6
Championship League 161, 165, 166, 222
Chelsea FC 16, 25, 145, 170, 189, 191, 192, 197, 204, 219, 222, 235
childhood 11–12, 14
Chimbonda, Pascal 47, 199
City of London Police 4, 35, 46, 48
Claridge, Steve 69, 218, 223, 224, 228
Clarke, Colin 72–4
Cloake, Martin 197, 225–6
Clough, Brian 45, 218
Cole, Joe 126
Comolli, Damien 199
Conn, David 44–5, 46
Corluka, Vedran 184–5
corruption in football 44–8
County Stockport FC 115
court case, tax evasion see tax evasion allegations
Crawford, Pete 209–10, 221
Crouch, Peter 34, 38, 41, 51, 53–4, 153, 166, 174, 177, 206, 207, 212–13
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) 3, 4, 48
Crystal Palace FC 74, 124
Cullen, Donna 136
Dalglish, Kenny 82
Davenport, Calum 165
Defoe, Jermain 86, 183, 186, 199, 207, 212, 221
Delaney, Sam 65–6, 99, 107, 110, 114–15, 123–4, 126, 132–3, 218
Di Canio, Paolo 85, 110, 125–6, 191
Di Matteo, Roberto 191
Dick Advocaat FC 229
Dicks, Julian 100
Dowie, Ian 117
Dumitrescu, Ilie 111, 112
Ekoku, Efan 72
Enfield Town FC 74, 125
England national team
Euro 2012 performance 227–8
Roy Hodgson appointed manager 194, 215–18
speculation about HR as 2, 55–60, 85–94, 95–6, 135–7, 139, 140, 143, 145, 175–7, 181–2, 191–2, 193–4, 215, 217–20, 223
England Youth football team 16, 217
Eriksson, Sven-Göran 45, 57–8, 93, 176
Euro 2008 175
Euro 2012 2, 56, 87, 96, 214, 219, 227–8
Everton FC 138–9, 165, 189
EX fanzine 98, 103
Extra Time (BBC World) 191
FA (Football Association) 2, 45, 55–6, 86–8, 135–6, 138, 145, 161, 176, 191, 192, 215–18
FA Cup matches 75, 94, 122, 138, 144, 164, 166, 175, 177, 182, 189, 191, 196, 204
FA Youth Cup 16
Faye, Amdy 4, 47, 174
Fenton, Ronnie 45
Ferdinand, Anton 55
Ferdinand, Rio 4, 86, 126, 127–9, 130, 131, 174
Fereday, Wayne 77
Ferguson, Sir Alex 86, 144, 157, 183, 222
Fernandes, Tony 23
3
financial corruption in football 44–8
see also tax evasion allegations
First Division 15, 23, 45, 98, 149, 155, 178
football career (HR as a player) 15
Bournemouth FC 22–3
coaching 25–7
injuries 20, 23, 24
Seattle Sounders FC 24, 148
West Ham United FC 16–20, 21, 28, 82, 98
Four Four Two magazine 125, 191
fraud allegations 4
Friedel, Brad 213
Fulham FC 74, 221, 234
Futre, Paulo 112
Gabriel, Jimmy 22, 23, 24, 25
Gale, Tony 107
Gallas, William 207
gambling 32, 119–21, 148, 222
Gardiner, Ken 78
Gartside, Phil 191–2
Gaydamak, Arkady 170, 171, 174, 175, 178
Gerrard, Steven 219
Gillingham FC 75
Ginola, David 152
Glasgow Rangers FC 47
Gordon, Dale 113
Graham, George 45
Greenwood, Ron 17, 18, 25, 89, 99, 218
Guardiola, Pep 88
Guyer, Julian 151, 155–6, 170, 175, 178
Hansen, Alan 60
Hartson, John 110, 120, 122, 124
Hauge, Rune 45
Hayward, Geoff 104
Hayward, Norman 78–9, 80
heart problems 4, 141, 213–14
Hislop, Shaka 191
HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs) 34–5, 206
see also tax evasion allegations
Hoddle, Glen 89, 163–4
Hodgson, Roy 88, 194, 215–16, 217–18, 227–8
Holland/Dutch national team 95
Holloway, Ian 129–30
Holmes, Jon 45
Hopcraft, Arthur 155
Howe, Bobby 19, 23, 25
Hughes, Mark 85, 233
Hunter, Norman 21
Hurst, Geoff 18, 24, 26, 58–9
injuries, sports 20–2, 190
Inter Milan FC 208–9
Inter-Toto Cup 123
James, David 200
Jensen, John 45
Johnson, Anton 67
Johnson, Pete 27, 28–9, 61, 62, 63, 66, 70, 72, 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 97, 148, 154–5, 170
Johnstone’s Paint Trophy 75
