Redknapp - From Prospective England Manager to Jobless

In four months Harry Redknapp has gone from being the hot favourite for the England manager's position to being jobless following his departure from Tottenham.  How could things have turned around so quickly?

Timetable for Redknapp's Demise at White Hart Lane

8th February:
When Harry Redknapp stood on the steps of Southwark Crown Court he was a relieved man having been cleared of all charges of tax evasion.  It had been a harrowing thirteen days for him as he juggled his responsibilities at Spurs with attendance at court.  All seemed well in his world - he had received the backing of the club throughout the trial and had been shown fantastic support by Spurs fans at White Hart Lane in the match against Wigan Athletic.  With Spurs third in the Premier League, seven points ahead of Chelsea in fourth and ten points clear of fifth placed Arsenal, everything looked good.

A few hours later, a decision would be made that was to turn his world around and would be part of the reason for his departure from Spurs four months later.  At the Football Association headquarters, following a meeting with Fabio Capello, the England manager's position became vacant and Redknapp was immediately installed as the 'people's and media's favourite'.  It was well known that Redknapp was keen to take the England position and it seemed to be only a matter of time before he would be approached.

Saturday, 11th February:
There was an out-pouring of emotional support for Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane as fans put across the message that they didn't want him to leave for the England post.  The players responded in kind and Spurs put in one of their best performances of the season against Newcastle United.  Spurs were four ahead by half-time with Emmanuel Adebayor creating all of them.  He scored the fifth himself and it seemed that everything that Redknapp touched would turn to gold.  

Sunday, 19th February:
Following the previous week's euphoria, Spurs landed at Stevenage in the FA Cup with a bump and a scoreless draw.  In a less than satisfactory performance Spurs struggled against the Division One side, seeming to have no clear plan of attack, having focused solely on stopping the hard working lower League team.  As Redknapp admitted afterwards it wasn't a very good performance to put on his CV in front of the watching David Bernstein, the FA Chairman.

Sunday, 26th February: 

At approximately 2.04 pm at the Emirates as Emmanuel Adebayor scored from the penalty spot to give Spurs a two goal advantage in the north London derby, Spurs, in theory, were thirteen points clear of Arsenal and looked set to strengthen their hold on third place and the Champions League qualification that meant so much to the club and had been the number one priority for Harry Redknapp throughout the season.  Within nine minutes that had crumbled as Arsenal drew level and Spurs had no second half response as the home team went on to score three more goals.  The gap between third and fourth was now down to seven points.

Still, there was no decision regarding the England appointment as the Football Association made the apparently sensible option of delaying any announcement until nearer the end of the season to avoid unnecessary disruption at any club.  Stuart Pearce took the role on a temporary basis for the friendly against Holland.  Redknapp, however, was still regarded as favourite.

March, 2012:
Spurs went through the month without a Premier League win, losing at home to Manchester United, at Everton and drawing with Stoke City and at Chelsea.  In fact the home draw with Stoke saw them drop to fourth, a point behind their near neighbours.  Spurs' slump in form took them into a battle for fourth place when in mid-January they had been considered title contenders, only three points behind leaders Manchester City and level with United.

The FA Cup now acquired greater significance for Redknapp as he sought silverware to bring to the club.  Previously, he had always regarded the Cup competitions as a distraction and often fielded under-strength teams.  Stuttering progress was made to the semi-finals where Chelsea awaited.

The England position still remained on the cards with only passing mention of any other possible candidates, Roy Hodgson, in the media.  It still appeared to be Redknapp's with Tottenham making contingency plans for his departure.

1st April:
Spurs ended their run of defeats with success over Swansea at home - perhaps the team had turned the corner.

7th April:
Arsenal's defeat to QPR the previous weekend had given Spurs a lifeline and they briefly returned to third with a goalless draw at Sunderland but it was a particularly uninspiring performance as they were unable to break down the home side who had been set up to defend in depth and were content with a point from the outset.  It was a return to the days when Spurs simply ran out of ideas against a well organised, defensive orientated team.  The rumblings of discontent among fans were growing as they despaired at the team's loss of form and the manager's inability to turn it around and then Arsenal defeat Manchester City to reclaim fourth - nothing was going in Spurs' favour at this time.

9th April:
A home defeat to Norwich added to the general gloom around White Hart Lane - these sort of results happen to every team during a season but Spurs were totally outplayed by the visitors who deservedly took the three points.  Frustrations were increasing among fans with many venting their anger against the manager on message boards.  There was talk of players' meetings to try to sort out the problems and talk of their dissatisfaction with training routines, at lack of preparation and tactics.


15th April:
Another semi-final loss in the FA Cup, another 2 - 5 defeat as Spurs again crumbled to Chelsea who admittedly were aided by the referee's decision to award them the second crucial goal just after half time when the ball hadn't crossed the line.  The team that had been lauded earlier in the season for playing the best football since the 'Double' team were a pale shadow for their former selves.  Fans' dissatisfaction was growing by the day.

21st April:
Spurs had been provided with another opportunity to close the gap on third as Arsenal lost to Wigan Athletic and then drew with Chelsea but they dropped to fifth after a single goal defeat against relegation threatened QPR as Newcastle United moved above them.  It was another poor performance and left fans infuriated at the use of Gareth Bale on the right and Aaron Lennon on the left.  It again led to cries of " Gareth Bale - He plays on the left" and "Aaron Lennon - He plays on the right".

Even at this stage the press was still predicting that Redknapp would soon be announced as the next England manager.

1st May:
The Football Association announced that Roy Hodgson had been given a four year contract as England manager and that he had been their preferred candidate and the only person who had been interviewed.  Redknapp accepted the news graciously, as always, but must have felt great disappointment as he knew it was his last opportunity to manage his country, a position he had set his heart on.

Tottenham had been resigned to losing him and some had suggested, even before the FA's announcement, that regardless of what happened over the England position that Redknapp would be leaving Spurs in the summer.  Spurs' season had taken a dramatic turn as soon as the departure of Fabio Capello was announced with many feeling that the constant media questions about England had been a distraction for Redknapp.

With four matches to go Spurs needed maximum points to have any chance of playing Champions League football next season.  They defeated Blackburnn Rovers at the end of April and the win over Bolton Wanderers was a display more akin to their early season form.  They then needed to win at Villa Park, their fourth successive match against a team concerned about possible relegation.

6th May:
A win would see Spurs move into third with a Champions League place in their own hands.  Spurs were the better team but Aston Villa defended as if their Premier League lives depended on it, which they did.  in a rare home attack, Villa went ahead when a shot deflected off William Gallas and looped over Brad Friedel.  A goal down at half-time, Spurs then went down to ten men when Danny Rose was sent off.  They regrouped to equalise with just under half and hour remaining but Redknapp appeared indecisive on the touchline, looking to bring on Jermain Defoe, then deciding against it and once he knew that Newcastle had lost, he appeared to settle for a point, leaving Spurs dependent on other results going in their favour on the last day of the season.  Redknapp's acceptance of a draw against a poor Villa team seemed a very negative approach at such a crucial part of the season, when many other managers would have gone all out for the three points.

13th May:
Spurs won their final match against Fulham but Arsenal defeated Roy Hodgson's West Bromwich, courtesy of two goals gifted by former Tottenham goalkeeper, Marton Fulop.  Arsenal claimed third and for this season fourth did not guarantee Spurs Champions League football due to Chelsea's late season revival taking them to the final of this season's competition.


19th May:
Bayern Munich conceded a late equaliser, missed an extra time penalty and as Didier Drogba scored the crucial penalty in the shoot-out Chelsea claimed England's fourth Champions League place as holders, demoting Spurs to the Europa League, a competition for which Redknapp showed such disdain that he consistently sent out weakened teams and regularly talked it down in the press.

Spurs' season which at it's mid-point had the potential to become of the most memorable in recent times, had tailed off alarmingly and disappointingly.  Redknapp appeared to have lost the support of a section of supporters, there had been talk of disquiet among the players and the Board seemed less than enthusiastic about extending his contract.

For some time, Daniel Levy had been in America due to family commitments and there seemed to be little news coming out of White Hart Lane.  There were matters to be decided over current and potential players and Harry Redknapp's contract which had only one year to run.  It was thought that he had been offered a rolling contract but that didn't satisfy his needs and there were rumours that Chelsea were interested in taking him as manager ahead of Roberto Di Matteo.


June, 2012:
On the day of the funeral of Daniel Levy's mother, Harry Redknapp made media comments about the need for Tottenham to sort out his contract.  He raised the issue of the uncertainty for the players next season, knowing that the manager was in the last year of his contract having previously stated that the speculation over the England position had no effect on players, 'They don't care who's manager'.

10th June:
For the first time, a story appeared in the press that all was not well at Tottenham concerning the manager's contract and the uneasy relationship between manager and Chairman.  Discussions were due to take place and if not resolved could lead to Redknapp leaving the club.

12th June:
Following rumours circulating on Twitter that Harry Redknapp had resigned, Redknapp, himself, came out and made a very strong denial that he had resigned having a year to run on his contract, describing such comments as 'scandalous'.

13th June:
The meeting between Harry Redknapp and Daniel Levy did not reach agreement over the contract and news broke that the manager would be leaving Tottenham after three and a half years as manager.

14th June:
Tottenham issued a statement on their website at 3.37am to confirm what everyone already knew by announcing that Harry Redknapp would be leaving his post as manager of  Tottenham Hotspur. 

Many Spurs supporters were not surprised at the developments, aware that it had been a possibility for some time.  In the wider football world there was shock that a manager who had twice taken Spurs to fourth in three seasons had been removed.

A few hours later, Roy Hodgson who had beaten Redknapp to the England post and whose team's defeat in the final match of the season had seen Spurs miss out on Champions League football, spoke of his disappointment that Redknapp had departed Tottenham.

In four short months, Redknapp had gone from potential England manager, a position he openly craved, to an unemployed manager albeit with a handsome severance package to soften the blow.  The only question that remains is, Will Harry be back in football before or after Tottenham appoint his replacement?  Only time will tell.

Redknapp to Miss Out as England Manager

After three months of intensive speculation and scrutiny where every match was viewed as an extended audition for the England manager's post, the Football Association have announced that they have been granted permission by West Bromwich Albion to interview their manager, Roy Hodgson, for the England position.

So Harry Redknapp, the 'Darling of the Media', the 'people's Champion' and the players' favourite appears to have missed out on his 'dream' appointment and what he often described as an opportunity he would find difficult to turn down.  Harry Redknapp has become like Brian Clough in the 1970s, the manager everyone wanted in charge of England but the Football Association thought otherwise.

It seemed to be no co-incidence, back in February, that the Football Association arranged their crucial meeting with their former manager, Fabio Capello, for late in the day when Harry Redknbapp's court case would come to a conclusion.  Having failed to reach agreement with Capello over the John Terry captaincy issue, the manager's departure and the clamour from the media, players and public placed Redknapp in yet another spotlight with him the overwhelming favourite to take over the reins in time to lead the England team in this summer's Euro Championships in Poland and Ukraine.

The Football Association in what was seen as an attempt to avoid disrupting a club in mid-season waited in making any approach for the appointment and put Stuart Pearce in temporary charge.  There were, however, only two names thought likely to be under consideration - Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson.  Such was the focus on Redknapp that his every move and decision at Tottenham was questioned with regard to the England position.

Distraction to the Tottenham Season?
As time passed, Redknapp's position and his famed man-management skills started to take a hammering as the Spurs' form dipped and people queried his tactics and team selections.  Since the departure of Capello, Spurs' win over Blackburn Rovers was only their third success in eleven Premier League matches and there have been some unflattering results along the way.  Everything was great as Spurs thrashed Newcastle United in the immediate aftermath of the court case but then they failed to overcome League 1 team Stevenage in the FA Cup, needing a replay to progress.  Having taken a two goal lead before half-time against Arsenal, Spurs conceded twice before the interval and in the second half were unable to stem the flow against a revitalised home team.  This was followed by a 3 - 1 defeat against a lack-lustre Manchester United at White Hart Lane and so the results continued to slip and Spurs who in mid-February had seemed assured of a Champions League place had slipped to sixth ahead of the Blackburn match.  They also were humiliated in the FA Cup semi-final when Chelsea scored five at Wembley.  None of these results looked good on any hypothetical application for the England position.  Along with the results question arose concerning tactics, the preparation for matches, January transfer dealings at the club and player rotation which culminated in rumours of player dissatisfaction.  As time passed, the situation worsened for Redknapp with the possibility of managing England in the summer an obvious distraction for him and the club.

The West Ham Connection
While Harry Redknapp was considered to be the FA's favoured choice with their Chairman, David Bernstein, frequently photographed attending Spurs' matches or present at games which Redknapp was at as part of his Tottenham duties, there was no official comment on the position but it was known that there was one dissenting voice within the heriarchy at the Football Association, Sir Trevor Brooking.  From his time at West Ham United, he is no supporter of Harry Redknapp and may have been voicing disquiet at such an appointment and even, perhaps, favouring Roy Hodgson.  

The Long Drawn Out Process
The result of this lengthy process is that Roy Hodgson will probably become the new England manager in the not too distant future.  This appointment suits the FA as the cheaper option as Hodgson is out of contract at West Bromwich Albion in the summer with no compensation to be paid.  Tottenham would, however, have required payment for the release of Redknapp from his contract and Daniel Levy is well known for his difficult and protracted negotiations.

Spurs disappointing run since February would appear to have gone against Redknapp while Hodgson's difficulties at Liverpool have been overlooked.  Redknapp would have brought flair to an England team while Hodgson will provide a well organised team,  as he has done at Fulham and West Bromwich but will the experienced international players respond to this in the same way as a club side?  Hodgson's experience of international football and tournament play may have given him an advantage over Redknapp but if he doesn't bring some semblance of success to the team in the Euro2012, there will be complaints all round.

What of Tottenham?
Uncertainty has been the key-word at Tottenham for the past number of months.  It was considered almost a certainty that Redknapp would be off and tentative plans would have been put in place for his replacement.  There has been constant media speculation around players at the club - Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Kyle Walker would be on many clubs wanted list, while Aaron Lennon, Younes Kaboul, Sandro and Rafael Van der Vaart would attract interest if uncertainty continues at the club and especially if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League competition.

Other players within the squad are nearing the end of their careers through age or with injury issues - both goalkeepers, Brad Friedel and Carlo Cudicini, are veterans while Ledley King and William Gallas both have injury issues and can not be relied on to play regularly.  The January transfer signings, Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen were only short-term options and have no future at the club.  Emmanuel Adebayor will probably be off as Spurs can not match his wage demands and Jermain Defoe is unhappy about his restricted opportunities.  There could be considerable scope for change at White Hart Lane during the summer but will Harry Redknapp be there to oversee it?  There have been suggestions that even if he didn't get the England post, that he would be on his way out in the summer - only time will tell.

The protracted period of waiting to replace Capello has worked well for the Football Association but Tottenham have come out of the process badly.  Their manager has been distracted or to put it into Redknapp footballing speak, 'he had his head turned' by the thought of managing his country and Spurs' season has fallen away as a consequence.  From a potential title challenge they slipped through the certainty of a third place finish and a guaranteed Champions League place to scrapping to hold fourth and the possibility of qualification as long as Chelsea fail to win the trophy next month.  

With three matches to go, Harry Redknapp and Spurs know what they need to do - set aside all distractions that have come about through speculation on the England manager's position and players' future plans and concentrate on winning the games at Bolton and Aston Villa and winning the final game of the season against Fulham at White Hart Lane.