Harry Redknapp: The Aftermath

[Fuego]

We'll sell him for 15 million regardless. England doesn't want Woy.

 

[southstand1882]

I don't like Harry's face his twitch or the fact that he has a bank account called Rosie47 with no tax paid on it.

Are you West Ham in disguise?

 

[Bullet]

I think the hatred ArcspacE displays towards Corluka is ridiculously overblown

And the hatred Moonlit Knight displays towards Walkers is ridiculously overblown

They are both quite good players and one could allow the other to have a bit of a rest - that is without doubt

And clearly both are better right backs than Livermore, Cudicini or Saha.

 

[parklane1]

Will Harry get sacked if we fail to qualify for the CL?
Just a thought!

I can not see Redknapp getting sacked to be honest, he will walk like he has done elsewere when things start going against him.

 

[Crawley]

This place is gunna get ugly when Redknapp eventually leaves for the England job!

Uglier. I think you meant uglier.
Don't forget, we have Chich and DHSF posting on here. How ugly do you think it can get?

 

[P.D.]

Agree with you except the Corluka part although him, Pienaar and Bassong wanted out.

I know that's no excuse to let them go but Arry didn't want to lose them or actively look to loan them out

Then its surely Harrys fault as he didnt rotate effectively and keep the squad happy and is now paying the penalty.

 

[Icelander]

I think the hatred ArcspacE displays towards Corluka is ridiculously overblown

And the hatred Moonlit Knight displays towards Walkers is ridiculously overblown

They are both quite good players and one could allow the other to have a bit of a rest - that is without doubt

And clearly both are better right backs than Livermore, Cudicini or Saha.

Corluka has also played a bit of left back for Croatia i think, although I seem to remember him not doing so great at LB when he's played there for us...? A truly strange loan decision IMO, would have liked to see him get a game here and there to keep Walker fresh and on his toes.

 

[Modric THFC]

Will Harry get sacked if we fail to qualify for the CL?
Just a thought!

There isn't a chance of Levy sacking Redknapp when we are due a financial pay off if he takes over England.

 

[Pirate55]

?ú65m spent in two transfer window and no real improvement in squad quality? That's some damnation of Redknapp and his transfer dealings. Would be shocking if true, and blatantly not true in my opinion seeing as Crouch and Defoe formed a very good partnership, Palacios did an excellent job for us until the tragedy with his brother and Bassong did a good job covering at the back.

Add to that Bale emerging and Modric having some time to settle into the Premier League and it was a clearly improved squad from what Jol got 5th with and a clearly improved squad from what Ramos underperformed with.

Rednapp has bought Crouch, Defoe, Chimbonda, Corluka, Bassong, Woodgate, Gallas, Nelsen, Saha, Piennar, Kranchar, Pallacios, Parker, Sandro etc etc. These guys are either crap, too old, too injury prone, too slow or all of the above. A truely shocking indictment of Rednapp. Levy bought the only quality player (VDV). The common denominator though is that they are all slow as snails. What we need is pace. What we need is quality. Where is that among this lot of losers?

 

[Pirate55]

Sorry if this has been posted, im at work and cant find enough time to read skysports news AND the whole thread.

For once a journa bloke seems to have written a pretty accurate piece;

5 Reasons why Spurs are coming off the rails.


Speculation over Harry's future

Spurs fans must be laughing at the FA's assertion, made in the aftermath of Fabio Capello's resignation, that they would not make a decision about the next England manager until the summer because they didn't want to "interrupt anyone's season."

When Capello resigned on February 8 - the same day as Harry Redknapp was acquitted on charges of tax evasion - the Spurs manager immediately became the favourite to replace the Italian. Three days later Spurs beat fifth-placed Saudi Sportswashing Machine 5-0 in a joyous display that seemed to affirm Redknapp as the only and obvious choice as England's next manager, and saw them move to within five points of Manchester United, opening up a ten point gap over Arsenal in fourth.

However, since then the wheels have fallen off and Spurs have managed a paltry six points in eight games forcing Redknapp to deny any link between conjecture around his future employment and Tottenham's form. Following a 1-1 draw with Stoke in March, Redknapp called such suggestions "absolute nonsense" and insisted that his players didn't care if he was manager next season.

But with Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and others reportedly unsettled by the lack of certainty going forward, it is difficult to conclude that the speculation has not acted as just the sort of interruption the FA was hoping to avoid.
The derby

When Tottenham travelled to the Emirates Stadium on February 26 it was only the fourth time in Arsene Wenger's Arsenal career that the Gunners had gone into the North London derby below Spurs in the table.

And with 34 minutes gone it very much looked as though, as well as advancing their own title hopes, Spurs would do further damage to Arsenal's chances of making the Champions League.

But then, with the game seemingly theirs to lose, Tottenham threw it all away. Goals from Bacary Sagna and Robin van Persie saw Arsenal pull level before half-time. Harry Redknapp scrambled to stem the flow, bringing on Sandro and Rafael van der Vaart for Saha and Niko Krancjar at the break, but by that time the momentum had well and truly swung in the Gunners favour.

With Tottenham seemingly unable to shut down an open game that was increasingly benefitting Arsenal, there was a certain inevitability to the goals from Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott that completed a humiliating afternoon for Spurs.

Arsenal's spirit on the day was remarkable and one game rarely defines a season but the nature of the defeat to such a fierce local rival, as well as the tactical deficiencies it hinted at, severely dented the confidence of the Tottenham squad.
The FA Cup distraction

Even before Fabrice Muamba collapsed 41 minutes into the quarter-final against Bolton, the FA Cup was arguably proving to be more of a distraction than perhaps it should have been for Tottenham.

Spurs comfortably beat Cheltenham in the third round, but made relatively hard work of their fourth round tie against Watford before needing a replay, in which they lost Michael Dawson to a season-ending injury, to get past League One Stevenage.

At that time nobody could have predicted what would subsequently happen to Muamba when Tottenham met Bolton but the emotional toll events on that day had on both sets of players should not be underestimated.

Whilst Bolton responded to the loss of Muamba with stirring performances in the league against Blackburn and Wolves, relatively little attention has been given to the impact on Spurs' players, who have struggled to move forward in quite the same fashion despite eventually overcoming Bolton when the match was replayed.
Redknapp's tactics

Spurs seem to be at their best when they play with width. With Aaron Lennon wide on the right and Gareth Bale a constant threat down the left, as was often the case early in the season, Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart had plenty of space to work their magic in the middle of the pitch.

More recently, in Lennon's absence, Redknapp has experimented with players in unfamiliar positions with limited success. Bale may be a fantastic talent but he doesn't look half the threat roaming freely in the middle of the park as he does terrorising full-backs with his pace down the wing. Meanwhile, Luka Modric's playmaking abilities seem almost completely blunted when he plays wide on the left.

Similarly, playing Van der Vaart nominally on the right has not only limited the Dutchman's impact and goal-scoring threat, it has also left Kyle Walker cruelly exposed at times as he effectively has to mark two players.

It is clear that Lennon's injuries have been a cruel blow but you have to question the tactics of a manager who responds to the loss of one player by disorienting several others in an attempt to compensate. Quite why Redknapp did not seek a like-for-like stand-in for the oft-injured Lennon when he had the chance remains a mystery.
Fragile defence

Quite simply, Redknapp has been forced to rely on Ledley King far too often this season. Whilst the if-only-he-wasn't-hurt-so-often defender has had a relatively injury free campaign by his standards, King is beginning to show signs that there are reasons why professional footballers generally consider it beneficial to train between games.

Neither King nor his manager could have imagined that the former England international would be required to feature in 21 games for Spurs this year, with the loss through injury of other key players clearly not helping the situation.

But Redknapp has hardly helped himself in that regard. William Gallas's hamstrings are only becoming more fragile with age and another 34-year-old, Ryan Nelsen, has failed to make much of an impression after arriving on a free transfer from Blackburn, for whom he had made only one league start all season. After the seldom-used Sebastien Bassong was allowed to leave on loan, Younes Kaboul was left as Redknapp's only real option to partner King in an hardly awe-inducing defensive line.

Whilst it might have paid off with 40-year-old Brad Friedel, too often Redknapp - a kind of anti-Wenger - has contributed to his own misfortune by signing players who are either injury prone or at an age where injuries are inevitable.

Questions must be asked as to why, in addition to a stand-in for Lennon, a reliable centre back was not sought in the January window when injuries were already starting to take their toll. Certainly, a dependable defensive partner for Dawson must be a priority come the summer to ensure that King is only sporadically called on for emergencies, if at all, in future.

A fantastic analysis and one I agree with 100%.

Further reasons I would add are:

Rednapps ridiculous transfer purchases - no quality, no pace, too old and no direct replacements for first teamers.

The teams complete incompetence at set plays - free-kicks and corners

Lost opportunites at both the last two transfer windows. What would have happened if we had bought Cisse, Sessignon, Hoilett, Samba and a quality striker when we were in the Champions league positions at Christmas.

 

[DubaiSpur]

Lost opportunites at both the last two transfer windows. What would have happened if we had bought Cisse, Sessignon, Hoilett, Samba and a quality striker when we were in the Champions league positions at Christmas.

Hoilett I agree with. The rest? Well, if we bought Samba, Caulker, our brightest prospect in years, would be on his way out of the Lane, because he wouldn't get a game. If we bought a quality striker, Defoe would have been on his way, and any hopes of signing Ade on a permanent deal would be blown through the window. Ditto Sessegnon and Cisse. Plus, we'd have to spend a boat load more on these players than we otherwise would have, due to the January effect, potentially throwing our financial situation and our stadium prospects into disarray.

Quite simply, thinking a bit ahead is often more beneficial to a club in the long term than rash decisions. Hoilett, I agree with; we needed cover on the wings and why we never got any, and then loaned out Pienaar and Townsend, is beyond me. The rest of it is a bit too unrealistic.

 

[chancer]

fudging hell. Suddenly any player that's done well in the last 3 weeks Harry should have bought, and apparently it is blindingly obvious that he should have done so. After the fact.

This has gotten totally absurd.

 

[thfcsteff]

Will Harry get sacked if we fail to qualify for the CL?
Just a thought!

No. Too expensive...he would get sacked if his continuance costs us good naming rights money...

 

[ArcspacE]

Hopefully the FA pay us compensation for him if he goes. Win-Win

 

[DanishWhite]

Hoilett I agree with. The rest? Well, if we bought Samba, Caulker, our brightest prospect in years, would be on his way out of the Lane, because he wouldn't get a game. If we bought a quality striker, Defoe would have been on his way, and any hopes of signing Ade on a permanent deal would be blown through the window. Ditto Sessegnon and Cisse. Plus, we'd have to spend a boat load more on these players than we otherwise would have, due to the January effect, potentially throwing our financial situation and our stadium prospects into disarray.

Quite simply, thinking a bit ahead is often more beneficial to a club in the long term than rash decisions. Hoilett, I agree with; we needed cover on the wings and why we never got any, and then loaned out Pienaar and Townsend, is beyond me. The rest of it is a bit too unrealistic.

Who says Caulker had to go anywhere ? It could well be Ledley and Gallas not being offered new deals and Nelsen not getting signed.

As for Cisse, well he is a better like for like competetition for Ade and would be a better buy than Saha. If that tinkles off Defoe, he has two choices - adapt or leave. Now, I like Defoe, but I don't get the part of building whole teams around him as opposed to simply upgrading him for a possibly better player. Both Cisse and Sessegnon looks like stirring signings.

 

[scaramanga]

At the end of the day though, Harry picked a side that should have beaten Norwich.

I am bewildered as to why he didnt start with Ade and one of JD or Rafa....but they should have been much better than they were. Had he played Sandro on the back of Sunderland, he would have been slaughtered for not giving Livermore a chance.

So he gives Livermore a chance, and bar one sublime pass, he was invisible and partly at fault for their 2nd goal.

Harry has his faults....but he's in a no win situation around here.

For me, it's very easy for Harry to win - he just needs to add value to the team.

He took a (massively underperforming) club worthy of 3rd/4th place and has got it back to where it should be. As I said in another thread, one cup win and consistent 4th place finishes in his time here will be a par performance considering the club he is working for.

If he gets 4th place and the FA Cup for us this season (assuming it's his last) he will get neither criticism nor praise from me, just acknowledgement that he has done his job to a satisfactory level. If he gets 2nd/3rd with a cup, he has clearly added value and I will rightly praise him for it. If he gets 5th/6th then he has underperformed and I will rightly criticise him for it.

Simple really.

 

[chancer]

For me, it's very easy for Harry to win - he just needs to add value to the team.

He took a (massively underperforming) club worthy of 3rd/4th place and has got it back to where it should be. As I said in another thread, one cup win and consistent 4th place finishes in his time here will be a par performance considering the club he is working for.

Since when are we judging Spurs managers getting 4th place in 2 seasons out of 3 as merely par?

Considering the last 30+ years, that is considerably above par surely. None of the other managers in that time have done it, and many inherited situations far less bricky than Redknapp did when he came in.

 

[diego_maradona]

A fantastic first post, and very true in that we have experimented with 3 main formations over the course of the year. I think the formation thing is important against the opposition you play.

It's absolutely the correct thing to play 3 in the middle when playing the big sides for instance who pretty much all line up that way.

It is hard to put your finger on what has happened. But I know if we were to play with the intensity that we showed in the Swansea home game in terms of comitment, working together to hurry and hustle the opposition we would win a hell of a lot of games in this league.

 

[1882]

I think Fuego sums it up in a nutshell;

King's awesome run ended at Emirates Marketing Project when he gave away that penalty, before that, whenever his name was on the team sheet, we all -knew- we weren't going to lose. Maybe it was the same for the players.

Not that the WHOLE season is down to reality finally catching up with King... but he's no longer the 'laws-of-physics-defying' talisman he was in the first half of the season... like it or not, the Emirates Marketing Project away game was crucial in 3 ways to defining ours (and ArseAnal's, wait for it) season... King's mis-timed tackle at the end was just one...
Defoe missing the chance to win it moments before was the second...
and of course the decision to 'allow' Balotelli to stay on the pitch after an attempted de-capitation of Scott Parker came back to haunt us in the very same game...

Yet when the un-hinged lunatic repeated the trick at the Emirates last week, not only did he end up getting sent off (rightly... eventually) but the ending of the match was in directly opposite to how OUR game against Emirates Marketing Project should've turned out... THAT'S the difference between us and ArseAnal this season I fear, it was never going to be from that moment on... the 5-2 at The Emirates merely highlighted the difference between having ArseAnal's 'Mental Strengssss' combined with an arrogant a superiority complex as opposed to our 'feel-sorry-for-yourself' inferiority version!

 

[scaramanga]

Since when are we judging Spurs managers getting 4th place in 2 seasons out of 3 as merely par?

Considering the last 30+ years, that is considerably above par surely. None of the other managers in that time have done it, and many inherited situations far less bricky than Redknapp did when he came in.

In the few years preceding Redknapp's appointment, our squad improved massively (mostly since the arrival of Levy). We had been inching closer to that 4th place finish, had achieved a cup win, and Jol (who many, many people rate as no more than average) got us within touching distance of 4th place twice.

We have at least the 4th best team in the PL, regardless of how his predecessors have done Harry needs to at least match that with his performance.