Harry Redknapp: The Aftermath

[tynesidespur]

When we got 4th, the emergence of Bale meant that in the second half of the season we gave teams something different to think about. We haven't had that this year. We are trying to get by with what we had. It's obvious teams know how to stop it, but without new signings to freshen it up there's really not much that can be done. You can't change the fact that Bale likes to run at space in behind a full back. You can't change the fact that Defoe needs the ball into feet around the edge of the area. You can't change the way to get the best out of certain players, and now teams have a plan to stop us, we don't have anyone else to come in and mix it up. Saudi Sportswashing Machine did great business with Cisse. Ba has actually stopped scoring. Teams have figured him out but it's fine, because Saudi Sportswashing Machine now have the element of Cisse in their gameplan and it's a whole different threat to contain. We don't have it.

The blame is firmly at Redknapp's door but I do 100% agree with this.

When we got 4th we had a system in the 1st half of the season with Modric playing narrow from the left, Palacios and Thudd in central midfield and Lennon on the right providing width. Lennon, Defoe and Modric from that left side provided us with a great start to the season. We then hit the buffers around the middle of the season as Modric dropped out injured, as did Lennon and Defoe stopped scoring. Fortunately 3 players came to the fore in Bentley, Bale and Pavlyuchenko. The team changed around and we suddenly asked different questions. Bale provided a new threat down the left and Pav took up the goalscoring mantle from Defoe. Bentley scored a couple of important goals and was involved until Lennon came back from injury. We simply haven't had that this season. We've relied on the players who showed good early form to carry us through.

 

[P.D.]

I think he is desperate for CL football to be honest as affirmed by Jol's forced statements about top 4 on the OS. The club is worth a fortune if its regularly competing in the CL and Levy knows this. It will be interesting to see the full accounts in a few months and see how much revenues have slipped by this year compared to the CL season.

To Levys credit he has tried everything e.g. DOF, continental, British but unfortunately we are Spurs and lucky continually stabs us in the back like Arnesen being poached, players refusing to play etc

 

[DHSF]

The blame is firmly at Redknapp's door but I do 100% agree with this.

When we got 4th we had a system in the 1st half of the season with Modric playing narrow from the left, Palacios and Thudd in central midfield and Lennon on the right providing width. Lennon, Defoe and Modric from that left side provided us with a great start to the season. We then hit the buffers around the middle of the season as Modric dropped out injured, as did Lennon and Defoe stopped scoring. Fortunately 3 players came to the fore in Bentley, Bale and Pavlyuchenko. The team changed around and we suddenly asked different questions. Bale provided a new threat down the left and Pav took up the goalscoring mantle from Defoe. Bentley scored a couple of important goals and was involved until Lennon came back from injury. We simply haven't had that this season. We've relied on the players who showed good early form to carry us through.

Sorry but that comment is just pathetic. I dont have any allegiance towards Harry and dont have any allegiance towards anyone but I fudgein despise people going on about how it is Harrys fault.

I think it is about time people woke up and smelled the fudgein coffee and realised that it is not ALL down to Harry but the players and Levy boy. Everyone has to take their FAIR share of blame.

You have players who dont have any fudgein pride, you got Harry not coming out and saying one way or another whether he wants to leave etc and also at times his questionable tactics and you have Levy boy here who has been pathetic in the negotiation of transfers.

So to fudgein lay ALL the blame on one man is not warranted whilst the others get away scot free. Like I say I have no allegiance towards Harry but I also havent let me bias get in the way of identifying what the real problems are.

 

[GlennGoddle]

Don't worry,he's already said finishing outside of top 4 isn't failure. Got himself covered.

 

[P.D.]

Dont forget we've never had it so good

 

[Leeds Spur]

Just admit it, you love Harry's chubby one sliding into your throat don't you?

 

[indianspur]

this thread is brought to you by

 

[Leeds Spur]

Lol. They should make Harry their lifetime ambassador.

 

[Harry_Perkins]

So to fudgein lay ALL the blame on one man is not warranted whilst the others get away scot free. Like I say I have no allegiance towards Harry but I also havent let me bias get in the way of identifying what the real problems are.

Sorry DHSF but the manager takes the plaudits when it is going well. That is why he was being touted for England. You can't therefore turn around and start talking about everyone getting a bit of the blame when it is going badly.

As for Levy, I blame him for leaving us short over the years and making it more difficult for some managers but you can't really say that this season. We were flying with the same squad and have collapsed with the same squad.

 

[mick cooper]

GHod alone knows what this site would have looked like if it had been in existence the season we went down.

its all Harrys fault

I have to say that I'm more inclined to blame the players who failed to take advantage of their superiority over a pretty ordinary QPR team.

but then - you lot would simply transfer the blame to Harry, who at the beginning of the season was Mr Motivator, and now is simply the antichrist.

he's putting the same players and same teams on the pitch and they are playing in the same way.

yet its all Harry's fault?

Harry has shown far more loyalty to this club - than the club has shown to its previous bunch of managers going back to Venables in the late 80s, yet he is disloyal and will fudge off as soon as it suits him. He has no tactical nous, yet if we finish top 6 this season it will be the first time we have had 3 top six finishes since the early 60s. Hes the only manager in the modern era to get us CL football and we are still thought of as being one of the most entertaining football teams to watch in the EPL - isn't that the Tottenham way? Entertainers. Isn't it all we hung on to when we were consistent mid table gonads?

Knock yourselves out boys. Lash out and whine all you like. In 10 or 20 years time, you lot will probably be looking back on the Harry redknapp era as if it were a defining cornerstone of all that Spurs represent, in all likelihood.

until the next Christian Gross comes to take over the reins.

 

[DHSF]

Sorry DHSF but the manager takes the plaudits when it is going well. That is why he was being touted for England. You can't therefore turn around and start talking about everyone getting a bit of the blame when it is going badly.

As for Levy, I blame him for leaving us short over the years and making it more difficult for some managers but you can't really say that this season. We were flying with the same squad and have collapsed with the same squad.

The Manager did take plaudits but so did Ade, Bale, Parker, Friedel, Benny, Modric, et al... but it seems that when the going gets rough its just the Manager that gets the heat. Why arent the players this time round?

As for the squad flying and collapsing well thats where Levy comes in and thats why I blame him. We all knew we needed freshening up we all knew we needed a signing or two in the summer. Fine Harry shouldnt have got rid of the players he did in the summer but I can guarantee you that Harry was under the impression, from Levy, that Levy was gonna get the players that Harry wanted. Then again that is the problem with selling before you buy - the buying part may well fall through.

The question is why did Harry get in Saha and Nielsen? were they his first choices (I very much doubt it).

As you say Levy has a habit of doing this - of being so reactive rather than proactive in the transfer market. You dont think he will do the same to another Manager? You could have the greatest Manager in the world but if Levy continues with his bricky habits then we will stay in the current position.

Leeds - better to be having one man sliding it in that having the whole squad and Levy's eh

 

[NaijaSpurs]

Indeed I though we would have at least got a draw if Adebayor was playing.

Why? It is not like he is a goal scoring machine, especially when you consider his pathetic finishing

 

[mick cooper]

I cant be bothered to rehash all of this, so as this has turned into the what the defence of Harry thread has turned into I'll re post it here.

GHod alone knows what this site would have looked like if it had been in existence the season we went down.

its all Harrys fault

I have to say that I'm more inclined to blame the players who failed to take advantage of their superiority over a pretty ordinary QPR team.

but then - you lot would simply transfer the blame to Harry, who at the beginning of the season was Mr Motivator, and now is simply the antichrist.

he's putting the same players and same teams on the pitch and they are playing in the same way.

yet its all Harry's fault?

Harry has shown far more loyalty to this club - than the club has shown to its previous bunch of managers going back to Venables in the late 80s, yet he is disloyal and will fudge off as soon as it suits him. He has no tactical nous, yet if we finish top 6 this season it will be the first time we have had 3 top six finishes since the early 60s. Hes the only manager in the modern era to get us CL football and we are still thought of as being one of the most entertaining football teams to watch in the EPL - isn't that the Tottenham way? Entertainers. Isn't it all we hung on to when we were consistent mid table gonads?

Knock yourselves out boys. Lash out and whine all you like. In 10 or 20 years time, you lot will probably be looking back on the Harry redknapp era as if it were a defining cornerstone of all that Spurs represent, in all likelihood.

until the next Christian Gross comes to take over the reins.​

 

[Naughton16]

If it's the players who are to blame it begs the questions which ones and why havent they been dropped before now?

 

[Harry_Perkins]

The Manager did take plaudits but so did Ade, Bale, Parker, Friedel, Benny, Modric, et al... but it seems that when the going gets rough its just the Manager that gets the heat. Why arent the players this time round?

I never remember anyone saying, not lest Redknapp: 'Stop praising Redknapp, give equal credit to the players and the chairman'. The manager is always going to take the credit. So if he does that, he can't turn around and blame anyone else. And in fairness, Redknapp hasn't done that.

Fact is, this squad has been good enough all season to be challenging. And in truth, we are still are. 3 points off 4th with 4 games to go. We would have taken that in August all day long. But if we miss out, and it isn't looking good, then Redknapp can hardly blame anyone else. And if we miss out badly and this slide isn't halted, it'll be time to move on.

 

[braineclipse]

the business generates money to keep up with rising salaries, so the money is re-invested into the club, the playing side.

Yes Levy has ambitions, but the financial welfare of the club comes first. And rightly so, we dont want to do a Leeds thats for sure. But as chairman, he knows that the club can do perfectly fine as we are if we make CL football or if we dont. He will not risk anything to go all out for CL football

And he shouldn't.

Your previous post just made it seem like Levy was somehow happy to dally around without ambitions as long as the club made him and the shareholders money.

 

[southstand1882]

The only thing Levy has done wrong was not getting rid of Redknapp last summer, he has not got the tactical brain to compete on a equal basis with the top teams.

You mean the tactical genius of Mankini and Pardew?

 

[Pandy]

Ok.

I'm interested in hearing from anyone who wants to defend Harry about our run since January this year.

How many results or performances in that time were really shockingly bad? We have lost the luck that saw us get results like 3-1 away to Fulham in the first half of the season, we just need a bit of luck in the next few games, to get the first goal and to have a half-hour period to actually express ourselves and find our confidence again. Blackburn at home is the perfect game for that.

Believe me, I still think he is a cvnt right now just because I want someone to be angry at, but we haven't done all that badly and there's still time to finish the season on a bright note.

Who can forget all the good times as well, one of the best managers in our history and certainly the best in my lifetime, he's transformed us from a club with CL pretensions who could never see it through, to legitimate CL contenders, and given us some dazzling football and results against massive teams in the meantime.

 

[Pandy]

GHod alone knows what this site would have looked like if it had been in existence the season we went down.

its all Harrys fault

I have to say that I'm more inclined to blame the players who failed to take advantage of their superiority over a pretty ordinary QPR team.

but then - you lot would simply transfer the blame to Harry, who at the beginning of the season was Mr Motivator, and now is simply the antichrist.

he's putting the same players and same teams on the pitch and they are playing in the same way.

yet its all Harry's fault?

Harry has shown far more loyalty to this club - than the club has shown to its previous bunch of managers going back to Venables in the late 80s, yet he is disloyal and will fudge off as soon as it suits him. He has no tactical nous, yet if we finish top 6 this season it will be the first time we have had 3 top six finishes since the early 60s. Hes the only manager in the modern era to get us CL football and we are still thought of as being one of the most entertaining football teams to watch in the EPL - isn't that the Tottenham way? Entertainers. Isn't it all we hung on to when we were consistent mid table gonads?

Knock yourselves out boys. Lash out and whine all you like. In 10 or 20 years time, you lot will probably be looking back on the Harry redknapp era as if it were a defining cornerstone of all that Spurs represent, in all likelihood.

until the next Christian Gross comes to take over the reins.

Excellent post.

 

[Harry_Perkins]

He has no tactical nous, yet if we finish top 6 this season it will be the first time we have had 3 top six finishes since the early 60s. Hes the only manager in the modern era to get us CL football

You see, no mention of anyone else here. HE got us into the CL. HE is credited with the top 6 finishes. And quite right, I agree. He was the key man. In reality, others play their part but everyone accepts the manager is the key figure at the football club. EXCEPT when results turn and then all the cliches come out about how 'there is nothing the manager can do when the players cross the white line!'.

In fainess, Redknapp hasn't come out with this stuff himself. He is right to say we're playing well and it can turn.