Harry Redknapp: The Aftermath

[ArcspacE]

Hardly any players are "tracked". They don't have to be, as most deals are agent driven. You think how many scouts clubs employ very few players are "discovered".

Not sure if that's a serious comment but if you genuinely believe the above statement - I've got some bad news for you

As to your first paragraph - if anything - reinforces the notion of VdV not being a Arry signing compared to someone like Scott Parker for example.

 

[SUIYHA]

You are making to much fuss about wages and finances.

Of course they help you get further quicker, but they are no replacement for top class management and coaching.

I think Redknapp has done a quality job to date, but is far from flawless.

I also think a top class manager would have us top of the league right now. We have quality players, regardless of finance, and a well practiced system of play and some shrewd buys would see us much better off than we are now.

And where we are now is in a very good position, my comment is not that we are doing badly, just that we could be doing better...

Do you honestly think our squad is as good as United's or City's? Bale and Modric are probably our only players who could start for either side. Adebayor, Van Der Vaart, Parker, Lennon, Kaboul etc are all very good players but I can name a better player in the same position at least as good if not better at both clubs. Harry did fantastically well to keep in touch with both clubs for as long as he did.

Harry is a victim of his own success, he's raised expectations and valuations of our squad amongst our fans to ridiculous levels. Yes, we could be doing better. So could United and City. United could have beaten Blackburn and Saudi Sportswashing Machine in December. City could have beaten Swansea and Stoke recently. Everyone slips up, everyone makes mistakes. When you think about how David Pleat used to finish games that we were losing with seven defenders on the pitch, or how George Graham spent ?ú11m on a 5ft tall Rebrov when we played a long ball system, how Hoddle persisted with a 3-5-2 formation, or how Jol used to regularly substitute our attacking players when we were dominating games and had the opposition pinned back, it makes you realise just how often Harry gets things right.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Not sure if that's a serious comment but if you genuinely believe the above statement - I've got some bad news for you

As to your first paragraph - if anything - reinforces the notion of VdV not being a Arry signing compared to someone like Scott Parker for example.

Players will be scouted once, maybe twice (usually by a different scout). Dependant on the cost of the player the Manager may go and take a butchers too if he gets reviews from his scouts. Most of what they view is TV footage. Scouting has changed a lot in the last 25 years, thanks to the fact almost every game has footage. Usually the decision from spotting a player to the player going on a buy list is about a week. Everything after that is keeping in touch with the agent and check in on the player's circumstances and desires....

 

[ArcspacE]

VdV would walk into Utd's worst midfield in 20-odd years. They have 40-year olds as regulars, ffs. Walker would also start ahead of those clown twins who only seem to get bookings every game. Kaboul is a much, much better player than the clogger Evans. So is Daws on most days.

Lennon would be in contention in any team in the world bar the Spanish giants perhaps

 

[ArcspacE]

Everything after that is keeping in touch with the agent and check in on the player's circumstances and desires....

And most importantly - keeping tabs on his performance (via TV, live games, etc.)

All of the above can be summed up as tracking - or at least having identified (atttainable) targets as opposed to circus-like last minute bids for over-rated cloggers and similar dross

 

[Joesh]

You are making to much fuss about wages and finances.

Of course they help you get further quicker, but they are no replacement for top class management and coaching.

I think Redknapp has done a quality job to date, but is far from flawless.

I also think a top class manager would have us top of the league right now. We have quality players, regardless of finance, and a well practiced system of play and some shrewd buys would see us much better off than we are now.

And where we are now is in a very good position, my comment is not that we are doing badly, just that we could be doing better...

VdV would walk into Utd's worst midfield in 20-odd years. They have 40-year olds as regulars, ffs. Walker would also start ahead of those clown twins who only seem to get bookings every game. Kaboul is a much, much better player than the clogger Evans. So is Daws on most days.

Lennon would be in contention in any team in the world bar the Spanish giants perhaps

To be fair Utd are top of the league, their team/squad cant be that bad. City also have a far superior squad than us which is why they are so far ahead of us. TBH I cant see how you could debate that we should/could be top. We have a very good team but looking at it fairly, we are lacking some top class players and money is the biggest obsticle towards getting them and keeping them. You cant ignore the financial side as the teams that spend and pay the most will finish at the top and teams that do not wont. Money will decide who wins in football, one way or the other.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

Very simply, as we are we were within reach of the top before our recent capitulation.

Had we a well defined and rehearsed system of play we would have been more consistent. Had we been more consistent we could/should well be top right now.

At this point it looks like miles apart, a month ago it was a hairs width.

A top manager would have extracted more from the resources available, IMHO.

That has absolutely nothing to do with Finance.

 

[Joesh]

Considering that we lost our first 2 games and Utd are top now with 3 losses, to be above them we would have had to go a run of losing 2 more games max out of 28 in the league. Even looking at goal difference, which is not a bad judge +47 and +50 - we are +18. We havent had a really settled team or defence and we dont have consistant goal scorers either from midfield or strikers. I think you maybe overating what we have and under rating our opposition as no manager would have us higher than 3rd with the current team.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

How do you think we would be doing right now with the exact same squad and Jose Mourinho in charge?

 

[Joesh]

I think we'd be better off points wise but definately not top, definately not with this squad. Mourinho is a great manager but he hasnt proven himself with a club like us yet.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

Emirates Marketing Project and Man Utd are 15 and 18 points ahead of us respectively.

Had we drawn those four games instead of giving up 12 points the difference would be 6 and 9 points.

I believe this would be achievable.

Then considering the difference being so short, could you not imagine us peraps picking points up at Stoke, at Arsenal...

 

[Joesh]

The problem is we didnt have the quality to do that. We rely too much on certain players and they had the quality to punish us. Maybe certain games we didnt deserve to lose but we were lucky with a lot of wins too. I think 3rd - 4th is about our level. To get further we'd need at least 3-4 world class players and keep everyone we've got.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

The problem is we didnt have the quality to do that.

Says who? Utd are the only team we havent beaten under Redknapp, and this year (particularly at home) we were certainly well in the game.

A top manager and coach, with a set system of play and the squad all well drilled, with good tactical variety to compensate in games not going our way could have got us enough points to be top or as near as.

IF we drew against those two top teams, we need only match their results against the lesser sides to keep their pace. everything is suddenly possible.

A Manager could make that difference IMHO.

Which was the only point I made as you tried to lay it all at the feet of finance

 

[Joesh]

Its the finance that gets you the best manager and the best players. For instance, you mentioned Mourinho - I dont think we could afford him or the transfer targets he would require. Maybe I am too negative, but I dont believe any manager with this squad could get us top because tactics are no good unless you have the players to carry them out.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

We are well known to be one of the highest payers for managers. Ramos was on ridiculous money for example.

That aside, lets look at a different situation.

Everton - tinkle poor - 9th at this point. They have the finances of a league 1 club at present and are still comfortably midtable and on a charge for Europe.

Norwich and Swansea - certainly dont have premier league finances - and yet have survived in this league comfortably with essentially the same players they got promoted from the championship with (and in the case of Norwich some from League 1 two seasons ago too)

QUALITY MANAGEMENT is what is making the difference here. If it were down to finances these teams would be a division or two below us.

 

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

Conversely, to compare, QPR who came up with Swansea and Norwich spent millions and millions and look set for relegation!

 

[thfcsteff]

So do you have inside info that "no one was sure at that price"?....or did you read it in a paper....or did you make it up?

Its no good people people dismissing Harry as you cant believe a word he says, and then slaughtering him for his words when it suits.

Believe what you will matey, no worries at all, I have always been consistent in saying that first for Harry comes Harry...

 

[thfcsteff]

surely that's quite straight forward?

player returns from injury but isn't 100% match fit. they think they might get 30 mins out of him, so it's better to go for the last 30 than the first and have to replace him in the first half.

they're unlikely to want to replace him that early in the first half, so push through to half time and as such, he risks overplaying, tweaks his injury again and is out. add to that we'd gone into that game in really good form, so i'm sure Harry would also have been slated for changing it up.

this isn't a new thing. and look at when Gerrard first came back this year - iirc started 3 games on the bench, and now seems to be fit and starting each game from the beginning.

by all means disagree with Harry about playing a 4-4-2, but questioning his not playing Lennon does just seem like a stick to beat him with.

OK.
Difference of opinion.
For me, if you're fit enough to be on the bench, you're fit enough to start and thus you go out there and start with your best 11 in the formation which has worked for you away from home all season.
As for subbing, why, then, did he not get Azza onto the itch for the second half?

 

[thfcsteff]

He had never mentioned Rafa as a potential target and I doubt he even knew which club the latter played for since he'd never feature on MotD. Much like he dismissed Ganso recently. VdV was Bayern Munich bound but became available in the last minute. Levy was alerted and asked Arry if we'd be interested - and of course - he said yes.

You also speak of proven Prem players but half of those are semi-retired crocks who are simply not good enough for a club of our level aspirations. Nelsen and Saha couldn't get games at bottom 8 clubs, for fudges sake. In addition - some of the youngsters you mention are by no means his dealings but credit to him for blooding them in

I love what he's done for the club and no matter what happens in the summer he'd be lauded as one of our most successful managers but most of his transfer dealings have been nothing short of shambles and quite possibly his weakest aspect as THFC manager. Can't fault him for anythihing else that's for sure.

Very fair post!

 

[totman]

Believe what you will matey, no worries at all, I have always been consistent in saying that first for Harry comes Harry...

?
That wasnt the issue.

You stated that no one at the club was sure about the paying that price for Rossi. I posted quotes from Redknapp where he says that Levy bid 35M but Villereal didnt want to sell.

You say "you cant believe what Harry says in the press"

So, I ask you again, where did you hear that "no one at the club was sure" about paying for Rossi?