Maybe - but he quotes proper sources.
Obviously an inconvenient truth from your perspective.
My perspective is a balanced one as far as I am concerned. Let me clarify it for you from both a footballing point of view and my view on Redknapp. Feel free to use this against me in the future....
Football is a simple game. The more scientific or complex a Manager makes it, the greater the chance the team will fail.
The tactics, system, style a Manager users doesn't have anywhere near as much weight to success as most people assume. It's mainly about the players and their ability.
What the Manager does need to do to make a team successful is actually pretty simple. Play players in their natural positions and ensure the team balance/blend is correct (regardless of formation). For example, this for me is where Redknapp went wrong against Norwich (and where Comolli went wrong during his entire stay at Spurs). It doesn't matter what system you play, you have to have a defensive midfielder in central midfield. Ideally a disciplined one who will sacrifice personal glory for the good of the team, e.g. stay behind the ball and keep shape. Without one the whole balance of the team goes to brick.
Confidence plays a big part in how players play. That confidence can come from many minor things (the Manager, a team mate, a new contract etc) but in most cases significant confidence is self fulfilling and comes from good performances and winning. When people say that Manager X has failed to motivate Player X, it's clear they don't understand the level at which these guys are playing. This isn't Sunday morning football where a few encouraging words can work wonders on a player. These guys by their very nature are ultra motivated and competitive. A few words from a Manager usually makes bugger all difference. Their confidence comes from how they are feeling about their own form and ability. The second biggest giver (and taker) of confidence is the crowd. This is why teams have home advantage.
I said from the season start, and I stick by it now, Chelsea have the best Premiership team (and second best squad). Emirates Marketing Project have the second best team, and best squad. They should be comfortably leading the title race. The reason they are notis because Fergie has done amazing things with a not so good (although still the 3rd best team and squad in the country) Utd team, and because City and Chelsea have royally made life hard work for themselves this season.
Redknapp is a simple man. He isn't very intelligent, and engages mouth before brain.
Not my perception but from people I know who know him, Redknapp is a very generous man who will talk to anyone about anything. He is very personable and most people who get to know him like him a lot. He is also very emotional and also has low self esteem and this is why he seems to feel the need to over justify every opinion he has.
Redknapp is an excellent football manager. Almost certainly the best English manager around at the moment, and has been since Venables gave up regular club management.
Redknapp is one of the best managers in the Premiership, and we don't give him enough credit. Fergie and Wenger are definitely superior to him. It's entirely possible that Redknapp is the 3rd best in the country. I am personally not a fan of Mancini. Dalglish is a two time title winner but is clearly struggling with a Liverpool team that is a lot better than they're performing. The likes of Pardew, Rodgers, Lambert may potentially be better in the future or could be a Mike Walker/George Burley type scenario. Di Matteo is doing well at Chelsea, but Avram Grant did better (comparitive to the season he took over) than Mourinho and no one sane is going to say Grant is a better Manager! I did like Di Matteo at WBA though, and he is doing an excellent job. The two Premiership Managers that I am more confident in saying MAY be better than Redknapp are Moyes & O'Neill. But until a more competitive team gives them a chance (like Spurs did with Redknapp) it's impossible to tell.
Spurs have the 4th/5th best team/squad in the country. It's a very close run thing against Arsenal, and yes Wenger's superiority over Redknapp (plus the fact he has had years to sculpt that side and team ethos) does give Arsenal an advantage.
We are where we should be in the Premiership. It's not a disappointing season to anyone who has realistic expectations.
It doesn't matter if you're 20pts clear or 20pts behind at the halfway stage of a season. The only thing that matters is the pts tally after 38 games. Everything else is just eschewed form guides that don't take into consideration injuries, the form of the opposition, the quality of the opposition etc. so needs to be taken with a very large dose of salt.
