Redknapp's Autobiography

[Robspur12]

Well dare I say that the proof is on my side of the view. The fact that we got our record total and only finished 5th demonstrates that points don't count for as much as finishing higher.

I do know right now that if I was offered the choice of us finishing 4th this season with 60 points or finishing 5th this season with 80 points, I'd take the 4th place.[/QUOTE]

But that is not the point I'm making. I have said position is obviously more important but it can be as much about how other teams perform as much as yours. Harry did not overachieve relative AVB because in 11/12 Chelsea and Arsenal underperformed but last year they reverted to type.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Well dare I say that the proof is on my side of the view. The fact that we got our record total and only finished 5th demonstrates that points don't count for as much as finishing higher.

I do know right now that if I was offered the choice of us finishing 4th this season with 60 points or finishing 5th this season with 80 points, I'd take the 4th place.[/QUOTE]

But that is not the point I'm making. I have said position is obviously more important but it can be as much about how other teams perform as much as yours. Harry did not overachieve relative AVB because in 11/12 Chelsea and Arsenal underperformed but last year they reverted to type.

That is what I've already said. It's a case of both. We were punching above our weight and they actually underperformed.

This season may be different. It is still too early to say where we should be in the pecking order and we possibly are in the top four Premiership teams for the first time which is a great achievement,

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Thanks for posting this. Good of him to admit he made some mistakes, but still no admission that the England fiasco derailed us.

To be honest, I don't think it did derail us. And if it did, then the players clearly didn't have the mental strength so weren't good enough anyway.

I agree with Redknapp that injuries derailed us, but I also think that his tactics in trying to compensate for the injuries certainly contributed to the results faltering. I don't think our performances faltered during the poor run of results. Indeed I liken those performances to the ones last season and so far this season. Plenty of possession, dominating the other team and failing to create significant chances.

He states above that he believes that success comes from playing players in the positions they are comfortable in. I agree with him. But when Lennon got injured he started playing multiple players out of their comfortable positions to compensate and that for me is what cost us. Of course, people focus on the negatives and forget the positives so the other argument could simply be did we really falter or was that our genuine level because had we really over achieved in the first half of the season and therefore given people the impression we were better than we actually were?

 

[billyiddo]

To be honest, I don't think it did derail us

does that mean you think if Capello had remained in his position as England manager we would have had the same run of results from the Saudi Sportswashing Machine game onward?

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

does that mean you think if Capello had remained in his position as England manager we would have had the same run of results from the Saudi Sportswashing Machine game onward?

If Lennon had got injured, then yes I think so. We had no natural replacement, and Redknapp made tactical and selection errors trying to mitigate.

 

[billyiddo]

That was also a factor no doubt and something i was also critical of at the time and since.

Im just not sure how you can dismiss the England stuff as a factor in our collapse - a distraction that big is bound to have an affect, imv at least

 

[thfcsteff]

If Lennon had got injured, then yes I think so. We had no natural replacement, and Redknapp made tactical and selection errors trying to mitigate.

Hate to say it (especially as I didn't necessarily know what I thought of the lad at the time) but there was a bloke called Andros Townsend who 'Arry decided to take to QPR on loan the following season. Perhaps if he hadn't been distracted he'd have noticed. Letting Pienaar go back on loan in that January window wasn't the greatest either was it? Let's face it Jumpers, the man made mistakes. No worries. It happens. What a shame he will never ever cop to then in this specific situation...

Look, there were injuries, absolutely, but 12 point leads don't disappear just because of those with the squad he had.

 

[scaramanga]

This argument is flawed.

England need an English manager. I hate it when foreign coaches are in charge of any country. Surely the whole point in international competition is that the entire set up is from that country?

Due to lack of opportunities in recent years, there are very few viable English candidates for the England job.

Finally because of the length of service that Fergie and Wenger have given to their clubs, coupled with the fact that other competitive clubs during this era have tended to go down the foreign route, has meant limited opportunities. For all the will in the world no manager is going to be challenging for the title with the likes of West Ham or Portsmouth, unless they suddenly get a sugar daddy.

Sadly for Redknapp he blew his chance at being competitive (I don't seriously believe we should have a shout at the title either to be honest) among the big boys when he got fired from us because he could do the best possible job anyone could do at QPR, and realistically they aren't going to get into the top six.

As Redknapp stated himself, the role of a manager is often greatly exaggerated. I have little doubt that if Redknapp was in charge of Emirates Marketing Project or Chelsea and they kept him in charge for at least 3 seasons he would win trophies and almost certainly the title also. Likewise if Mourinho (the best manager in the world in my opinion) took over Palace and wasn't allowed to bring in any new players, they'd get relegated.

You're not comparing like for like there. In one scenario the manager is under an artificial restriction (changing the players) and in the other he isn't.

Now try the same statement except that in the first one Redknapp replaces City's team with Willie McKay players and loads of his old mates he used to manage who are getting on a bit. Mourinho spends what Palace can afford on some young players that want to learn their trade under Mourinho.

It's a very different outcome.

 

[braineclipse]

This argument is flawed.

England need an English manager. I hate it when foreign coaches are in charge of any country. Surely the whole point in international competition is that the entire set up is from that country?

Due to lack of opportunities in recent years, there are very few viable English candidates for the England job.

Finally because of the length of service that Fergie and Wenger have given to their clubs, coupled with the fact that other competitive clubs during this era have tended to go down the foreign route, has meant limited opportunities. For all the will in the world no manager is going to be challenging for the title with the likes of West Ham or Portsmouth, unless they suddenly get a sugar daddy.

Sadly for Redknapp he blew his chance at being competitive (I don't seriously believe we should have a shout at the title either to be honest) among the big boys when he got fired from us because he could do the best possible job anyone could do at QPR, and realistically they aren't going to get into the top six.

As Redknapp stated himself, the role of a manager is often greatly exaggerated. I have little doubt that if Redknapp was in charge of Emirates Marketing Project or Chelsea and they kept him in charge for at least 3 seasons he would win trophies and almost certainly the title also. Likewise if Mourinho (the best manager in the world in my opinion) took over Palace and wasn't allowed to bring in any new players, they'd get relegated.

If the manager's role is so exaggerated why is there a shortage of candidates? Surely it doesn't matter much if the role of the manager is so exaggerated and Hodgson isn't much different to Redknapp and for that matter it could be Allardyce or Pardew anyway?

Didn't Holloway bring in so many new players that they couldn't register all of their senior players in the 25 man squad? Transfermarkt has them at a £18.5m net spend this summer, even accepting that those numbers aren't entirely accurate they have spent a considerable amount of money. But Mourinho wouldn't be allowed to work the transfer market if he took over the club.

 

[onlyme]

The manager's role is not exaggerated. Great managers win trophies whilst good ones don't.

Harry is a good manager. There are plenty here who would be content for us to be top 6 every year and win nothing.

Some of us want to climb to the top of the mountain not give up 10 feet short because the last bit is too difficult and pat ourselves on the back saying how close we came.

 

[Superted]

Harry thinking the role of managers is over-rated is just proof that he's doing it wrong.

 

[braineclipse]

The manager's role is not exaggerated. Great managers win trophies whilst good ones don't.

Harry is a good manager. There are plenty here who would be content for us to be top 6 every year and win nothing.

Some of us want to climb to the top of the mountain not give up 10 feet short because the last bit is too difficult and pat ourselves on the back saying how close we came.

Didn't you have a go at someone for assuming something about other fans the other day?

 

[onlyme]

Didn't you have a go at someone for assuming something about other fans the other day?

No. I said I dislike those who say they speak for most people.

In the poll for where we will finish hardly anybody said we would finish top 3 and most of the posts were saying we are not good enough and we should be happy with a 6th place finish.

 

[braineclipse]

No. I said I dislike those who say they speak for most people.

In the poll for where we will finish hardly anybody said we would finish top 3 and most of the posts were saying we are not good enough and we should be happy with a 6th place finish.

You didn't speak for most people, but you did speak for "plenty of people".

Wasn't that poll about this season? Your statement seems more general about the future too.

If we had a poll, with that wording "Would you be content for us to be top 6 every year and win nothing?" I'm far from convinced that "plenty" of people on here would answer yes. Would depend on your definition of plenty of course though...

 

[onlyme]

You didn't speak for most people, but you did speak for "plenty of people".

Wasn't that poll about this season? Your statement seems more general about the future too.

If we had a poll, with that wording "Would you be content for us to be top 6 every year and win nothing?" I'm far from convinced that "plenty" of people on here would answer yes. Would depend on your definition of plenty of course though...

I did not speak for anybody. I said that a lot here would be happy.

Why not start a poll?

 

[Spursalot]

Harry thinking the role of managers is over-rated is just proof that he's doing it wrong.

Agreed.

All he seems to have done with this book is ensure that he won't get the England job in the future. I don't get the point of it.

 

[mudshark]

He just can't help himself.

 

[braineclipse]

I did not speak for anybody. I said that a lot here would be happy.

Why not start a poll?

You didn't speak for them as in you representing their views, but you did use their opinion as a part of your argument, or rather, what you claim to be their opinion without anything supporting that this that actually is their opinion. If you can't see where I'm going with this by now I give up, not worth a long discussion...

 

[parklane1]

I think this is more to do with the fact that aren't any great English managers, Redknapp and Hodgson are simply the best of a bad bunch. Think about it, name some decent English managers. Similar to what the press do with English players, Rooney and Wheelchair are proclaimed "World class". Our top club sides only succeed because the foreign players in the team lift them to that level.

That is a good point.

 

[parklane1]

Harry thinking the role of managers is over-rated is just proof that he's doing it wrong.

Agree, just ask the fans at Utd if they think the role of Fergie was over rated.