Truth is elusive in Harry Redknapp's world

Matt Hughes

“Spurs have a good chairman, he backs the club and they've pumped massive money into buying good players. They have a decent squad on paper with good ability, very skilful players – but maybe a bit of a soft centre.” Harry Redknapp, 25 October, 2008

“What we haven't really got is a squad. Look at the bench, and without disrespect, there are players who didn't even have shirt numbers when I came here, players like Taarabt, Boateng and Rocha. Suddenly they're all on your bench. We just haven't got strength in depth; we've got no real cover.” Harry Redknapp, 6 January, 2009

Not much has changed at White Hart Lane in the past ten weeks, and certainly not the nature of the manager. If he ever tires of football then Harry Redknapp should try his hand in the even murkier world of politics, where his skills of selective hearing, diplomatic dissembling and offering all things to all men could bring him even greater success. As long as he continued, as has been the case throughout a 25-year managerial career, to trot out the one-liners with that familiar smile on his face.

There is a famous story about Redknapp during his time at West Ham United that perfectly encapsulates his view that the truth is a relative construct. As he still does today Redknapp was amiably chatting with newspaper reporters at the club’s Chadwell Heath training ground when he was asked if there had been any progress in his latest search for a foreign signing, to which he replied that he had never heard of West Ham’s supposed transfer target. Unfortunately for him an eagle-eyed journalist spotted said player wandering off the training pitch at that very moment, to which Redknapp responded with mock confusion, “Oh him? I thought you were talking about someone else!”

Redknapp gets away with telling such bare-faced porkies because, albeit selectively, he generally tells people precisely what they want to hear, a gift that many politicians and PR’s would love to have. His glowing words about Tottenham’s squad when he was appointed in October cannot have failed to have massaged the ego of Daniel Levy, the chairman, or indeed the players who had his fate in their hands. Unsurprisingly they responded, winning 11 of his first 19 games in charge to stabilise Tottenham’s league position and take them to the brink of a second successive Carling Cup final.

With his own position more secure and his favourite time of year upon us – the January transfer window – Redknapp finds himself in a position to be more honest, or at least to offer an alternative version of his previous proclamations. As a renowned wheeler-dealer Redknapp was always going to want to bring players in and has suddenly discovered that, contrary to his earlier claims, his squad is not good enough, thus necessitating moves for four more players in addition to the bid that has been made for Stewart Downing and the signing of Jermain Defoe.

Tottenham’s pursuit of Defoe was classic Redknapp as he somehow managed to cover all bases at the same time, claiming that he expected to be outbid by Aston Villa in an attempt to lower the price and stating that if he was still at Portsmouth the player would not be sold so as to reduce hostility towards him on the south coast. With one key signing in the bag, Redknapp has three-and-a-half weeks to continue to work his magic on managers, players and agents – a bit of flattery here, the odd half-truth there – so as to strengthen a squad that is not as good as he claimed when he arrived, but not as bad as he said on Tuesday night.

The truth, as ever with Redknapp, is somewhere in between.

Comments

[Chocco Boxo]

Fantastic read. Well done Matt Hughes...Good Old Arry my ****! Love it if Pompey and Spurs go down, then Arry will be running off to buy AFC Boscombe.

[seatime]

Brilliantly written article that has finally enabled me to explain the magic of Harry to my wife. These words were far better than mine at getting across his genius.
Thanks indeed.

[61NEVERAGAIN]

If he takes Tottenham down it will be the stand out achievement of a fine career.

[Dan]

He also said the squad lacked balance when he arrived and said the same thing again recently. This in truth was plain for anyone to see after the shennanigans over the summer.His signing of Defoe is the first move to address this.If he can address the other areas then we should be sitting comfortably come the end of the season.Who cares about the smooth talking...Fergie's got quite a good line on that as well but noone at Man U seems to complain.

[Pompeydave]

Redknapp is a brilliant man-manager, but just gets carried away with himself whenever a microphone is thrust into his face. There are so many outright porkies he's spun over the years it's amazing so few in the media have tumbled him. Or is it that they all know it's a load of tosh but hey, who cares, it's a quote and it fills some space.....

I used to go to Highbury with my dad when I was a kid.

No, I won't go up the road [southampton], never.

I've joined a proper club [southampton].

I'm back at my spiritual home [Pompey].

Pompey will be my last club.

I was a Spurs fan as a kid.

Continue ad nauseum......

[Peter]

With Redknapp - you get what most fans want - he'll "build" a squad simply by buying players - but along the way he'll make mistakes (and sometimes they're very expensive mistakes). The danger for Spurs fans and the Chairman in particular is that in the process he will put the club in dire financial straits. In the climate we find ourselves at the moment, Levy needs to be very, very careful. Oh, and if you don't back his spending plans, he'll be on his bike...

[Terence]

Spurs were heading for the financial gutter of championship football, Redknapps arrival would have greatly contributed to averting such a disaster - so there is an immediate payback there.

I often think that football supporters and journalists forget that football is a business and with that comes financial decisions, economics/twisting of facts and all the other bullshit that is needed to run a business. (and incidentally the same principle applies to the press - they are a business too hey! they are out to make money too!)

If Portsmouth like any other business fall into financial trouble/go bust the ultimate accountability lies with Chairman/Directors/boards of clubs that sanction financial decisions including transfer fees for players that managers may enthusiastically have pursued. They do after all sack managers willy nilly at times.

The fact that Redknapp is colourful, smart and media savvy is a bonus for any club chairman, the fact that he can save a mediocre club from relegation and win them a major trophy means he is highly employable.

And the final point of reality is that he is just an employee of that business (just as Matt Hughes works for the Times) and Redknapp like most other employees will put his own and family's needs first. Portsmouth are history to him so are Southampton, West Ham and Bournemouth... unless they rehire him of course!

[PompeyDan]

As my name suggests, I am a Pompey fan of longstanding. Harry does present his story to his advantage and yes will undoubtably spend a lot of money on players, and more especially wages. Tottenham are a rich club though and can probably afford him. He's a good manager, he gets value out of the players he will bring in and gets them to play well - It was a shame he left Pompey, but having left us (or been allowed to leave us) with a wage bill we cant afford, he was going to have to downsize his Pompey team if he stayed whereas he gets to build a bigger and more expensive squad at Tottenham.

Every Manager presents the facts as they want them presented, he's not going to say his Tottenham squad is top 4 material is he - as it's not, and why build the expectations of him. Better to underpromise and overdeliver!

[Big Davor]

Excellent article. About time someone said it like it is. Redknapp has done this for years and gets patted on the back for being so likeable. If only we all knew the real truth about what goes on behind the scenes. Harry "I never talk to agents" Redknapp will certainly never provide us with that insight.

[Mark]

How long before we hear that he is down to the bare bones at Spurs? Probably just before they slip into the bottom three again. We always hear when he has left a side about how well HIS players are still playing but never when all is not going so well with the same set of "his" players.

[Dodgers]

I love 'Arry. He is football management personified. Saying the right thing to the right person at the right time and motivating them to help him get the right result. 'Arry has taken many a pig's ear and turned it into a silk purse. Those that bitch do so without really taking into account his balance sheet which contains much more in the way of success than it does failure. I'm a West Ham supporter for the record.

[R]

Which manager doesn't play with their words. He's a character and good for the game. It seems very much a case of sour grapes from the ones he's left that are knocking him. Perhaps its more a case of telling a few whites lies to suit the situation. However, if the debate is open to discuss about other managers, then their are others that would fair far worse then Harry. There are so many dull interviews with managers because their frightened to say something and be scrutinized and miss interpreted by the press. O'Neill good manager, but so dull in interveiws. Or the honesty of Wenger, his sour face in interviews after losing, or a player sent off, an incident he didn't see are all far more annoying to listen to then the "Cheeky Chappy Arry", or the now departed "Special One". Far better characters IMO. And remember, players move around more then managers, and are less loyal then managers when it comes to sourcing out their next big pay cheque. Players ask/demand to go, managers are usually sacked or the club is approached.

[Andy S]

Loveable rogue! Well 1 out of 2 aint bad!

[rich]

SPURS he will do to you what he did to PORTSMOUTH and SOUTHAMPTON. Just wait and see!

[Peter London]

As regards "..he generally tells people precisely what they want to hear..", it is rather like someone writing a blog entry for West Ham, Southampton and Portsmouth fans—see other posts here—plus any others resentful at being outwitted by Redknapp. Linked to the media subject of free-spending Tottenham Hotspur being chumps, which will always gather traditional rivals who aren't too fussed about the small print and the club's financial health either.

Redknapp's popularity with journalists is based on his readiness to comment on all sorts of topics, as good as writing their columns and saving them work. Does he peddle rumours, by the way?

The two comments from Redknapp at the top of this article are from two stages in his Tottenham career. The former was made when he took over and Spurs had hardly any league points, his comment expressing the generally non-contentious point that a squad that good was out of place at rock bottom in the league, thus also boosting squad confidence. The latter comment, like his reported remarks to the Tottenham AGM a few weeks ago, refer to his belief that the squad is not good enough to be in the top-placed four. It was delivered in the context of a right bollocking he had just given to a poor first-half semi-final performance against lower league opponents Burnley. One comment doesn't contradict the other because they're from different contexts months apart.

[abritincanada]

For a journalist to question the honesty of anyone is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black. One can no longer expect honesty in soccer; there is too much filthy lucre involved. Sir Alex uses dishonesty of various degrees of deception to motivate Man U and cause dispair and confusion in his enemies. Redknapp likewise uses words for motivational reasons and, lets face it, he needed to in order to overcome the despondancy caused bt Ramos. Clearly not all Spaniards are excitable.

Our 'Arry is great for football and for Spurs.

[steve]

Redknapp said the Tottenham squad was 'decent on paper'. Now he has been there he realises that is not the case. How has he lied? Article is heavily weighted one way.

[honest ron]

Redknapp has consistantly used iconsistant statements to suit his own ends. He brought Peter Crouch to Portsmouth by lying to him about what he would do for him then 3 months later abandons him with not a trace of guilt. Redknapp likes to think he is loyal to his working class roots, but the working class man despises him. His only friends are journalists.

[Steven]

I still remember Harry selling Rio for £18 million and replacing him with Rigobert Song and Titi Camara. Classic comedy ensued !

Harry is a solid midtable manager and can squeeze 101p worth out of a pound if times are tight, but he can't manage decent resources and he lacks the stomach for a top 4 fight. Good on him for winning the FA Cup last year, but that's about all he's going to win, unless United turn up to the second leg of the Milk Cup semi with their under 13s again.

[steve]

RedKnapp said 'they have a decent squad ON PAPER'. Now he has been there a while he realises this not the case. Where is the lie? Seems the authour has a personal issue with Mr Redknapp!

[Matt - Singapore]

Another classic example was when he joined Southampton and declared how great it was to be at a “proper football club”. Then a year later, after getting said proper football club relegated, he returns to Portsmouth and proclaims how happy he is to return to his “spiritual home”. The man has no class!!

[danno]

Oh, that's being a wee bit precious, Matt. A sports journalist having a dig at someone over an issue as malleable as 'The Truth'?

Most of us have come to regard what's delivered by the media, especially at this time of year, as little more than short works of fiction.

The media are often grumping away nowadays over the lack of 'characters' in modern sport. You know, the colourful rogues, lovable scoundrels, cheeky devils who make today's stay-on-message, quote-by-rote professional pale by comparison.

Harry's a character, or as the Americans might put it, a good old boy. He makes the all-too-grim world of football just a little more interesting and lots of fans enjoy how he operates. This gig with Spurs will definitely be one of his top challenges and whether they succeed or not, it should make for fun watching. The game's better for his presence and you know you'll miss him when he's gone.

[DoubleTrouble]

AMIT: I care !

I want everything and everyone associated with Spurs to be beyond reproach, a beacon of trust and respect in a football world of greed, lies, and disloyalty.

For the glory !

[BERNIE]

Redknapp would not know what honesty was if it jumped up and bit him. I am glad to see there is at least one journalist who is not taken in by him and can see through him. They usually love him because he gives good copy. H e thinks he champions the 'working man' but he is a million miles from him.

[Peer]

Redknapp only said that he wouldn't sell Defoe if he was still at Portsmouth knowing very well that a deal had already been agreed to. I don't remember him saying similar things when he/Tottenham put in a bid for Bellamy at West Ham. Anyway, it is likely to end in tears for Tottenham as Harry has left every club in financial distress.