Editor
14 August 2009 - 12:17
by Nigel Brown
Harry Redknapp knows better than anyone the expectation that reverberates around White Hart Lane on a Saturday afternoon, and after two transfer windows, a small period of stabilisation, and the return of the prodigal son Robbie Keane, the wheeler dealer of football management must deliver for the Lilywhites. Spurs must challenge for the top six this season and Redknapp is the man that must bear the weight of this forecast around his neck.
But can good old 'arry cope with the levels of expectation? Historically, Redknapp is used to exceeding expectation levels, but this is normally because the clubs he has managed have not had the financial resources to mix it with the top half of the table. Now, at the age of 62, Redknapp finds himself at a football club that has the resources in place, and importantly, the ways and means to challenge for honours and a top six position.
More than Del Boy
When Harry Redknapp left West Ham United in 2001 it was because of an interview with a Hammers fanzine. He has admitted since it was stupid as he spoke like he was chatting in the pub, not a manager of a business. Instead of Chairman Terrence Brown offering him a new four year deal which was already in the pipeline, Harry was promptly shown the exit door.
From that moment Redknapp became more guarded and intelligent in the manner he dealt with the media. He realised he needed to modernise to be succesfull in the future. The good old days of football were long gone, no more boozing with fans after the game, a professional distance was needed; the Premier League had moved into a new dawn of competency and Harry now realised he was out of touch and in danger of becoming a football dinosaur.
Life by the sea
The job Harry completed at Portsmouth should not be undervalued. Apart from a brief daliance with rivals Southampton, Redknapp succesfully took Pompey from Division One underachievers to FA Cup winners in the space of six years, 2002 – 2008. This tenure was the catalyst for Redknapp picking the brains of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger for potential signings. Resulting in Sir Alex recommending a certain Yakubu Aiyegbeni of Maccabi Haifa, and Arsene Wenger directing Harry to athletes and powerhouses from around Europe, with the guvnor understanding how the modern game was developing taking onboard the Frenchman's mantra for the modern footballer: pace, power and intelligence.
A fresh outlook and sound advice combined with Redknapp's tactical nous and superb man management skills propelled Redknapp to another strata as a manager; going to prove that experience counts for everything in modern managemnt.
Like a fine wine
There is no doubt that the Spurs manager has matured and become an equal among Fergie, Wenger, Rafa Benitez and Martin O'Neill, after earning his stripes at West Ham and Portsmouth. He is a manager that therefore deserves his opportunity, and should relish the pressure that accompanies challenging for the top six and domestic silverware; with Harry positioned for a blistering end to his career, with one last chance to mix it with the best in the Premier League.
He finally has the resources and know how to compliment his man management skills and take Tottenham, a sleeping giant for the best part of the last ten years (apart from a brief period of flirting from Martin Jol) to the higher eschalons of the Premier League.
Now, Redknapp understands that success is judged on consistency and, if given time at Tottenham Hotpsur he will deliver. Redknapp could become a great success at the Lane, but Spurs fans must not condemn him if challenging for the top six doesn't happen over night. Remember a top six finish is demanded, but a top eight finish would still see Spurs competing with top six. A good reward after a season which nearly saw them relegated to the Championship. At 62 Redknapp is in his prime as manager, and if given time could finally bring a period of stabilisation and success to White Hart Lane. But Spurs fans must look at his tenure as a two to three year project.
Time is key to controlling expectation
Therefore, Spurs fans must keep the expectation levels high, but the criticism and finger pointing to a minimum, even if things start badly. He can handle expectation if given time, but too much finger pointing or blaming could see a premature end for a manager who deserves his crack at the big time and,ultimately who can deliver what the fans are looking for – if not Spurs could find themselves perpetually taking two steps forward and then, twenty steps back.
Redknapp can handle the pressure of the big time if given space and time, because despite being labelled the Del Boy of football, and caractured on a weekly basis, he is actually a moderniser, a man who moves with the times, a man not given enough credit for re-inventing himself and developing his football knowledge. Can Redknapp handle the pressure of expectation? I think so. Could Redknapp become Tottenham's Fergie or Wenger? I think so.