Harry admits England may have been a distraction

[gilzeantheking]

For the first time Harry Redknapp has admitted his managerial team believe the Football Association's 12-week process to find a new England manager has affected Tottenham Hotspur: "Some people will feel it has, people who work with me think it's definitely had an effect but I don't know really, I'm not sure," he said.
Surveying the implosion that began soon after Fabio Capello resigned, Redknapp went no further than this. But one view of Spurs' current situation is of a flux that may descend into chaos.

Gareth Bale says he could leave. Luka Modric, another A-list performer, will look again at his decision to stay after flirting with Chelsea last summer. The on-loan Emmanuel Adebayor's likely return to Manchester City due to his £170,000-a-week wage heads another wave of player issues. And Tottenham have dropped from title contenders to potential Europa League entrants.
Redknapp and Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman, must be chuffed to pieces at an FA strategy that pushed back any approach until the back end of the season so as to protect club fortunes and looks to have ended with Roy Hodgson's imminent appointment.

Might the FA have been a little quicker? "It's dragged on a bit, I suppose. That's the only thing. Other than that I've got no problems," Redknapp said. "They choose whoever they want to choose. So I'm very lucky to be managing such a great club with great players. Its not something I thought about or I haven't spent the last six weeks thinking: 'Oh my God, what's the squad I'm going to take [to the Euros], what am I going [to do]?' I've just been concentrating solely on Tottenham and that's not changed."

Capello went on 8 February, the same day Redknapp walked away from Southwark crown court a free man, found not guilty of tax evasion. Tottenham's next game was the 5-0 caning of Newcastle United at home as the 65-year-old's mantra of focusing solely on the club began running.
That result now goes down as one of the falsest dawns in recent history. In the next 10 league games Redknapp's team won twice, including Sunday's 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, to leave them clinging to the final Champions League berth ahead of Newcastle by goal difference only, with three games remaining.

Last week Bale said that, if there is no Champions League qualification, then "we'll have to sit down and see what's best for me". To this prospect Redknapp said: "Well, that's up [to him] – that's up to Gareth and the chairman to discuss that. I think Tottenham need to strengthen, if we fell down anywhere in the end, it's just that we didn't have quite strong enough depth in the squad. It was difficult to leave too many of my top players out because I lost people like [Tom] Huddlestone and [Michael] Dawson who would have been very important. We need to improve next year and just strengthen the squad a little bit and if we do that we'll be right there again."

Levy is parsimonious with the club's purse strings which leaves Redknapp unsure if he will be able to recruit. "I haven't spoke to the chairman but he's ambitious the same as I am," he said. "I think he'll want to strengthen the squad this year. Everybody's started. Arsenal bought a player today [Lukas Podolski], Chelsea bought one yesterday [Marko Marin], so we'll keep strengthening."

To the uncertainties over Modric (whom Chelsea, Manchester United and City still covet), Bale and Adebayor can be added the unreliable fitness of Rafael van der Vaart, Brad Friedel's advancing years (he is 41 in May) and the vultures who believe the new PFA Young Player of the Year, Kyle Walker, can also be picked off. All this leaves Redknapp entering the summer wondering if Spurs' six months contesting the title with United and City is as good as it will ever get.

As Hodgson sat down with the FA on Monday to discuss becoming Capello's successor, Redknapp dealt with the humiliation of not even being granted an interview by offering a magnanimous front. "I wish him all the best," he said. "I don't hold grudges."

When Spurs' form nose-dived contemporaneously with the FA's dilly-dallying over Capello's replacement, the joke went that Redknapp could end the process having lost two jobs: the one at White Hart Lane and the one at Wembley. He is certainly safe in his club post. But what could be a long summer is about to begin.

http://t.co/lJZil5nd

 

[jonathanhotspur]

Maybe it undermined his decision making in relation to team selections and tactics but I don't think the players suddenly fell victim to existential angst when it looked as though he was offski.

 

[sam1972]

in other news the sky is blue

 

[Gbspurs]

Good to see he has noticed that Chelsea and Arsenal are both active in the transfer market already.

 

[Mr Pink]

Really? You're joking....

Whenever I think of Harry doing an interview now, I just imagine him standing up and turning around in front a full press confrence, dropping his trousers, spreading his cheeks and cracking on

 

[Blockbuster]

Actually feel for Redknapp. Can only hope he has a long think and decides to commit his future to Spurs and we have a cracking summer and have another go at the prem.

at times this season he has been utterly superb, would be such a shame if he was to go because of a lack of form for a few months.

YES its been terrible, but the first 6 months were great? where is the justice.
need to look at this objectively and realise Redknapp staying could be the best thing to ever happen to Spurs.

 

[sloth]

Actually feel for Redknapp. Can only hope he has a long think and decides to commit his future to Spurs and we have a cracking summer and have another go at the prem.

at times this season he has been utterly superb, would be such a shame if he was to go because of a lack of form for a few months.

YES its been terrible, but the first 6 months were great? where is the justice.
need to look at this objectively and realise Redknapp staying could be the best thing to ever happen to Spurs.

I think you have to look at all form, good, bad, and indifferent.

I also don't understand people who say they'd keep him if he got 4th or sack him if it's 5th, we're talking a matter of a point or two, maybe goal-difference and people are going to take such extreme opposite opinions based on that fine line? Come off it!! Either people should rate him or not rate him, and then it should be for consistent reasons, not hair-line margins.

As for your view, I realise there are many shades of opinion on this, but imagine this hypothetical scenario...

We can all agree there are a range of managers in this world from the SAF/Mourinho's to the Tony Adams/Glen Roeders (or whoever you think is pants), imagine then there was such a thing as a neutral manager, someone right in the middle of that range, where would you expect him to take a squad of our quality, where would we finish with him in charge?

 

[bern]

Well thats that sorted then.

 

[Habanero]

Alternatively, he was focused on his work to keep his mind off the court case. As soon as he was aquitted, the pipe and slippers went on.

 

[Paolo10]

The whole 'England effect' thing is bullshit anyway IMO, we had injury problems and didn't get what we deserved out of most of the games during the blip, every team has blips and the fact that teams in the bottom half are taking points off the top half with some regularity speaks volumes for the competitiveness of the league.

We've not taken enough of our chances, we need more forward options, but then again, that's hardly fucking news now is it?

There's a lot of different ways I hope it pans out, with CL qualification and proper investment in the squad being the dream, but you could argue they go hand in hand...thing is if we don't get the CL we still really need to invest big in the squad IMO, I'm not sure I trust Levy to back him to do this given the last couple of years.

I live in hope, but the thought of Jim White live, going to Spurs Lodge with a sheepish HR saying "Oh the Chairman tried" etc. might make me climb a clocktower and go on a killing spree.

If we don't spend more than £40-50m this summer either way, it will be a tremendous kick in the gonads (and that's besides Luka staying or going).

 

[WestBelfast Spurs]

Did Chelsea sign Marin never seen it on the news

Just seen it surley it rules out Modric going to the chavs with Mata already being there

 

[Kingstheman]

Harry admits England may have been a distraction...

Dr Watson, please tell your colleague that there is no excrement in as few words as possible.

 

[tototoner]

In other news Elvis Presley has died

 

[sloth]

I think I'm one of the few who think the whole "England was a distraction" thing is in fact in itself a distraction from the root causes of our slump.

That said I'm sure it played some kind of role, just not as large a one as most seem to think.

If we think for a moment how it might have affected us, the first and most obvious way is in the old "Grace and Favour" thing. The leader is powerful because everyone understands that it's only through him that rewards and punishments are dished out, if everyone know's the king is off then he loses power. I can certainly see how this could exacerbate a poor run, because when the blame starts flying around, people can start chucking mud at the manager in the knowledge that reprisals will be short-lived.

For me the prime cause however is Harry's lack of method, the details of which I've gone into many times before. Without a proper training regime, without a coherent coaching philosophy, there is no method, and we get this hot and cold team which we see week in week out. Now it's mentally and physically tired we see more of the errors, and the lack of method becomes clearer.

In addition to this however, I think bad luck played a large role.

I'm also suspicious, I have to say, of the motivation of some of our players. Whether concious or sub-concious I can think of at least two for whom failure to qualify for CL would be a nice excuse to jump-ship. This can't be good for the team.

 

[Krafty]

Unless the FA had talked to him or Levy, it shouldn't have been a distraction for Harry, but its understandable if it meant he took his eye off the boil (same with the players).

To be fair to Harry, with the heart trouble, tax case, and england stuff, its been quite a full on year. I haven't seen him in the studio for a super sunday once this season.

 

[felmani26]

I think I'm one of the few who think the whole "England was a distraction" thing is in fact in itself a distraction from the root causes of our slump.

That said I'm sure it played some kind of role, just not as large a one as most seem to think.

If we think for a moment how it might have affected us, the first and most obvious way is in the old "Grace and Favour" thing. The leader is powerful because everyone understands that it's only through him that rewards and punishments are dished out, if everyone know's the king is off then he loses power. I can certainly see how this could exacerbate a poor run, because when the blame starts flying around, people can start chucking mud at the manager in the knowledge that reprisals will be short-lived.

For me the prime cause however is Harry's lack of method, the details of which I've gone into many times before. Without a proper training regime, without a coherent coaching philosophy, there is no method, and we get this hot and cold team which we see week in week out. Now it's mentally and physically tired we see more of the errors, and the lack of method becomes clearer.

In addition to this however, I think bad luck played a large role.

I'm also suspicious, I have to say, of the motivation of some of our players. Whether concious or sub-concious I can think of at least two for whom failure to qualify for CL would be a nice excuse to jump-ship. This can't be good for the team.

This is basically it in a nutshell and will it be eradicated next season under Redknapp? That is the question.

 

[YiddoInPoland]

'Oh my God, what's the squad I'm going to take [to the Euros], what am I going [to do]?' I've just been concentrating solely on Tottenham and that's not changed."

that statement right there says to me that is exactly what he was thinking

 

[Spursh]

Always shifting the blame to someone or something else

 

[Paolo10]

Muti paragraphed, opinionated rumour mongering is what it is Sloth. Oh yeah lack of method now is that something new from tactically inept or what then?

Nice of you to say some bad luck too.

 

[markiespurs]

So the question is did Harry suddenly wake up Monday morning with the revelation that all the England speculation was a distraction for him and the players?

Or

Was Harry advised by someone close to him (possibly Jaime) to now come out with the "England might have been a distraction stuff" in order to shift the blame onto the FA for dragging out the process, thus deflecting the blame from Harry's own mistakes during this period and helping to ensure he is at Spurs next season