17Feb

Will the perfect marriage end so soon?

by James Passey

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When Harry Redknapp was appointed Tottenham manager little over three years ago, it was met with moans and groans in some supporter circles. His past with West Ham and apparent affinity for Arsenal as a child deterred many hardcore fans from taking a shine to the man. I for one was delighted. He may not have won many honours, but his motivational skills and knack for keeping clubs clear of relegation were exactly what we needed at the time. Harry ‘Houdini’ worked his magic and we didn’t need to be reminded of how many points we had after eight games as he was quick to remind us of that in many press conferences over the next year or so.

It was fantastic that he had not only steered us clear of the drop, but also improved us a team. Guiding us to Champions League qualification for the first ever time put us well ahead of our scheduled progress and this season looks to emulate that further. As I mentioned in a blog last season even when things were going swimmingly, Redknapp was quick to shoot down the people that really matter, the supporters. Although we exceeded expectations by qualifying for the biggest club competition in the world, the following season proved to be somewhat of an anti-climax in the league. Once you get a taste for success you just want more.

Although it was frustrating hearing Redknapp being sarcastic about the lofty ambitions of the fans in post-match interviews, in hindsight he was, in fact, bluntly correct. We weren’t good enough for fourth last season, Man City were better at grinding out results. Without standing back and looking at the bigger picture it’s easy to be over critical and I hold my hands up for doing just that, but who knows what was going on behind the scenes. Players could have been under-performing and disruptive in training, Daniel Levy may have refused more funds for a higher quality player, we just don’t know.

The other subject of Redknapp not being up in the technical area has also swung the other way. He no longer stays slumped in the dug out, as seen during the Newcastle game. He seemed rejuvenated, dancing on the touchline and punching the air in celebration with every goal. A massive burden had been lifted off his shoulders so he could carry on with his job happily and free of worry. This leads me to suggest that one of the main explanations for his sulky behaviour was the stress of his court case hanging over him, so he must have felt so much relief in recent weeks. Relief that the burden of tax evasion charges have now gone.

I don’t think many people realised the seriousness of the case that eventually found Redknapp not guilty. This must have been on his mind for many years and his fate was decided in little over two weeks. He must have felt great stress during these years and the heart surgery he underwent at the end of last year is evidence of that. Things have been going beyond our wildest dreams on the pitch, but off it there was a potential disaster waiting in the wings.

The realisation of this led even the harshest of Redknapp’s critics to sing his name as a mark of support at the Wigan game, something that Harry himself was extremely grateful for after his acquittal. And there we have it, after a few minor tiffs over the years the perfect relationship had come together on that day outside the courthouse. Finally, the fans and the manager embraced each other in complete unison. We appreciate the magnificent job Redknapp has carried out and he finally uttered the words of praise that the Tottenham fans had been waiting for. This wasn’t the end, though.

Much like an episode of Eastenders things don’t stay happy for long and only a couple of hours into the perfect marriage another one was coming to an end. With Fabio Capello abruptly walking away from his loveless marriage with England, the door has been left open for Redknapp. You simply couldn’t write it. Now cleared of all charges, the overwhelming favourite for the England job is our ‘Arry.

The wave of support during the Wigan game quickly turned to pleas for him to stay. The 64 year-old has spoken about the honour that comes with managing your country which gives an air of an of ‘if’ not ‘when’ he goes about it. This could be the biggest love tragedy of the club’s history. But with all of his doubters now on his side and Redknapp now seemingly wary of that, he may just want this love affair to carry on. After all, when has a manager ever had it so good at a club? Only time will tell, stranger things have happened and it is a funny old game after all.

Posted by Tottenham fan James Passey

Follow James on Twitter at @Pastillio