I wish players would all spend their careers with one team. I’m not an idealist; I know this wasn’t even the case before free agency. But it would be nice, you know? Even more bothersome are the coaches who seem to bounce from team to team. It’s like Larry Brown was throwing darts and…bulls eye! “Thanks Detroit, off to the next city before I’m actually expected to win on a regular basis.” Doesn’t anyone want to stick around and prove just how good he is anymore? Is longevity just a virtuous pastime in sports?
Vince Lombardi. Tom Landry. John Wooden. Joe Pa. These coaches built and molded magnificent teams. They laid the groundwork for successful players with assembly line-like precision season after season. Now-a-days more credit is given to the General Manager for a team’s short lived success. Longevity is in the coaches, though. The coaches.
I noticed the same thing happening in soccer after the 2008 European championship. It bothered me, sure, but it didn’t surprise me. I haven’t been bothered by a managerial move until my post last week on Tottenham. A manager abandoning his team mid-season to join another team? In the same league? Who, by the way, is performing worse than the team he’s currently employed with? No, can’t be true…
Harry Redknapp is apparently a great coach. He’s salvaged a few teams on the verge of relegation, which is what he’s built his reputation on. Ultimately he’s the man responsible for Portsmouth FC’s (or Pompey as their fans call them) success and even existence in the English Premier League. Pompey won the Division One title in 2003 with Redknapp at the helm, thus earning promotion to the Prem. In Portsmouth’s first premier league season, Redknapp left in November, a third into the season, to become Southampton’s manager. Unable to keep them from relegation, he stayed on for one more season and when they did not regain promotion, he left in December 2005 – again, midseason.
Portsmouth welcomed him back with open arms as they had been spending dismal seasons at the bottom of the premier league table. It took some time, but Redknapp had Pompey on the road to success, finishing in the eighth spot which qualified them for UEFA cup, the club’s first European competition in their history (they even went on to win their first game, which sent them to the group stages).
The dream season for Pompey reached its climax in the infamous Wembley Stadium where they won England’s coveted FA Cup, their first. It was doubly sweet because they defeated Manchester United along the way. So all was well in the Port City, and Redknapp and his club went into this season with some high expectations. With England’s own David James in goal, Jermain Defoe, and the addition of Peter Crouch, things were looking up. Many picked them to finish in the top half of the table again, including me.
Perhaps the fear of actually having expectations other than, “just make it so we don’t get relegated, Harry!” scared old Redknapp off. He recently took the offer to manage Tottenham. Yes – the team who spent hundreds of millions of dollars only to be in danger of relegation. Oh – and lest we forget that he once again screwed Pompey by leaving halfway into the season. What was that conversation like?
“Hey Harry, old chap? Stop fulfilling people’s dreams there in Portsmouth and come to North London where expectations are irrationally set by our fans. We’re in dead last and have no money to spend, so you have to win with what we got. And don’t worry about leaving us midseason. If you don’t get the bloody job done, we’ll run you out of here. So what’ya say?” He said yes to this offer? Talk about fear of success, Harry.
But wait – here’s the kicker: Redknapp was given an award by the city of Portsmouth two days after he resigned and took the Tottenham job – and he actually showed up! Don’t believe it? You can watch the video at Dave’s Football Blog.
I’ve read about how Portsmouth has achieved as much as possible – the pinnacle reached – and that they don’t have the money to continue to contend like they’d wish. So it is therefore unforgivable for Redknapp to go to a club that can reach a level of success that continuously qualify them for European play. But to me, it seems like another typical move by a cowardly manager who feared lofty expectations by his own creation.
So what do guys like Harry do? Find a place where there is nowhere to go but
up so everyone will revel in your brilliance. Such is the current state at White Hart Lane, as Tottenham won their first game under Redknapp’s guidance and then upset Liverpool this weekend 2-1. But don’t stay to celebrate too long, Harry, because you might be expected to actually improve and achieve something other than getting out of the basement.
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On the flip side of Redknapp we have fellow Scotsmen Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes. Ferguson, the manager at Manchester United has been there since 1986 and his accolades are unmatched. He’s apparently announced his desire to step down in 2010. Naturally United fans want to know who will replace him. One name that has recently been mentioned is Inter Milan’s manager, Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho is the thriving clubs’ version of Redknapp. He won the Champions League while at FC Porto, then went on to Chelsea and steered them to their
first premier league title in over fifty years. He won another and then left after some disappointing finishes in Champions League. His departure was perhaps more due to the unrealistic expectations of the fans and owners than Redknapp’s. Now he is at Inter Milan priming them for a return to stardom, trying to solidify the club ahead of traditional Italian powers Juventus and AC Milan.
My advice to United is to keep looking. Apparently there is something with this guy that causes management and fans to turn against him after only a
little success. Don’t make a mess just to temporarily uphold what Ferguson has established at Old Trafford. You have to look at these candidates and think long-term.
You won’t replace Sir Alex, so don’t try to. Find someone with a little thing called commitment. I hate to say it, but Everton’s David Moyes seems all too perfect for this. He is dedicated, evidenced by recently signing a new contract extension
for a club that is incessantly inept in off-season acquisitions. Despite this, Moyes praises the club and expresses his dedication to make things right at Goodison Park. I’d love to see him take over Scotland’s national team some day, but with United available, maybe Moyes will be the next Scot to manage at Old Trafford. At least you can trust that he won’t be like Redknapp or Mourinho and leave after what he achieves what he wants.
A really excellently written article.
However, and please bear in mind I am a Tottenham fan, a couple of points.
First things first, Tottenham absolutely do have money to spend, and quite a considerable amount at that. Redknapp will almost inevitably move players on, and some will be brought in.
Mid-season moves are not unusual for managers – and, in this case, understandable. At 61, Redknapp has achieved all he can at the level of clubs he has been at.
He really made his name as manager of West Ham United, where he moulded a talented young group of players into an attacking force – and then they went down.
He has done a good job at Portsmouth – and though the timing could have been better, he rightly accepted his award from the city for last season’s considerable achievements, but Tottenham are a club on a totally different operating level.
He should be congratulated for being so brave at 61 to take on such a challenge, not chastised. I don’t think anyone is asking themselves if Redknapp is a loyal guy at this point.
Dave –
First off – thank you. Despite the flaws of this (and many of my other posts) you were constructive. I appreciate it and the compliment.
The fact that you’re a Tottenham fan did not matter once I read your critique. Your observations were objective and informative. My comment about Spurs not having money was my own logical fallacy (they’ve spent a ton the past 3 years, therefore, they must not have any).
As far as my vantage point on this move, understand my limited knowledge of soccer. You rarely see a coach change teams midseason in American sports. I’m not saying Ramos shouldn’t have been fired – he obviously was not getting results from his players. But usually when that happens, we’d see an assistant take over. The fact that Portsmouth and Tottenham worked this out together originally disgusted me and I didn’t want to filter that feeling. Though it may be normal, I just don’t see how some coaches and organizations could do that.
As for Portsmouth vs. Tottenham – I also did not want to filter my lack of understanding on the history of the clubs. Why can’t Portsmouth be successful? I really thought (in my completely novice point of view) that Portsmouth could overachieve this year after getting Crouch. And with a charasmatic manager who all the players have bought in to, why wouldn’t they?
And lastly – Spurs. I want to like this team, I really do. But this is such a strange move to me, as an outsider. Redknapp’s age is a great point; he won’t stay too long at Tottenham. Why don’t they go find a guy that is charasmatic and dedicated to this London club long term? Someone who will enstill his values and stay there long enough to see them come to fruition. To me – again, an outsider – it seems like the wrong move for both clubs. But I am looking at it not from the understanding of the intricacies of the premier league and club soccer, but what I’m used to in the States. The whole thing with the award – geez – I don’t know how to explain it. Yeah – I see your point. What he did was right, but he should have accepted it then returned to his job at Portsmouth. It’s a shame what happened, because I like watching Portsmouth.
Again, Dave – thanks for giving us an experienced outlook on this whole situation. Come back and comment any time…
No problemo – you just keep writing about the fine sport of ”soccer”, and i’ll keep commenting.
Now where were we…
Tottenham have indeed spent a large amount of money in the last few years, but this summer alone, £70m, or about $120m was recouped in the sales of Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United, Robbie Keane to Liverpool, and 4 squad players, 3 to Sunderland, and 1 to Portsmouth.
Many believed that Gus Poyet, the former Spurs player and Ramo’s assistant would one day take over – but that idea was based on Ramos’ success, and Poyet being the next in line. Unfortunately, when it all went horribly wrong, Poyet was deemed to be a part of the problem, and had to go. He was actually mentioned for the Newcastle United manager’s job a few months ago, so he should be fine.
The simple facts about Tottenham and Portsmouth are that being in London, Tottenham will always attract a better player, and, in terms of ‘names’ in English football, Tottenham are a glamour club, and have a tremendous history. This is how we were able to attract a manager like Ramos in the first place, and able to buy a player like Luka Modric over the summer, who could have picked his club after a fine European Championship.
Portsmouth are, at the end of the day (and I hate that cliche) a smaller club, whose current attendence averages about 28,000 fans – much less than say Manchester United’s 75,000 or Arsenal’s 65,000 – and it is this lack of financial muscle that will mean the successes they enjoyed last season are probably as good as it will get for them.
With regards to Redknapp – at 61, realistically, we could expect him to stay for no more than 4 years. But, given the records of our last managers – Ramos 1 year, Martin Jol 2 years, Jacques Santini 3 months, etc etc, 4 years would be a tremendous achievement. What we need right now is stability, and to get the club’s identity back. Redknapp is, without doubt, the best managerial appointment would could have made aside from the man mentioned in your article – David Moyes.
Dave and Pat,
Fantastic talk.. Dave – how has the Spur’s players reception of Redknapp coming on mid season been like?
Also you talk about the Spurs recent spending spree. From my view they are in some regards – second fiddle in London to Arsenal. Has the recent investment of $$ to players changed that perception??
Good luck everyone.
Hello all again!
Smitty, to answer:
The player’s reaction seems to be one of relief, more than anything. At the moment, not a day is passing without one of the players mentioning Redknapp’s inspiration and motivational qualities. In fact this morning, two of our summer signings, £15m/$25m David Bentley, and £14m/$22m Russian striker Roman Pavulychenko have been talking him up. See here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1082697/Pavlyuchenko-takes-swipe-Ramos-Im-scoring-thanks-Harry.html?ITO=1490 and here: https://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=946907 respectively.
Spurs are, and will be, playing second fiddle to Arsenal for some time, unfortunately. In Arsene Wenger, Arsenal probably have the most transfer-savvy manager there has ever been, and though they have not won any titles or trophies in a few seasons, the structure of the club, and the players and stability they have are light years ahead of my fine side. That said, they are struggling currently because they have not been pro-active enough.
Wenger has placed far too much faith in his younger players, and it is their lack of experience which currently hinders them. They lack the sort of combative midfield player that the great Patrick Vieria once was, and are in desperate need of some experienced heads. Wenger, to his credit, tried to address this by buying 31 year-old Silvestre from Manchester United for £500,000, but when the clubs around them are spending £10m, £20m, or even £30m on players, Arsenal’s policy does look a little lacking.
Chelsea aside, Tottenham are by far the biggest and most frequent spenders in the league, but it is the lack of stability which holds them back. Players come, and then quickly go – Dimitar Berbatov may have left us for £20m more than we bought him for, but for every success, they are failures like Kevin Prince Boateng, bought for £6m, played about 10 games, and Younnes Kaboul, who was bought for £6m, only to be moved on, ironically, to Harry Redknapp’s Portsmouth, for a considerable loss.
If Redknapp really wants to join clubs that are in danger of relagation, he should join Fulham FC. They seem to ALWAYS be in a fight to stay in the top flight of English football.
As for Mourinho, he is bad news in my opinion. the spotlight always has to be on him and that is very disfunctional for the team.
Harrison – I agree with you 100% on Mourinho. I think he will end up screwing over Inter Milan only to come back to England. The question I can’t wait to be answered is what club will take him. There will be many seduced by his resume and media-sultry personality, but he does not seem like a guy who cares about sustaining what he starts. Thanks for commenting and come back often.
Great point about Arsenal and its youth. I love that about clubs. Everton seems like a club that values its youth development (they pplayed a 16-year old this year, James Baxter). They brought Wayne Rooney through their ranks as well. But back to Arsenal – when is it going to work out? Theo Walcott has done some great things but it seems like there are some games where he disappears.
And one last thing – why-why-why did Tottenham sell BOTH Berbatov and Keane and how did the fans feel about this? I understand if both wanted to leave, but it wasn’t like they weren’t performing (I think each 15 goals last season). With all the signings, especially Luka Modric, couldn’t/shouldn’t they have taken a chance at keeping one and hoping he’d eventually change his tune if they flirted with the top 8?