Harry Redknapp to journey into unfamiliar territory
Harry Redknapp is one of the most respected coaches in football. He has been in the coaching field for approximately 27 years and has seen everything. The manager saw it all; whether it was relegation of two of the clubs he managed, Bournemouth and Southampton or the Intertoto Cup win with West Ham United and the FA Cup with Portsmouth. No one can label him as a bad manager as Redknapp has had more experience in the field than even Sir Alex Ferguson. In terms of success, Redknapp has done reasonably well with the teams considering the finances he had and is accepted as one of the best in the business.
Harry Redknapp took over North London club Tottenham Hotspurs in 2008 and managed to do the unthinkable. Tottenham finished fourth in the league last season, changing the top four of the premier league for the first time in almost a decade. Liverpool was the club which found its way out of the top four and Tottenham now has the opportunity of playing the Champions League football for the first time.
Tottenham faced tough competition from three clubs for the prestigious spot. Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester City were all in the run of securing the fourth spot, but undoubtedly, the Spurs played better football. The four way battle for the fourth spot started in the second half of the season and the spot was up for grabs for any of these four clubs. Manchester City and Tottenham were the favourites, but the Spurs defeated City in the dying moments of the league to secure the fourth spot. The Spurs entered the UEFA Champions league for the first time it changed its name. Spur’s success can be easily attributed to the man behind the gun, Harry Redknapp. From the team who took only 2 points in 8 matches when Harry took over, to the side which would now be playing with Europe’s finest clubs, the success and achievement of the side can be credited to Redknapp and Redknapp alone.
Redknapp wasted no time when he took over at Spurs and brought the likes of Defoe, Cudicini and Palacios among many others. The new players formed the new first team for the Spurs and a lot of improvement could be sensed at the club. The manager is one of the most respected men in the transfer market and has a good eye for top talent. Peter Crouch made his way back under Harry Redknapp and became one of the most important players for the Spurs.
Harry Redknapp breathed new life into the likes of Gareth Bale, whose impressive performances led to two back-to-back wins for the Spurs against heavyweights Chelsea and Arsenal. These two fixtures were the key ones which ensured Spurs a place in the top four. Bale was a changed man under Redknapp and is now one of the most wanted players in England. Danny made his mark at the club when he scored one of the most impressive goals of the summer. Danny scored the winner against Arsenal from a spectacular volley which led to Danny establishing himself as a first team regular. Redknapp sold off Darren Bent to Sunderland in order to prove that no player was bigger than the club. This signifies that Harry has the ability to be an expert in such situations and knows what to do for the betterment of the club.
But, then again, is Tottenham too small for the Champions league. Playing against Europe’s top clubs is a difficult task and many teams have failed to get pass the qualifying stages. Season after season, clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool only managed to reach the quarter finals of the tournament, even though they had a vast experience in the Champions league. The Champions league does attract the top talent in the world and players like Luis Suarez and Luis Fabiano have been hugely linked with the North London Club, something even the high spending Manchester City failed to achieve. Playing in the top tournament of Europe brings respect, value and finances for the club but if the Spurs are pitted against teams like Bayern Munich, Barcelona or Inter Milan, experts expect them to do anything but fall victim to the sheer class of such sides.
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