Harry’s return

This Sunday we host our first home PL game of the season against QPR, but that’s not what’s the main story is, the main story is the man sitting in the opposition area, Harry Redknapp. Yes, for the first time since his acrimonious depart over 2 years ago, the man who managed to guide us into the Champions League and indeed reach the Champions League Quarter-Finals returns to White Hart Lane.

After taking over in October 2008, we were going in a downward spiral, Spurs were sitting bottom of the Premier League table with no wins and only two points from our opening eight games and our position was looking very grim, he immediately improved our fortunes as he guided back into the top half, an improvement in our attacking displays, more solidity in defence, he even managed to transform Heurelho Gomes from laughing stock of the PL into one of the nest GK’s in the League, these improvements saw us eventually finishing 8th.

Then in 2009/10, we made it, when Peter Crouch headed past Martin Fulop at the Etihad Stadium, Spurs had done what we long dreamed of, we were marching into the Champions League, we recorded our place in the elite European competition. In 2010/11 we achieved more, our 1st win away at Arsenal for 17 years, finishing top of our CL Group, including those two incredible game vs Inter Milan, beating AC Milan at the San Siro before eventually bowing out to Real Madrid.

[linequote]Spurs fans showed their support of Harry before our home game vs Newcastle, signing ‘Harry, please don’t go’ [/linequote]

Then came 2011/12, after losing our first 2 games, we went on a run of 10 wins from our next 11 games, we sat for most of the season in 3rd place in the PL and our team was being lauded by managers/pundits/writers for our brand of football, the way our attacking philosophy was beating teams week after week and being the best PL team to watch, the future of Spurs couldn’t look brighter.

Then in February things changed, first Redknapp was embroiled in a Tax Court case which dragged out for weeks, he was eventually cleared of all charges. Then later the same day that he was cleared in the Court Case, Fabio Capello resigned as England manager and everyone in the Football world believed Redknapp was a shoe-in for the job. Spurs fans showed their support of Harry before our home game vs Newcastle, signing ‘Harry, please don’t go’ whilst our team delivered another magical performance to win 5-0, we were convinced that would let Harry know, Spurs was the place to be… How wrong we were.

From that point the rumour mill about England grew stronger while our on pitch results started to deteriorate. He was offered an improved contract to stay at Spurs but was reluctant to commit himself, admitting he believed he was going to get the England job. As revealed when after we defeated Swansea 3-1 in April, Redknapp asked Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers about becoming his No.2 in the England set-up which Rodgers would’ve agreed to.

But later that month Roy Hodgson was unveiled as the New England manger and it turned out that the FA had never approached Redknapp about the job at all. We ended our season in 4th only to lose our Champions League place in Munich the next week, then in June after contract negotiations broke down, Levy decided to relieve Redknapp of his duties.

[linequote] I still harbour resentment and bitterness at him for throwing away the opportunity to continue to build an already very good side and he threw that away[/linequote]

Looking back at that time, now, I feel conflicted about Redknapp. I still harbour resentment and bitterness at him for throwing away the opportunity to continue to build an already very good side and he threw that away, believing he was better than Tottenham and for being so sure that he would get the England job when the FA never offered him the role and his refusal to commitment himself to Spurs for the future has convinced Levy that he didn’t want to stay so when they tried again end of season, Levy wasn’t convinced that Redknapp wanted to stay which, ultimately, is why he made his decision.

But I’ll always respect ad appreciated that he guided us from the pit-hole of Relegation to the glory days of the Champions League and the run we went in the Champions League, as we showed the world we had the ability to go toe-to-toe with the very best in European Football and still a small dos of what might have been had Redknapp chosen to stay at Spurs and continued to build on what he’d already achieved.

But on Sunday all these feelings will be wiped away as we focus our minds and take to the field for our 2nd game of the season as we aim to win 3 points and continue our unbeaten start to the season.