Hi all, just found this podcast last week and have been listening back to recent episodes and really enjoying it. Great banter and proper informed football chat. Really appreciate the updates on the Spurs youths and reserves, it's pretty hard to get much news on that side of the club. Cheers!
Just wanted to make a couple of points regarding the comments about Redknapp. One common criticism is that he doesn't have a clue about tactics, for one I think that's exaggerated, he's not stupid and has obviously learned a thing or 2 during his long time in football. But I also believe that the importance of a tactical mastermind as manager is also exaggerated. I think even the most blinkered Man Utd fan would agree that Ferguson is no tactical mastermind, yet that hasn't stopped him being one of the greatest managers of all time. I concede that at the very highest level, especially in Europe it can be a problem not being more tactically aware.
I think Redknapp is a good judge of player and once he's got the players he rates and trusts*, he keeps it simple and let's them play football, trusting their footballing talents. This freedom gives the players confidence, makes it much more likely they'll enjoy their football, and also makes it exciting for us fans. He almost always seems to start games with this attitude, the only tactical tinkering coming in the middle of games. The Milan tie at home last year was one of the few games where he made a few tactical changes before the game but I can't remember whether that was because some players were out or not, anyway, it's a rarity.
2 qoutes to back me up
"Football is a simple game made complicated by those who should know better" Bill Shankly
"Redknapp has a very, very good knowledge of the game".... and is "a good judge of a footballer and 80-90 per cent of successful management is about getting the right players in the club. You don't see him complicating it with big tactics or formations" Johnny Giles
*however, if he doesn't trust a player, that player's pretty much fucked