Harry Redknapp is a Cunt

1

Great article this…

Harry`s Moans Leave A Sour Taste… (John Nicholson)
Posted 19/02/09 10:45EmailPrintSave

Twenty-five years ago Spurs won the UEFA Cup, beating Anderlecht on penalties
after a thrilling late equaliser by the beast that was Graham Roberts in
front of a rampant 46,000 fans at White Hart Lane. It was Eidur Gudjohnsen’s
dad who missed the Belgian penalty to hand Spurs their victory.

Back when Spurs were really successful and played some of the finest flair
football you could ever wish to see, they were managed by two great
Yorkshiremen, Bill Nicholson and later Keith Burkenshaw. They won the UEFA
Cup twice in 12 years, were runners-up once and lost to Liverpool and
Barcelona in the semi-finals of two others.

At the time the UEFA Cup was an important European honour to win and a great
tournament to watch. Indeed, when it replaced the Fairs Cup in the 1971-72
season, Spurs were the first club to lift the new trophy.

With only the winners of the domestic leagues in the European Cup, it left a
lot of good teams to play in the UEFA Cup and in my memory, the games were
often better than their more prestigious counterparts competition. You were
guaranteed goals too, as Spurs fans will recall after a 14-0 aggregate win 25
years ago over Drogheda United in the first round. It was a straightforward
two-legged tie - win six ties and you won the cup. So if you went all the way
you played 12 games. Even the final was a two-legged affair.

In the 1984-85 season, Tottenham played 61 games in total. They could be a
thrilling side going forward with Glenn Hoddle playing some of the best
football of his career - it’s often forgotten outside of The Lane just what a
unique player Hoddle was. Blessed with both the vision and ability to play
killer passes at any distance, he had good claim to be one of the best
players on earth at that time. Indeed, no lesser genius than Johan Cruyff had
come into the Spurs dressing room after a 6-2 aggregate defeat of Feyenood in
October to sign his shirt. It was Hoddle that really drove that UEFA Cup side
on and with Steve Archibald knocking in the goals, they were quite a force.

Defensively, they were far less accomplished and their 8th league position
was down to conceding 65 goals that season. They were a team that seemed
built for and who relished cup football. The UEFA Cup of that season was to
be their last European trophy. It’s been a long 25 years since Hoddle graced
The Lane with his brilliance.

Sadly, for a club with a decent European pedigree, the UEFA Cup is no longer
a priority. In fact it seems Redknapp sees it more as a hindrance in his
campaign to keep his expensively-assembled squad of internationals from
getting relegated.

Yet it’s surely not unreasonable to think that given the vast playing and
financial resources available at Spurs that even without a manager, Spurs
could finish above the bottom three. A side with the likes of Cudicini, King,
Lennon, Keane et al shouldn’t be in any danger at all of going down. It looks
like Redknapp is managing expectations by pretending that relegation is a
possibility in order to make his achievement of survival look more
impressive.

However, in sending a side shorn of its best players to play Shakhtar Donetsk
tonight, he is surely betraying Spurs’ great cup heritage. He’s been
complaining about the amount of games they have to play of course - ever was
it thus - but even in the admittedly ridiculous and convoluted set-up
currently in operation, Spurs will only play three more games than in 1984-85
to lift the cup. And that team also had 42 league games to play.

For one of the game’s supposed traditionalists, the surrender of European cup
football as a priority in favour of Premier League money and status should
not go unmarked. Not least because if you don’t make Europe a priority, what
are clubs like Spurs even playing in the league for? The cups and a UEFA Cup
place is all they’ve got to play for, so if having qualified you shrug your
shoulders and complain that this means you have to play more football, then
you are writing off the very point of your existence.

You may just was well throw the cup games because, Christ, if you win the
bloody thing it’ll mean 15 European games and that’ll be such a distraction
from hanging on to mid-table mediocrity. Better not finish too high up or
it’ll mean another UEFA Cup competition and that’ll exhaust the players so
much they’ll not be able to finish just short of the UEFA Cup places again
next year. Because make no mistake, this isn’t about fighting relegation. If
they were ten places higher it would still be painted as a distraction from
the league. It’s all the more ironic because unlike many other clubs, the
Spurs faithful have still turned out in big numbers for the UEFA Cup games.

Seeing the Spurs manager turn his mouth down and whine about having to play
six games in 17 days purely because the club is successful is a distasteful
sight and one surely not in tune with Spurs great traditions. It also neatly
omits to note that Spurs have not played a club game for ten days. It’s not
like they’ve been working down a mine for a week, is it?

When you think back to that fantastic night in 1984 when they last lifted the
UEFA Cup, to think that those days have gone forever because of the obsession
with the Premier League fills me, even as a neutral, with great sorrow. It’s
a shameful situation and while I still wish Spurs success in Europe, their
manager’s lack of commitment to the competition leaves a very sour taste
indeed.

2

Top, top article. I especially like the part about these clubs’ pointless existence. You have them bemoaning having to play in the UEFA Cup, while lamenting how it’ll negatively affect their ability to secure a high league position, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the reward for actually getting a good league finish would be entry back into the UEFA Cup again. Shakhtar are evens in some places tonight and I’ll be having some of that.

3

I laughed heartily last season when Bolton played a second XI against Sporting, could have won but didn’t, and then got beaten in the league game that they were resting the players for.
Good enough for the cunts.

4

Bolton regularly played second choice teams in the Uefa Cup under Sam Allardyce’s time. He generally used it as a means to give some of his ‘Johnny Foreigners’ game time. The fans copped on and stayed away in their droves.

The Uefa Cup could be a fine competition but Uefa have ruined it by allowing Champs League failures direct routes into the knockouts, having far too many group games and not offering any incentive to win. Next year’s competition will have two group stages making it even more of a joke.

A two legged knock out competition with automatic 2 year Champions league qualification for the finalists would lift the prestige of the Uefa Cup big time and make it far more relevant.

To be fair to Redknapp, Spurs are in a relegation battle. One which they should get out of but are showing no signs of at the moment. The plight of Leeds etc proves that relegation can bring a club to its knees. Therefore staying in the EPL has to be their only priority.

Depressingly in the EPL for about ten sides this season, survival is the only priority. Relegation for some of these sides could mean bankruptcy and Leeds like collapses. The choice then in resting key players for cup games is understandable.

Pompey’s Uefa Cup run certainly has impacted on their domestic season. If they go down it will almost certainly result in the adminstrators being called in. Despite winning an FA Cup last season and playing European football season, I’m sure if they are deducted 15 points at the start of next season their fans will be thinking it was hardly worth it.

In complete agreement with the cuntness of Redknapp. He left Southampton relegated and instigated a buying frenzy at Pompey that brought cup success but ultimately has the club on the verge of bankruptcy.

5

'Arry joins Spurs and he is saying that the players are there and they just needed proper guidance. A run of poor results and he is saying he needs to buy players,etc. The biggest bluffer ever in English football in my opinion and that is quite a feat.

I was praying the BBC would out him the time of that documentary as I’m full sure he is as dodgy as Dell Boy himself when it come to player transfers.

6

It’s something I’ve often thought myself for the last few years but yer man articulates it very well. A ridiculous catch 22.
The whole thing is the ultimate manifestation of the fact that soccer is just all about money these days.
the teams basically want the money of qualifying for Europe not the actual games themselves.

7

[quote=“gola”]It’s something I’ve often thought myself for the last few years but yer man articulates it very well. A ridiculous catch 22.
The whole thing is the ultimate manifestation of the fact that soccer is just all about money these days.
the teams basically want the money of qualifying for Europe not the actual games themselves.[/quote]

Yes, they generally state that their aim at the start of the season is to ‘get into Europe’. They achieve it and react by whingeing about having to play on Thursday nights and then the following Sunday, how their squad can’t cope with the fixtures and travelling and all the rest. You’re right - they basically want to secure prize money for finishing high up the league more than the actual European football itself.

As for Redknapp, he’s a detestable, twitchy faced cunt. Initially, the players were great and all they needed was some confidence from Harry. Then results took a turn for the worse and he switched mode completely to blaming Ramos for the balance of the squad, its lack of depth and the poor quality of player at the club. Tony Adams should have done what Redknapp’s been doing for the last few months and he might still be in a job.

8

This thread belongs in the ‘stating the bleedin obvious’ thread.

Redknapp has always been a snakey cunt and an utter despicable human being.

That is all.

9

Did you lump on Bandage? Spurs were shocking last night. I see 'Arry promised they’d be even worse in the second leg. Cunt.

10

I had a nice bet on Shakhtar anyway, it seems like every man and his dog was on.

11

[quote=“Bandage”]
As for Redknapp, he’s a detestable, twitchy faced cunt. QUOTE]

I know a guy from Pompey who has the same bookie as arry. Apparently Arry is bitching and moaning about the length of the drive from the South Coast up to London every day.
The Pompey fans would burn him now.

12

I had a nibble alright - got them at 10/11 but I heard they were available at 11/10 in some places.

13

I think the 10/11 was gone by yesterday evening altough a few places were still going evens