Redknapp is back in charge of Blues
Test of character awaits Blades at the next level
Harry Redknapp has returned to management with Birmingham after becoming “fed up” in his time out of football.
The 70-year-old was confirmed yesterday as Gianfranco Zola’s successor until the end of the season, and he will be assisted in his bid to preserve their Championship status by former Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill.
Zola’s run of only two wins from 24 fixtures has left Birmingham 20th and only three points above the relegation zone with three games to play.
Redknapp said: “I got fed up sitting around doing nothing. I will come and live up here until the end of the season.
“If I can keep them up then we can sit down and talk about going forward.
“I got a phone call (Monday night) from the people at Birmingham.
“I drove to London, had a meeting for 10 to 15 minutes, sat down and said, ‘Yeah, I will do it, no problem’. I got home and my wife said, ‘Are you mad?’
“Birmingham is a proper club. It is a good club. They are in a precarious position and we have got the worst goal difference as well.
“I’ve gone in there, said I will come and do it. The money I am not interested in.” THE CHAMPAGNE corks may still be popping around the red and white half of Sheffield but thoughts are already turning to next season’s Championship return.
Six years is a long time to be away and the Blades will discover a very different landscape to the one they left behind when relegated under Micky Adams.
The flood of TV money into the Premier League over the intervening period has filtered down through parachute payments.
Transfer fees have soared along with wages and the step-up from League One has grown into something of a chasm.
This much has become apparent from the struggles endured by clubs who have won automatic promotion since the £8bn TV deal for the top flight came into play at the end of the 2014-15 season.
MK Dons went straight back down and Wigan Athletic, last season’s champions, look certain to follow suit.
Bristol City, title-winners in 2015 with 99 points, are locked in a survival scrap for the second consecutive year, while Burton Albion’s first season in the Championship has been a struggle.
Chris Wilder’s task, therefore, is to strengthen sufficiently over the summer to buck this trend. Considering the sterling job done by the 49-year-old in his first year at the Lane, few would bet against him doing just that.
Whoever does come in, Leon Clarke is adamant what won’t change is the attitude and ethos that has brought an end to the club’s stay in League One.
“The unbeaten run shows the character we have among the group of players,” said the 32-year-old striker, who maintained his scoring streak with a double in Monday’s 3-0 victory over Bradford City.
“It shows the character of the manager, too. He didn’t change his philosophy, even when we had a bad start to the season, and that really helped.
“At others clubs, things could have got a lot worse. But he stuck to his guns, in terms of the philosophy he had, and just tweaked a few things. We have got a ruthless bunch of players.”
Clarke’s last statement is certainly backed up by United’s onfield deeds this term. Monday’s victory was their 28th of a season that started with a solitary point being gleaned from the opening four games, a club record.
Another victory from their final two games will also set a new points record for the club, eclipsing the 96 that brought the Fourth Division championship to the Lane 35 years ago.
Two more wins, meanwhile, from Saturday’s trip to Milton Keynes and the final day visit of relegated Chesterfield would see United join an exclusive club of teams who have racked up a century of points in a season.
“The manager did mention to us about reaching 100 points after we got promoted,” added Clarke. “Before the Bradford game, he was making sure we were all up for it and at it. It is definitely something we all want to achieve.”
United’s players are not due back in until tomorrow morning after two days off. The focus will then immediately switch to finishing the season on a high before attention can turn to what changes will be needed over the summer.
For some among United’s promotion heroes, this will mean heading for the exit. However, regardless of the squad’s make-up come August, Clarke insists some things won’t change.
“We haven’t spoken about next season,” said last summer’s arrival from Bury. “We are just trying to enjoy what is going on, at the moment. Obviously, there is going to be ins and outs over the summer. But whoever comes in, they will have to adapt to the manager’s philosophy.
“As I said, the manager hasn’t sat down and said who he wants to keep. For me personally, every time I play is a chance to impress and show people, who maybe doubted me, that I can score goals. It is a chance for me to impress the manager and my teammates.”
Clarke has certainly been doing that at the end of what had previously been a disappointing season on a personal level.
After netting 18 times last term for a struggling Bury side, he had been bought to provide a foil for captain Billy Sharp. Instead, injury and loss of form meant he found the net just three times in 19 appearances before finally succumbing to that ankle problem.
Five goals in the last four games, however, has underlined why Wilder was so keen to bring the striker on board last summer.
“The last four games have gone well for me,” he added. “It is just a shame that I haven’t been able to play as many games as I would have liked. I said when I signed that, if I was fit and available, I can score a lot of goals in this league. It would have been nice to have a few more at the start but they are coming now.
“As for next season, if we can keep on winning and keep on getting that backing – there were nearly 30,000 in (against Bradford) – then who knows what might happen? The place was rocking.”