You Ask The Questions: Harry Redknapp on Darren Bent, car window etiquette and driving sheep through Portsmouth
I only realised Darren Bent was at Derby when I turned up at training. I thought, ‘Oh my God, no... he hates the sight of me!’
FFT has just rung the doorbell outside Harry Redknapp’s Dorset home, and it’s produced a familiar tune.
If Portsmouth’s relationship with their former manager has been complicated over the years, his love for them remains undiminished. The chimes of ‘Play Up Pompey’ are ringing out and soon he appears at the front door with a smile, welcoming us inside.
Harry has long lived on the exclusive peninsula of Sandbanks, just a few miles from Bournemouth, and when we enter the living room, we’re treated to a lovely sea view. On a summer’s morning like this, you could confuse it for the French Riviera, if it wasn’t for Barney the British bulldog prowling the back garden.
As wife Sandra offers us a drink, we can’t help notice a tiny plastic trophy sat incongruously in the corner of this stylish front room, with a green critter fixed to its base and the words, ‘Harry Redknapp: I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, 2018’.
“What is that?” Redknapp asks himself, reaching down to pick it up and inspect. “Never bleeding seen that in my life!”
The trophy is obviously not his most prized possession, but the reality show victory introduced the 72-year-old to a new audience last December. Before that, a highly eventful career in football management, which he’s ready to sit down and discuss…
How well did Lee Chapman take being substituted for a fan in a pre-season game for West Ham? Jimmy Gray, Ilford No, Lee wasn’t subbed, he wasn’t even there! We were playing Oxford City, and this West Ham fan was driving me mad. He kept saying, “Ain’t it about time you bought a striker this year, Redknapp – we ain’t got bleedin’ Chapman again, have we?” He just went on and on and on – he wouldn’t leave me alone. Then we had a few injuries, I had no subs left and I asked him, “Can you play?” He was shocked. I stuck him on in the second half and he played upfront. He was all right – he ran about and tried hard!
Which player kicked the ball that hit you mid-interview at Portsmouth? Richard Way, via Twitter [Laughs] I don’t know! He was a young player, 20 or 21, a full-back, but I swear I don’t remember his name. [FFT: Did you have another go at him after the interview had finished?] Nah, I didn’t bother. He was on his way out anyway, I think. It was my first season there, and he was one of the players who was already at the club. He was mad – I think he probably did it on purpose!
What was going through your mind when Gennaro Gattuso squared up to Joe Jordan in Milan? Sharon Twyford, Enfield I thought he obviously didn’t know Joe! As old as Joe was, I think he’d still have flattened Gattuso. Joe’s the fittest man I’ve ever seen. That Champions League run with Tottenham was a great time. There was an amazing atmosphere for the European nights at Tottenham.
Who was the best player you coached in your career? Adam Shyaka, via Instagram I had a lot of good players when they were really young, like Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand. Gareth Bale would have to be in there, plus Luka Modric, and Ledley King was an amazing player. Ledley didn’t train in the week, not one day, but he’d play on Saturday. Friday morning would be the first time he’d put his kit on. He’d slowly jog two laps of the pitch, and then give me the thumbs up. I’d be thinking, ‘We’ll win tomorrow – Ledley’s fit’.
Which of your former players would make a great manager? Kevin Graham, Lancaster I’d like to see Rio Ferdinand have a go at management. He’d do really well if he got a chance somewhere.
How did your stint as Oxford City’s assistant under Bobby Moore help to shape your career as a manager? Max Pollard, via Twitter That was my first ever job in coaching. Me and Bobby were big pals, and we played at Seattle Sounders together. I started doing some coaching with the young American lads there, Bobby saw what I did and said, “If I ever get a job, I’d love you to come and work with me.” I said, “I’d love that.” Bobby came back, phoned me and said, “I’ve taken over at Oxford City.” I thought he meant United! Bobby knew nothing about non-league and nor did I. We had one season there and it was tough, but great experience.
If you could track down the mug who told you at a West Ham fans’ forum that Frank Lampard wouldn’t amount to much, what would you say now? Jamie Bonner, via Facebook Well, that was his opinion at the time... I never had any doubts about Frank – I couldn’t say I thought he’d become what he did, but I knew he’d be a very good player. The only person I’d ever seen train as hard as him was his dad. Every afternoon in the middle of winter, I would look out of the office window. It was raining, starting to get dark, and he’d still be on his own 200 yards away, doing his sprints, then getting a bag of balls and shooting, left foot, right foot. Practice, practice, practice. When a kid is that determined to become a player, he’s always going to become a player. Frank just wanted it so bad.
Will you be offering some advice to Frank Lampard at Chelsea? Ryan Worthington, Yeovil Not really, he’s his own man. He’s a very bright lad with a great knowledge of the game. It certainly won’t be through lack of effort. I did really get him the job at Derby. I know Derby chairman Mel Morris very well, and I phoned him up when Gary Rowett left. I said, “You keep picking the wrong managers – give it to Frank.” He said, “No, I need experience.” I pushed and pushed and said, “Have a meeting with him. I’m telling you, he’s fantastic and he will bring so much to your club.” He said, “Well, I’m in London tomorrow.” I hadn’t even mentioned it to Frank at that point, so I phoned him and said, “Would you be interested in the Derby job?” He said, “Of course.” So I set up a meeting for them the next day at 6pm. Mel called me at 8pm and said, “I’ve given him the job – I loved him.”
Do you regret leaving Portsmouth to manage Southampton in 2004? Sean Mcculloch, via Facebook Yeah. I fell out with Milan Mandaric at Portsmouth. I’d got into my car to drive home one day, and suddenly I had four phone calls from the press saying, “I see you’ve got a director of football coming tomorrow?” I said, “No chance, what are you going on about? I’ve just been with Milan and we haven’t got a director of football. We have Jim Smith, Joe Jordan and Kevin Bond. None of us are young – what do we need a director of football for?” The next day, I got to the training ground and this guy was there, Velimir Zajec. I went back to Milan, who’d told me, “No one’s coming in.” We had a row and I quit. Soon after, I got a call from Southampton. I lived down here, so why shouldn’t I work? It was a crazy move. I didn’t realise the hate between them. How bad did things get with Pompey’s fans after you joined Southampton? Luke Howard, King’s Lynn Very bad. Non-stop phone calls all day, leaving horrendous messages. At home, I’d be outside and the boats that went past always seemed to be fishermen from Portsmouth. They would go past, a big gang of them on their boats going out through the harbour, yelling abuse…
How big a job was it at Southampton? Did you believe we’d avoid relegation in 2004-05? Terry Couzens, via Twitter Yeah, for sure. Sometimes you feel like everything’s gone against you. When I looked at all the fixtures, every home game was against a top-half team. In February, we were 2-1 up at home to Everton deep into injury time and had played fantastic. Peter Crouch had the ball running down towards the corner flag, and decided to whack it into the penalty area instead of winning a throw – the referee would have blown. They kicked the ball upfield, Duncan Ferguson flicked it on, Marcus Bent smashed it in and the ref blew the whistle. Those two points would have kept us up on goal difference. On the last day, we had to beat Manchester United at home, but Alex Ferguson is close to Bryan Robson, who was in charge of West Brom. Man United were in the FA Cup final against Arsenal the following week, but he put his full team out when normally he’d have rested five or six. West Brom were playing Portsmouth, and all the Pompey fans had gone dressed up in West Brom outfits. They were never going to beat West Brom. It was an impossible day.
How strange was it when England’s Rugby World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward worked at Southampton? Tony Jenkins, Llandudno It was strange, but I had great respect for him. He had some interesting ideas that he could have brought from rugby. I always got on well with him – people think I didn’t. [FFT: Was he part of your decision to leave Southampton?] Not at all. Chelsea beat Portsmouth at Fratton Park and Milan Mandaric spoke to Frank Lampard Snr in the boardroom after the game. Frank said, “You’re struggling, Milan.” He replied, “Yeah, we’re going to get relegated.” Frank asked, “Why don’t you get Harry back?” Milan said, “He wouldn’t come back, he doesn’t like me any more.” Frank phoned me and said, “Milan wants you to go back there – would you?” I said, “Yes, I would.” That was how it all started. The following day, he phoned me, we had a meeting and I agreed to go back.
What would you say was your biggest achievement in football? Fin Palfreyman, via Instagram Probably winning the Division Three title with Bournemouth. In 100 years, they had never been out of Division Three or Four, so to take them into Division Two will always be special to me. That put me on the ladder but I had great times everywhere, like winning the FA Cup at Portsmouth, winning the play-off final with QPR when Bobby Zamora scored in injury time, getting Portsmouth into the Premier League in my first season, and then keeping them up in 2006. Pompey were almost certainly getting relegated
when I went back there, but we stayed up. If we hadn’t, that would have been the end for me there. I would have been in big trouble, because I went back and there was a funny atmosphere. It wasn’t suddenly, ‘Great, Harry’s back’. We went on an incredible run and managed to stay up, then everyone was great again! That’s football, isn’t it?
How did it feel to lead Portsmouth to FA Cup glory in 2008? ‘Marcus_5992’, via Instagram It was great. After we beat Cardiff, we didn’t have a big function or anything. We ended up in a pizza house in Hilsea. We were all treated to a pizza!
You’re still the last English manager to win a major trophy. Why do English managers not achieve more success? Sev B Las, via Facebook It’s so difficult for boys to get a top-six job now, and the top six teams have got the best players. You take Pep Guardiola, who I’m sure is fantastic, and put him in at Burnley or Huddersfield – he ain’t suddenly going to get them in the top six, is he? It’s about players. Manchester City have brought in fantastic player after fantastic player, and it’s not much different to training racehorses. Aidan O’brien’s Coolmore has the best horses in the world, so they win the Derby and they win everything. The poor trainer who’s spent £2,000 on a horse is racing against Aidan O’brien’s horse that cost £6 million – who’s going to win?
Football’s no different. OK, you’ve got to get the best out of what you have, but there ain’t no magic formula. There’s no coach who’s out there every day doing things that are suddenly making a big difference. I’ve never met a genius of a coach. We can all go and box training up differently, but there’s nothing really different happening. It’s players.
Maybe Frank can win a trophy, if he’s got the right players. If Chelsea don’t, he ain’t got a magic wand. He’s not going to make them the greatest team you’ve ever seen, unless they’ve got the players.
Yakubu, Kanu or Benjani – who was your greatest African signing? Old Naija Football, via Instagram Kanu [right] was a genius. He had been released by West Brom, came in and was an amazing footballer. On Sunday nights, though, he’d always phone and say, “Gaffer, I have an upset stomach. Can I miss training?’ I’d say, “Yeah, no problem.” I was in bed by then anyway!
What made you take the job at Spurs? Lee Piper, via Facebook I’d turned them down 18 months or two years before that. I had a meeting with Daniel Levy, but Martin Jol was doing a good job. I was slightly surprised they wanted to get rid of him. I said I didn’t think it would be a good idea, and I was happy at Portsmouth anyway. I turned down the Newcastle job as well, after having a meeting with them. When Tottenham came up the second time, we’d changed owners at Portsmouth. Alexandre Gaydamak had come in and I didn’t really get to know him. He was very distant and a quiet man. I’d won the cup at Portsmouth and was leaving them in the top half of the table. Spurs was a great opportunity for me.
How awkward was it to be given the freedom of Portsmouth, days after you had left Pompey for Tottenham? Greg Jones, Southsea Very awkward. I met Daniel Levy on the Saturday and he told me, “I want you to take the team tomorrow at home to Bolton.” I said, “I can’t – I’ve got to get the freedom of the city on Monday. Can someone else take the team this weekend and we can announce it on Tuesday?” He said, “We can’t – we’ve started the season really badly, we’re in trouble.” I had to do it. I was on the touchline at Spurs on the Sunday, we won 2-0, and on Monday I got the freedom of Portsmouth at a huge public do. It was a very difficult day. I never did drive any sheep through Portsmouth… [FFT: Were you sad some Pompey fans didn’t react well to your exit?] Very sad. They had great times when I was there and I loved every minute of my time at Portsmouth. It was such a happy time in my life and career.
Did you know that Gareth Bale would become a big star? Dimitri Gremos, via Instagram Very early on. When I first went there, he’d gone quite a few games without ever being on the winning team. But he was 6ft 1in, powerful, quick, could run all day over long and short distances, and head a ball, dribble and shoot. He had the lot. We just pushed him further forward from left-back to the left wing. Luka Modric was playing on the left side when I first went there, but we played Arsenal at home and I said, “I’m going to play Luka central.” One or two of the lads on the staff thought I was crazy. They said, “He’s too small, he can’t play in there.” I stuck him in there, we beat Arsenal, but they said, “He’ll get overrun on Saturday against Chelsea – they’ve got Essien, Lampard and Ballack.” I said, “I’m playing him there, that’s where he’s playing now.” We beat Chelsea and he’s never played anywhere else since, has he? Great player. What did your missus think of your comment about Darren Bent’s miss? Did she say, “You’re right Harry, I’d definitely have buried that”? Alexander Marshall, via Facebook [Laughs] She don’t watch the football! Listen, I hear managers come on after games and talk such a load of rubbish ‘We’ve just got beat 5-0 but there’s so many positives to take from the game’. I think, ‘Fucking show me one’. Darren Bent missed an open goal in the last minute, and all I said was that there were three million blokes watching at home saying to their missus, ‘Cor, even you’d have scored that, darling’. OK, you mustn’t criticise players publicly, but everyone is so precious these days. We can’t take the piss out of each other. Benty got the hump with it and so did his agent. I think he rang the chairman. A few years later, I went to Derby for the last six weeks of the season. The chairman asked if I would help Darren Wassall and advise him a little bit. I got there and was about to go and watch training, and I realised Darren Bent was there at Derby. I thought, ‘Oh my God, no… he hates the sight of me, he’s going to slag me off in the dressing room!’ But I swear to God, as I arrived on the side of the pitch, he hit a 30-yard volley that arrowed into the top corner. I’ve never seen a strike like it in my life. I shouted, “Oi Benty, my old woman couldn’t have scored that one!” He laughed, everyone else laughed, and that was the end of it.
“BALE HAD THE LO TH TJ AN LO LT QE UR ICE KB , POWERFUL, AND HE COU LI DE HT EE AB D,O DRIBBLE AND SHOOT. ALL WE DID WAS PUSH HIM FURTHER UPFIELD”
Why do you think Roy Hodgson got the England job when you were the clear favourite with the press and public? Were there ever any talks? ‘Mac.egan13’, via Instagram There were never talks, although it did look like I was a certainty to get the job – the bookmakers don’t normally get it wrong, and I was 1/10. I think Roy was about 10/1. One or two of the lads sent me text messages - Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard – because they thought I was going to get it. I don’t know why I didn’t – it was the FA’S decision. Roy had maybe done more work with the FA over the years, and was more of an FA man than I was. That’s life. It was a funny time because I was very happy at Spurs. It wasn’t like I was desperate. I knew the aggravation that went with the England job: not going in every day with players, sitting in the FA’S office in Soho Park, or wherever it is. Was that something I wanted to do, really?
Would England have lost to Iceland if you’d been in charge? Norman Chester, Brighton It might not have happened, but who knows? Hindsight’s a wonderful thing. People say we wouldn’t have done so well at the World Cup if Sam Allardyce had been the manager, but Sam might have won the World Cup – he might have beaten Croatia. No one knows.
What happened at Tottenham when you were linked with the England job? Did you lose focus, or was it just a bad run of form? Paddy Diver, via Instagram I didn’t lose focus – we finished 4th. We should have qualified for the Champions League, but Chelsea won the Champions League and we missed out. I think the owner, Joe Lewis, wanted a change – Tottenham always wanted a director of football overseeing things with a coach, so went back to that. They’d had Damien Comolli there before, then they brought in the Italian chap, Franco Baldini, who came in alongside Andre Villas-boas.
We loved you at Tottenham, but how far could you have taken us? We were on the right track for a title push… Daniel Rapps, via Facebook I thought we could have done it, yeah. We were 2nd at Christmas time and I was keen to sign a new centre-forward and centre-half, but we were told that we weren’t going to spend any money. I ended up bringing in Louis Saha, who’d been a great player but was coming to the end of his career, and Ryan Nelsen, who’d been a great centre-half. I’m not stupid. I’m not going to take a couple of free transfers well into their 30s if I could have got a couple of world-class players. I’d have rather signed Luis Suarez from Ajax, but my hands were tied.
Which car is the nicest to hang out of a window on deadline day? Mikey Robson, Milton Keynes [Laughs] I always had the Range Rover, didn’t I? [FFT: How did the tradition come about?] Well, it’s like when you phoned me up about doing this. I don’t really want to do an interview with you today, do I? There’s nothing in it for me – you haven’t given me a fucking Mars Bar or anything! [FFT: We can go and get one?] I don’t want one! [Smiles] But you ring me, you’re nice people, you’ve got a job to do and I give up my time. I used to drive into the training ground and there was a bloke from Sky who’d been stood out there since 7am. It’s pissing down with rain and his job is to get interviews. I stop and talk, not because I want to be on the telly talking about transfers, but he’s got a job to do. When I was off air, I’d say, “Bring him in and give him some lunch, a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits.” It’s all about helping each other, isn’t it?
What really happened when Peter Odemwingie turned up at QPR on deadline night? Andrew Barnes, Solihull We were trying to get him, and thought we would get the deal done in time. We were haggling, West Brom’s chairman wouldn’t budge, but they wanted to get rid of him. We were sayng to his agent, “You’d better get down to London – if it gets done at 9pm, you’re not going to get here in time. Come down here by the football ground.” But instead of going to a hotel, they headed straight to the ground, which caused a big problem. When I saw him on TV, I thought, ‘Oh my God’. I felt sorry for him: it put him in a bad situation. But players do that all the time – if it’s deadline day, they’ll travel and check into a hotel nearby.
Which of your kids is your favourite: Jamie, Mark or Niko? Oliver Pearman, via Twitter [Laughs] Kranjcar! I loved Niko Kranjcar as a footballer. You always knew what you were getting with him, Defoe and Crouch, which is why I continued to sign them. Defoe would score you goals and Crouchy would score, lead the line and give you something completely different. Niko was just a great player.
What was it like managing Jordan? Darren Stokes, Woodford That was good fun and Prince Ali was an amazing man, but it didn’t end too well because I was very ill. We went to play in Australia, and just before the match kicked off I began to feel unwell. When I eventually flew back home, I ended up in hospital. I had a tumour.
"BEFORE AN AWAY GAME AT MAN UNITED, ME AND FERGIE WOULD GO AND SIT IN HIS OFFICE, WATCH RACING AND HAVE A BET”
Do you regret staying on for a second season as Birmingham boss? Steven Hunter, Redditch You do afterwards, but you can’t look back and think like that. I only did three games at first – they’d gone more than 20 games without winning, and we had to win two of the last three matches to stay up. We did it. The following season, it was difficult. I signed players very late in the window – lots of loans, and I took three players from Brentford. They were only there for one match before I left. I was shocked by that, but about three games into the season, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to last very long. Having meetings with the people there, they thought they were just going to win the league. I think I would have done very well there in the long term, though. Your FA Cup winner’s medal and your crown from the I’m A Celebrity jungle are both in a house fire. You can only save one – which do you go for? Ben Finney, via Facebook The FA Cup medal. I haven’t even got the crown from the jungle – I left it there! I’d never seen one second of the programme, so didn’t have a clue what I was letting myself in for. I asked Neil Ruddock and he said, “It’s the hardest thing I’ve done in my life. It was fucking horrible – you don’t get any food.” I’d been saying to Sandra, “Of course you’ll get food. There’ll be a caravan – you go off air, have a cup of tea, then back on set.” She said, “I don’t think it’s like that” and she was right! They were long days. It was nice to be voted as the winner – I didn’t have a clue what was going on outside. I would ask the guards, “How’s the football going, lads?” I knew they were football fans, but they couldn’t tell you anything! You really were cut off.
What are your feelings about the time at Pompey with Alexandre Gaydamak? You were part of a very successful era which paved the way for its downfall, too. Any regrets? Jean Robert Tankred, via Facebook Not really. I don’t see how it went wrong for Pompey, because if you go through the players I bought, probably the only player we lost money on was John Utaka, and he stayed for about five seasons. Lassana Diarra cost £4m and was sold for £22m. Sylvain Distin was free and sold for £6m. Glen Johnson cost £4m and was sold for £18m. Sulley Muntari was sold for more than we paid for him. Sol Campbell was free and on a third of the wages he had earned at Arsenal. We didn’t overspend. We made money. They were still buying players after I left. The problem was that Gaydamak wasn’t putting any money into the club.
People have criticised you for what happened after you left Portsmouth and Birmingham – does it annoy you when you get blamed for financial problems at clubs? Harry Tinnion, Coventry Yes. At Birmingham, the chairman told me I had £20m to spend and I spent £11m, which isn’t a fortune. It’s all the people who run the football clubs, the chairmen. People should take a look at the facts before they draw conclusions. Who was the toughest managerial opponent in your career? Owain Walker, Derby Who had the best team? Alex Ferguson. Before the game, though, we’d go into his office, watch a bit of horse racing and have a bet. When the players go out for the warm-up, that’s the worst time as a manager, because you don’t know what to do with yourself. We’d sit in his office and watch a bit of racing.
Which team would you have loved to become manager of? Garry Robinson, via Facebook Liverpool. With the fans and the atmosphere, it’s second to none.
I always thought the ‘wheeler dealer’ tag was unfair – you gave opportunities to players such as Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand, Jermain Defoe and Joe Cole. Did it annoy you? ‘Dave Villaboy’, via Facebook Yeah, it did. I bought players because I’d always be at clubs who were struggling – that’s why you get the job. You can’t sit there and say, ‘The team’s rock bottom of the league, but I’m this super coach and am going to change everything with the same rubbish side’. It doesn’t happen, and if people think they can do it, that’s why managers keep getting sacked. It’s all about good players, so you’ve got to improve the squad.
Are you officially retired now? Paula Roberts, Epsom Yeah. I’ve had enough. Even going in as an advisor, I don’t think it’s something I’d want to do. I’ll just go and follow my friends like Frank, and Kevin Bond is at Southend – I’ll go and see their teams.
‘The World According To Harry’ is out now