Wally with a Brolly

It's been a crazy last year for Harry Redknapp. In early 2012, QPR's manager was facing a battle on all fronts. He was summoned to court for suspected tax evasion, was guiding Tottenham towards what seemed like a genuine title challenge in about 74 years, and he was the favourite to succeed Fabio Capello as England manager when the Italian was meant to leave after Euro 2012.

After a 13-day trial in which revelations were made about Redknapp's bank account in Monaco under his dog Rosie's name, 'of which he had no prior knowledge', 'Arry, as he is well known by the press, was deemed to be not guilty of tax evasion. He was no Jimmy Carr after all.

The one on the left didn't tell 'Arry she had a bank account in Monaco. What a bitch. Pun intended.

Not only that, but the FA had just sacked Capello. It seemed like a match made in heaven: Redknapp free to manage, and the FA seemingly desperate for an old wise head to lead the national team to 'glory' (aka a quarter-final penalty shoot-out defeat) at Euro 2012.

'Arry was ready; he kept telling us about the great work he was doing at Tottenham with lines like 'this club was heading nowhere a few years ago' and 'I'm trying to change mentalities and turn us into winners', or the classic 'we got to the Champions' League and beat Inter' story. These were all true but Redknapp was a master of PR. It helped that there appeared to be no other serious contenders and that the press was united as one in declaring him the most fit candidate for the job. Even though Roy Hodgson already had an impressive international record. And even though no one really wanted Redknapp as England manager.

For, you see, 'Arry is a master of PR. He really is. For years he told us he had never managed a big club and deserved the chance. Tell that to all the lower leagues managers out there Harry, who battle with dwindling resources and awful football infrastructures.

For years he had told us how he had overachieved. Take his 7th place with West Ham. What an achievement that was, eh? It must have been sooooo difficult winning games with players like Ferdinand,  Lampard, Joe Cole, Carrick, Kanouté and Di Canio to name a few. And it's not like Glenn Roeder managed exactly the same feat at the club with a lesser team. Oh he did, did he? My bad.

It must have been incredibly difficult having a good team with such average players Harry.

Of course I'm biased. After all, Roeder (ater a serious health scare) did his part in taking West Ham down to the Championship. But Harry had always told us what he had achieved was unthinkable.

Portsmouth was somewhere else where he had 'overachieved'. I'll admit that taking that club, even with Mandaric's millions at his disposal, was quite an achievement. Especially with a drunk Paul Merson in the team. But when I compare it to, say, Phil Brown getting Hull promoted and staying up, or even Swansea going up and playing their way to safety, was it such a remarkable achievement unequalled in football history? I'm not too sure. And yet that's what Redknapp made us think.

Now let me go on a little side note. Since his sacking in 2002 from the Leeds job, David O'Leary has struggled to find a job, apart from a semi-satisfactory time at Aston Villa. Despite producing young players and reaching a Champions' League semi-final with Leeds, O'Leary has been forever associated with his old club's financial troubles and fall from grace. It has been a permanent stain on his reputation, even though Peter Ridsdale was admittedly the biggest culprit, as was the Leeds board who approved all the decisions of the club before its financial collapse.

O'Leary: lacking in the PR department, now without a job. What could have happened to Redknapp after Portsmouth.

It's with this story in mind that I paint you Harry Redknapp as an unbelievable story-spinner. For, at Portsmouth, he created History. With a big H. He did win the FA Cup after all. Forget the fact that he betrayed that team to join Southampton, where he admirably failed. Forget the fact that he spent huge amounts of money on top players like Campbell, Distin, Kranjcar, Diarra, and even big money on lesser players like Mwaruwari (love you Benjani!) and Zinedine Dindane.

But let's not forget the impact this had on the club. Sure, they won the FA Cup and it was a nice day out for everyone associated with Portsmouth. I hope they enjoy it now they're in League One, releasing all their senior players, and doing their utmost to save the club. This situation is a direct result of the Redknapp years. Of course he wasn't the only one (hello Alain Perrin, Avram Grant & co!), but he was the main instigator, along with the usual 'financial directors' at the club. His overspending led to Portsmouth's collapse. They were already in financial trouble in the Prem. They're borderline dead now.

The FA Cup win with Pompey. An 'incredible achievement', according to 'Arry. And yet here is the final's line-up: James-Johnson-Campbell-Distin-Hreidarsson-Diarra-Bouba Diop-Muntari-Kranjcar-Utaka-Kanu. An FA Cup win was easily achievable with that team.

And yet Harry keeps on going, free as a bird from all the criticism which has been, rightly or unjustly (you decide), aimed at David O'Leary for his role in Leeds's collapse.

Of course it helps that your son is a 'pundit' for the main Premier League broadcaster. In business terms, that's a conflict of interest. Just saying.

Of course it helps that you're chummy and seem like a nice guy. It helps that you candy-coat everything you do with the journalists, and even display a sense of humour about things.



Redknapp is a self-publicist, and it's worked wonders for him. He possesses surprising selective memory which always turns to his advantage. His time at Tottenham was successful, there's no denying it.

And yet it didn't help him get the England job. How is that?

Perhaps it's due to the fact that Redknapp has never shown any tactical sense. I do believe he is a very good manager: he is surely one of the Premier League's great motivators. But tactical nous he does not possess.

Otherwise how do you explain even simple things like playing Luka Modric down the wing during the first year of Redknapp's term there? Croatia had been playing the little magician in the middle, where he had displayed superb skill in dismantling England in qualifying for Euro 2008.

"Luka, you'll play down the wing, because you're not ready for centre midfield".

Same thing for Gareth Bale. Seemingly on his way out as a rubbish left-back until injuries and circumstances led to him being played down the left wing, where he was an obvious fit.

And, apart from an attacking 4-4-2, Tottenham were rarely adapting to other teams. This was probably due to Redknapp's gung-ho and brave approach. Or maybe it was due to a lack of tactical imagination and flexibility. Unsurprisingly, such tactical know-how is an important factor in international football. And it was probably Redknapp's undoing, at the detriment of his undoubted patriotism and motivational aptitudes.

And then 'Arry was sacked, released from the Tottenham job. It was unfair and rather abrupt. It was a cold reaction to Tottenham achieving unprecedented success in consecutive years. Redknapp was quick to tell us so, and settled in a job as a 'pundit', where his analysis consisted of telling us which player was 'good', which one he had thought of signing, and of singing his own praises whenever Tottenham were playing.

And then the QPR job kept calling. It was another job in the Premier League, it was in London, and money was available to sign players. And, perhaps most importantly, it was a win-win situation for 'Arry.

Redknapp quickly got down to business. Within weeks of arriving, and despite playing ultra-negative football, there he was telling us that the team he had inherited was rubbish. Of course it was, we all knew it (well, except for Mark Hughes). It was going to be a miracle to keep them up. Read the message: if QPR stays up, Redknapp is a genius. If they go down? Well, it's not his fault if the club was a shambles when he got there.

They're thinking exactly the same thing: "if QPR go down, I'm getting out of there asap".

Once again, Redknapp has set about managing with a quiet disregard for the health of the club. He has called for signings to help the club stay up, even when they cost £8m and are on £80k a week, which the club can barely afford. Of course it's a Catch-22; if QPR don't invest then the club is going down. Even though I'd wager that someone like Neil Warnock could keep that troop of misfits in the Prem. Or that 'Arry could do it without new arrivals. And talks of Nico Kranjcar joining QPR will keep coming in the next few weeks.

This short-term attitude and strategy is strangely reminiscent of Portsmouth's situation. There are great fears, to which the vain Tony Fernandes is immune to, that QPR, were they to go down, would do a Leeds/Bradford/Pompey (take your pick). Redknapp is managing with the tools he's given, but it is worrying that his stewardship could lead another club down the pan. Once again, he wouldn't be the main culprit (Fernandes would be), but he would finally have to assume some responsibility, something which he has never done regarding Portsmouth.

But don't worry for 'Arry: the man is a wily old fox and will find a new club, even if QPR go down. I for one, despite my criticisms, am glad he's back in the Premier League. But it was time to set the record straight. Redknapp is an attractive proposition: he's funny, hard-working, down to earth and a straight talker. It's just a shame that these facets never appear when considering his achievements. I'm sure David O'Leary would agree, now that he's out of a job after wandering in the managerial wilderness.