Harry Redknapp's Top 10 Moments in Management

Harry Redknapp has been one of English football's most high profile managers for a long time. Overall decent success has been the major contributor to his longevity (he's been managing now for almost 30 years), whilst his willingness to deal with the media has aided him in several respects too.

An extraordinary 24 hours over the course of February 8-9 saw that his reputation, in different circumstances, may have been tarnished (with severe consequences), but instead transformed into that of the publicly-heralded saviour of the national team.

Redknapp's acquittal on charges of cheating the public revenue will likely count as one of the great moments of relief in his life. The resignation of England boss Fabio Capello later that day may yet signify the beginning of the most important era of his managerial career.

For now though, the 64-year-old remains Tottenham Hotspur manager. Redknapp will be hoping to play his part in ensuring Spurs have something to celebrate come the end of the season, regardless of if it is his last at White Hart Lane.

Should he prove successful, he will add yet more treasured moments to a career that has provided a variety of achievements that Redknapp can certainly be proud of. Here are the former Bournemouth, West Ham, Southampton and Portsmouth manager's 10 best moments in management.

10. Redknapp Returns to Keep Portsmouth in the Premier League

After just a year spent with their hated south coast rivals Southampton, Redknapp returned to Portsmouth as manager, tasked with keeping them in the Premier League.

Pompey had, unlike Saints, managed to avoid relegation the previous season. But thus far in 2005-06 they were struggling, their French manager Alain Perrin unable to make any progress with the side.

Despite the animosity his move to Southampton had caused, Redknapp was back at Portsmouth.

It took time to get things going, but as winter turned into spring, Pompey got themselves into a fine run, losing only two of their last 10 games (the last of which, against Liverpool, coming when they were already safe).

Redknapp had invested wisely that January. Notably, the Spurs duo of Pedro Mendes and Sean Davis arrived, implementing a mixture of guile and tenacity that had been lacking in Portsmouth's midfield. Goalkeeper Dean Kiely also arrived to provide some crucial experience and know-how.

Then there was the surprise loan-signing of exciting Argentinian winger Andres D'Alessandro. He would be gone by the start of the next season, but his arrival helped instill a touch of flair and a feelgood factor that helped drive Portsmouth to safety.

It was the beginning of an exciting couple of years for the club.

9. Coaching His Son Jamie Again at Southampton

Redknapp's spell at Southampton was not the happiest of times and will probably count as the biggest stain on his managerial record, as he was unable to keep the Saints in the Premier League in 2005.

It did, though, provide what Redknapp will likely count as one of his own personal highlights—the chance to work with his son Jamie again.

The young Redknapp began his career at Bournemouth when his Dad was in charge, before moving onto make his name at Liverpool, as well as playing for Tottenham and representing England.

With Southampton fighting to survive, Harry took the opportunity to sign his son, who was behind Michael Carrick, Pedro Mendes and Michael Brown in the Spurs midfield and keen for the opportunity of a starting place.

"It's great to have Jamie back with me again", said Redknapp at the time. "It does not seem like 14 years ago that I sold him but I am delighted he has agreed to join us."

Still suffering from fitness issues, Jamie was maybe unable to have had the impact he would have liked. But in what was one of the more difficult times in football for the pair of them, Harry will have at least been glad to get the chance to manage his son once more before he retired.

8. Redknapp's Bournemouth Win the Third Division Title in 1987

Redknapp was a player at Bournemouth from 1972 to 1976 and returned to the club in 1982 to take up a role as David Webb's assistant manager. Though he did not get the job initially, after a failed experiment with Don Megson, Bournemouth appointed Redknapp as manager a year later.

At Dean Court, Redknapp undertook a managerial apprenticeship that would educate him and influence his way of thinking as a coach, with life in the lower leagues of the English Football League providing numerous challenges to be taken on.

That first season in charge saw the Cherries cause a massive FA Cup upset as they defeated Manchester United 2-0 in the third round. As big as an achievement as that was for the club, winning the third division title in 1986/87 will have been bigger for Redknapp's future career prospects.

After keeping them afloat in Division Three after taking over, to then lead them to the title with a record points tally of 97 was a massive mark of progress.

The difficulties faced by a small club outside of the top-flight meant progress thereafter was always going to be difficult and Bournemouth would eventually go back down. But here was the first sign of Redknapp's managerial potential.

7. Redknapp's Spurs Earn Champions League Football

Tottenham had so narrowly missed out on fourth place and Champions League football in 2005/06, but when they repeated fifth place the following season it seemed only a matter of time before they made the breakthrough.

Of course football isn't as simple as that, and for a variety of reasons, a return to a competition they had not played in since the early 1960s continued to elude Spurs.

It is of great credit then, that in his second season at the club, Redknapp fulfilled this objective.

The final third of that 2009/10 campaign saw Tottenham's season hit a vital crossroads. After a frustrating FA Cup semi-final exit to Redknapp's ex-side Portsmouth, their next five fixtures included games against Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City (with Bolton in between the latter two).

Spurs responded to their FA Cup heartbreak in the best possible fashion—a nervy but deserved 2-1 win over Arsenal was their first league defeat of the Gunners since 1999, and they followed it up with the same result against Chelsea as momentum gathered in the final furlongs of the race for Europe.

A 3-1 loss to United was tempered by beating Bolton 1-0, meaning Spurs knew three points at City in the next game would see them cement the fourth spot.

Redknapp had kept his side's eyes on the prize thus far, and that focus did not desert them as they delivered a mature, tactically assured performance against City. Peter Crouch scored the late winner, and some glorious Champions League memories would take place the following year as a result.

6. Di Canio Gives Happy Hammer Harry His Last Hurrah

They had it good there at West Ham for a while, in fact had things worked out differently they might have had it all.

Former Hammer Redknapp was in charge of the East London club from 1994 to 2001. In 2000, they finished fifth in the Premier League with a side that featured a number of young players that would become among the most successful in English football. Sadly though, not as West Ham players.

Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe were teamed with accomplished and talent older players like Stuart Pearce, Shaka Hislop, Trevor Sinclair and most notably Paolo Di Canio.

The fiery Italian was one of Redknapp's great signings. Having been through a controversial time at Sheffield Wednesday, Redknapp got the best out of the talented striker, both in his ability and as a leader for his young team.

In one of Redknapp's last months in charge at West Ham they travelled to Old Trafford for a fourth round tie with Manchester United.

There, in one of the most iconic FA Cup moments of the past decade or so, Di Canio ran into a through ball by Fredi Kanoute. As United keeper Fabien Barthez protested, waiting for an offside flag that didn't come, the Italian played to the whistle and calmly slotted into the empty net.

"I would say this is my best win and it's a great result," said Redknapp after the game. It was to be as good as it got for him at West Ham.

5. Redknapp's Spurs Thrill in 3-1 Dismantling of Inter Milan

A couple of weeks previous to Redknapp's side's 3-1 win, reigning Champions League holders Inter Milan had taught Tottenham a lesson in the harsh realities of Champions League football, racing away into a 4-0 first-half lead that at halftime seemed genuinely like it might turn into double figures at that rate.

Gareth Bale's second-half hat trick restored some pride for Spurs and hinted at some hope for the return game, but it was hard to shake the feeling that it was much more than the Welshman taking advantage of some slack defending by a side who knew they had the game wrapped up.

What it was, though, was a preview of what this Tottenham side might be capable of if they truly got their act together. Something they well and truly did back at White Hart Lane in November 2010.

Redknapp's side were tremendous in their 3-1 win. The sensational Bale tormented full-back Maicon in a whirlwind display that left the Brazilian at a complete loss of how to deal with him.

Rafael van der Vaart gave Spurs the lead in the first-half before Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko capitalised on Bale's great work to seal the victory either side of Samuel Eto'o's goal.

Spurs had enjoyed some great nights in Europe over the past 50 years. If they had been less frequent in recent times, this reminder of the "Glory, Glory" nights of years gone by were a reminder of why it was imperative they become the norm at White Hart Lane once more.

4. Portsmouth Win the Division One Title and a Return to the Top-Flight

Portsmouth had spent quite some time outside of the top-flight, and had never really looked like returning there during the Premier League era. In steps Harry Redknapp.

After leaving West Ham, Redknapp had joined Portsmouth as director of football in 2001, before becoming manager a year later.

Redknapp brought in experienced talent not long removed from the Premier League, the likes of Paul Merson, Steve Stone, Shaka Hislop, Arjan de Zeeuw and Tim Sherwood adding vital quality that proved instrumental in their challenge for the Division One title.

A mixture of lower league talent was built around them, and indeed the players like Linvoy Primus and Matthew Taylor that would play a big role in getting them promoted would also go on to become first-team regulars in the Premier League.

Portsmouth finished the season with 98 points, six points clear of second placed Leicester City and having sealed the title in April.

3. Tottenham Make It Clear What They Think of Their Manager

As mentioned in the first page of this article, Redknapp had something of a memorable few days last week.

Understandably the strain the court case took on himself and his family was not something anybody wishes to go through, but what obviously hurt him just as much was the impact it had on his job.

Two days before being found innocent, he missed the Liverpool game as his plane was grounded due to poor weather conditions, a position he wouldn't have been in had he not been stuck in court earlier in the day.

So by the time the Newcastle United match arrived—now with the added burden of the stories surrounding the England job—Redknapp was keen to get back to managing his team.

Tottenham were evidently glad to have their manager back too, the urgency such a leader provides had been missing against Liverpool, but here it was for all to see.

Spurs were outstanding, their scintillating destruction of Newcastle seeing them pounce on their opposition's every little mistake and hesitation. After watching Redknapp celebrate each of the five goals that went in, you would be hard pushed to recall seeing him ever enjoy a goal as much as he did these ones.

With the White Hart Lane faithful singing his name throughout, it was a near-perfect day for Redknapp. What will happen to all parties concerned remains to be seen, but what is not in doubt is that for the Spurs boss personally, it won't get much better than that.

2. Redknapp's Tactical Masterclass Sees Tottenham Win in Milan

One of the most pleasing aspects of Tottenham's 2011/12 campaign has been the consistency in which Redknapp has selected and prepared his team tactically.

Redknapp has set his side up in a way that has been extremely conducive to a positive and pressing brand of football that has come to be recognised as the best in the Premier League right now. In doing so, he has seemingly remedied one of the biggest flaws in his coaching ability, that being his failure to fully utilise his squad.

It has meant that at various points this season, the likes of Jermain Defoe, Niko Kranjcar and Sandro have all come into the Tottenham side without them or the team missing a beat. That in itself is something to be celebrated in football, when your 'reserves' are practically as good as those in your best starting team.

Looking back now on Tottenham's first-leg Champions League victory over AC Milan last February, you can almost see a precursor of this season in their display.

Despite Kranjcar having recently highlighted his value to the Spurs' cause with a couple of important league goals, Redknapp opted to drop the creative midfielder from left-wing for the more dynamic Steven Pienaar. In too came Wilson Palacios, who alongside Sandro (making his Champions League debut), formed a central midfield duo that all night-long performed excellently in combining to close down, block and intercept anything that came their way.

This ability to press where possible, but also to be solid when under attack is something Spurs have come to utilise on a more regular basis. It gives them a base from which to unleash their attacking talent. This happened only notably once against Milan, but Aaron Lennon and Peter Crouch combined to capitalise on it with a goal that ultimately sent Tottenham into the quarter-finals.

The fact that this game came in Tottenham's return to Europe's premier club competition, against such strong and famous opposition, marks it out for now as probably Redknapp's greatest tactical performance. By the time this season is out though, it may have been usurped.

1. Redknapp Steers Portsmouth to the 2008 FA Cup

As Portsmouth get set to go into administration once again, the result of years of financial mismanagement, that day in May 2008 when they won the FA Cup for a second time must seem increasingly like a dream to the club's supporters.

It must be tempting for Pompey fans to disregard that successful run to the final as a result of overspending, but that would be a risky generalisation that would be a disservice to the excellent job Redknapp and the team did in getting to the final.

Along the way they caused a major upset when they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in the sixth round, a result that coupled with Barnsley's shock win over Chelsea removed the last top side from the tournament.

Pompey took advantage, first getting the better of West Bromwich Albion in the semi-final, before then making relatively simple work of Cardiff City in the final. Kanu's scrambled winner was in keeping with a final that wasn't the most exciting in the competition's history, but one in which Portsmouth performed professionally and completed the task at hand.

Following on from Tottenham winning the Carling Cup earlier in the season, Pompey's win was a refreshing change in a tournament that had been passed around the same clubs for so long. It was a superb achievement, a reminder of what a solidly assembled and well-managed side can achieve, even in the face of bigger-named opposition.