Harry Redknapp: A Portsmouth Supporter's Take

I’ve been at a loss of what to say or how to feel since the shock departure of Manager Harry Redknapp this past week.

Thesis work has been keeping me busy (for those wondering why I hadn’t written as of late), so I had to cut down my reading of the soccer news to a mere one and a half hours a day. And sure enough, as I was deep in writing on Islamic history on Saturday night, I read a teamtalk.com headline that absolutely shocked me.

It was poorly typed and confusing; it seemed to me as if the author of the article was almost as bewildered as we were, as to the firing of Tottenham boss Juande Ramos, and the almost immediate news that Harry Redknapp was in the frame to replace him.

I read the article, which at that time stated that Tottenham were seeking permission to talk to Redknapp, and my fear subsided. “There is no way that we would let this happen,”  I assured my rising concern. “He turned down Newcastle, and he’ll turn down Tottenham, too. They’ve got so much trouble up front, who would really want to manage them?”

Then, I went to skysports.com, and was just completely shocked as Redknapp himself confirmed he was the new Tottenham manager.

"They spoke with Peter Storrie [Portsmouth’s chief executive] and he spoke with Daniel Levy, and I think they came to agreement where the club are actually playing five million pounds in compensation which is a great deal for Portsmouth.” Redknapp told skysports.com

"But I think they needed the money, things are right and the club have been fantastic but we only get 19,000—we tried to sell one more player during the window and in the end I guess they have sold the manager."

I knew immediately something was up. Redknapp had given us this song-and-dance in the past, including when he left us for Southampton. It wasn’t his doing; the club was putting something else above him. Last time it was a Director of Football. This time, we needed the money. Something wasn’t right.

Sure enough, Peter Storrie elaborated on the confusion the next day. It wasn’t the money, he said. Harry wanted to go. He wanted his chance to manage one of the “big clubs” on his last legs of management, and we shouldn’t deny him the opportunity. Storrie reminded us that he had achieved a great deal for our club, and we shouldn’t forget that.

I was crushed; Harry HAD done a great deal for our club. Thanks to him, we have incredible players, and incredible staff, are the holders of the FA Cup and the Barclay’s Asia Cup.

Why would Harry want to leave us? Honestly, I still don’t know how to answer this question. Tottenham are a great club with some incredible supporters, but the truth is, these past few years, they haven’t proven to be such an improvement over us.

My greatest concern regarding this entire situation is not that Redknapp has left; I have faith in the club’s infrastructure, in Tony Adams, and in our coaching staff to keep things solid in the club. Our loss to Fulham was incredibly disappointing, but our performance against Liverpool was strong, proving my point.

My greatest concern for Portsmouth football club is the devastation Redknapp may cause to our team by raiding his old club for players.

Jermain Defoe, David James, Glen Johnson, Peter Crouch, and Lassana Diarra, among a number of other players, have played crucial roles in our incredible form over the past two years. They demonstrate just how far Portsmouth football club has come since coming into the Premier League, and now Redknapp threatens to ruin that.

Jermain Defoe is probably the largest concern; he is reminding the world why he is one of the finest English strikers playing the game right now, and his Tottenham/Redknapp connections may lead him to leave.

It's a massive concern for me, as I believe holding on to Defoe and Crouch will be an important indicator of the direction this club will go in. I really hope that the club and our amazing fans will remind him that right now, he’s on top of the world…and the grass isn’t always greener.

I have no doubt in my mind that Redknapp is going to do an absolutely wonderful job at Tottenham; they are very lucky to have him at White Hart Lane. They have already been seeing the immediate impact on their team, and while they're not winning games yet, they’ll have no fear of staying up this year.

Harry Redknapp seems to have courted drama over these past few years, and this most recent chapter in the saga isn’t really that much of a surprise. While I won’t be running to chants of “Judas” like some Pompey supporters already have, my animosity towards Tottenham has already increased.

Thanks for the memories, Harry. Now don’t destroy the club that has been your “home.”