The Harry Redknapp Factor: Pompey Slip, Tottenham Up
Harry Redknapp continued the magic touch that he has with teams this week, as Tottenham continued their push up the table by conquering Liverpool while Portsmouth stumbled again against Wigan Athletic.
The Reds had been enjoying an undefeated start to the season until they ventured to White Hart Lane, having just beaten Redknapp's former club Portsmouth only three days prior.
Brilliant substitutions by Redknapp eventually culminated in a shocking injury-time winner from Roman Pavlyuchenko and the third win on the trot for Redknapp's newly-inspired Tottenham. The North London outfit have now beaten Bolton, drawn Arsenal, and knocked Rafa Benitez's men off the summit of the table.
Back on the South Coast, however, Portsmouth have now failed to win in three under Tony Adams' charge. The new Pompey manager doesn't seem to be doing anything wrong but, rather, it just seems that the luck hasn't been there yet. The team hit the crossbar four times and had a decent penalty shout turned down.
To make matters worse, Emilie Heskey of all people was the man who scored the winner, a man whose talent I have constantly belittled. It just wasn't to be for Portsmouth, who had Papa Bouba Diop concede a second penalty in three days.
Thus, the Redknapp factor is proving to work its magic again, as Tottenham find themselves up off the base of the table. I'm still predicting that Tottenham will finish this season strongly in the top half and competing for a UEFA Cup spot.
As for Portsmouth, I predicted at the beginning of the season that this year was not going to be as impressive as the last. And while I don't believe that they're going to continue to slip down the table all season (suggestions that they're going to be at risk of relegation are ridiculous), qualifying for the UEFA Cup this year is going to be tough going if Adams doesn't get the team turned around soon.
Is it Adams' fault? Is he a bad manager? Absolutely not.
Fortunately, the Pompey faithful have been completely supportive of their new gaffer, which is going to be important for the team as a whole. I'm certain that, as soon as Adams gets his first win, things are going to turn around for the team.
