EPL News: Harry Redknapp Advocates Implementing NFL Coaching System in England

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has released an interview, currently on goal.com, in which he advocates a dramatic shift in the football coaching structure.

To Redknapp's be-twitched mind (OK, I'm done with jokes), the current coaching system used in the NFL is far more effective and advanced than its European "football" counterpart.

Redknapp applauds the specialist system used by the American teams, which he got a close-up view of while playing stateside.

Different coaches take charge of specific areas of the team—i.e., defense, offense and special teams—and often are charged with designing and employing the tactical maneuvers for those units during games (the head coach sometimes takes the responsibility).

The former Portsmouth boss has said that that version of coaching is "miles ahead" of the system now seen in England and other clubs around the world.

This interesting appraisal becomes more immediate and newsworthy given this week's rumors that embattled Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has mulled over bringing in former greats Tony Adams and Martin Keown to work with his club's defenders after seeing the side concede 15 goals in the first six matches (the eight against Manchester United on Aug. 28 is obviously the foremost red flag, with last weekend's four-goal Blackburn debacle a close second).

Wenger has shown an intrepid attitude toward harvesting change before, as the former Monaco boss revolutionized the Arsenal players' nutrition upon arrival in North London, a marked shift from previous practice. Former player Emmanuel Petit once applauded that change as a crucial component in prolonging his career.

Redknapp believes that instituting the NFL's current system will only improve the on-field product currently seen on a weekly basis in England.

It would also shore up some of the inherent confusion that arises from one coach trying to work with players with a short staff in tow, he reckons.

"Sometimes you have a group of about 20 players and you end up trying to do something that caters for them all and you come away afterwards and wonder what you have actually achieved," [Redknapp] noted. "What we must do is reassess what we mean by 'coaching'." (goal.com)

Whether or not this takes hold, it is an interesting call for change, and could come to change the game.

We know that new ideas always take time, but it's a fascinating proposal from one of the foremost and reputable coaches in Britain.