He may once have been the people's choice for England boss... but who would vote for Redknapp now?

By Patrick Collins

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As that thunderous drive from Andros Townsend tore into the Montenegro net and Roy Hodgson did his fist-pumping pirouette on the Wembley touchline, a mischievous voice murmured: ‘I wonder what Harry Redknapp’s thinking now?’

It was an unworthy remark, of course, since the loudest and proudest of patriots was surely sharing in the nation’s celebration. But as the roar continued, its elation tinged with a large measure of relief, even a nature as noble as Harry’s might have been torn by a twinge of envy.

The one: Redknapp was tipped to be next England manager after Fabio Capello left

The one: Redknapp was tipped to be next England manager after Fabio Capello left

In the words of a terrible old country and western song, made popular by Mr Billy Ray Cyrus: ‘It could’ve been me’.

Redknapp had provided an entertaining diversion during international week, frantically  tap-dancing from studio to studio through a minefield of his  own contradictions. His latest autobiography is largely notable for a protracted rant at the Football Association for failing to appoint him manager of the national team when ‘everyone said I was the people’s choice, the only choice’.

He claimed to have received texts from the England players Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, encouraging him to take the job.

Competitive record: Hodgson has lost just one of his 21 games as England boss

Competitive record: Hodgson has lost just one of his 21 games as England boss

We assumed he must have contacted this quartet, asking their permission to disclose private messages. It might have spared him Gerrard’s flat denial of having sent such a text. But then, details were never Redknapp’s strong point. He is a broad-brush man and he uses that brush to smear all those who stood between Harry and his delusions of destiny.

The FA, he says, ‘haven’t got a clue’. They couldn’t show him a good manager if their lives depended on it. ‘How would they know? What clubs have they ever run?’

The selection was made by a  four-man panel consisting of two talented administrators plus Sir Trevor Brooking, with his 47 England caps, and the then FA chairman, David Bernstein, who was once the far-sighted chairman of Manchester City and has given rather more to football than some of the characters who have employed our hero.

But he cuts no ice with Redknapp: ‘[Bernstein] can call himself a football man… but what he probably knows about football is not an awful lot.’

Well-wishers: Redknapp claimed to have received texts from the Gerrard (above), as well as Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, encouraging him to take the job

Well-wishers: Redknapp claimed to have received texts from the Gerrard (above), as well as Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, encouraging him to take the job

Yet Harry would have had no qualms whatever about accepting the England job from such a tainted source. In fact, the offer was never made.

The job went instead to Roy Hodgson — and he is the object of Redknapp’s sneering derision: ‘Sometimes one face fits and another doesn’t. Simple as that… I think we can all see that he is more of an FA man… he ticks the FA’s boxes as England manager just fine.’ He cites Hodgson’s non-League origins and the fact that he ‘never quite made it’ as a player.

The tone is crudely patronising, but it is the humbug which turns the stomach: ‘I’m not knocking Roy… No disrespect to Roy… I have no hard feelings towards Roy.’ An unworldly eight-year-old might snigger at such clumping insincerity.

But as the week went on, the doubts crept in. Having mischievously declared that England can be ‘painful’ to watch and that ‘I know from some of the players it is not an enjoyable experience for them, either’, Redknapp was contradicted by Rooney’s observation that playing for Hodgson is ‘probably the most I’ve enjoyed working with any England manager’.

Debut goal: Townsend's strike helped England to a 4-1 win over Montenegro at Wembley

Debut goal: Townsend's strike helped England to a 4-1 win over Montenegro at Wembley

Along with Gerrard’s texting rebuttal, it suggested ‘the people’s choice’ was rather less popular than he supposed.

A retreat was indicated. Redknapp now decided Hodgson was the ‘ideal’ England manager: ‘Roy has done an excellent job… I have absolutely no problems with Roy at all.’ Hodgson merely added to his discomfort with a display of lacerating indifference: ‘It’s his book, it’s his life story… it really has nothing to do with me whatsoever.’

Committed to a round of interviews, Harry ploughed on. He was asked about the reasons for England’s failure to produce a crop of gifted players and he blamed the decline of street football.

‘The simple facts are, kids are not playing,’ he said. ‘When I see my grandkids, they’re sitting there and they don’t ever have a conversation with you. They sit there playing on their little games. I don’t think they spend enough time coming home from school playing football until it got dark — that’s what we did.’

All good populist stuff, until you recalled that 2008 television advertisement, which featured various members of the Redknapp family laughing, joking and bouncing on a couch while playing Nintendo Wii, with its tag-line: ‘Fun for all the Family!’

A daft little episode, perhaps, but it illustrates the kind of muddled inconsistency which has plagued his career. Had he been given the England job, then those inconsistencies would have been revealed on a regular basis.

Instead, that career took a different turn. Sacked by Spurs, harshly some would say, he took over a QPR side bottom of the Premier League after 12 matches.

Six months and 26 games later, they were still bottom, Harry’s magic having had no discernible effect. Not that it was his fault. He blamed naïve owners, perfidious agents and arrogant players. ‘Jose Mourinho would not have kept QPR up,’ he insisted.

The idea of Jose Mourinho at Loftus Road is a curious fantasy. But then, Redknapp can be a beguiling fantasist. He tells a good tale, he makes people laugh and he has produced some attractive football teams. But his cultivated image of a benign old uncle is some way from reality.

Tough job: Redknapp is attempting to bring QPR back up to the top flight after failing to save them from the drop last term

Tough job: Redknapp is attempting to bring QPR back up to the top flight after failing to save them from the drop last term

For his tongue is wickedly sharp, his skin is absurdly thin and his solid achievements are dwarfed by his robust self-regard.

He genuinely believes he has suffered a great injustice and that the FA, for reasons of snobbery, parsimony or malice, have made a grave mistake.

After the carping bitterness of his book and the blunders of his  bewildering week, I’d say the FA got it just right.

 

If the career of Sachin Tendulkar could be expressed in bald statistics, then he would have a staggering tale to tell.

In a Test run which began in November 1989, he scored a record 15,837 runs, including 51 centuries. In 463 one-day internationals, he scored 18,426 runs, another record, including 49 centuries — and one of them was an astonishing double-century.

But Tendulkar was a great deal more than the sum of his stats. In a land of 1.27 billion people, he reigns as a kind of uncrowned king.

Goodbye to a legend: Tendulkar will retire from cricket after his 200th Test match next month

Goodbye to a legend: Tendulkar will retire from cricket after his 200th Test match next month

Tendulkar

The term ‘god-like’ is improbably applied to all manner of sportsmen, but such is the status which Tendulkar enjoys in India. It is an awesome burden, yet he has carried it with style and grace these 24 years.

He will play his 200th and final Test next month in his home city of Mumbai. Then he will take his leave, with his legend secure. Sachin Tendulkar wore his genius lightly. His sport and his nation are deeply in his debt.

 

The list of Conservative Sports Ministers is uninspiring. While Labour have had the odd dud, the Tories have given us a whole parade of cyphers.

But Hugh Robertson was better than that. Bright, diligent and determined, he helped deliver the incomparable London Olympics, fought for their legacy and battled the philistine attempts of Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, to destroy sport in schools.

After confronting the challenges for almost a decade, in government and opposition, he has been reshuffled. We wish him well, because English sport has been sturdily served by Hugh Robertson.

On our side: Robertson (left) was bright diligent and determined, and helped deliver an outstanding Olympics

On our side: Robertson (left) was bright diligent and determined, and helped deliver an outstanding Olympics

 

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

Devastating undressing of Redknapp. Congratulations.

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Funny how one games changes everything, lose on Friday and most would be agreeing with Redknapp. Yet we won, with a player in Townsend who has his loan spell at QPR under Redknapp to thank for his chance this season, and it's open season on Redknapp and Hodgson is great. That will all change in the fickle media when we have another bad game. All that happened on Friday was Hodgson sent out an England team to attack which is what Redknapp was calling for.

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