Harry Redknapp and all that
by Sir Geoff Hurst
I have said it before, many times, and I'll say it again. Harry Redknapp is the man for the England job.
Harry is one of the few candidates in the UK with experience in top flight football, domestically and internationally. He has guided his team to the top of the Premier League qualifying for Champions League football, and it looks highly likely that, should he stay with Tottenham Hotspur, he will do it again this year.
Harry Redknapp and I go back a long way. Having played together at West Ham from 1965-72, we both went over to Seattle Sounders in 1976 and have kept in touch over the years. Having known him for over 45 years, through his playing and management career, I know that Harry is true to himself. He has no airs and graces and doesn't pretend to be anything different to who he is. His style is popular with the players and he commands fierce loyalty which doesn't go unappreciated.
It is well known that Harry is a man manager, he can handle the top players and the challenges that go with managing difficult situations and, when it's needed, difficult people.
I have followed his career closely and, today, he is managing the team playing the best football in the Premier League. I'd be very shocked if the FA went with anyone else, he is the popular choice, but more importantly, he is the right choice.
But, and Harry knows this as well as everyone else, that popularity, particularly with the media, will only last for as long as the team is winning. We've seen the press turn before but this just goes to highlight another reason that Harry qualifies for the job, he can handle the press.
At least, he has done up to now, the England job, as we all know, can be a little tricky.
In the Press:
- BBC 5Live:Listen to Sir Geoff on BBC 5Live
- Telegraph:Redknapp the only choice for England, says Henry Winter