Dismissed Tottenham Manager Harry Redknapp said that he "wants another job in football management," according to the BBC. He was dismissed after four years in charge at Tottenham Wednesday. Redknapp said, "You cannot sit around moping. That's not my game." Redknapp had a year left on his contract but said that Tottenham Chair Daniel Levy felt it was "time for a fresh start" after the Spurs' late-season "slump." Redknapp: "What has happened is that I met with the chairman, and the club decided to go in a different direction. That's their decision. I have had four fantastic years at Tottenham and have absolutely loved every minute. It couldn't have gone better for me" (BBC, 6/14).
EMOTIONAL REACTION: Meanwhile, SKY SPORTS' Adam Bate wrote under the headline "The King Is Dead" that "the journey is over." The Spurs "appeared in disarray" under former Sevilla boss Juande Ramos and Redknapp "fitted the mould." Redknapp ended up "giving the White Hart Lane faithful their greatest times in a generation" (SKY SPORTS, 6/14). In London, the GUARDIAN's Paul Wilson opined in The Sport Blog that "Shakespeare or Marlowe could easily have turned out a script about Harry Redknapp." Redknapp had the chair "pulled from under him", leaving him "to hit the pavement with a painful bump." The moral of the story is that "slow and steady is the way to ascend." A "spectacular rise like Harry's can only lead to a spectacularly rapid decline as we have just seen" (GUARDIAN, 6/14). In London, the GUARDIAN's Amy Lawrence noted on The Sport Blog that "for all the debate about the motivation for closing this particular chapter, the timing of such a gamble for Tottenham is strange." It has taken Tottenham "decades to plant their flag" in the Champions League. Their stock of globally admired players "has not been higher since the days of Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker." This could be "a risky time to be rolling the managerial dice" (GUARDIAN, 6/14). Retired English football standout Geoff Hurst said, "It's astonishing. I'm absolutely amazed by what's happened. I can't see this being any good for the club, the fans or the players" (GULF NEWS, 6/15).
WHAT IF?: Meanwhile, THE NATIONAL's Richard Jolly noted that had it not been for Bayern Munich's three missed penalties in the Champions League final and shootout, Chelsea "would not be European Champions." Had West Bromwich Albion’s reserve goalkeeper "not turned in a calamitous, final-day performance" against Arsenal, Tottenham, and not their North London neighbours, would "surely have come third in the Premier League." They "would have been in next season’s Champions League and Harry Redknapp would still be employed" (THE NATIONAL, 6/14). However, the BBC reported that Redknapp "believes he would have been sacked by Tottenham even if they earned Champions League qualification." Chelsea's Champions League win denied the Spurs a palce in next season's competition despite finishing one point behind Arsenal in fourth. Redknapp said, "I think the same outcome would have happened, the chairman would have gone down the same road (BBC, 6/14).
CHOOSING A SUCCESSOR: GOAL.com's Stobart & Veysey reported that Wigan Manager Roberto Martinez is the leading candidate to replace Redknapp. Sources said that the club is considering "a number of candidates" and will interview "more than one" with Martinez "at the top of their list" (GOAL.com, 6/14). In London, Sam Wallace reported that Everton manager David Moyes is also "under consideration for the job" (INDEPENDENT, 6/14).
