Harry Redknapp

Harry Redknapp tells court: I’m no businessman, just a fantastic manager

admin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:19:55 +0000

Despite swapping the dugout at White Hart Lane for the witness box at Southwark crown court, Harry Redknapp turned in a characteristically plain-spoken performance , entertaining his tax evasion trial with cracks about Peter Crouch’s height, attempting to turn the tables on the prosecutor, and shouting at a policeman to stop eyeballing him in court.

The 64-year-old Tottenham Hotspur manager began his evidence by telling the jury that he has always paid his tax – and would rather pay too much to the Inland Revenue than too little – but proceedings became increasingly heated as he was asked about the offshore bank account at the centre of the case.

The prosecution claims Redknapp opened the account in Monaco in 2002 so he could receive $145,000 (£93,100) from his then boss at Portsmouth, Milan Mandaric, to make up for money he was not paid when the club sold Crouch to Aston Villa.

Although Redknapp felt he was owed 10% of the profits from the sale, the club paid him only 5%, arguing he was not contractually entitled to the larger sum.

The prosecution says Mandaric paid two sums into the account, which was named after Redknapp’s bulldog, Rosie. The first payment of $145,000, it claims, was intended to make up for the £115,473 that Redknapp missed out on from the Crouch sale. The second payment of $150,000 (£96,500), the prosecution says, was a reward for Redknapp’s stewardship of the club and for getting it into the Premier League. As the payments were “undoubtedly referable to Mr Redknapp’s employment”, the prosecution says that tax should have been paid.

Redknapp told the jury it had not been easy to get Mandaric to sign Crouch in the first place, as the Portsmouth boss had dismissed him as “a basketball player”.

He added: “Crouchy at 6ft 7 was not exactly his cup of tea. He said, ‘You’ll owe me 10% instead of me owing you.’”

Redknapp’s observation that Crouch would prove a good buy – “he’s young, he’s developing, he’s getting taller” – also raised a laugh in court.

Earlier, Mandaric had brushed off the prosecution’s suggestions that he had needed to make extra payments to keep Redknapp happy, saying his then manager was well paid with a contract valued at “millions of pounds”. Mandaric said he had paid the “seed” money into his friend’s Monaco account for no other reason than to help him establish a portfolio. “This money had nothing to do with anything else than the friendship that developed beyond football,” he told the court.

John Black QC, prosecuting, disputed Mandaric’s assertion, saying that the payment was in fact made to compensate Redknapp for receiving 5% on the sale of Crouch rather than the 10% he felt he was due. “This money, Mr Mandaric, was money given to your friend Harry Redknapp offshore, particularly as a bonus for the Crouch sale, wasn’t it?” Mandaric denied the money had been intended as a bonus – as did Redknapp when he later stepped into the witness box.

The Spurs manager accused Black of getting tangled up in his repeated references to bonuses. Were the alleged bonuses for the Crouch sale, for doing well, or to keep him at the club, he asked the prosecutor.

“You’ve got three different bonuses,” he said. “You don’t seem to know where you’re going with it.”

Redknapp insisted he had all but forgotten about the account and had written it off after Mandaric told him the investments made on his behalf had been a “disaster”. The manager said he “didn’t know anything about the account – never went near it”, and was more concerned with his day-to-day managerial responsibilities than what was going on in Monaco.

Asked about a six-figure bank transfer from Monaco to Mandaric’s US bank in 2003, Redknapp said his mind was on football. “All I was thinking about was marking David Beckham than signing them [forms],” he said.

If that was the case, said Black, how had Redknapp been able to tell a separate investigation into alleged “bungs” associated with Premiership transfers that he thought there was “about £120,000″ in the Monaco account in 2006. Had Redknapp dreamt it up, he asked.

Redknapp replied that he could not remember Mandaric ever telling him how much money was in the account.

But the Spurs manager described how he and Mandaric spent hours on end together when he joined Portsmouth.

He said: “I would be like his chauffeur … we spent hours upon hours upon hours together, I didn’t get involved at the football club, on the training ground with the manager, it was me and Milan everywhere.”

He also said any suggestion that he was a brilliant businessman was extremely wide of the mark and that he had a history of poor investments. “I’m a fantastic football manager,” he said. “I’m not a hard-headed businessman.”

Later, Redknapp appeared to take exception to the presence in court of DI Dave Manley, of City of London police.

He broke off during his evidence to turn towards the detective and said: “Mr Manley, will you please stop staring at me. I know you are trying to cause me a problem, OK?”

Redknapp, of Poole, Dorset, and Mandaric, 73, from Oadby, Leicestershire, deny two counts of cheating the public revenue. The trial continues.

Rafael van der Vaart ‘to make £8m Spurs transfer’, says Harry Redknapp

admin — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:21:28 +0000

Speaking outside the club’s training ground shortly after the 6pm deadline had passed, Redknapp confirmed he and chairman Daniel Levy had been in talks over the Dutch international midfielder.

And although the talks had only begun two hours before the window was due to close, Redknapp remains hopeful of confirming Van der Vaart as a Tottenham player in time to announce him in his 25-man Premier League squad on Wednesday.

“We’re just waiting for some clearance,” he said.

“I was told he was going to Bayern Munich yesterday for around £18million and then suddenly Daniel called me at around four o’clock and asked if I wanted to do something.

“The price was around £8million and for that sort of money we thought it was worth seeing what we could do.”
Van der Vaart’s future at the Bernabeu has been in doubt for some weeks, especially since Jose Mourinho signed Werder Bremen and Germany star Mesut Ozil, who is likely to be the club’s main creative spark this season.

Redknapp already has playmaker Luca Modric at his disposal and could find it difficult to fit both him and the Dutchman – as well as other creative talents like Aaron Lennon, David Bentley, and Niko Krancjaer – into his first-team squad.

But the Spurs boss continued: “He [Van der Vaart] definitely improves us.

“I couldn’t say yet if it’s definitely happened or not – we need to wait to see if everything’s gone through in time. I’m hopeful.”

Spurs to make new bid for Scott Parker, offering Robbie Keane as bait

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:23:52 +0000

Harry Redknapp will test West Ham United’s resolve over Scott Parker by making a renewed attempt to sign him from Upton Park before the closure of the transfer window. The Tottenham Hotspur manager is expected to offer the striker Robbie Keane to sweeten the deal.

Redknapp wants another body in central midfield, even though he has signed the 21-year-old Brazil midfielder Sandro from Internacional for £6m, and he has looked at Parker, Lassana Diarra of Real Madrid and Internazionale’s Sulley Muntari.

Redknapp has already seen a £7m bid for Parker turned down but, in keeping with the Tottenham strategy of going down to the wire on deadline day, he is ready to go back to West Ham, his former club, with an improved offer.

He knows that Parker, West Ham’s captain and key player, would welcome the chance to consider the move, despite its potential for acrimony, yet there is resistance to the sale at boardroom level at Upton Park. When the club’s co-chairman David Sullivan rejected Tottenham’s £7m offer at the end of July, he was categorical on the situation.

“I made a promise that I would not sell Scott and I will not, for any amount of money, break that promise to the West Ham supporters,” he said. “Scott is not for sale at any price, to anyone.”

Parker has three years to run on his West Ham contract and the club have offered him a lucrative new five-year deal, which he has not yet signed.

Keane has grown frustrated at his fringe role at Tottenham and Avram Grant, the West Ham manager, is on record as saying that he likes the Ireland striker.

Redknapp watched one of his attacking targets, the Sevilla striker Luís Fabiano, commit his future to his current employers by signing a two-year contract extension today. Redknapp had admitted that the Brazil international was “a player I like” but Tottenham were put off by Sevilla’s valuation. “One year left on his contract, in excess of £24m-£25m for a 29-year-old – the figures don’t stack up,” Redknapp said.

The Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon will see a specialist tomorrow about an ankle problem that has bothered him of late. He has been left out of the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

West Ham hope to conclude a loan deal for the Everton centre-half Joseph Yobo. Fabio Daprelà, the 19-year-old Swiss defender, has left West Ham to sign a five‑year deal with the Italian club Brescia.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp linked with swoop for Germany defender Serdar Tasci

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:33:47 +0000

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has been linked with a move for Stuttgart defender Serdar Tasci.
AC Milan and Juventus have been tracking the 23-year-old centre-half but, according to reports in Germany, the Italian giants face competition from Spurs.

Redknapp has just signed former Arsenal captain William Gallas to strengthen his defence but the White Hart Lane chief is reported to be interested in Tasci due to ongoing concerns over the long-term fitness of Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate.

Tasci, a first-team regular for the Bundesliga outfit who can play in the middle of defence or on the right, has 13 Germany caps and was part of Joachim Loew’s World Cup squad in South Africa.

Harry Redknapp brings home the bacon as Tottenham seal £30m Champions League place

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:59:04 +0000

Harry Redknapp said he would only celebrate with a ‘bacon sandwich and a mug of tea’ after Tottenham reached the group stage of the Champions League.
The Spurs boss banned his players from celebrating as their attention now moves to Saturday’s Premier League clash with Wigan and he was hoping to slope off home without going to the boardroom.

Staying focused: Redknapp isn’t getting carried away by Tottenham’s success
And, as he became the first Englishman to manage a team in the Champions League group stage since Sir Bobby Robson, Redknapp had a dig at those who suggest England is devoid of managerial talent.

‘There is a lot of talent, despite what people think,’ he said. ‘We’re not all idiots. People think I don’t understand football because I don’t have a posh accent. I’ve worked hard to be where I am and there are others who aren’t as lucky who will hopefully get the chance. When I came here the dream was to get into the group stages and we’ve achieved that so that is something to look forward to. It was a good night for Tottenham. I watched the games against Gornik and Benfica (in 1961-62) and the place was jumping. To bring that atmosphere back was fantastic.

‘Tottenham underachieved for a long time and I thought the potential was there. Eight or nine of the players were here when I came – it’s not like I went out and bought a new team.
‘It was about confidence and changing their attitude in some cases. They’ve responded and finished fourth last season.

Harry Redknapp: Spurs’ Champions League dream is not about money

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:32:31 +0000

Spurs trail Swiss side Young Boys 3-2 going into the home leg of their play-off, but if they can turn the tie around and reach the group stages the club will bank at least £10 million plus TV revenue.

That may persuade chairman Daniel Levy to loosen the purse strings and invest further in the squad. But Spurs boss Redknapp insists money is not everything.

‘I don’t think about the money,’ he said. ‘It would be a great honour to get into the Champions League group stages. It’d be fantastic to bring that to White Hart Lane.’
If he succeeds, Redknapp will join a small band of Englishmen to have managed in the Champions League but the former Bournemouth, West Ham and Portsmouth boss refused to call tonight’s game the biggest of his career.
‘I’ve had loads of games like that; relegation games, promotion games,’ he said. Tottenham’s injury problems have eased with strikers Roman Pavlyuchenko and Robbie Keane plus midfielder Giovani dos Santos all fit. Jermain Defoe can also play tonight but will undergo groin surgery next week.

Luka Modric and William Gallas are unavailable tonight while Redknapp confirmed long-term absentee Jonathan Woodgate will have one final groin operation in a bid to save his career.

Meanwhile, Redknapp denied he would swap Peter Crouch for Everton’s Steven Pienaar and played down his chances of tempting Lassana Diarra from Real Madrid.

‘He’s on big, big wages,’ said Redknapp, who revealed Diarra’s agent had been in contact with Spurs’ chief scout.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp: Early Champions League exit wouldn’t be a disaster

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:54:04 +0000

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp insists that it will not be a major blow if his side fail to make it through to the group stage of the Champions League.

Expectations have been sky high in north London following last season’s landmark top four finish — which now sees Spurs take on Swiss club Young Boys as they bid to qualify for the Champions League group stages.

However, Redknapp’s men have not competed among Europe’s elite in almost 50 years, which makes them a relatively unknown quantity in the continental arena.

When quizzed as to how it would be if his side were to bow out at this stage, the gaffer told reporters: “What can it mean? What are we going to do – commit suicide or something? What are we supposed to do?”

He added: “Listening to everybody, we’ll end up hanging ourselves.

“All you can ever do is your best. If we play at our best, we’ve got a great chance.”

However, the monetary benefits associated with participating in the Champions League make the encounter a precious one, as a group stage appearance would line their pockets of the club with a significant amount of money.

The former Portsmouth boss remains positive ahead of the tie, hoping that his side will make it through to the play-offs.

“People’s expectations get very high but I don’t think about not qualifying,” he said.

“It’ll be a difficult game, but we’re a good team and I’ve got great belief in the team.”

The ex-West Ham United boss also conceded that his own first steps navigating through Champions League waters would be shadowed by the players’ enthusiasm about playing in the most prestigious club competition on the continent.

“It’s the players, isn’t it?” he said.

“I’m just part of the team and it’s what they do. They go out and play on Saturday.

“The way we play the game, I love being involved with this team.”

Champions League press conference

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:00:55 +0000

The manager and his centre-half were put up to the media prior to our training session at the Stade De Suisse on the eve of our Play-Off with BSC Young Boys.

When asked about Tuesday night’s clash, Harry told the press gathering: ”Young Boys are dangerous opposition. They beat Fenerbahce and deserverdly so.

“They could have won very easily in the first leg and then to go to Turkey and win shows they have an awful lot to offer.

“It’s great to be here. I think the pitch will suit us, the way we pass the ball, I don’t see a problem with that. We are here to play, we are playing a good team but we are a good team as well.

“If we play at our best, we’ve got a great chance. It will be a difficult game, but we’re a good team and I’ve got great belief in the team.”

Highlights from Monday evening’s Champions League press conference with Harry Redknapp and Michael Dawson are now available on Spurs TV Online.

Harry Redknapp: Craig Bellamy would be wasting his talent with a Championship move

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:41:31 +0000

“It would be a waste,” the Spurs manager said when asked whether he thought Bellamy, whom he has long tried to sign, might join Cardiff, though he added that he did not believe the move would happen.

Redknapp wants Bellamy at White Hart Lane, and he knows that if he manoeuvres Spurs through their Champions League play-off tie against Swiss side Young Boys and reaches the riches of the group stages, it might give him the opportunity to finally acquire him.

But he would have to convince Manchester City to sell to such a close rival. He would also need to sell one of his other four strikers, most likely Robbie Keane.

“Someone should try to buy him,” Redknapp said of Bellamy, who will be left to train with City’s reserves if he returns to the club on Tuesday.

“They paid £12 million for him and why should they loan him? If someone can get him on loan then good luck to them, but he was one of their top two or three players last year and everybody’s trying to loan him.

“With no disrespect to Cardiff, he should be playing top Premier League football. It would be a waste of an outstanding player. Someone is going to have to buy him unless Man City decide to loan him to someone like Fulham. I can’t see them loaning him to us.”

Redknapp insisted that the squad he has assembled at Tottenham is strong enough to compete, but also admitted that chairman Daniel Levy “may look at” strengthening it.

“It’s not easy because I’ve got four strikers and what would I do with five?” he said with the clear inference that either Keane, Roman Pavlyuchenko or Peter Crouch would have to be moved on.

Before flashing the plastic, Spurs must negotiate the plastic. They will take to an artificial surface tonight in the first leg of the play-off, but the rewards are all too real.

The Champions League music played out over the PA system – in rehearsal – as Redknapp and Michael Dawson spoke, and it was an overture to glory nights and a £20 million payday.

“We have a great chance, the pitch will suit us, the way we pass the ball. It looks like a good surface,” Redknapp said before adding that it was better than the hard, unforgiving plastic pitches of old.

“It’s much better than QPR’s used to be many years ago.”

There was also a clear warning. Young Boys beat Champions League regulars Fenerbahce in the previous round and Redknapp said: “I looked at the video and they absolutely battered them at home, they could have beaten them six, they played ever so well.

“It shows they have a lot to offer. I also spoke to Roy Hodgson and he said it will be a really difficult game on AstroTurf [the surface is actually a new generation of artificial pitch called Football Turf], they know how to win on it.”

Even so, it is a draw Spurs remain pleased with. Indeed, Young Boys are struggling in the league — they lie in seventh place – despite having been runners-up for the past three campaigns. “We will try and score and take it to them,” Redknapp said.

“We cannot sit back. We have attacking players. Look at last Saturday [against City]. You have little Luka Modric there with Tom Huddlestone against a big monster in [Yaya] Toure.

“We went with a footballing team, an attacking team, with [Gareth] Bale wide on one side and [Aaron] Lennon on the other.”

Redknapp has yet to decide whether to go with the same line-up – bar King, who has not travelled as his knees could not be risked on the surface.

Lennon trained on Monday night but faces competition from Niko Kranjcar. Spurs certainly have options as they prepare for their first tie in this competition in 48 years. It has been some wait.

“That’s what we want to bring back,” Redknapp added. “Great European nights.”

Not that Redknapp will dwell on nostalgia.

“I don’t look back,” he said. “Anyone who watched the first half of the City game would have seen football as good as has been seen at Tottenham for many years.” He will demand the same on Tuesday night.

Investec has been announced as Spurs’ second sponsors of the season. The banking group will join software firm Autonomy as shirt sponsors in a unique two-year twin deal understood to be worth around £30 million in total to Tottenham.

via The Telegraph.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp ready to launch £12m bid for West Ham’s Scott

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:59:11 +0000

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has stepped up his pursuit of Scott Parker by tabling a £12 million bid for the West Ham skipper.

Redknapp is aiming to test the resolve of his former club after having had a £7 million offer rejected earlier this month.

According to The Sunday Mirror, the Spurs boss wants to offer Parker the dream shot at Champions League football this season and is hoping that an increased bid will land his man.

Despite West Ham’s owners claiming that Parker was the one player that they wouldn’t contemplate selling, Spurs have refused to give up the chase, coming back with an improved offer.

Chairman David Sullivan blasted Spurs after their first bid and claimed he was ‘very angry’ at what he believed to be an attempt at unsettling Parker.

The Hammers have also attempted to prolong the former Newcastle and Chelsea man’s stay at Upton Park by offering him a new bumper five-year deal.

But the Hammers’ hierarchy have not yet dissuaded Redknapp, who remains undaunted as he searches for those “one or two top quality players to tip the balance for us”.