One could argue, I suppose, that Harry Redknapp took Portsmouth about as far as it could go. He took a small club with a history of financial struggles back to the top flight for the first time in four decades and not only kept it there, but won an FA Cup and a spot in Europe. Portsmouth is a lot better off now than it was at the start of this decade, thanks to Redknapp.
But how much higher could Portsmouth have gone? Fratton Park seats a mere 20,119, and Pompey’s plans for a new 40,000-seat stadium remain on shaky ground, thanks to the worldwide credit crunch and the small club’s massive debts. Perhaps Redknapp saw the writing on the wall for Pompey and decided now was time to jump. After all, it’s hard enough to say no when a big London club with big aspirations comes calling. (“Save us, ‘Arry! You’re our only hope!”) When you look at your current surroundings and see a club that can’t pay its bills anymore, though, that makes the parachute seem a little bigger.
Some will say that Redknapp is just quitting on his club again. Others will say he’s merely inheriting a club where passing the buck is a way of life. Either way, Redknapp has willingly put himself into the cauldron at Tottenham Hotspur, something very few managers would attempt at this point, and he’s already gotten more points in two days than Juande Ramos got in two months. Hope springs eternal at White Hart Lane.
More importantly, though, there’s much more likelihood that the checks Harry Redknapp gets from Tottenham won’t bounce in the coming years. I suspect that counts for something, too.
