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Harry will help us avoid the drop. We need to get some points on the board before Xmas then he will no doubt buy half the Pompey squad in the fire-sale that's expected over there.

The best we can hope for this season is to stay up. The best we could hope for yesterday was Championship footy next season.

Best of luck Harry.

"save a season in danger of meltdown."? It's already in meltdown.

Redknapp may save them from relegation, and with him unable to get hold of new players til January even that's questionable if they lose or draw today, but this season will be one of unmitigated failure for Spurs.

Kudos to Levy for going back to basics though, if Spurs do survive this season they may do quite well next season once Redknapp has worked his magic over the summer.

I think this is 100% the right move for Spurs. Commoli didn't know his arse from his elbow concerning good and bad players, Ramos couldn't speak English and was handed a group of players he didn't want. I still like Gus though but for a clean break it was necessary for him and Alvarez to go.

Give Redknapp full control of transfers and he'll bring in quality players, get them to play well, get our current crop to pull their fingers out and Tottenham will once more be a TEAM!!

COYS!

Proof if needed the director of football situation simply doesn't work. The manager has to buy the players at the end of the day.

If I buy an expensive new car I want to be the one to choose it, simple as that.

Giants of the game? You mean like Goliath?

So, all change at Spurs again.

Whatever people may say at least the life of a Spurs supporter is never dull!

Sadly, it was clear that Ramos had to go, he had lost the respect of the dressing room and that always spells disaster.

I hope at least that Levy will stick by (another) new man and support him this time around.
Jol hadn't really lost the dressing room but by not moving Berba on when he became an increasing disruption Jol's authority was undermined. This underlines the problem with the 'director of football' system and Jol was the fall guy who we really shouldn't have let go.

I'm sure that Harry will do well but is scary to think that this will be (at best) another season of mid-table.

Good luck Harry and I hope that under the traditional management model you can bring success back to The Lane.

You've got it a bit wrong their Phil. As Levy pointed out, it's not the structure that was the problem, it was the personnel within the structure.

The DOF structure has given 3 seasons in Europe, 2 5th place finishes in the premier league, a league cup, several other good runs in cups, players such as Davids, Carrick, Berbatov, Defoe, Keane, Modric, Dos Santos, Lennon, woodgate, hutton, bale, corluka, etc.

The last 7 years for Spurs has seen Spurs improve significantly on and off the pitch compared to the 90's.

I am sure if Harry fails, then this structure will be reintroduced and rightly so.

Gutsy move by the Spurs board, but it has the potential to really work - although i guess everyone said the same about Ramos when he arrived.

Glad Redknapp got one last hoorah at a big club, the guy's quality!

Good Luck Harry....! You will need it as the Premiership's history shows that teams so badly adrift and out of form at this stage of the season rarely get out of trouble - especially if the newcomers are doing well and have adapted, as is the case this season.!
I have a soft spot for Tottenham,but part of me wishes that they had kept faith with Ramos as the European coaches are so very good and professional in the main and I think IF the players got off their backsides and did their jobs , the team would be in better shape.
It's interesting reading Mr Capello's assessment of Bentley..... poor attitude and lacking in application etc !!!
If he is an example of some of the Tottenham players, then relegation beckons and Harry won't do a Houdini this time.

I have never believed that adopting the continental approach of a Director of footbal would work in England. How can one person choose a player for someone else who then has to get them to play. Let the manager choose his players and let him rise and fall on his choices. Just look at Marting Jol who with Hamburg is at the top of the Budesliga. I can bet that Ramos will go back to Spain and be a succes but he just chose the wrong time and the wrong club to come to the Premiership

I wish reporters would stop referring to Spurs as a big club. Talk about living in the past.

The best that can be said about this appointment is that it is probably their best chance of avoiding the drop. I can't see HR taking Spurs to where they would like to be though.

He is a reliable journeyman- an ideal choice for a very ordinary club.

I'm disgusted by Harry defection. I hope Harry does to Spurs what he did to Southampton.
For the rest of the season, I'll be cheering for every team who plays against Spurs (even the foreign teams), and will be jumping with joy when Spurs are relegated, hopefully some when in March.

Great Choice from Levy, the sacking of Ramos was inevitble but the only was that he would only get rid of one foreign manger only to bring in another with simular tatics and outlook on the game.

I think Harry will install more Grit and determanation in the team and in January would not be suprised to see a few of the 'lightweight' players leave for some larger more physical players to come in.
Also im hoping that maybe Harry could persuade a couple of pompy players to Come down the lane...maybe Diarra and defoe?

anyways good luck Harry!!! We are all behind you!!!

I fully expect Spurs to stay up now and maybe finish in the top half of the table.

A good move for Harry but I feel he has betrayed Pompey, after all his talk last season of Portsmouth being his last job, how settled he was there and how he'd be letting down the team he built if he moved.

Now he moves from arms dealer club owners to something even worse, Daniel Levy. Lawd 'elp 'im!

My money is on Tony Adams taking over from Harry, he will certainly ask for it, he's extremely ambitious and has been waiting in the wings for this moment. Whether he is up to the job is another matter.

Too bad agent Comolli has been found out. Maybe the Spuds will actually stay up now.

I'm an Arsenal fan. I'm scared. Well done Levy, good appointment, you've at last shown some good judgement.

Down to you Mr Wenger, looking forward to the derby games.

Well done Spurs.

Quite correct Phil, it is basically a desperate measure.

Commoli gone and Harry Redknapp in. I thought I was still dreaming when I woke up this morning.

Any chance you can bring Defoe back with you Harry?

COYS!

This is a very good move by SPURS and I must say totally un-expected and ,on the night the clocks went back signalling winter,a most welcome one.Okay we are in deep deep trouble but I have far more faith in Harry redknapp changing around SPURS fortunes than I had yesterday with the management team under Ramos.

Harry will quickly realise the character of the palyers in the current squad and he will know his best line-up to play against premiership teams. He knows the territory so well.

All the SPURS players have under-performed and Harry will know how to get the best out of them.It may not be quick and it certainly will not be easy but as a long standing SPURS fan ( 1961 ) I feel so much better about our prospects today after the humiliation of Thursdays game at Udinese.I was embarassed to watch that SPURS team and I just know it will get better now.

As a short term fix Redknapp fits the bill, but be prepared for all the excuses about how tough a task it will be, just in case things go awry. Redknapp represents every thing bad about English managers, but as a man manager he is very good. Tactics are those minty things and don't be surprised to find him hiding in the tunnel when things get tense. If ever Wenger wanted a pay rise, all he has to do is lay Redknapp's resume in front of the Arsenal board.

London biased journalism. Everything about Spurs, nothing about Portsmouth. Let me guess, now there's no Harry we're not the media's favourite club any more?

Hardly anything on where Portsmouth go from here because lets face it, we're going to need a top manager to stay where we are. On top of that you're selling our players before the window has even opened. Nice one Phil. More than happy on who Spurs are going to bring in rather than on who Portsmouth could possibly bring in to replace Redknapp.

Spurs are not in a crisis, they're just panicking as they always do when things go wrong for them but from watching them this season, they have a good team but just lack a bit of confidence. He's probably got an easier job to keep that bunch up than when he kept us up or narrowly failed to keep them up the road up.

Redknapp did a great job for us and it's clear that him and Pompey had an offer that neither of us could turn down. Unlike many Pompey fans, I wish him well.

But there are some wider questions here:
- how much is a manager really worth? He could be worth more to Portsmouth and less to Spurs as I'm sure there are better managers available for free. In a way, both clubs got a bad deal.
- will Harry fit in at Spurs - a club where inevitably, there will be pressure on him to perform unlike at say, Portsmouth where mid table was pretty much enough.
- some focus on the utter profligacy of Spurs would be good - they've sacked Jol, paid out millions, hired Ramos for millions, bought a load more players, sold the best 3 players in their squad, paid Β£16M for the wrong striker, sacked Ramos costing them millions and then hired Redknapp for one of the highest fees for a manager I've seen.

Yes, a good choice indeed. Harry will difinitely lift Spurs up the table.

But then when i try to analyse the problem at Spurs, it down to the communication gap between manager and the players, rather then the lack of good quality players.

I don't know how to describe Comolli, as the players coming in are really good, but they r not delivering it on the pitch. And, as Daniel Levy said about the situation of Keane and Berbatov, its difficult to fault Comolli. And i don't think any sporting director would go and buy a player without the consent of his manager. It should be a team work in any case.

But then, i would say its all down to Ramos, not being able to communicate his ideas directly to his players and those players receiving a red card almost every game...

I hope things will change and players will start performing better under Redknapp

Being a Pompey fan, I cannot hide my disappointment at Harry's leaving. However, I am sure that the players are more upset. Harry has done wonders for this club and I now fear for us because this has been a "marriage" in heaven. All I can say is, thanks for all you have done and the best of luck in the new job! Harry is not a traitor and I am not bitter, Just sad and apprehensive. Lord knows where we will get another character manager - Harry is a one-off!

Who's he gonna sign to fill the void at centre-half. Sol Campbell anyone??

Whilst it is no bad thing that Comoli has gone, as wellas Ramos etc I do not think that Rednapp is the man for us.

This appointment will only work if we are safe in the knowledge that the Board at Spurs know what they are going to do once Redknapp leaves ( forced or otherwise), but on current form it is absolutely clear that that poor old Ramos was not the only one who did not have a clue at the club.

For a start Redknapp has already hedged his bets by commenting on this being his last job before he retires. He has also stated on this site that if Spurs were to be relegated that he would quit.

In either scenario how does this improve or help Spurs in the Long term?

If he keeps us up then all well and good but realistically how long will he be with us until he decides to pack it in?

Certainly not the 10 years or so Wenger has given Arsenal nor the 20 odd years Ferguson has given United. As has been commented time and again the most successful clubs in the Prem League have had the longest serving managers.

Assuming Redknapp stays for 4 years or so then he has not even finished the cycle of rebuilding before we need a new manager and therefore more turmoil.


If we are relegated then he has the perfect excuse of not getting on with Levy and just walking away head held high... where does this leave our club then? Relegated and in need of another new manager. How does this help Spurs in the long term?

I do not disagree that Redknapp has the skills and man management to keep us up but this is not a brave decision by Levy in any way. This is yet another knee jerk reaction to the latest crisis at a club where sympathy is fast running out witht he fans.

Levy could have supported the man whom he illegally poached from Seville at least to the end of the year if not the season. That would have been extremely brave.

He could have just sacked Comoli rather than the entire coaching staff and learning from his mistakes appointed a better more expereinced and well connected Director of Football

Levy could have made the bravest decision of all and when wielding the axe with one hand at the week end he could have then fallen on his own sword with the other himself too. At least when his predecessors ( Scholar and Sugar) realised the game was up they went.

There is no better ENGLISH manager in the game than Redknapp.

He was overlooked for the England job because of snobbery and off-the-field innuendo (thanks a lot bbc).

Anyway, he deserves his crack at the big time. He's been in football for donkeys years, making something out of nothing or very little.

Good luck on you Harry. I'm not a fan of Spurs, but I for one will wish you well.

To all those who say the devilish "continental" director of football role doesn't work in Britain: Chelsea are top of the table and are the best team in the Premiership. They have a director of football. QED.

Out of the frying pan into the fire ! Big Boo boo Levy, Ramos would have come good, he's a class act. What can you expect when you sell Defoe, Keane and Berbatov ? Drogba was told he'd rot in the reserves Mr Levy. We've managed to outwit them again, another spy, we've got Redknapp a Gooner, ardent Arsenal supporter in the dressing room at the Lane ! It's most unfortunate that Ramos is taking the can for this, he's just won them the Carling cup !
It's laughable really, let's hope Levy finds a buyer for the sake of all Spurs fans!

I owuld like to echo welshboycott's comments: i'm not a Spurs fan and have never been. In fact I have taken much joy of late with them heading down like the sinking-ship of the Premiership.

But Harry has always been a great manager to watch and his no-nonense honesty, on and off the pitch is refreshing.

This could be the stepping stone he needs to get a crack at the England job.

I wonder what odds you can get on Defoe back at Spurs in January? If I were Harry i'd also take Crouch and sell Bent.

27

Your attention to detail( nitpicking) is absolutley.......PATHETIC!!!!

Get a grip for goodness sake man.

Cheers

Duncan, Mackay, White and Gillie man

Redknapp is vastly overrated. He is not an inspired choice for this job, however he does have that certain arrogance, for no apparent, reason that Spurs have always had, so he is something of a match for the club.

Ramos was a disaster, who knows why, he came with such a good pedigree, but he was tapped up and the way he arrived on the back of Jols terrible treatment, I am glad it turned into the mess Levy deserved.

Sorry Spurs fans, if you are only interested in survival then Redknapp has a chance, but beyond that forget it.

29.. i was justing checking on your facts, and noticed that Liverpool are actually top of the table....

this is not the right guy for us.

cant believe levy has made this appointment

it was clear we needed roy keane.

redknapp is a throwback to the francis, graham hoddle days. mid table manager and no better.

he will be sacked within 2 years.

absolute lunancy levy. resign please

this is mad

Redknapp moved for the money... just look at Hull!

It was interesting to read Levy's lengthy written statement to Spurs fans. He tried hard to share the blame widely, while taking very little personal responsibility. Don't forget that it was the Board's (Levy's) impatience that undermined the achievements of Jol. Insisting that he achieve fourth or get the sack was 'a bad call', so was panicking two games into a season and then getting caught red handed tapping up Ramos. I for one think Spurs would have done no worse than their mid table position under Jol. Ramos did however go that extra yard and win the league cup.

Now Levy has sacked his 'man for the future' one year into a 4.5 year contract after selling his three best strikers without finding suitable replacements (Ramos can't be blamed for that). True he made a healthy financial profit, but at what cost to the effectiveness of the team?

Interestingly, Levy does admit the coaching staff, i.e. Jol wanted to get shot of Berbatov prior to the 2007 season but that he personally vetoed it - another bad call as things have turned out.

Redknapp now gets the job that Levy's former sidekick Paul Kemsley wanted to give him instead of Ramos. In the process, Levy is forced to abandon the Director of Football system as a precondition for signing Harry. Few Spurs fans will lament the departure of Comolli, but when you add all this together together with the compensation to be paid to Portsmouth and the ex-Coaching staff it makes for one hell of a lot of mistakes by Mr Levy.

Harry Redknapp would not have been my first choice, but he is capable of getting them out of their current on-field mess. Whether he can take Spurs back to where they were unde Jol remains to be seen and as for taking them to the 'next level' is almost a hypothetical question.

My personal choice for the job would have been Didier Deschamps who has all the right experince, including how to get a big club back into the top league. How can you have total confidence in a manager (Redknapp) who says on his first day that he will walk away from the job if relegated!

Redknapp is a mediocre manager. He pits his wits against the bottom quarter of the league every season, and had a very, very easy run in in the FA cup (and I think the most hardened portsmouth fan has to admit that Man U had one hell of an off day, and deserved a penalty).

He commands no respect from me. He's a mercenary, going wherever the money beckons him.

What a tired and unexciting change for Spurs. Wot are vey finking abaht?

Aren't there any young, well educated, intelligent British footballer managers out there worth giving a chance? We bring in the intellect from abroad without quibble, why can't we get some homegrown quality.

No 37, please explain "Just look at Hull". What has Hull got to do with Redknapp's decision?

It will be difficult initially for H.R. at the lane but I believe he will succeed in the first task of securing a place in the Premier league. His real problems though will be longer term -- fulfilling the aspirations (realistic or otherwise) of Spurs fans AND the controlling board. It may need a stronger and younger man in the long term.I wish him well.

See you in The Championship next season.

Much-maligned chairman? Hardly.

Appointing Redknapp was a shrewd move, but everything else Levy has done in the last year and a half has been disastrous.

Rightly maligned, I would say.

I'm absolutely flabergasted!!!

I couldn't agree more with 44. You have misused the phrase "much maligned" in your report, Phil.

For too long Berbatov covered up the deficencies of Spurs. I love watching Spurs and they're probably the team in the prem that I'd want to see the most of. But Spurs had a problem with width since way before Berbatov.

Lennon can provide but all too often drifts inside. Bentley's a great player but for me is a tight right mdifielder, who can cross wonderfully but in a deep midfield will drop deep and tuck in.

Didn't matter with Berbatov as everything could go central. He had such wonderful tight touch, and languid stride that in tight areas he pulled defenders to him. In space he was just sensational.

They've not had a leader in midfield since Carrick, let's not even talk about a reliable defensive midfielder. Didn't matter with Berba as he was the link to midfield and an excellent scorer. When he was in a sulk tottenham didn't play. Why they never bought a defensive midfielder 2007 summer was madness. With Berba sulking Tottenham's weaknesses were clear. But Commoli kept buying attacking midfielders, all centrally minded!

Redknapp will improve them but it will be tough to get them out of the bottom three by january.

I just can't understand why he has left Portsmouth for Spurs. Why would you go from a decent team that you just won the FA cup with to a struggling team at the bottom of the table that even on form probably wouldn't overshadow Portsmouth?

In a just world, Tottenham would be relegated as a result of their series of asinine decisions. Sacking Jol was absurd.

Tottenham are so insulated by the millions they receive for their mediocre performances in the Premiership (they've only looked good under Jol in recent years) that, amazingly, they are still able to attract excellent players and one of the best managers in the division to save them from relegation.

I wish Harry luck, he's qualities as a manager deserve some award --- but how ironic is it that it was fools like Levy that denied him his chance with their imposition of "European structures" on clubs?

It doesn't say much about Redknapp or his morals does it? It's only a matter of weeks since the disgraceful abuse the Spurs fans gave Sol Campbell, but good old 'arry didn't think twice about jumping ship - I bet Sol really appreciates his support now.

I guess from the Spurs fans point of view they've got the right man, i.e. someone who is experienced in keeping second rate clubs from getting relegated.

And about your comment that Redknapp rejected Newcastle - according to the story in your link he was interviewed but not actually offered the job, so how could he reject it?

49 - spurs are a much bigger club, pompey are well supported and obviously a good team but with the smallest ground in the prem and not a huge amount of cash they haven't got the potential spurs have

I was struggling to think of a way out for spurs - but this is undoubtedly it - they only wasted 8 games worth of points (altho 1 off chelsea wasn't a waste) and now with a manager known for getting decent players to perform they will get the results needed - of course those early games will prevent them getting into the top 10, but getting through the relegation scrap should be quite possible now

...I'll just be waiting for them to be expecting champions' league come about april and sack harry soon after

What sort of epitaph does Harry want on his career? If he stayed where he was and developed HIS team down at Pompey and developed the club in the way it has been progressing he would not only have claimed the Freedom of the City but he could have carved his own inscription on the monument of his footballing life. He reveres the likes of Ferguson and Wenger and wants desperately to be regarded in the same vein as these great footballing men. He was half way through the job and beginning to earn the respect that he craves. Now he has joined a team in trouble and a club in turmoil. It's all start again.Never mind whether or not they are abigger club the respect that he earns will be made on the football pitch and nowhere else.
Sadly I think Harry has shown himself to be wanting in his judgement on this and all he has done is just to add another club on to the list of clubs he has on his CV.
Harry if you were ten years younger then it would have been a good move.........I think you have just blown your last chance of being a footballing God...............certainly in these parts.

I couldn't agree more with the post about Berbatov covering up Spurs' deficiencies. But I think Robbie Keane deserves some credit as well. He formed such a good partnership with Berba that he always knew where his strike partner was going to place the flick-on or pass, and he would invariably run on and score. It was obvious that they worked hard on this in training and, as a partnership, I think they were probably the best in the league. Arguably the likes of Drogba and Torres are better, quicker, more clinical strikers, but the way Berbatov and Keane always seemed to know what the other one was going to do, where they were going to run or pass - it was incredible at times.

This attacking prowess has indeed hidden the deeper problems with the rest of the Spurs team, and with the partnership destroyed, the rest of the team are looking a lot more average. Not bad enough to be relegated, just doomed to struggle in the lower half of the table for a couple of seasons. Redknapp may or may not take them out of this mediocrity, and it will be interesting to see what moves he makes in the January transfer window. The general consensus appears to be that a striker and a powerful DM will be purchased, and this would be wise.

Finally, how was Phil McNulty able to post something at 7:37 when it is only quarter-past seven now? The man's powers are limitless.

Good work at last to appoint Redknapp - great to get a win today even if we needed a fair bit of luck (about time).

Can we have a proper goal-keeper now please?

You doubting Thomas's...look at the table now. We are only 3 points behind several teams who have nowhere near the quality of our players. Half a dozen more games, 2 or 3 wins, and we are up, up, and away. From relegation that is. Then we Spurs fans can sit back, enjoy the entertaining football dear Ol' Arry will get us playing, and not have to worry about relegation. Sadly neither will we be thinking about European football either.
As for new players in the January window, apart from a big tough midfielder, I don't think we will see too many major names coming in. Defoe?
When I first heard the rumour of Redknapp coming to Spurs, I laughed. Never, I thought. What a shock when I read that it was a done deal !!
Brave move. Well done Mr. Levy. Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan next week I expect. You have to say. It is never boring ar Spurs. I am quite looking forward to the season again now - and Newcastle can again be a singular laughing stock of the Premier League.
My only regret is that Poyet had to go. Shame, I thought he did well in an awkward position.
Have to say good luck to Ramos. Just unlucky really. Portsmouth need a manager Juande!! Good motorway access from your new house in London.

Defoe will return at Christmas.....perhaps so will Campbell (lol)

I feel I should correct myself here...

Having looked up the word "malign", it turns out that it means "To make evil, harmful, and often untrue statements about; speak evil of."

So instead of saying he has been rightly maligned (which is like saying that the lies about him are true), I should have just said he deserves the criticism he has been getting.

Apologies for that, Phil. Good to see you replying to comments, by the way.

How sad that you all still deride the DoF role.

Do you honestly believe that a good DoF buys players without discussing it with the manager?

Of course not, they do in partnership.

This is like Gary Megson going to Bolton. Spurs won't get relegated, but it will be ugly.

In no way a masterstroke. You don't do that at a club like Spurs. Or, if you do it, you deserve your mediocrity.

Managers that are tactically outclassed by Braga-like teams don't bode well.

...feigned praise, I believe...

Can anyone else hear Martin Jol almost crying with laughter?

Levy didn't even give us time to place bets on Ramos' replacement. I was off to put a tenner on Deschamps. Then again, I thought Ramos was a brilliant appointment last season (even though Jol didn't deserve the elbow).

Also, what odds on Tony Adams ('Arry's protege at Pompey) being his long-term successor at WHL? Imagine that!

There is a possibility that Harry will hold his best players when ever there is a big club wants him.
Star players might stay there and this is how he will win things.
Great Manager and for the first time i feel Spurs will do something.
Only time will tell whether i am right or not but it was necessary to let Ramos and others around him go,the was out of control and players were losing faith.
Romos is not a bad manager,but his present only make players nervous.
Good job by Levy,but time will tell for now long.

A good article about the deadly effects of a director of football.

You can imagine Redknapp telling Levy where to stick the director of football, and as you say it's a stupid job, all the power but no responsibility.

Good luck to Redknapp, it was a move that made sense to him and tottenham. Will be great to see them fight back and survive this season.

On the subject of the tottenham team, is it just me? or does gomes look like he's lost it, totally, big time, completely?

he doesn't command his defenders, he just runs into them, no communication, after every near-miss gomes looks like he's going to burst into tears.

that goalkeeper needs to go, and fast. he is isolated from his defence, and vice versa.

even a reserve goalie would be better, as long as they could command the defence into some kind of understanding. every time i watch tottenham play now, you can see the defenders have no clue what gomes is going to do, and therefore they are never in any kind of shape.

It's sour grapes, I admit, but I'd love to see them playing Southampton next season in the Championship.

i think this is a step in the right direction for us. I do feel abit bad for Ramos as i felt Comolli didnt help him this season. And Poyet. But Harry is a top manager, he can speak to the players, get what he wants out of the players. He can speak english. Poyet as his no.2 would of been good.heh.

Tell me Phil, if you were manager, who would you play and in what position etc. Im interested to hear your view :)

and who would you get in Jan?

fantastic honest letter from levy to the fans. well done.
as for harry, he has inherited one of the most talented, potentially great squads any manager could ask for.
in modric, king, woodgate, pav, lennon, bentley, dos santos and others, theres a huge wealth of talent.
even the second team if managed properly could be a mid-table team.

its easy to see why he left portsmouth just like that.
well done levy.

As much as I feel Ramos could have turned it round, Redknapp is a manager of real quality who will certainly, without question, ensure Spurs don't go down.

I've always wanted to see what Harry could do at a big club, with a big budget and top class players because I really do believe he can create a side to challenge the usual top four.

Interesting times ahead for Spurs and Redknapp.

@29:

"To all those who say the devilish "continental" director of football role doesn't work in Britain: Chelsea are top of the table and are the best team in the Premiership. They have a director of football. QED."
____________________________________

You what? Don't make me laugh.

Who are the current Premiership champions?
Man U

Who are currently top of the league?
Liverpool

Who play the most attractive football?
Arsenal

Largest annual turnover? (Now we are clutching at straws!)
Oh, Man U again.

Largest gate receipts?
Arsenal

Most historic success?
Liverpool/Man U

By what measure are Chelsea the best team in England? Cos from where the rest of use stand, on most of those measures you come 2nd/3rd/4th. That makes you on average the 3rd best team in England. Your not even the best club in London so quit your bleating.

@56: Someone hasn't put their clock back ;)

I actually believe this will prove to be a real masterstroke by Levy.

Harry has the knowledge, experience and tough, straight talking character to sort out any of the remaining and underlying root causes of our problems.

Two of the problems have already been solved by Levy himself; outing Comolli and, as sad as it may be for Ramos, his departure, along with 'his' staff.

The man struggled 'after a whole year in the country' to conduct a 4 minute interview in English - how was he ever supposed to get through to a squad of players with varied nationalities, either in the dressing room, on training ground or most crucially from the sidelines.

You can hear him saying in his Spanish 'Gus, I will shout and vent my anger at you, you relay to the team'.

Old school structure for a classic club - best way it can be. Hopefully Harry will bring in some top boys to work with him; I hear Razor Ruddock is after a job! lol

Perhaps raid Portsmouth for a couple of players? Defoe back at The Lane, Crouch, Diarra, Distin, Kranjcar... One thing for sure, Harry has always craved a big club and financial backing to meet his expectations, lets see what he does with it!

I'm feeling optimistic about all of this!

Harry Redknapp has always said the most successful managers are the long term ones, citing example such as Wenger and Ferguson. If he saw out his contract that would have been 8 years as pompey manager across his two spells, and he would have become a portsmouth legend, especially if he can keep them in the top ten and UEFA cup contention.

I don't know what he thinks he can achieve with Tottenham that he can't with Portsmouth. They are miles away from the quality of the top 4, don't have the money of Man City, or as well-balanced a team as Aston Villa. Even next year the best they can hope for is 5th, but I feel more like 7th is likely, and that would be a great success.

Admittedly Tottenham are a bigger club than Portsmouth in terms of finance and stadium, but in terms of a starting 11, Portsmouth have one of the most in-form goalkeepers of the last 2 years, great attacking minded full backs, Diarra's a better central midfielder than anything spurs have, they don't even have a proper left midfielder where Pompey have Kranjcar, and they may have great players on the right, but up front the Crouch/Defoe partnership is twice that of Bent/Pavlyuchenko.

Tottenham won't get relegated, but I'm not sure harry has it in him to fulfil make tottenham a better team than pompey could be if he saw out his contract there. Even so, if pompey get a half decent manager they'll finish above spurs this year and spurs will have catching up to do for next season too.

Spurs are a laugh. For some reason they expect to be at the top of the league in a very short period of time or it's not good enough.

Despite Jol getting them to 5th twice, he gets the sack for having a bit of a ropey start. I can only imagine this was due to the pressure of the tabloids and fans, otherwise, why sack one of the best coaches in Europe?

Regardless, they get a guy in who knows nothing about the English game, can't speak English and struggles to lead his team. Obviously, Ramos had to get the sack because the appointment was the wrong decision, as was sacking Jol. You have to wonder about the Spurs board.

Anyway, so they get Redknapp. A very good acquirement in my opinion. Given that they have a good sqad, a transfer window to use and cash to spend, I'd be very surprised if Redknapp doesn't just avoid relegation, but leads them out of any dogfight - probably a top half finish.

Redknapp is a good motivator, leads his team and is ruthless in selection. He can also sign good players, knows the English game and can handle the press. The dream ticket? Probably as good as Spurs can get. Let's hope they don't sack him in a years time for losing 3 games on the trot.

One thing that bothers me about Redknapp though. He made a big deal about showing loyalty to Portsmouth when Newcastle came calling, yet when it's Spurs he's off. And make no mistake Portsmouth didn't want him to go.

Today it's all about doing what's right for your own career, so good luck to Harry. I think it's a great move for him where he and Spurs will probably benefit alot. But don't play the loyalty card when he just didn't want to move up to the grim, cold North East... :-)

Redknapp will do well at White Hart Lane, I have no reservations on saying that, and as a Liverpool fan I'm glad he left because we need to beat a managerless Pompey who is probably out of whack right now. BUT!!! Harry never should have left Portsmouth, he had a real chance at building a team that could contend with the top 4 within the next 2 years. Now he has to start from scratch at Spurs, he does have great players there, Gio Dos Santos, Bentley, Bent, he has no shortage of quality, but now he has to put a foundation under the house, and you usually have to tear the house down and rebuild it in order to make sure your foundation wont crack...

Good luck Harry, I don't think you'll need much of it because of your skill, but you better be in it for the long haul, because it's going to take you a least 2 years to mold this Spurs team into what you want them to be.