Though it follows that some managers are not right for certain clubs, others fit, being in the right job at the right time for the club’s development. Harry Redknapp is one such.
Redknapp’s reputation in the game is legendary, from playing on the right wing in West Ham’s Moore-Hurst-Peters days, to managing the club and going on to Portsmouth.
He likes to wheel and deal, does ‘Arry, pick up a player here, nick one there, bring on a kid. He then assembles them into a side that plays football on the deck, through the simple virtues of passing and movement. He is particularly fond of an unpredictable talent, like a Joe Cole, a Paul Merson or an Eyal Berkovic.
He has taken Pompey into the Premiership and, against the odds, kept them there last season. They are doing all right again this time around, despite Saturday’s defeat at Sou-thampton, and he has given their fervent fans two wins over Manchester United this year.
No one expects Redknapp to spend his time going through drills and routines on the training ground. He has coaches, including Kevin Bond, for that. Harry likes to observe, buy and sell, pick the team. Then there is Jim Smith, wise, wily old bird who acts as sounding board for ideas. ”Arry and Jim, ‘Arry and Jim,†Fratton Park sings to the tune of Tom Hark.
There are those who would suggest that Redknapp and Smith are dinosaurs, relics of the time When Managers Ruled the Earth. Now, it is all about science and scouting and head coaches and their days must surely be numbered. And yet it still seems to work for Portsmouth at this particular point in their history.
Now the club’s owner, Milan Mandaric, has brought in a new executive director — he denies it’s a director of football — a Croat by the name of Velimir Zajec, latterly with Panathinaikos in Greece.
‘I need someone who will enhance football activities,†says Mandaric. Redknapp is miffed, first at not being told about this, second because he thinks things are fine as they are.
It is not the first spat between owner and manager. Towards the end of last season, Mandaric made similar noises. It was thought that Smith might even be on his way. Redknapp reacted angrily again and another memorable disagreement conducted via television blew over.
The issue at the heart of this is whether the role of director of football within an English club is either meaningful or necessary. At Blackburn, when Kenny Dalglish became a pioneer in the job, he was unkindly referred to as the ‘director of eff-allâ€. Often, as was suggested in Sir Bobby Robson’s case, it is seen as a sop to remove someone without being too nasty to them.
It might work at Tottenham, with Frank Arnesen overseeing Martin Jol, but then they came as a package and knew and respected each other. Imagine now trying to foist an overseer on Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsène Wenger. These men are hands-on.
The nature of the English game suggests that the old-fashioned role of the manager remains the most popular and workable system. Redknapp is the face of Portsmouth and, besides clear leadership, every club needs a public face. Redknapp should know whether a director of football works or not. He did hold the position at Portsmouth for a while.
Redknapp, in trying to be diplomatic, points out that Mandaric owns the club and it is his prerogative to do what he wants. Indeed. But football clubs should not work like that. There should be a spirit of cooperation and consultation. The manager is the pivotal appointment in any club, more important than the chairperson, and should receive backing.
Managers do need saving from themselves sometimes, in the players they want to sign, the wages they want to pay, but more often they need support and encouragement. The best owners and chairmen also know when not to meddle, when not to make changes.
Now if Redknapp had gone to Mandaric seeking help or an addition to the coaching staff, it would be a different matter. The position in this case appears to be that Mandaric is not entirely convinced that Redknapp is the man to take Portsmouth to the next level that the owner believes the club to be capable of.
Naturally, Redknapp would disagree, and might even privately question how much further the club can go. He might well be realistic in his assessment that cup competitions are the club’s best hope, and that if he was given more money, he might well be able to contest a Uefa Cup place.
It does seem likely that matters will come to a head sooner or later and Mandaric will restructure. Redknapp is a shrewd operator, however. His popularity with the fans is currently high. He will know all about constructive dismissal and how to obtain a good financial settlement.
Redknapp agreed an uneasy truce with Mandaric as Zajec was appointed. Zajec is set to be charged with developing an academy at Portsmouth. A responsibility for European scouting has also been outlined but this may be a point Redknapp would contest in the event of a breakdown. —