Harry Redknapp for England manager: We MUST find out how former Spurs boss would do in charge of the Three Lions
Sam Allardyce remains in the mix but Redknapp has given himself a chance to take over from Roy Hodgson
THERE are times in life when you simply have to get something out of your system once and for all.
Henry James “Harry” Redknapp and the England manager’s job is one of them.
The country will never quite move on until we know for certain whether Redknapp could make a go of it in the biggest job of them all.
This is Shearer and Newcastle, Bilic and West Ham, Mourinho and Manchester United, but on an inter- national scale.
Nobody has ever quite put their finger on football’s fascination with Redknapp. All we know is that it exists.
It gnaws away at people in the game, rattling around in their heads as they try to work out why there is such a fixation with him.
Chances are that it will never go away, certainly not until his managerial ability is put to the test at the very highest level.
Redknapp wants his name above the door at Wembley, you can be sure about that. He’s come out of nowhere, in with a shout of becoming England’s head coach after he was sounded out by FA headhunter Dan Ashworth.
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It is not straightforward because Ashworth is talking to anybody who has ever kicked a ball about the best man for the job.
Sam Allardyce, who has a release clause at Sunderland, is in the mix after meeting Ashworth this week.
Allardyce, with his PowerPoint presentations and his methodical approach, looks to have the best chance.
Significantly, he also has the private and public backing of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Redknapp, out of full-time work since leaving QPR in February 2015, has one or two tricks up his sleeve himself.
He is playing a clever game, with the strategic appointment of a young, tracksuited coach to work alongside him in the offing.
That means Rio, Lamps or Stevie G. They all fit the bill.
Redknapp has been here before of course, convinced he was about to get the job when Fabio Capello dramatically quit in February 2012.
Back then, as now, he was first choice among some of the players.
Behind the scenes he lined up Brendan Rodgers to coach England’s squad, with Redknapp reverting to the role of dishing out rollickings as and when required.
He lost out to Roy Hodgson and thought his chance had gone.
At 69, this is surely the last chance for Redknapp to convince the FA that he can break the mould and be a success at the World Cup or European Championship.
In the past, in roles with various TV and radio stations, he has been highly critical of the FA’s decision to go down another road.
After Capello drew 2-2 with the Czech Republic at Wembley in August 2008, Redknapp tucked into the country’s new Italian coach. “4321 — what is that, Dusty Bin?” he famously remarked before criticising Capello for playing Gerrard out on the left.
Redknapp simplifies the game, stripping down the tactics and sending players out in their preferred positions.
In an era of England DNA and the obsession with laptop managers, Redknapp is a throwback to another era.
Ashworth, under pressure to make the right call, is prepared to detach England’s development teams from the senior side if it leads to some short-term success.
Redknapp believes he is the man, convinced that he is the inspirational coach chief executive Martin Glenn talked about after England’s disastrous showing at the Euros.
There is only one way to find out.