Fanks for the memrees

One question on every Spurs fan's lips is whether Harry Redknapp will still be Spurs manager at the end of the season.  One part of it is whether he'll walk away, tempted perhaps by the England job, disillusioned by the mob of fans (who I believe to be in the minority) suddenly denouncing him as incompetent following a poor run of form.


I must make this clear from the outset - I am not one of that mob that has suddenly sprung up after a few weeks of poor results, that a few months ago were saying he was great.  My opinion on matters of football benefits from, or suffers from (depending on your view) a fair degree of inertia.  Lazy journalism is very much a results based concept, either a team is winning, in which case everyone and everything is great, or it is not, in which case the manager, the team, the owners or whatever other scapegoat you care to name is the devil incarnate.


It wasn't so long ago that Harry was the next best thing since sliced bread.  Gareth Bale was touted as the best left-winger in the country (world?!)(universe??!!), and Modric was the super-creative playmaker that the mighty Chelsea were willing to break the bank for.  The accolades were flowing and the enthusiasm of the commentators knew no bounds.  That it was all tainted with wild hyberbole was of no concern to those either riding the wave as fans or filling the sports pages.


But scientific principles state that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  However far the pendulum swings in one direction, it will swing back in the other direction by virtually the same amount.  Now that the results haven't been going so well, oh how the tune has changed.


Of course the silent majority of Spurs fans will remember the wilderness that was the 90s, when we would have given a limb to be talking about whether we'd be finishing 3rd or 4th, hoping that we might just get a sniff at the UEFA cup.  We are where we are because of Harry and I don't think the fans shouldn't forget that.


The second half of the season always sees injuries and suspensions, and coupled with the fact that we had a run of very difficult fixtures it was always going to be impossible to sustain the form we had shown earlier.  What is apparent to me is that Spurs and Arsenal have both played their best stuff during periods when they weren't under any pressure.  


We started the season badly, soundly beaten by Utd and City.  No-one was talking about Spurs for the Champions League, let alone the title.  Whilst the spotlight was firmly on the Manchester clubs, Chelsea and Arsenal, we carried on for the most part under the radar and went on the best run we've had in decades.


But then the press started building us up and some fans starting believing the hype.  Before we knew it, someone decided to get cocky telling Arsenal to "mind the gap".  But now, all eyes were on Spurs.  No longer would 4th be enough, it had to be 3rd (or better) and a finish above their North London neighbours for the first time in a generation.  Unfortunately our players are not accustomed to such pressure.  Having so long been underdogs fighting their way back from the foot of the table, they now found themselves constrained by the fear of losing that which they had worked so hard to obtain.  So the slide began.  


At the same time, Arsenal were foolishly written off and in a heartbeat the pressure on them was lifted.  They responded with an incredible run of their own, starting with a 5-2 win against us from 2-0 down, to now find themselves 5 points ahead.


Now it is just possible that the tide will turn again.  Just as they wrote Arsenal off now they're again doing it to Spurs.  A loss to Norwich and an FA Cup humiliation have done nothing to instil in the fans or the media any confidence that Spurs can secure 4th place.  The emergence of Newcastle as challengers together with the ever present threat of a Chelsea buoyed by their Champions League exploits all point to a season of disappointment for Spurs that at one stage promised so much.  And yet all good things must come to an end.  With the pressure firmly back on Arsenal to hold onto their lead, their 2-1 home loss to Wigan could represent a little wobble.  At the same time, this just might have been the perfect time to dismiss Spurs' chances, and they might just be able to get back to playing football.


But back to Redknapp. Taking everything into account, would I get rid of Redknapp on the basis of the results?  I would say no.  If the season were to finish today we would by usual standards have had a great season.  With everything that has gone on both on and off the pitch, even a 5th place finish would have a genuine mark of respectability bearing in mind the number of top clubs now fighting for places. 


Yet, I think his time has nonetheless come, for a different reason.  Redknapp is renowned for "putting an arm around players", making them feel valued, and bringing out their underdog spirit.  That is the spirit that took "2 points from 8 games" Tottenham to the Champions League the next season, and has largely kept them there or thereabouts since.


But the next step is surely to bring about a belief that Spurs are not the underdogs who can fight and win against the best teams, but that they are one of those best teams.  That they do have an entitlement to challenge and win at the highest level.  That is the mentality that United have had for years, the belief that they are the best and that winning is their right.


That is not something that a man like Harry brings.  Harry wants the world to tell him "You can't do it", so that he can go out and prove them wrong.  But when people start saying "You can do it", as quickly as the fire is lit Redknapp's own humility will extinguish it.  Contrast Ferguson or Mourinho - these are men with a level of self-belief bordering on arrogance.  Not only do they believe that they can do it, but they are quite happy to proclaim such belief.


And so even if Spurs qualify for the Champions League, the time has surely come to change the dressing room mentality.  The most important signing Levy needs to make this summer is a world-class manager with a track record, a man for whom there is a high level of respect, and of whom there is a little fear, who can look the players in the eyes and say "This is our time".


Spurs' fortunes will now turn on a few remaining games, but whatever happens, it just might be time to say "See ya later 'Arry, and fanks for the memrees".