Harry's power play works wonders as Pompey hammer Newcastle

"We hadn't won here since 1949?" he queried. 'Well I'm sorry for the other 50 years, I hold my hands up, I did my best!"

Cue laughter. Life for a Premier League manager does not get much better.

Scroll down for more

"I've got a team that can challenge anyone," he added. "Eighteen months ago we didn't have a team to challenge anyone.

"Now we can give anyone a game. We've built a good team in a very short time.

"I can look at the players we've got and know it won't be an easy game for anyone.

"When you walk out and see big Papa Bouba Diop and Sulley Muntari with his pace, strength and power, you know it won't be an easy afternoon for the opposition.

"But it takes time to build."

Only when talk turned to Europe — with Portsmouth now fourth and on an eight-game unbeaten League run — did Redknapp become more guarded.

"I don't know what the players feel, but it's important they don't get carried away," he said.

"We've got solid players like David James, Sylvain Distin and Sol Campbell and Glen Johnson is fantastic.

"I don't walk into them saying we're going to get into Europe.

"You know what it's like in this game — you get carried away, you get kicked in the teeth.

"We can get into the UEFA Cup but sometimes that can do more harm than good.

"You end up playing midweek, Saturday, midweek, Saturday, but it would be nice to get there, for sure."

Noe Pamarot, Benjani and John Utaka had all ripped through Newcastle's flimsy defence by the 11th minute.

Central defender Cacapa was so poor and so shell shocked that he was withdrawn by the 17th minute. Rebuilding him mentally will take every one of the huge backroom staff that Allardyce has assembled.

A Campbell own goal a minute before Cacapa's withdrawal was no more than an early consolation.

The visitors scored a deserved fourth 19 minutes from time, when Niko Kranjcar's free-kick went past three Newcastle players.

"We were a bit surprised to be three up so early on," admitted Benjani.

"Maybe I was at school the last time that happened.

"But I'm the leading scorer at the moment and I hope I'm there at the end of the season.

"Everyone knows I went on such a long streak without scoring, but there were no problems with me settling in England.

"Everything was OK apart from the fact I wasn't scoring.

"Harry's special because he knows how to deal with players. That makes things so much easier.

"He helped me during my difficult time. He didn't talk to me a lot because if a manager talks too much that can cause problems.

"He just kept encouraging me and kept picking me."

Nicky Butt seemed so dazed by the experience that he struggled to recall Newcastle's wretched start to the match.

"I can't remember the two goals after the first one — and I'm not making excuses," said the midfielder.

"Were they individual errors? All I know is the first one was a 'worldie', but if the second two were bad defending, it's hard to point the finger at one person.

"When we got the goal, I thought maybe something could happen.

"But we didn't capitalise. We just wanted to get to half-time and then try to change it.

"You can't explain it, it's just shock. We've not had that for God knows how long now.

"It's a while since I've been involved in a game like that.

"There was one at Man United when we were getting beaten 3-0 at half-time by Tottenham but we came back and won 5-3."

That never looked liked happening on Saturday.

NEWCASTLE (4-4-2): Harper 6; Taylor 7, Faye 5, Cacapa 4 (Rozenhal 17min, 6), Enrique 5 (Martins 58, 6); N'Zogbia 5, Barton 6, Butt 7, Milner 6 (Emre 69, 6); Smith 5, Owen 5. Booked: Smith, Butt.

PORTSMOUTH (5-1-4-1): James 8; Johnson 8, Campbell 8, Distin 8, Pamarot 8; Davis 7; Utaka 8, Bouba Diop 7, Muntari 8 (Mendes 87), Kranjcar 8; Benjani 9 (Kanu 86). Booked: Distin, Davis.

Man of the match: Benjani.

Referee: Chris Foy.