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Harry Redknapp has hit out at the abusive supporters who damage football after revealing he had received sick telephone calls following his departure from Portsmouth to Tottenham.
Redknapp returns to Fratton Park for the first time as Spurs manager tomorrow, nearly one year after leaving the club to move to White Hart Lane — and some Pompey followers have still not forgiven him.
The 62-year-old has nothing but praise for the vast majority of Portsmouth fans following two hugely successful spells at the club, but has no time for the “two per cent” who will seek to undermine him tomorrow.
“The day I left Portsmouth I got some horrific phone calls, saying things I would not want to repeat, from so-called supporters,” said Redknapp, who has dismissed talk that he will have extra security around him in the dug-out.
“It makes you ill when you think about some members of the human race, because some people can say awful things. The proper Portsmouth fans are absolutely fantastic.
“I still bump into them all the time and none of them has ever had a go at me. But throughout football, you get the nutters who will shout at anything rather than watch the game.
“When I started watching football as a kid, you just watched the game, rather than concentrating on shouting things at people on the pitch or in the opposite stand.
“When you receive calls like I did, it's awful but you cannot let the nutters beat you. Most people are fantastic.
“The fans there have a great reputation. I remember them chanting Thierry Henry's name even though we were being hammered by Arsenal.
“Whatever happens will not affect me but I hope they don't spoil that reputation. I'm confident it won't happen.”
Portsmouth, who were then in financial difficulty, received £5million in compensation from Tottenham after Redknapp took over in north London, but have struggled since he left.
To rile Pompey fans even further, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Niko Kranjcar were all sold to Spurs this year, while coach Joe Jordan and chief scout Ian Broomfield also joined Redknapp's backroom staff.
But Redknapp claims that the offer to become manager of Spurs was tooenticing to resist. “I was never going to be offered Manchester United or Liverpool, so this job was too good a chance not to take,” he said. “The Portsmouth owner Sacha Gaydamak was not really interested in football and he was looking to sell the club.
“I had already turned down the chance to take over at Newcastle in January 2008, when I decided to stay at Portsmouth. All I did for Pompey was leave them with a group of very good players and make them money in the transfer market. We signed players like Lassana Diarra, Glen Johnson and Sylvain Distin and they have made money for the club.
“We won promotion, kept them in the Premier League, made them into a good top-flight side and won the FA Cup. What did I do wrong?”
Wilson Palacios will miss the trip to Portsmouth after returning to Honduras to celebrate his country's qualification for the World Cup. The midfielder was due to return to England early this morning after helping Honduras secure a spot in next summer's World Cup by winning 1-0 in El Salvador on Wednesday.
But instead of flying back to London, he has gone back home with the rest of the squad for a reception with the heads of state leaving the Spurs boss with a selection dilemma when the player arrives back tomorrow morning.
Redknapp said: “It's disappointing Wilson had to go back to Honduras.
“There was nothing he could do, he will be a big loss, but I can't start him if he only arrives tomorrow. I've been trying to get hold of him, but I haven't been able to do that yet. He has been such a key player for us this season.”
Redknapp hopes to have captain Ledley King back after four weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury but his fellow central defender Jonathan Woodgate has only an outside chance of playing, despite resuming full training.
Reader views (11)
This hatered of Mr Redknapp runs deep with certain people. The situation at Tottenham is such that, Daniel Levy is in control of cashflow and any purchases Harry wants to make are approved or otherwise by Mr Levy.
The fools that think he is working in a Pompy or Hammer's type set-up are a bit wired to the moon. Harry is now working where there's proper organisation and proper purchasing procedure. Look at this another way ! The way Harry used to work when he was with the small clubs is a reflection on how these small clubs operated, i.e. a brown paper bag of used £50 notes. He cannot that way with Tottenham, so he will never endanger their finances. He's gone all posh with Spurs. Now isn't that right Stu' and Robbie.
- Kevin, London
God, if the Pompey fans, want to boo him for what, saving them? Well hate the game, not the player!
Well Defoe,Crouch and Niko left there for better futures, then boo them too.. Harry beat them and come home with the 3 points.
Come any serious fan would look at the table, Spurs 3rd from top, Pompey rooted to the bottom.
LETS MOVE ON.
- Adrian, london
Let me ask the so-called "fans" posting such stupid comments about Harry Redknapp one simple question - if another employer who was bigger, with more potential for growth and with an increased salary & benefits package offered YOU another job, would you turn it down. Let's face it, football is now a business, ever since the Premier League was formed and overseas money came into the game. The concept of "the club" is not the same anymore. So you Portsmouth "whingers" need to wake up to the fact that in ANY business individual employees (including you) have the free choice to take your skills anywhere you want to. In football, only the fans have the luxury of "loyalty" to one club. Those who actually "work" in football have limited "shelf-lives" (players & Management staff) and are free to maximise their earning potential whilst they can. There's no point looking for loyalty to one club in the current "professional" era. Wake up, stop whinging & wish the guy best of luck in his new job
- Malcolm, London
withouT HR Pompey would not have drawn the players to Fratton Park that he did...FACT...get over it,he made you millions in selling on these stars,so where has it gone then,Robbie portsmouths yawn is exactly the same as rob the hotspur,gooner..and im sure stu,you should be more worried about your little feeder club in east london and wondering if this time next year you will be looking forward to a game against peterbro
- Phil, west herts
Harry Redknapp is a fine football manager. He helped Portsmouth alot. (Without Harry they would still be in the Chamionship or lower, no FA cup and no great recent history. All the players he brought have been sold on at a profit and now he has chosen to move to a bigger club. We are lucky to have him. If he is offered the England job - no prob. Career progression. I am at a loss to know where all this personal vitriol comes from.
- Coys Switz, switzerland
When you show little loyalty, you bring this upon yourself Mr Rednapp. He left Portsmouth to join their greatest rivals Southampton, then left them again to join Tottenham & then purchased their top players. So its no surprise to be the victim of a 'hate campaign'. Little warning for Tottenahm fans f what to expect. He will leave you, my guess will be for the England job, after this summer & will leave a huge financal mess behind him. You will then hate him as well!
- Robbie Portsmouth, Southampton
Harry Redknapp is the new Madonna, if he is not in the papers on a daily basis he will sack his PR team.
Old saggy chops is starting to get a bit boring now......blah, blah, blah subs, injuries, abuse from fans, tax, police, big houses, no back handers.
Sorry but there is no smoke without fire and it will only be Totts money that will save them when he is finally found out.
- Martin, West Ham exiled in Bristol
Funny he brings this up today, trying to generate some sympathy to cover your blatant disregard for the team you claimed would be your last in management are you Harry?
- Joe, Romford
Everyone loves what he achieved at Portsmouth, everyone hates the media circus...I will applaud him back at Fratton Park on Saturday.
- Jon Holden, Brighton
Harry needs to realise that he desserted the club twice and left us in the lurch... A large majority of fans get fed up with his egoistic outbursts all the time.. It was never about Pompey, always about Redknapp..
All supporters have loyalty to their club. Redknapp doesn't and it seems to b a concept he can't get to grips with... I really believe that after all his years in football he doesn't really understand football fans at all..
- Pompey Steve, Portsmouth
Some of us can do two things at once, Arry. We watch the game AND we shout horrible things at you and Frank.
Your constant, never ending need to go on and on and on and on and on about how great a job you've done everywhere you've been is just one per cent of what "proper" fans despise about you.
- Stu, Beckton
