Redknapp aims to put seal on Pompey mission

PORTSMOUTH manager Harry Redknapp hopes to complete the transformation of the south coast club from paupers to princes in today’s FA Cup final at Wembley.

When they leave their plush pre-match hotel, a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle, for the short trip to the new national stadium to face Cardiff, the team, the manager, his staff and all the club’s officials will be able to reflect that the bad old days of struggle and strife are firmly behind them.

Key to that improvement is Redknapp’s shrewd stewardship, and at 61 he is still the energy that drives Portsmouth and demands the right to do it his way.