Harry’s mind on Scholes and not goals after rout
Redknapp is hailed as the perfect antidote to the apparent inertia of Capello’s four-year reign, the manager with the wit and imagination to banish the fear from England’s under-achievers and coax something approaching success from a set-up that has grown used to failure.
It seems though, that there will be no revolution if the 64-year-old takes charge, more the possibility that the thirty-somethings will once more be given their head at Euro 2012, with Scholes, the Manchester United midfielder, again offered the chance to revive an international career he decided to end in 2004 and Frank Lampard restored towards the head of the pecking order.
Scholes, now 37, rejected an approach from Capello to end his exile and re-join the squad for the 2010 World Cup, although the player conceded he might have said yes had he been given more time to consider the offer. Now, having unexpectedly returned to club football last month after retiring last summer, it seems Scholes will once again be in demand.
“Let’s be honest, you’d love to have Paul Scholes in the Euros this year,” said Redknapp. “He’d be in your team, he’s that good. You’d love him to play. He plays like a Spaniard, he can play like Xavi, like Iniesta, he doesn’t give the ball away.”
Similarly he believes it is too soon to dispense with the 34-year-old Lampard, who was no longer a first choice under Capello. “Frank’s still a top player, I think you write Frank off at your peril — still a top player in my opinion,” the manager added. “Stevie Gerrard’s still a world-class player in my opinion. There are some good English players in midfield still.”
Such talk will be greeted with a distinct lack of enthusiasm in north London where Saturday’s humiliation of Newcastle confirmed the enormous strides the club has taken under Redknapp and reinforced the view they still have a part to play in this season’s Premier League title race.
Redknapp admits his loyalties are divided, clearly attracted by the possibility of managing his country while at the same time bearing a debt of gratitude to his current employers, particularly after benefiting from the unwavering support of chairman Daniel Levy while the shadow of tax evasion charges hung over the manager.
That spectre was removed when Redknapp was cleared last week following a two-week trial, but from Tottenham’s point of view, uncertainty resurfaced immediately when Capello quit over the John Terry captaincy row. Redknapp insists he remains focused on the immediate aim of guiding Spurs back into the Champions League, but it is clear England is not far from his thoughts.
If he is to stay put, it will be because of games like this. This was Redknapp’s side at its best, two-up inside five minutes through Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Louis Saha, four up inside 33 minutes thanks to Saha’s second and Niko Kranjcar, and then capped in the second half by a deserved goal for the excellent Emmanuel Adebayor.
Redknapp’s name echoed around the stadium but Ledley King, the Tottenham captain, accepts the manager is inevitably in demand.
“You know. It is just the same about having good players in the team,” he said. “People will always be interested in them, I suppose. That is football. He has done a terrific job here. But from our point of view we would love to keep him.”
Alan Pardew’s name also echoed around the stadium, although in his case the chant was led by Tottenham supporters anxious to divert attention away from Redknapp with a chorus of “Pardew for England”. There was certainly little for Newcastle to cheer about though.
He said: “Harry must have been sitting on that sideline thinking he’s having the week of his life after five minutes.
“We need to bounce back. If we beat Wolves, Arsenal and Chelsea, then we’re in a Champions League position. So we mustn’t get carried away when we have been thumped.”
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