Curse of England strikes Redknapp

Sitting in the England manager’s dugout and giving his team talk from the England dressing room, Harry Redknapp watched Tottenham’s season slide out of view; and he must have been wondering if the football gods were laughing at him.

It is hard to put together a convincing argument to suggest Spurs’ recent collapse — spectacularly demonstrated by their capitulation against Chelsea at Wembley last night — is completely unrelated to the events of February 8, when Fabio Capello resigned and Redknapp was immediately installed as favourite to replace him.

At that stage, Tottenham’s vibrant team were comfortably third in the league and heading for the season of their lives; but yesterday’s pulsating FA Cup semi-final was their fifth defeat in 13 games since that day — they have also drawn four of those matches — a period in which they have even allowed Arsenal to move above them in the Premier League.

If that wasn’t enough, the bad luck which has dogged England in major championships — think of Frank Lampard’s goal that crossed the line but was never given in South Africa in 2010, Sol Campbell’s disallowed goals against Portugal in 2004 and Argentina in 1998 and David Beckham’s red card the same year — seems to have rubbed off on the man destined to lead them in future.

How else do you explain why referee Martin Atkinson awarded Juan Mata a goal to put Chelsea 2-0 up at Wembley when the ball so obviously did not cross the line?

How else do you explain how Petr Cech remained on the pitch (and without even a booking to his name) after bringing down Emmanuel Adebayor as Gareth Bale made it 2-1?

And how else do you explain how Spurs looked the better side for the first hour of this semi-final tie but still ended up in tears as Chelsea celebrated a crushing victory and Redknapp’s team collapsed embarrassingly?

The curse, if that it is how it can be described, has certainly left Tottenham in a perilous position as they contemplate the remaining weeks of a season that looked like being a landmark campaign but now has all the hallmarks of a bitterly disappointing one, rather like North London rivals Arsenal suffered last season.

With five matches left to play in the Premier League, Redknapp’s men are sitting nervously in fourth place, level on points with in-form Newcastle United and only two ahead of revitalised Chelsea.

Fixtures against QPR, Bolton and Aston Villa away from home (and Blackburn and Fulham at White Hart Lane) all look winnable under normal circumstances; but when you take into consideration the enormous disappointment suffered here at Wembley, together with recent collapses and the prospect of losing their manager in the summer, then suddenly Tottenham’s world is in crisis.

Quite how it has happened is a mystery. Before this game Gareth Bale insisted Tottenham would win because they had the better team; and few people in football disagreed with at least the second part of that statement.

In truth Spurs ARE the better team. They have enjoyed a better season, have the better players in midfield and the better manager and have played the better football; but somehow it hasn’t brought the rewards they deserve.

Even at Wembley, Redknapp’s side looked the more accomplished in the first half before being steamrollered after the break as Chelsea suddenly rediscovered their form of old; so defeat — especially by such a massive margin — must have been particularly tough to take.

It reinforced an age-old myth that Tottenham do not have the mental strength to turn their pretty football into victories when it really matters or when the going gets tough; a tag that seemed to have been temporarily dispelled during their Champions League campaign of last season.

Now, however, it is back; and Redknapp has a tough decision to make. Having been struck down by the curse of England, can he really leave his team in the lurch this summer?