'That Robbie Keane is useless' - What Harry Redknapp says he was told by Spurs owner

Redknapp believes his days at Spurs was numbered after defending Keane.

UNHAPPY 'ARRY: Harry Redknapp claims that Tottenham Hotspur owner Joe Lewis branded Robbie Keane “useless”. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Harry Redknapp claims that Tottenham Hotspur owner Joe Lewis branded Robbie Keane “useless” and vowed to tune out of a match at Manchester United if the Irishman started.

Redknapp, speaking ahead of his horse The Jukebox Man going into Cheltenham’s Gold Cup on Friday as favourite, believes his days at Spurs was numbered after defending Keane.

Bar a brief spell at Liverpool, the Dubliner spent nine years at Spurs to become a cult hero.

As well as captaining the club, became only one of 17 players to hit 100 goals for Spurs, reached 300 appearances and, most memorably, helped lift the Carabao League Cup in 2008 having dispatched of Arsenal 5-1 in the semi-final, second leg.

Redknapp took charge a few months after that triumph, lasting four years before his controversial sacking.

He’s adamant the hierarchy’s attitude towards him changed following involvement from then executive director Daniel Levy and famously reclusive owner Lewis.

Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart was even cited as having a walk-on role in the episode.

“I’ve never told anybody this but you want to know what really happened to me at Tottenham?” the 78-year-old told the Sunday Times.

“We played Man United at Old Trafford, October 2010 and we were flying in the table. I’m on my way to Stansted Airport to fly up to Manchester and I get a phone call from Daniel.

“Now, Daniel never rung me on a Friday, never interfered with the team.

“Daniel said, ‘Hello, Harry. It’s Daniel.’

“‘Hello, Daniel,’ I said. ‘Yeah, I’m fine. We have a few injuries.’

“‘Who are you gonna play up front tomorrow?’

“I said, ‘Robbie Keane.’

“He said, ‘Robbie Keane?’

“I said, ‘Yeah, Robbie Keane.’

“Then he said, ‘Why don’t you speak with Rafael van der Vaart about who he wants to play with?

“I said, ‘What’s it got to do Rafael van der Vaart, Daniel? I pick the team, not Rafael van der Vaart.’

“He said, ‘Well, I thought it’d be interesting to see what Rafa thought, you know.’

“‘No, not really,’ I said, ‘Robbie Keane’s playing.’”

Redknapp realised the background machinations once he landed in Manchester.

He added: “I’m checking into the hotel and - at this point, I’ve never spoke with Joe Lewis, the owner, not once in my life - but the phone rings.

“‘Hi Harry, it’s Joe Lewis’s secretary, Joe would like to speak with you.’

"‘Hello, Joe.’

“Joe comes from the Burdett Road in east London – that’s where I came from.

“He says, ‘I like that forward line of yours, [Aaron] Lennon, Van der Vaart and [Roman], Pavlyuchenko. That Robbie Keane is useless.’

“I said, ‘That’s your opinion, Joe,’ He then said, ‘Why don’t you ask Rafael van der Vaart who he wants to play with? I said, ‘What’s it got to do with Rafael van der Vaart? I pick the team, not Van der Vaart.’

“I will tell you what Joe then said to me. ‘If Robbie Keane plays tomorrow, I won’t even watch it on television.’ That choice is up to you, Joe,’ I said. ‘Yeah, it f***ing is,’ he said.

“Robbie Keane worked his socks off at Tottenham, and I never had a problem with Rafa, who was great for Tottenham.”

Redknapp, who managed a string of clubs including West Ham United, Portsmouth and QPR, is adamant he was on borrowed time after that exchange.

“I think that conversation was the end for me,” he recalls.

“We finished fourth in the Premier League next season, but lost our place in the following season’s Champions League because Chelsea, who had finished sixth, went to Munich for the Champions League final and beat Bayern.

“Bayern missed a penalty in extra time before Chelsea won on penalties.

After the game they kept the Chelsea supporters inside the ground and we had to walk behind the goal where they were. They’re all singing to me, “Thursday night Channel 5, Thursday night, Channel 5” because that is where and when you had the Europa League.

“A month later I was sacked.”

Keane, 45, is currently managing Hungarian champions and league leaders Ferencváros but has been linked to a Tottenham return as boss. Doubts have crept in over caretaker manager Igor Tudor as Spurs slump dangerously close to the relegation zone.