
Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp is one of the most popular and entertaining managers ever to grace the Premier League, managing the likes of Tottenham, West Ham, Portsmouth, Southampton, and QPR over the years, while his last spell came with Birmingham City.
Redknapp had a decent career as a player for West Ham and Bournemouth, taking his first coaching role with the latter as an assistant manager in 1982. Redknapp had some great years at Dean Court, winning promotion to the 2nd Division in 1987 being the highlight.
After a stint as assistant manager to Billy Bonds at West Ham, Redknapp became the club's official manager in August 1994. During his time the Hammers' helm he established the club in the Premier League team, having a strong influence on the Academy, and was responsible for bringing through a host of high quality players, including Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand. However, Redknapp was sacked in 2001 after inappropriate comments made in an interview.
Redknapp was appointed manager of Portsmouth in March 2002 after previously working in the role of Director of Football at the club. The following season he led the club to the dizzying heights of the Premier League after they won Division One. After keeping the club in the Premier League he resigned in November 2004 and caused huge controversy by joining Pompey's fierce local rivals, Southampton, just a few weeks later. However, he was unable to save the Saints from relegation to the Championship at the end of the season.
Redknapp left Saints in December 2005, and in yet another contentious move, he returned to former club Portsmouth just a few days later and saved them from relegation to the Championship. The next season they finished in a very impressive 9th and then the following year he won the club their first FA Cup for 69 years when they beat Cardiff City at Wembley.
In 2008 he became manager of Tottenham Hotspur and led them to the Carling Cup Final in his first season in charge, where they lost on penalties to Man Utd. The following season, in his first full campaign in charge, he broke the monopoly of the top four by guiding Spurs to 4th in the Premier League (their most successful finish ever) and thus qualification for the Champions League. His efforts were also rewarded in the form of the Premier League Manager of the Year award.
Spurs had a terrific run in the Champions League, beating the likes of Inter and AC Milan on route to the quarter-finals, where they lost to Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid. The club missed out on qualifying for the competition last but managed to bounce back and finish 4th in 2011/12. Redknapp joined QPR in November 2012 but was unable to save the club from relegation down to the Championship, taking some time out of the game, before taking charge of Jordan in March 2016 - a post he held for just two games.