Good old, 'Arry, the man we all want to be England manager now that Fabio has been hounded out back to mediterranean shores, don't we?
This week's goings on have, to the conspiracy theorists, all been very convenient. But the football press certainly went into a frenzied overdrive, telling every reader just what they wanted - to the point where many a fan was decrying the fact that that terrible foreigner had ever taken charge in the first place.
With the press pretty much forcing the issue on this one, it is likely that Mr Redknapp will get the job - and with his very cosy relationship with the London Press, he should have plenty of room to breathe. I don't think for a moment that everyone in the country is crying out for him, but can you imagine how hard they will be on any other person who might get the job after all this?
Strange how the goalposts keep changing on all this, after the players had such a happy camper attitude under the rule of Sven and McLaren, Fabio was brought in with the edict to be a strict disciplinarian to get the squad in shape and more professional. However, as pampered "stars", they failed to respond in the correct manner and collectively spat their dummies out in the South Africa world cup.
Qualifying for both that world cup (and since, this Euro) was a breeze and the FA deemed fit to give Fabio a new contract BEFORE the world cup - in hindsight, that looks bad business, but at the time (and even now), his win rate was second to none.
Personally, I don't mind who gets the job - the press love-in with Redknapp will be farcical and pure pantomime to watch - but the FA needs to make a quick decision to give whoever gets the gig some time with the players before the Euros.
It all comes down to the players, though, doesn't it? If 'Arry can motivate them to pull their fingers out, then England may perform a little better - I'm just not sure that they do have the players, though. And is he the man to usher in a new era, or go back to old friends and family?And does he agree with John Terry not being captain? He has made great claims about how Daniel Levy and Tottenham stood behind him whilst his court case was going on - innocent until proven guilty - the FA stripped JT of the captaincy in the midst of his.
When Spain won Euro 2008, after a long time in the international wilderness, they had turned to the journeyman manager Luis Aragones. He had managed 8 clubs in Spain, some more than once, and had a poor world cup in 2006.
We all know what happened next - European Championship winners - why? Because Spain had just happened across a wonderful crop of young players. who were sweeping all aside at youth and U21 levels - it was then required for Aragones to find the formula to keep a lid on all the policital in-fighting within the Spanish team. Once won, Del Bosque took over and it was child's play to win the World Cup...you get my point.
So, he will need the players - England's new crop could be a good start. Supposedly 'Arry is a wonderful man-manager and this main strength may be what can push England forward - it will be intersting to watch how the media respond, should that not happen!
Couple of wonderful articles linked below on the subject...
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