West Ham look towards former gaffer?

There have been a few rumours circulating that Harry Redknapp could become the new West Ham manager, should current boss Sam Allardyce be sacked and Redknapp fail to gain promotion with QPR in the Championship Play-Off final.

Should the owners wish to go down this route, it would be a return to West Ham thirteen-years since he left the Upton Park hot seat for Redknapp.

On the face of it, ‘Arry might seem like a good option. He has by and large been successful in his other managerial roles since leaving the Hammers, with notable achievements including leading Portsmouth to a 6th place finish in the Premier League as well as winning the FA Cup with the South coast club, and getting Tottenham Hotspur a Champions League place, where they made the quarter finals (hard to believe now).

That being said, I would personally not particularly welcome the idea of Redknapp back at West Ham. I do not believe him to be a great fit for the club at this time. Redknapp is likely to demand a big transfer budget anywhere he goes, such as what he has received at Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers. I don’t think West Ham are in a position to offer this to him (at the moment), with the debt burden needing to be reduced before the Olympic Stadium move as well as the Financial Fair Play regulations. Whether he’d work under a limited budget is at least doubtful, and as supporters, we should perhaps be concerned at what may happen if ‘Arry was allowed to spend a lot of money.

Just look at the position Portsmouth are in now, struggling in League 2, largely caused by the frivolous money spent during Redknapps reign on the south coast. Similarly, what he has spent during his short time at QPR is likely to land the club in some real financial difficulties, particularly if they do not gain promotion this season. Of course, the chairmen of these clubs have to take a large portion of the blame for this, but Redknapp has shown in recent years that he likes a big budget and cannot be completely trusted with money (I’m only talking transfers here!). I simply do not think David Gold and David Sullivan can take such a risk at this time with West Ham.

Would Redknapp be as an effective manager even if he were to work under a constrained budget also? It has to be said that his most successful managerial spells have been when he has been able to spend big. It is noteworthy that he has suffered two relegations during his time in the Premier League, with Southampton and QPR. He also fought a few relegation battles when he was at West Ham. While he certainly did well at the Hammers in the last few years of his reign, it has to be said he was incredibly lucky to inherit so many brilliant academy players all coming through the ranks at the same time. So perhaps he is not as fantastic a manager as he is so often heralded?

In addition, were Big Sam to be shown the exit – which I am not sure would be a wise move at this time – I would like a manager brought in as a long-term replacement, who we can trust to deliver an effective job over a significant period of time. This is unlikely to be the case with Redknapp in my view. I am aware that he was manager of West Ham previously for seven years, but times have changed since then. This is a man who has always been prepared to jump ship at the first sign of trouble, and when it suits him personally.

Take the time he resigned from his Portsmouth job in 2004 and then manage their bitter rivals Southampton only a few weeks later. Only for the Saints to subsequently be relegated that campaign. Then the next season, he returned to Portsmouth again, before leading them for several successful years until the start of the 2008/2009 season. That is when he made his switch to Spurs, just as Portsmouth were about to suffer their terrible off the field troubles.

So I don’t see Harry as a long-term fix for the club. If he did well at West Ham for a season or two, for example, he may well depart if a bigger club came in for him, and leave us searching for a new manager again.

Ultimately, from having an image whilst manager at West Ham all that time ago, of being completely West Ham through and through, he has now shown to us all that he is really a mercenary, who will manage anyone under the right conditions. I can’t help feeling that too many bridges have been burnt between Redknapp and West Ham; allegations of what went on between him and club legend Billy Bonds when Redknapp first became manager, as well as the way he has tried to scupper so many West Ham transfers whilst managing Spurs and QPR, still fresh in the minds of supporters such as myself. I personally do not feel he is the answer we are looking for.