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‘We had to do the chores’ – Redknapp recalls days as boyhood Hammer

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Former West Ham United midfielder and manager has recalled his days as an apprentice at the club, saying he was often responsible for chores such as washing kit and clearing snow, but didn’t mind because he was ‘football mad’.

The revelations come in Redknapp’s book – A Man Walked On To A Pitch – in which the now Birmingham City boss touched upon his fond memories as a boy at the former Upton Park.

“As apprentice professionals we had to do the chores,’ Redknapp said. “We trained in the morning and then returned to Upton Park to get the first-team kit ready for the next day.

“The laundry would stink with sweat or be caked in dry mud, but you had to make sure it was washed, dried and rolled up ready for use. After that, we were free, but we were all young and football mad and would often go on to the forecourt for a kickabout.”

Redknapp was part of a hugely successful youth team at West Ham, and Redknapp believes the current crop of youngsters – not just as West Ham – have life very easy to how did in his formative years.

:These days, if a training pitch isn’t like Wembley, the players complain,” he said.

“Modern players moan about everything. They’ll walk into a room with £200,000 of equipment and find some fault to pick at — no bananas in the fruit bowl or the temperature isn’t right.”

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