Monday 9 August 2010

Harry Redknapp is not the brightest

I happened to stumble upon this in the papers today:

'It's unusual that players not in their club's team are in the England squad...... Wilshere is a good prospect but I thought England were supposed to be better than than any club side. Maybe Arsenal are better than England.'

I have highlighted the particularly stupid bit. Individually and collectively the best club sides are far far better than the England side, this has been the case for many years. In fact even though we have been slightly off the pace in Premier League terms for the last three years, I would argue that our side is still way stronger than the current England team.

Many of our players would walk into the England squad. Other than centre backs and Rooney, there are very few England players who would get anyway near the Arsenal first eleven. Chelsea and Manu are stronger than us, so the same points hold even more strongly for them.

Wilshere hasn't played many games, but he is being included because of the form he has shown for Bolton last season and for us in pre season. Given the shortage of midfielders with any creativity in the England squad, it seems wise to get Wilshere involved early. I wonder which other midfielders Harry feels deserve a place in the squad more? It is pretty poor that the media allows Redknapp to have little petty digs like this, especially when his comments are so poorly thought through like this.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

You having a laugh. David James is better than our keepers, Cole is mile better than Clichy, never mind both centre backs, all the midfielders destroy ours bar Fabregas and Rooney up front is much more prolific than Van Persie. I don't know whose views are more stupid, yours or Redknapp.

Anonymous said...

The media have always had a Spurs bias and it's no surprise that they are jumping on the Tottenham bandwagon and fawning at Messiah Arry's feet. If and when it goes wrong for Capello he will be touted for the England job and two years later will be hounded out when the international scene goes pear shaped again.

Anonymous said...

My mum could walk into the England side. Mind you she could also walk into the Arsenal side to replace Almunia or ~Fabianski

Anonymous said...

I think Harry's just a little upset that the 5 spuds who travelled to south Africa where by enlarge shown up as mugs.

Anonymous said...

You imbecile.

Anonymous said...

i dont think arsenal would have struggled against slovenia! Redknapp is full of it he is just trying to be the big patriot-maybe it will help him when they finally arrest and charge him. germany changed their attitude-it helped them improve their football, in the past france, brazil and others have prospered. the best players are not always plastered in the sun or mirror newspaper. gilberto silva is a world champion-who had heard of him before that? arsenal are a team, may not be the best but def better than england. national game has declined in last 20 years way below champs lg standard.

Anonymous said...

Twitchy is just angry cos the yidiots have only got 1 player in the squad.

Anonymous said...

Idiotic article from yet another Gooner worried about Tottenham. Get a grip and focus on your own problems, of which there are plenty. I'll get the ball rolling...flappy-hand-ski. Enjoy.

1979gooner said...

I agree.

Redknapp tries to be popular by being the patriot.

first Anonymous, if you bother to read what I wrote I said England squad!

Sagna, Clichy, Vermaelen, Nasri, Song, Arshavin, RVP, Chamakh, Cesc, Diaby would all walk into the England squad plus there are quite a few others who would be close.

1979gooner said...

I have noted a few rather rude obnoxious replies which haven't even bothered to debate the questions in point, are you so wrong that you don't want to engage?

Does anyone out there genuinely think that the International sides are better than the best club sides?

Anonymous said...

People are forgetting that England didn't perform badly because they have bad players, but because they didn't play like a team. On that basis, then yes, most top teams in England would probably beat the national side...

Anonymous said...

Ok lets break it down based on the current squads

Goalkeepers
Hart> Almunia/Fab/Mannone/Chesney

Defence
Sagna Dawson Vermalen Cole

Midfield
Song Fabregas Gerrard

Forwards
Van Persie Rooney Arshavin


England 5
Arsenal 6

Anonymous said...

Its hard to compare Arsenal with England, you cant easily compare a club team with an international really. Player for player there's too much room for argument, u could compare them (England) to any team in the world, and match the best, but Arsenal are simply gelled together in a way England could never fathom, nurtured from boys to men together as a group potential world-beaters!!

Anonymous said...

i must say that people are living in the past-it is no coincidence that england hasnt won anything since 66-the last good team was 1990 with waddle, pearce, and des walker. media big up the england cause and the boys club(twitch) come out as the good old english warriors. as i said massive decline in quality not just england either-everyone wants to blame capello, all of a sudden bcos england is so special he is a rubbish coach! no he aint. brian clough couldnt do the job bcos the f.a like to pick the team-like sven capello took the deal to be the scapegoat if and when it cocks up. all political-i like the look of the new eng squad-why was darren bent left at home!!? anyway arsenal would destroy england in a 1 on 1 as would aston villa or everton.

Anonymous said...

flappy hand ski is quite funny-its no secret we need a goalie-the difference is if we did have better players we would pick them!!!not leave them at home bcos they dont go out with myleen klass or have a column in the sun!!

Anonymous said...

You're missing Harry's point. He's saying that there's players in the squad who can't even get into the Arsenal team. It's quite shameful that an England manager picks players that can't get into their club team. He's also not doing your kids any favours by thursting them into the spotlight to appease calls to freshen up the squad. Players like Scott Parker deserve a chance not Gibbs and Whilshere who would be better served under the guidance of their club manager who will protect them from the crap that comes with being an England player.

1979gooner said...

anon,

no I'm not.

Players like Wilshere and Gibbs are pushing hard at Arsenal and are worthy of their England places.

The point is that the Arsenal squad and top club squads are better than the England squad, so some fringe players at big clubs can make the England squad.

Anonymous said...

i agree mate scotty p could do a job-but-just bcos wilshire etc dont get picked it dont mean they cant perform at that level-the level aint that high!!they are big lads they will be fine.

Anonymous said...

Harry talks alot to the media but you guys most admit that Arsene is other end of the specturm. His transfer business, tactics and comments are becoming odder by each passing season. Harry's a confident man who states his opinions and we can judge him on those. As a fan, I would rather that than being shown no respect at all by being constantly alientated by the manager.

I only see an Accountant when i see Wenger these days. He's lost touch with reality. His recipe for success has failed but he is too stubborn to change. Only at Arsenal would he maintain a job at a top club as no other would accept this much time not achieving any silverware nor progression really.

dan said...

What value is there in picking a Parker or other comparable players when they're 30+. The euros are in 2 years and World cup in 4, Parker won't make those squad's so why bother using them now.

I'm suprised M Richards isn't in the squad, especially given Brown was picked over him. Seems weird.

In regard to Redknapp- He's just pissy cos the spuds have only 1 player in the squad and he likes to be portrayed as a patriot and our saviour. Anyone hear him announcing that he allowed 4 young spuds to play for the england u19 (cant remember the age group) in the summer. Who cares? He just wanted everyone to see that tott had 4 players. Every word that comes out of his mouth is about attention.
Why he felt the need to try and belittle a talented teenager like Wilshere just because he plays for his rivals somes the man up.
In case nobody knew, Tottenham had 2 points from 8 games when he took over. If you forgot that, he'll be telling everyone in his next press conference, where he also tells a funny story about this scummy foreigner he once managed and telling the world he would like to sign player X, Y, Z, Q, M, T et al....

Anonymous said...

"they are big lads they will be fine."

Did you think that of Walcott as well?

You call England's level low but Harry doesn't see that way and neither do I. England possesses some really top players, who consistently outperform foreign counterparts at PL level, but have been undermined by a clueless manager.

Whilshere and Gibbs are good players but they should not be classed at England's level yet. It's a sad case when players get recognised for a couple of good shows at pre-season. Whilshere did OK at Bolton but he didn't perform at the level the media are putting him as. By the time England have finished with him he will be physically and mentally blown out. Picking up injuries every other month and getting booed by fans for not fulfilling the expectations they set on the lad.

Anonymous said...

ok i must jump to le boss's defense. arsenal have always tried to conduct these things with class even before wenger came. i would love to know more bout the dealings but thats hoe they as a business conduct. harry is a wheeler dealer with endless jewish cash to play with-he dont care if spurs go bust so his ethics wont be as tight-thats not a dig mate-just how i see it. weng aint detached from reality he is the opposite-as fans we want quick solutions. yes he hsa made mistakes and 5 years is way too long by HIS own standards-i believe we need 3 signings-he has proved me wrong many times so lets wait and see.

Anonymous said...

I think you guys are getting a little touchy as his comments has nothing to do with Arsenal or Tottenham but are motivated by his love for his country. What the hell is wrong with that? He's English, he gets asked about England, he answers the question.

Arsene Wenger is qouted all the time talking about the French team. Hell he even offers an opinion on the English national side even though he's barely done anything for it in the past 14 years. I bet French fans get peeved with him. Someone who went to another country yet yaps all the time about french affairs.

You guys just want any excuse these days to belittle Tottenham. In my 20 years of supporting spurs never has there been more opinions offered by Arsenal fans on what our clubs does then now. It's just a sign you guys are getting worried. Let it go.

Anonymous said...

yes they will be fine-where are they going iraq???

its football not the running man with arnie swartz-look at germany side in the world cup-young and fresh. lampard and co must know they cant celeb their way in2 squad-they are good players but its a team thing-try these guys out 4 a bit-a few games, if they are crap so be it but better to try sumthing i think.

Anonymous said...

"harry is a wheeler dealer with endless jewish cash to play with-he dont care if spurs go bust so his ethics wont be as tight-thats not a dig mate-just how i see it"

Disgraceful comment. Endless Jewish cash? What on earth has that got to do with it? We are funded by an Englishmen (joe lewis and daniel levy).

You are funding by Russians and Americans.

Neither club has endless cash either. Both are amongst best run clubs in the league. Harry invests what Levy gives him. As a season ticket holder, that's exactly what I want my money spent on. Players. Levy holds the purse strings and Arsenal fans expectation that Harry is going to bankrupt us is very misguided and laughable really as it shows your envy to the level of ambition our club demonstrates in terms of transfer funds.

Anonymous said...

far from it mate-spurs have a very good side, a strong squad-im not a gooner who wont give credit. harry is about attention-like his son, they are media pigs. why wont he be england manager?bcos he is as dodgy as roy jones jr in his prime. its not wengers job to help national squads.its all about foreigners-he is one of these nationalists-there is nothing wrong with loving your country-but before that you love mankind. who cares if england have foreign coaches-i dont care where my boss is from. harry comes out with the drivel for the sun newspaper and sky-that way he can fend of the autorities, the moment he steps outta line the will be at his house with a warrant to take his hard drive! watch this space.

Anonymous said...

i dont mean anything by the fact they are funded by jews-they are mate, simple i have nothing against anyone so if i have offended i am sorry ok.

the point is he has cash to play with, he will just act like so and so's wages are too high-spurs spend more than arsenal-dont they?

Anonymous said...

I can dig up qoutes about Arsene talking about France but I will trust you guys know they exist.

Harry gets asked about England all the time. You know why? Because the media and the general public want him as manager.

He does media stuff England yes. But excuse me if I am mistaken but where as Mr Wenger during the WC (sure as hell wasn't signing a GK)? He was out for france channel plus or something. Something he does every major championship. Also he uses Arsenal.com as a vechile to give his opinion on just about every country at the WC. Harry gets paid for it, that's the only difference.

Also the brown evenlopes stuff is all media stuff at the moment. Let's wait till he's be found guilty before passing judgement. In the meantime the difference between Harry and Arsene, appears not as vast as you think.

Unknown said...

You're all missing the point as is Floppy Chops, the reason the majority of this squad new new 'younger' faces is because Fabio Capello wants to see them in training for himself first hand to evaluate them. That way he can make a much more informed decision on which way to take England over the next 2-4 years.

Anyone remember Capello calling up Ledley King to a squad to evaluate his fitness for himself (only for Floppy Chops to fly off the handle and grab the smelly end of the stick) then on assessing his fitness Capello found for himself Ledley wasn't fit and sent him home.

This is just the first step of many towards hopefully a new look England team and set up for the future..

Anonymous said...

People cite the problems at Southampton, Bournemouth, West Ham and Pompey and tag it to Harry.

First of all the problem with Bournemouth occured way after his time. He was their most successful manager and they love him there.

West ham's problems occured when they bought out by icelandic bankers who's market crashed.

Southampton, like all clubs, hit some financial difficulty because they went down. Ask any saints fan and they blame rupert lowe not Harry.

So we are left with Pompey which was quite obviously bought out by a billionaire, Gayadmak, and who funded the club like Abramovich does for Chelsea but went bust. Harry spent the money he was given, had he not of, Pompey would never have achieved anything. Indeed, his astute purchases gained much needed profits (one being Diarra from Arsene I believe).

Arsenal fans have a manager with an Ecomomics degree who runs the club like an Accountant. However, all other clubs are managed by football people without such a qualification. Therefore, it is the role of the chairman and is CFO to run the clubs finances. Criticising Harry for financial issues is not really an issue at spurs. We are run successfully. It's not really an insult that applies to spurs and embarrasses Arsenal fans to think otherwise.

Anonymous said...

it is no coincidence that this man leaves carnage behind him. anyway im not debating harry anymore im feeling sick. lets see what this england team can do like the guy/gal above said we are missing the point.

Anonymous said...

Also to the guy who said that playing for England would not harm these young lads Arsenal careers.

Read this

http://younggunsblog.co.uk/2010/08/capello-suggests-gibbs-wilshere-should-leave-arsenal/?

And so it begins. The media spin that will do your lads no favours. It's worse than Iraq! Trust me they took Aaron Lennon who was in blistering form for us, shattered is confidence and he's comeback showing indifferent form for us in pre-season. Bale on the other hand was spared that crap and he looks like a world beater.

Anonymous said...

Anyways, i'll leave you guys with that.

In all fairness, it's nice to come across some well mannered group of fans. Good luck for the season ahead (relatively speaking of course).

Anonymous said...

From their deluded fans to the criminal that happens to be their manager, the spuds obsession with everything Arsenal speaks louder than words.

Anonymous said...

Yet another Arsenal blog focussed on spurs.

No need for the louder than words cliche.

The proof is in the countless Arsenal forum articles based on our club.

Uncle Mike said...

Harry is not too bright? In other words, dog bites man, John Terry is a chav, Wayne Rooney dives and Sam Allardyce is a fat dirty bastard.

You know how many Spurs it takes to change a light bulb? Only one, but it will be a very dim bulb.

My eyes still hurt from seeing Harry wearing shorts on the sideline at the New York Football Challenge. And the stadium still stinks from the presence of 2,000 Spurs mugs. (That's mugs -- not cups, they don't win those.) At least I got to tell them what I thought of them, to their ugly faces.

1979gooner said...

a lot of spuds leaving derogatory comments without even looking at the points made

redknapp said england are better than a top club side

this is bullsh*t

the top club sides are better than england

redknapp likes to butter people up and does like to jump on the bandwagons when it is convenient

there isn't much logic to what he says, maybe he's just jealous that Arsenal are producing young players and spurs aren't

Anonymous said...

AW was on TF1 - the main French free to air TV channel - during the wc, he is the consultant on the big games, ie the French "carry on team" and Brasil. TF1 is cr*p - jingoistic and real dumbing down - but aw always worth listening to. This summer he likened coaching football teams to being like a chef. Club coaches have 12 months to concoct the perfect recipe, international coaches get 1 month to throw it all together and make something good. International football doesn't come up to the standard of the Champion's league. Harry Redknapp is way more intelligent than that remark - he knows how to get under your skin, that's for sure and also what reads well in the popular press.

Don't know why you bother reacting, you should be out hunting for a goalie 'cos otherwise Cesc is going to change his mind come xmas time and not come back from his holidays for winter term in prof Wenger's never ending football Hogwarts.

yukitien said...

the best players are not always plastered in the sun or mirror newspaper....hehe