Ex-Spurs boss Harry Redknapp: People at the top didn’t like me

Harry Redknapp has claimed people in the Tottenham hierarchy “didn’t like” him after he was sacked by the club on Thursday.

The 65-year-old’s dismissal came as a relative shock after Redknapp led Tottenham to a respectable fourth-place finish, missing out on Champions League football due to Chelsea’s victory over Bayern Munich in the final.

Redknapp replaced Juande Ramos in October 2008 and led the White Hart Lane outfit into their first-ever Champions League campaign in 2010, with Spurs reaching the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Real Madrid.

The former Portsmouth manager had a year left on his current contract but Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy decided it was a time for a change.

“I won’t slit my throat over it. I want to get on with my life instead of moping about getting the sack,” he told The Sun.

“I loved every minute of my time at Spurs and I’ve no regrets whatsoever. I don’t feel bitter, nor regretful, there’s no confusion or anger.

“When people at the top don’t like you, what can you do about it? I have to respect it. I can’t do anything about that.”

Harry Redknapp fact-file

• Redknapp started his playing career at West Ham, where his team-mates included future England World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore. A midfielder, Redknapp scored seven goals in 149 appearances before joining Bournemouth in 1972, where he also played over 100 games.

• He moved to America via Brentford in 1976, spending three years in Seattle where he also worked as assistant coach. Held the same post to Moore at non-league Oxford City and then went to Bournemouth, where he was appointed manager in late 1983. Masterminded an FA Cup shock against holders Manchester United in January 1984.

• He returned to West Ham in 1992 as assistant to Billy Bonds, whom he succeeded as manager in 1994. He gave first-team chances to the likes of Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole during his seven years in charge.

• Redknapp was appointed Portsmouth’s director of football in 2001, and stepped into the manager’s chair the following year.

• He took them into the Premier League in 2003 and, after a year in charge of local rivals Southampton, returned in December 2005, winning the FA Cup in 2008.

• Struggling Tottenham turned to Redknapp that October and he steered the team away from relegation trouble, also reaching the League Cup final.

• In 2009-10 he led the club to fourth position in the Premier League, earning a new contract until 2013.

• He led Spurs to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League in 2011-12 but the Londoners were forced to settle for a Europa League spot as a result of Chelsea’s Champions League triumph.

Open a bet365 account with £10 or more and you'll get a free bet of up to £200 on us. Click here for more information.

Like The Sport Review on Facebook:

Read more on: daniel levy, Harry Redknapp, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur.