Tottenham boss woke up facing threat of jail and went to bed with keys to England manager’s office
HARRY REDKNAPP has enjoyed some fine days in his career, not least an FA Cup triumph with Portsmouth and leading Tottenham into the Champions League for the first time.
But yesterday must go down as the most dizzyingly successful 24 hours of his life, such was the seismic shift in his fortunes.
He began the day facing the prospect of a criminal conviction, untold damage to his reputation and the possibility of a prison sentence.
By the time he went to bed, he had been unanimously cleared of wrongdoing and effectively handed the keys to the England manager’s office.
Because now it is surely only a matter of time before he succeeds Fabio Capello, who unexpectedly resigned last night.
Redknapp is the pundits’ choice, liked by the players and unquestionably the bookmakers’ favourite.
He is also hugely popular with the public. The rapturous applause that greeted Redknapp’s emergence from court yesterday illustrated as much.
Already a well-liked figure, his victory over HM Revenue and Customs and Canada Police has only cemented his status as football’s folk hero.
Far from harming his standing, the long-running trial and all its cartoonish details appear to have made him even more popular in the public’s eyes.
Defeat in the courtroom would have wrecked his shot at a job he has admitted he would like. Victory, and all that followed it, looks like his biggest result yet.
Frank Dalleres is City PM sports editor