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Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and player. He has previously managed
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
,
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
,
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
,
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
, Tottenham Hotspur,
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
and
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
. In his second spell at Portsmouth, he managed the side that won the 2008 FA Cup. At the conclusion of the 2009–10 season, he guided Tottenham into the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
. Redknapp announced his retirement from football management in 2017. His son, Jamie Redknapp, played under him at Bournemouth and Southampton. He is also uncle to
Frank Lampard Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of English club Coventry City. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, one of Chelsea's greates ...
, who played under him at West Ham United.


Early life

Redknapp was born in Poplar, London, the only child of Henry Joseph William Redknapp (1922–1996) and Violet May Brown (1924–2001). At age eleven, while Redknapp was playing for East London Schools football, he was spotted by Dickie Walker, a Tottenham Hotspur scout. From there, Redknapp grew in the Tottenham youth ranks playing at
Cheshunt Cheshunt (/ˈtʃɛzənt/ CHEZ-ənt) is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, situated within the London commuter belt approximately north of Central London. The town lies on the River Lea and Lee Navigation, bordering th ...
, meeting the likes of Bill Nicholson, Dave Mackay and Danny Blanchflower. At age 15, Redknapp moved to
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
and played alongside
Bobby Moore Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore (12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993) was an English professional footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA ...
. In a 2008 interview, Redknapp stated as part of a tribute to Tom Finney, "I was a big
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
fan as a kid and I remember seeing him play against
Tommy Docherty Thomas Henderson Docherty (24 April 1928 – 31 December 2020), commonly known as The Doc, was a Scottish football player and manager. Docherty played for several clubs, most notably Preston North End, and represented Scotland 25 times bet ...
one night." After being appointed Tottenham manager later in 2008, Redknapp stressed his Tottenham connections as well, stating:


Club career


West Ham United

During his playing career, Redknapp played as a midfielder. He began his career with Tottenham Hotspur, playing for the youth team until he was 15 years old, when he moved to West Ham United. He first broke into the first team at West Ham in the 1965–66 season, making seven appearances and scoring one goal. He made his debut for West Ham in a 1–1 draw at home to
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
on 23 August 1965. His first goal came in a 4–1 away win over Tottenham on 8 April 1966. Redknapp made his first start of the 1966–67 season, and scored his second goal for the club, on 3 December 1966 in a 3–0 win over
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
. Redknapp made 12 League appearances scoring once during his second season. During the 1967–68 season, he made 28 League appearances and scored twice, the first in a 4–2 home win over
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
on 21 August 1967 and the second in a 5–1 away win over Sunderland on 6 September 1967. During the 1968–69 season, Redknapp made 42 appearances and scored three times, with 36 appearances coming in the league (along with two goals), three in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
appearances and three in the League Cup (along with one goal). His first league goal of the season came in a 4–0 win over West Brom on 31 August 1968, while the next came in a match in the League Cup against
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
, which West Ham won 4–0. Redknapp received a red card in a 2–0 away defeat at
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
on 12 October 1968. He had been booked for fouling
Billy Bremner William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional Association football, footballer who played for Leeds United F.C., Leeds United, Hull City A.F.C., Hull City, and the Scotland national football team, Scot ...
and was dismissed by the referee for dissent. His third goal of the season came in a 4–3 win over
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
on 2 November 1968. Redknapp made his first appearance of the 1969–70 season on 9 August 1969 in a 1–0 home win over
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
, while his first goal of the season came in a 3–0 home win over
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
on 2 September 1969. Redknapp made 26 total appearances and scored one goal; 23 of his appearances came in the league. During the 1970–71 season, Redknapp made 21 league appearances with one more coming in the League Cup. He then made a further 35 appearances during the 1971–72 season with 22 of them coming in the league. This would be his last season at the club before he moved to
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
for the 1972–73 season. He made 175 total appearances in both league and cup action for West Ham, scoring eight times over seven seasons.


AFC Bournemouth

Redknapp joined Division 3 Bournemouth in 1972 from West Ham. He spent four seasons with the south coast side between 1972 and 1976. In the 1972–73 season, Redknapp made 37 appearances with 34 of them coming in the league scoring once in the league and Bournemouth finished seventh in the league. He made a further 46 appearances scoring five times during the 1973–74 season with 39 appearances in the league. Redknapp made 19 (all league) appearances during the 1974–75 season as Bournemouth were relegated to the Fourth Division. In 1975–76, he only managed nine appearances. At the end of the 1975–76 season, he moved to then Fourth Division side
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
, where he made one appearance during the 1976–77 season.


Seattle Sounders

In 1976, Redknapp joined North American Soccer League (NASL) club Seattle Sounders as a player-coach. He made 15 appearances during the 1976 season as they reached the playoffs after finishing second in the Pacific Conference, Western Division, before losing to the
Minnesota Kicks The Minnesota Kicks was a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League (1968–84), No ...
in the Division Championship. Before returning to Seattle, he appeared briefly for AP Leamington in the Southern League Premier Division. Redknapp then made five appearances during the 1977 season as they finished third in the Pacific Conference, Western Division, before losing out in Soccer Bowl '77 to
Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...
's
New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Indepen ...
, 2–1. Redknapp went on to make three appearances in the 1978 season and just the one in the 1979 season, before joining up with old teammate and 1966 World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore. In 1980, he was contracted to play with ASL expansion team the Phoenix Fire, but the team folded in pre-season.


International career

Redknapp represented England at youth level when he was 17. He was in the side that won the 1964 UEFA European Under-18 Championship after defeating Spain 4–0 in the final.


Management and coaching career


Seattle Sounders and Oxford City

Redknapp began his management career as player-assistant manager of NASL club Seattle Sounders from 1976 to 1979 under Jimmy Gabriel. During his time with Seattle, Redknapp made 24 appearances, helping the side to second place in the Pacific Conference, Western Division, in his first season as player-coach, and then to third place in the Pacific Conference, Western Division, for the 1977 season, taking them to the final of the
Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League (NASL), which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's ...
, before losing to Pelé's New York Cosmos. During the 1978 season, Redknapp helped Seattle to a third-place finish in the National Conference, Western Division, before they lost in the first round of the playoffs, again to the New York Cosmos. In his final year in Seattle, he helped them to another third-place finish in the National Conference, Western Division, but this time they failed to qualify for the playoffs. Redknapp then assisted his former West Ham teammate Bobby Moore at
Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...
club Oxford City.


AFC Bournemouth

At the beginning of the 1982–83 season, Redknapp took up his first major coaching role as assistant manager to David Webb at Bournemouth, six years after leaving the club as a player. Redknapp applied for the manager's job when Webb moved to
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
partway through that season, but was overlooked in favour of Don Megson. Megson was sacked in late 1983 as Bournemouth were in the Third Division relegation places, and Redknapp was hired as his replacement in October 1983. In his first season at the helm, Redknapp helped Bournemouth avoid relegation to the Fourth Division. Bournemouth also caused a shock in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
when they defeated holders
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
2–0 in the third round. He led Bournemouth to victory in the inaugural Associate Members' Cup by beating Hull City in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
. Bournemouth won the Third Division title in
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
with 97 points, breaking the club's record for the most points accumulated in a season. After two years at this level, Bournemouth were relegated at the end of their third season. Bournemouth were in 13th position on 3 March, but injuries which depleted the squad, combined with a catastrophic loss of form, meant they won only one more match that season, and were relegated on 5 May after a 1–0 defeat at Dean Court against Leeds United.


Road accident

In June 1990, while in Italy to watch the
1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second ...
, Redknapp was involved in a road accident along with Michael Sinclair, the chairman of York City, Fred Whitehouse, the chairman of Aston Villa, and Bournemouth's managing director, Brian Tiler. Travelling through Latina, south of
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, at night, their chauffeur-driven minibus was in a head-on collision with a car containing three Italian soldiers. The minibus was flipped onto its roof and skidded 50 yards along the road. Sitting in the seat where Redknapp had usually sat during the trip, Tiler was killed, as were the three occupants of the other vehicle. Redknapp was doused in petrol and pulled clear of the accident by Sinclair. Redknapp suffered a fractured skull, a broken nose, cracked ribs and a gash in his left leg. Ambulance services arriving at the scene believed him dead and placed a blanket over his head. Unconscious for two days, Redknapp was flown home two weeks later in a special air ambulance paid for by Bournemouth. Though he made a full recovery, apart from losing his sense of smell and gaining a facial tic, he eventually quit Bournemouth at the end of the 1991–92 season.


West Ham United

For the next season, Redknapp was appointed assistant manager to Billy Bonds at West Ham, another of his former clubs. However, in August 1994, the club
board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
opted to turn control of the team over to Redknapp and move Bonds into an administrative role. Bonds eventually resigned outright from the club, leaving Redknapp solely in charge. Just months before being promoted to the manager's seat at Upton Park, Redknapp was linked with the managerial vacancy at
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
after the departure of previous manager Ian Branfoot, but the job went to Alan Ball instead. Redknapp helped to establish the club in the
FA Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football ...
and introduced a number of young players from the club's
academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
, including
Michael Carrick Michael Carrick (born 28 July 1981) is an English professional Association football, football coach and former player who was most recently the head coach of club Middlesbrough F.C., Middlesbrough. He is considered as one of the best midfield ...
, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand and
Frank Lampard Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of English club Coventry City. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, one of Chelsea's greates ...
. The signings of Stuart Pearce,
Paolo Di Canio Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made over 500 league appearances and scored over one hundred goals as a Forward (association football), forward. He primari ...
and Trevor Sinclair helped them re-establish their careers having been signed by Redknapp. He also made mistakes in the transfer market, particularly with overseas players, including
Marco Boogers Marco Boogers (born 12 January 1967) is a Dutch former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Boogers spent almost all of his career in the Netherlands, apart from an ill-fated spe ...
, Florin Raducioiu and Paulo Futre. Nevertheless, West Ham finished in eighth position in 1998 and fifth in 1999, which saw them qualify for the
UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
in what was their second-best ever season in the top division. In the 1999–2000 season, West Ham won the Intertoto Cup and qualified for the
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
but failed to match their performances in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. Redknapp left West Ham on 9 May 2001, one match before the end of the 2000–01 season. For some time, it was unconfirmed whether he resigned or was sacked but Redknapp shed new light on the true circumstances in October 2007:


Portsmouth

Redknapp became
director of football A sporting director, or director of sport, is an senior management, executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many typ ...
for
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
in 2001, and when the Leicester City manager's job became vacant with the dismissal of Peter Taylor that autumn, Redknapp was widely tipped to take over at the
East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...
club, but stayed loyal to ''Pompey'', with the Leicester job going to Dave Bassett. It was reported in the national media that had Redknapp taken over, Bassett would have been on his coaching staff at the
East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (except for North Lincolnshire and North East ...
club. However, after the club's poor form, he replaced manager Graham Rix in March 2002. Redknapp managed the club to the Division One title in the 2002–03 season, gaining promotion to the Premier League, replacing his former club West Ham. Redknapp kept Portsmouth in the Premier League in the 2003–04 season, but had a dispute with Portsmouth owner Milan Mandarić over his assistant Jim Smith. Redknapp had another disagreement with Mandarić over the appointment of
Velimir Zajec Velimir Zajec (born 12 February 1956) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is the current president of Dinamo Zagreb. Club career Zajec began his career at Dinamo Zagreb in 1974, aged 18. In ten years at the c ...
as director of football and resigned as manager in November 2004.


Southampton

A few weeks after his departure at Portsmouth, Redknapp became manager of Southampton, a move which infuriated Portsmouth's supporters, as the two clubs are fierce local rivals. Some fans even bore T-shirts which referred to Redknapp as "Scummer" and "Judas" and called for him to "Rot in Hell". Redknapp was tasked with keeping Southampton in the Premier League – a similar task to the one Redknapp was facing with Portsmouth, and a familiar one at the club over the previous 15 years, which he would have faced had he accepted the offer to take over a decade earlier – but ultimately was unable to achieve this, ending Southampton's 27-year spell in the top flight. Redknapp remained in charge for the 2005–06 Championship season but was unable to establish consistency needed to make Southampton promotion contenders. Redknapp was also unhappy with chairman Rupert Lowe's appointment of
Clive Woodward Sir Clive Ronald Woodward (born 6 January 1956) is an English former rugby union player and coach (sport), coach. He was coach of the team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He also coached the 2005 Britis ...
to the club's coaching staff. After being repeatedly linked with a return to Portsmouth after they sacked Alain Perrin, Redknapp resigned as Southampton's manager in early December 2005. Lowe quoted Redknapp as referring to Portsmouth as his "spiritual home".


Return to Portsmouth

Redknapp returned to Portsmouth on 7 December 2005 with the club threatened by relegation to the Championship, although not in the relegation zone. At first it looked like Redknapp would be heading for a second successive relegation, but a fine run of form at the end of the season, aided by the takeover of Portsmouth by Alexandre Gaydamak (which provided Redknapp with more money), ensured Portsmouth's survival. In the following season, Redknapp led Portsmouth to a ninth-placed finish which was the club's highest league finish since the 1950s. In October 2007, Redknapp signed a new contract at Portsmouth lasting until 2011. In January 2008, it emerged through the media that Redknapp was offered the vacant manager's job at
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
following the sacking of Sam Allardyce. Redknapp had apparently declined the job, stating, "I have a job to do to take this club forward and to walk away would not have been the right thing to do." It was later stated by Newcastle chairman Christopher Mort that Redknapp "was interviewed for the job but he was only one of a number of people we were speaking to at that time", and at the time of Redknapp's interview the club had already been in secret talks with the eventual appointee,
Kevin Keegan Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. Nicknamed "King Kev" or "Mighty Mouse", Keegan was recognised for his dribbling ability, as well as his finishing and presence in the air, and is regard ...
, for a week. On 8 March 2008, Redknapp led Portsmouth to an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
quarter-final victory over Manchester United, completing a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
of FA Cup wins over Manchester United, and followed this with a semi-final victory over West Bromwich Albion at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
on 5 April. He guided the club to their first
FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official attendance of 89,472 ...
in 69 years, where they defeated Cardiff City on 17 May 2008 to win The FA Cup 1–0, thanks to a goal scored by Nwankwo Kanu. He was the last English manager to win a major English trophy until
Eddie Howe Edward John Frank Howe (born 29 November 1977) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Premier League club Newcastle United. A centre-back during his playing career, Howe spent most of his playing ...
of Newcastle United won the
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
in
2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
. Redknapp returned to Portsmouth to receive the Freedom of the City in a ceremony on 28 October 2008. As this event took place two days after his departure for Tottenham Hotspur, he received a mixed reception from the Portsmouth fans, despite having led the club to a long-awaited trophy in the 2008 FA Cup.


Tottenham Hotspur

In October 2008, following the sacking of Juande Ramos by Tottenham Hotspur, the club announced Redknapp had agreed to take over as the new manager at Spurs, the club where he began his playing career. Tottenham paid £5 million in compensation to Portsmouth for releasing Redknapp. Spurs had secured only two points from the first eight matches of the season prior to Redknapp's arrival and lay bottom of the Premier League table, but in his first two weeks in charge, he took the club out of the relegation zone, winning 10 out of the 12 points available after wins against Bolton Wanderers,
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, as well as a remarkable 4–4 draw against North London rivals Arsenal. In January 2009, Redknapp signed five new players in order to add quality and much-needed depth to his squad. He brought back Jermain Defoe from his old club Portsmouth for £15.75 million and Honduran midfielder Wilson Palacios from
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
for £12 million. Long-serving Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini also joined on a free transfer; former Spurs player Pascal Chimbonda returned to
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
from Sunderland for a fee in the region of £3 million; and Robbie Keane, who like Chimbonda and Defoe had only left Spurs within the last year, re-joined after an unsuccessful spell at Liverpool for an initial fee of £12 million. In the second half of the season, Spurs gradually moved up the league table after a significant improvement in form. In March 2009, Redknapp led Spurs to the League Cup final, which they lost on penalties to Manchester United. Spurs eventually finished in eighth position with 51 points, narrowly missing out on a
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
place. Redknapp made significant alterations to the squad in the summer of 2009. Striker Darren Bent was sold to Sunderland for an initial fee of £10 million, while midfielder Didier Zokora departed for Sevilla for £7.75 million. Both England international striker
Peter Crouch Peter James Crouch (born 30 January 1981) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. He was Cap (sport), capped 42 times by the England national football t ...
and Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjčar arrived from Portsmouth for £9 million and £2 million respectively along with defender Sébastien Bassong from Newcastle United for £8 million. In 2009–10, his first full campaign with the club, Redknapp guided Spurs to one of their most successful Premier League campaigns to date. Beginning with four consecutive wins, Spurs went on to finish in fourth place with 70 points, therefore gaining the chance to qualify for the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
via a play-off. As a result of his efforts, he won the Premier League Manager of the Year award, only the second manager to do so in a season when his side did not win the title. On 13 July 2010, it was confirmed Spurs had extended Redknapp's contract until the end of the 2013 season. On 25 August 2010, Spurs confirmed their position in the Champions League group stage by overturning a first-leg deficit to defeat Swiss team Young Boys at White Hart Lane in the Champions League
play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...
. After a surprising run to the quarter-finals, Spurs were eliminated in April 2011, after a 5–0 aggregate defeat to
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
. Spurs ended the Premier League season in fifth position with 62 points. Although not enough to secure a second year of Champions League football, this finish instead meant that Redknapp's Spurs qualified for the Europa League. In the 2011–12 season, Redknapp signed 40-year-old goalkeeper Brad Friedel after his contract expired with Aston Villa. He also made a season-long loan move for Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor. On transfer deadline day, he signed English midfielder Scott Parker for an undisclosed fee from West Ham. Redknapp then went on to win the
Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...
award for September and November. Despite leading Tottenham to their second fourth-placed finish in three years, and missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification only due to Chelsea winning the competition, Redknapp was sacked by Tottenham on 13 June 2012, after reportedly failing to agree terms on a new contract.


Queens Park Rangers

On 24 November 2012, Redknapp, who had been working at former club Bournemouth in an advisory role, was appointed as manager of Queens Park Rangers, taking over from
Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United. During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...
, whose contract was terminated the previous day. QPR were bottom with only four points from 12 matches. His first match in charge of QPR came on 27 November, a 0–0 draw away to Sunderland. Redknapp earned his first win as QPR manager, and the club's first Premier League victory of the 2012–13 season, on 15 December after defeating
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
2–1 at
Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
. On 2 January 2013, Redknapp led QPR to a 1–0 victory away from home against reigning European champions Chelsea. This was QPR's first away win in the Premier League since November 2011 and their first top flight victory at Stamford Bridge since March 1979. His first match against Tottenham since being sacked by the North London club came on 12 January 2013, with Redknapp leading QPR to a 0–0 draw at Loftus Road. On 28 April 2013, after a 0–0 draw against fellow relegation rivals
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
, and with three matches of the season to play, QPR were relegated from the Premier League to the Championship after two seasons in the top flight. After a single season in the Championship, Redknapp managed QPR to a 1–0 victory in the Play-off Final against Derby County on 24 May 2014 at Wembley Stadium, returning the club to the Premier League. On 3 February 2015, Redknapp resigned as manager of QPR. With an imminent knee operation, Redknapp said that he could not give 100% to the job and that it would be better for someone else to take over as manager. Les Ferdinand and Chris Ramsey were placed in temporary charge. In April 2015, Redknapp expanded on his reasons for leaving QPR, stating he had also left the club because he "no longer knew who was on my side". At his time of departure, QPR were in second-last position in the Premier League with 19 points from 23 matches and a record zero points from away matches.


Jordan

In March 2016, Redknapp was appointed manager of the Jordan national team alongside his former assistant, Kevin Bond, for the country's next two qualifying matches for the
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...
. Redknapp's first match as Jordan manager, on 24 March, ended in an 8–0 win over
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
. This was followed by a 5–1 defeat to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.


Birmingham City and retirement

On 18 April 2017, Redknapp was announced as the manager of
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
until the end of the season after the resignation of
Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football executive, Manager (association football), manager, and former Association football, footballer who played predominantly as a Forward (association football), forward. He is currently v ...
. His first match in charge was a 1–0 loss to local rivals Aston Villa. The final two matches of the season saw Redknapp's team beat
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
2–0, followed by a 1–0 away win at Bristol City, allowing Birmingham to escape any threat of relegation. In May 2017, Redknapp signed a one-year deal to continue as Birmingham manager for another season. Kevin Bond was reunited with Redknapp as assistant manager, replacing the outgoing Steve Cotterill. His first signings were David Stockdale, Marc Roberts and Cheikh N'Doye. On 16 September 2017, after five straight league defeats that left the team second bottom in the table, a statement from Birmingham City said the club were "left with no choice but to terminate the contract of the manager with immediate effect". After his sacking, Redknapp said that there was "every chance" his role as Birmingham manager would be his last managerial job. A month later, Redknapp confirmed his retirement from management after 34 years in the dugout. On 16 February 2023, Redknapp revealed he would be interested in a return to club management via
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
after the dismissal of Jesse Marsch. On 21 February 2023, Leeds appointed Javi Gracia, putting an end to the Redknapp rumours.


Other roles

In January 2016, Redknapp made a return to football as a director at Wimborne Town. In March 2016, he was named as a football advisor for Derby County until the end of the 2015–16 season. On 29 April 2016, it was announced that Redknapp was to join Australian side Central Coast Mariners as a football consultant. In October 2017, following his departure from Birmingham City, Redknapp briefly joined League Two club Yeovil Town in a voluntary advisory role to manager Darren Way. Since December 2020, Redknapp has been a
Nexen Tire Nexen Tire Corporation ( Korean: ) is a tire manufacturer headquartered in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province and Seoul in South Korea. It was established in 1942 under the name Heung-A Tire Company. In 1985, Nexen dedicated a facility in Yangsa ...
brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person paid by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embody the ...
. On 8 February 2021, Redknapp returned to Bournemouth to advise caretaker manager Jonathan Woodgate, though was not officially involved. On 9 July 2021, Redknapp made a small cameo appearance in the popular British
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
, ''
EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
''. On 6 December 2023, Redknapp came out of retirement aged 76 to help Specsavers Cwm Albion In 2024, Redknapp signed up to co-manage England's football team on Sunday 9 June for Soccer Aid 2024. The England team was captained by former lioness, Jill Scott, and the match was hosted at Stamford Bridge stadium against a World XI, with proceeds going to charity.


Corruption allegations and arrest

On 19 September 2006, Redknapp was shown on camera by
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
''
Panorama A panorama (formed from Greek language, Greek πᾶν "all" + ὅραμα "view") is any Obtuse angle, wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography (panoramic photography), film, seismic image ...
'' taking part in what appeared to be an interest in approaching a player in a manner forbidden by FA rules. Redknapp denied that his conversation about then- Blackburn Rovers player Andy Todd with the football agent Peter Harrison amounted to " tapping up" or improperly approaching the player. Redknapp referred to Todd as a "tough bastard" during the conversation and suggested he would be interested in signing the player on a full-time basis if he was available. Redknapp told the BBC he has never taken a bung and had given Kevin Bond no reason to think otherwise and that he considers himself to be "one million percent innocent". In the final report of the Stevens inquiry, published in June 2007, the only criticism of Redknapp concerned his ownership of a racehorse named Double Fantasy thought to have been given to him by the agent Willie McKay, which has aroused some suspicion. Redknapp told the inquiry it was possible he did own the horse but insisted he had not made any money out of it because the horse was a failure and never won a race. On 28 November 2007, Redknapp, along with Portsmouth's managing director Peter Storrie, former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandarić, agent Willie McKay and footballer Amdy Faye had been arrested by
City of London Police The City of London Police is the territorial police force#United Kingdom, territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle Temple, Middle and Inner Temple, Inner Temples. The for ...
on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting. Redknapp was later released without charge and announced his intention to sue the police because of his arrest, considering it as the reason for the failure of the FA to consider him for manager of the England national team after the sacking of Steve McClaren. The High Court ruled in May 2008 that the raid by City of London Police officers, on Redknapp's home in
Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...
, was illegal and quashed the search warrants, calling their actions "wholly unacceptable" and ordering them to pay £1,000 damages to Redknapp as well as part of his legal costs. Following further investigation by
HM Revenue & Customs His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (commonly HM Revenue and Customs, or HMRC, and formerly Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) is a Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department of the UK government responsible for the tax collectio ...
as part of the corruption enquiry, in January 2010, Redknapp was charged with two counts of cheating the public revenue, along with Milan Mandarić. The charge related to a £189,000 payment from Mandarić to Redknapp via a bank account in
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
. The trial began at Southwark Crown Court on 23 January 2012. Part of Redknapp's defence was that he was both dyscalculic and dyslexic and therefore had difficulty in dealing with transfer contracts. He was found not guilty on both counts on 8 February 2012.


England manager's job

Redknapp's acquittal came just hours before the resignation of England national team head coach
Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL, AS Roma, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus FC, Juventus. H ...
. Two days later, he refused to rule himself out of the running for the job, but said it would be very difficult to combine the role with his then position as Tottenham manager. A few weeks later, the FA appointed Roy Hodgson as manager.


Personal life

Redknapp and his wife Sandra have two sons: Jamie, a football pundit and former professional footballer; and Mark, a model. Jamie made his professional debut under his father at Bournemouth in 1990 before moving on to Liverpool and later Tottenham Hotspur and lastly Southampton before retiring in 2005. Harry's grandson via his son Mark, also called Harry Redknapp, signed for Bournemouth during May 2014. His nephew is former England midfielder Frank Lampard, Jr. whose parents are Sandra's late twin sister, Patricia, and Harry's former teammate and managerial assistant Frank Lampard, Sr. Redknapp and his wife are the fundraising presidents for the
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
-based charity Leukaemia Busters, a role they took over in 2004 previously held by former cricketer David Gower and his wife Thorunn. Redknapp and his wife also own a property development company, Pierfront Developments. In August 2011, it was announced that a housing development their company was building in Southsea, Hampshire, would go ahead without affordable housing. The £600,000 they offered to the council to build affordable homes elsewhere, was accepted by the council. Opponents of the scheme estimated this will only be enough to build eight homes instead of the 28 that council policy says they should be building in this development. In October 2019, planning permission was granted for the company to convert a homeless shelter in Bournemouth into flats, despite pleas from residents who told planning authorities that the development would exacerbate homelessness and put their welfare at risk. In January 2011, Redknapp was mugged while attending a football match in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. On 2 November 2011, he had an operation to unblock
coronary arteries The coronary arteries are the arteries, arterial blood vessels of coronary circulation, which transport oxygenated blood to the Cardiac muscle, heart muscle. The heart requires a continuous supply of oxygen to function and survive, much like any ...
. Redknapp wrote for the
online gambling Online gambling (also known as iGaming or iGambling) is any kind of gambling conducted on the internet. This includes virtual poker, casinos, and sports betting. The first online gambling venue opened to the general public was ticketing for th ...
company,
Betfair Betfair is a British Gambling, gambling company founded in 2000. Its product offering includes betting exchange, sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. Business operations are led from its headquarters in London, alongsi ...
, as its " Euro 2012 columnist". In 1998 Redknapp published his autobiography, ''Harry Redknapp: My Autobiography''. It was co-written with Derek McGovern. His second autobiography, ''Always Managing'', was published in 2013. It was ghostwritten by journalist
Martin Samuel Martin Samuel (born 25 July 1964) is an English sports columnist for News UK and has previously worked for the ''Daily Mail, The Times, News of the World, GQ, The Tortoise, Jewish Chronicle, Daily Express, The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun'' an ...
. Redknapp was a contestant in the 2018 series of ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' He subsequently won the show, and was crowned 'King of the Jungle'. Redknapp is the owner of racehorse, "Shakem Up'Arry" which won the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.


Career statistics


Player


Manager


Honours


Player

England U18 * UEFA European Under-18 Championship:
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...


Manager

AFC Bournemouth * Associate Members' Cup: 1983–84 West Ham United *
UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
:
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
Portsmouth *
Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
: 2002–03 *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
: 2007–08 Tottenham Hotspur *
Football League Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
runner-up: 2008–09 Queens Park Rangers * Football League Championship play-offs:
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
Individual * Premier League Manager of the Season: 2009–10 *
Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...
: November 1998, April 2004, October 2004, March 2005, April 2006, August 2009, September 2011, November 2011


Bibliography


Autobiography

*''Harry Redknapp: My Autobiography'' (CollinsWillow, 1998) *''Always Managing: My Autobiography'' (Ebury Press, 2013) *''A Man Walks On To a Pitch: Stories from a Life in Football'' (Ebury Press, 2014) *''It Shouldn't Happen to a Manager'' (Ebury Press, 2016)


References


External links

*
Harry Redknapp
West Ham United statistics
Harry Hotspur – The Start of a revolution
Shelfside Spurs {{DEFAULTSORT:Redknapp, Harry 1947 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets People from Poplar, London English men's footballers England men's youth international footballers Men's association football midfielders Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players AFC Bournemouth players Brentford F.C. players Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) players Leamington F.C. players English Football League players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players English expatriate men's footballers English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States English football managers West Ham United F.C. managers AFC Bournemouth managers Portsmouth F.C. managers Southampton F.C. managers Tottenham Hotspur F.C. managers Queens Park Rangers F.C. managers Jordan national football team managers Derby County F.C. non-playing staff Birmingham City F.C. managers Yeovil Town F.C. non-playing staff AFC Bournemouth non-playing staff English Football League managers Premier League managers English expatriate football managers English expatriate sportspeople in Jordan Expatriate football managers in Jordan I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) winners English autobiographers 21st-century English businesspeople English businesspeople in real estate Businesspeople from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Sportspeople with dyslexia Harry Phoenix Fire (soccer) players West Ham United F.C. non-playing staff English football coaches English disabled sportspeople English racehorse owners and breeders