Concerning this unique and somewhat divisive man, it is necessary to first address the cliches and stereotypes of which several came attached with Harry Redknapp across a long and eventful managerial career that took in seven clubs, three leagues and an ever-so-brief stint coaching Jordan. The country, not the model.

The former Spurs and Portsmouth gaffer was a character, a personality, and possessing such charisma made him – to borrow from his own parlance – a ‘top, top’ man-manager.

Tactics? He could give or take them. Tactics were over-rated. His skillset lay in instilling confidence and belief in players and getting them to perform. To enjoy their football. 

Not exactly shy in the transfer market, he was also cast as a ‘wheeler-dealer’, a description that Redknapp once took great exception to when it came up during a post-match interview. Quite right too.

When Harry Redknapp put Sky's Rob Palmer in his place for calling him a wheeler dealer...😂😂 pic.twitter.com/7awNO1DBqY

— Funny Footy Quotes (@FunFootyQuote) October 7, 2016

The term always stunk of classism, attributed to him as much for his background as for his propensity to sign Niko Kranjcar wherever he went. They may as well have called him a ‘barrow boy’ and be done with it.

Regardless, these are the personality traits that accompanied Harry Redknapp throughout his thirty-plus years in the dug-out and subsequent lucrative second-wind as a celebrity.

And though they may not seem so at first glance, they are also the traits that would have made him a ‘triffic’ England manager.

Which he so very nearly was, once upon a time. With Fabio Capello out of the picture the FA swiftly narrowed down their options to replace the Italian disciplinarian to a shortlist of two and it was the people’s champion ‘Arry who was the hot favourite in the online betting, a shoo-in appointment it seemed at one point for the then Spurs boss.

To the annoyance of many however, he wasn’t even interviewed, with the job going to Roy Hodgson, a supposedly steady hand on the tiller. 

Only history has told us since that Hodgson was anything but a calming influence, as he veered the Three Lions towards calamity and when an underwhelming period came to an ignominious end with a Euro exit to unfancied Iceland it shook the football betting community to the core.

It was the nature of the defeat that depressed as much as the result. England looked broken. 

Which leaves the tantalising question as to how Redknapp would have fared instead and though it feels a touch unfair to hypothesize, what we can state for sure is that it would have been infinitely more fun, with the team more vibrant and on the front foot.

'Every year it's just amazing.' ⚽️

Harry Redknapp will be returning to @socceraid where he will manage the World XI team.

Meanwhile, @EmileHeskeyUK tells @susannareid100 and @richardm56 about who he would like to see manage the England team. pic.twitter.com/z1PCqGbt0r

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 8, 2021

Furthermore, the odd rigours of international football would have suited Redknapp to a tee, with one of the hardest challenges lying in quickly rousing players to a new cause after several months in club mode.

The future I’m A Celebrity winner would have revelled at this. He was a master of man-management.  

As for the constant churning of squad personnel, based on form and availability – an aspect of the job that has unseated other national bosses – Redknapp would have been in his element, his wheeling-and-dealing instincts kicking in hard. 

Presently, England are widely tipped to do very well in Qatar under Gareth Southgate, while Redknapp has retired.

Yet it’s still good to think on from time to time, recalling Brian Clough and Harry Redknapp. The two greatest England managers that never were.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 20th September 2022

A winner of 21 Grand Slam singles titles and with the fifth-most titles in the Open Era, Novak Djokovic has been a perennial force in tennis betting for over a decade.

The Serbian has been outspoken, at times controversial, and played the role of pantomime villain, yet his standing in the sport cannot be talked down.

Almost unbeatable at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Djokovic has grinded opponents down throughout the 2010s and the start of the 2020s.

He overcame surgery in the latter part of the last decade to re-establish his place atop the sport. When it comes to the greatest individual seasons in tennis history, the Belgrade native is in the discussion on more than one occasion.

Off-court decisions are clearly a part of Djokovic’s legacy, particularly over the last couple of years. It has restricted his chances at further sports betting success.

It has seen opinions formed on him as a person beyond his win-at-all-costs approach, and for many, it will be impossible to detach Djokovic’s views from his exploits on the court. 

That is a situation many in tennis predictions and beyond face. People carry biases when debating sportspeople – that is the nature of sport, and the nature of human beings more generally.

Some will have always preferred Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal or Andy Murray over Djokovic. Some will have preferred all three. Others will have been banging the Djokovic GOAT drum long before he broke into the twenties in Grand Slam count.

Djokovic’s records across all surfaces (including two French Open wins) may well be the most impressive of the Big Three by the time he retires. His stints as world number one, his highest of peaks, can compete with any player in men’s tennis history.

Objectively, there will be a strong case for Djokovic as the greatest ever. Where Federer and Nadal are adored, though, Djokovic is admired and respected for his play. 

Rarely do crowds show the same love for Djokovic as they do for his two Big Three foes. Part of that is personality. Part of it, perhaps, is a style of play less elegant than Federer and less eye-poppingly superhuman than Nadal.

What has made him such a serial winner is repeatability, immense consistency and, for the most part, durability. Those characteristics do not sweep up neutrals. 

Djokovic isn’t Michael Jordan, nor is he Magic Johnson or Steph Curry. If Federer is Lionel Messi and Nadal is Cristiano Ronaldo (an overcooked comparison, admittedly), is Djokovic the odd one out?

His legacy is of sustained success, of a catalogue of records, but strengths of service returns and tracking down shots on the baseline do not lend themselves to highlight packages in the same way as Federer’s unparalleled elegance or even Nadal’s trademark grit.

Djokovic, of course, is a master of his art. His athleticism is freakish in its own way, and he is equally stubborn as a player and person.

His weaknesses are minimal. A skillset which adapts to different surfaces and a personality designed to cope with pressure has made him a winning machine. 

A relentless winner is how Djokovic will be remembered. Yet, for all the astonishing records he will retire with, there will be considerable debate about his GOAT candidacy unless he blows Federer and Nadal out the water in the Grand Slam stakes.