Saturday, December 3, 2005

Redknapp quits Saints

Harry Redknapp has left Southampton after only a short spell at the club. This news further increases rumours that Redknapp will move back to Saints bitter rivals Portsmouth, the club he left last season. In a statement on the Saints' official website, chairman Rupert Lowe revealed Redknapp told him on Friday it was now "impossible" for him to stay. "He told me he regarded his employment with the club as being at an end. Accordingly I have placed Dave Bassett in charge against Burnley," said Lowe. Former England rugby boss Sir Clive Woodward, now technical director at St Mary's, is widely regarded as a candidate to replace Redknapp.


In a lengthy statement, Lowe said he made "no apologies for setting out a detailed chronology" of the "extraordinary" events of the past few days. After Neil Warnock revealed he would be staying at Sheffield United, Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric turned his attentions to Redknapp, who left Fratton Park just over a year ago and joined Saints two weeks later. Mandaric approached Southampton for permission to speak to Redknapp on Thursday.

I wasn't really excpecting this news so soon but I was excpeting him to become new Pompey manager after Alain Perrin was sacked last week. I don't think that Southampton should appoint Sir Clive Woodward as new coach because he has no experience of being a football coach although Arsene Wenger has backed him to become new Saints boss.