Harry Redknapp believes it was the “ideal time” for him to become England manager ahead of Euro 2012.
Redknapp, who was in the midst of an impressive tenure as Tottenham boss, was considered the frontrunner to assume the mantle from Fabio Capello. Having demonstrated his prowess by navigating Tottenham to the Champions League and bagging the Premier League Manager of the Year award in 2010, all signs pointed towards his imminent appointment.
However, The FA instead opted for Roy Hodgson, who’d spent the season in charge of mid-table West Brom, in a shock twist before the tournament. It came as a surprise to not only fans, but also Redknapp himself.
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His name was linked with the top job in English football repeatedly throughout his illustrious management career, but he told the Express that particular moment was when it made most sense for him to be appointed.
He recalled: “I suppose when I was at Tottenham when Capello left, I think I was at that time, I was 1/10 favourite to get the job, but Roy got the job. That would have been the ideal time. That was a fantastic group of players.”
Although he conceded graciously to Hodgson’s appointment, wishing the “top man” well, he later criticised the FA’s decision makers in his book, stating they “hadn’t got a clue”.
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Following England’s disastrous 2014 World Cup campaign, Redknapp stirred controversy again by suggesting that some of his former Tottenham players would try to avoid the “aggro” of international duty. He reiterated his lack of faith in the FA’s selection process in 2016, before Hodgson was replaced by Gareth Southgate.
Despite Southgate’s successful turnaround of England’s fortunes over the past eight years, Redknapp believes that ending the 58-year wait for a major trophy at Euro 2024 wouldn’t equate to Sir Alf Ramsey’s achievement all those decades ago.
He added: “You look at the players we’ve had since 1966, since we last won a tournament, someone said to me would it be the equivalent of winning the World Cup. It wouldn’t be the equivalent of winning the World Cup in 66.
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“The World Cup is a different tournament completely. It’s a much tougher tournament to win, because you’ve got all the great Brazilian teams of the past, the Argentinian teams and so you don’t compare to winning the World Cup.
“To win the Euros for me would be the equivalent of winning the Europa League, but it’d still be fantastic to win it.”
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