Harry didn't help - he kept banging on to the press about how hard the job was and how he wasn't sure he could keep them up at every opportunity, and bringing in a bunch of new players and only speaking to them in training didn't go down well either.
Expect most transfer gossip to come via the wound-down driver's side window of his car after training every day. ...and then you find a bunch of players well into their thirties have been signed.
Put it this way - when Spurs were in their hole I'd have take Sam Bloody Allardyce. Harry joining was, needless to say, slightly more welcome. But, more than being the stop-gap to pick us up that we needed, he turned us into a proper team again. It wasn't just results - we were playing exciting, fearless football. Expect transfers to be unsurprising (but generally effective) and formations likewise. He favours tried and tested which, frankly, works pretty well most of the time. One way in which it's difficult to assess his time at Spurs is in the area of player acquirement. At Spurs it was always tricky to see how much control he had over transfer business (many give him practically zero credit for the VDV deal, for instance). Plus he lucked out in inheriting some very good players which were not performing. For me one of the biggest question marks over his reign was Gareth Bale. Spurs fans who saw his first few games for Spurs a couple of years before Harry arrived could see he was a bit special. But Bale only started getting games once BAE was injured and then at left back (a position that Harry was adamant was his best until very recently). I've got a feeling that Krancjar was then injured which easily gave Harry a chance to play Bale at left wing. Basically it was a series of accidents and flukes that saw him get his chances in his best position. This is the dopwnside of his "tried and tested" safety-first approach to players. But if I were a QPR fan I'd be delighted by his potential appointment. I honestly cannot think of a better appointment you could make right now.
I have to second that, you're right about the injury situation lenny, that had slipped my mind too. Bale played there as there was no other available choice and that was the first time we started to see his barnstorming runs down the left, which gave Harry no choice again, but to leave him there even when his first picks returned from injury. Bales defence is not as good as his attack, and all the while the lad plays football I do not expect that to change...so why would anyone insist his best position is LB.
From what I've read, the main reason for the dressing room problems revolves around the inequality between the wages paid to the newcomers - the likes of Wright-Phillips, etc and those paid to the others who have been with the club longer. I mm not sure how Harry is going to go about solving that one.
Expect Bond and Jordan to come in.... along with any other mates he has who are currently unemployed. Mainly they will be scouts and say everybody is rubbish or 'triffic. You will become useless at set-pieces (if you aren't already) as the players will no longer practice them in training. You will suddenly see half the squad loaned out and the other half run into the ground with a group of players never seeing the light of day again. 'Arry will 'rotate' the squad for one match a season and play 11 players who have never played together before in their lives. You will lose. 'Arry will say 'Well that what happens if you rotate the squad!' and never do it again. You will sign Alan Sheaer as he is in his 40's and 'Can do a job.' Despite all this, you will start playing well and stay up. 'Arry will be happy with even more dosh (the only thing he loves more than himself is money), the supporters will be happy that you stayed up and your chairman will start to feel uncomfortable when 'Arry gives his twenty-eleventh interview in the space of 1 week.
It doesn't take a lot to start up this anti-Harry diatribe again does it. For goodness sake, how much worse would the comments be if he'd relegated us? Whatever you think of him, however you put across his problems, he brought us far greater success than we'd seen in years and deserves far more respect for that.
Expect gale force winds and heavy rain from the South, south West over the entire weekend. Also expect Harry to keep your lot in the Prem for next season., Its a fanastic appointment and Harry gets another chance to show what he is all about.
His transfer targets, according to various papers: David Beckham Michael Dawson Scott Parker Jermaine Defoe So that's two of them he won't be getting right off the bat...
oh FFS. already? Seriously, why have they even mentioned scott parker? it's evident to anyone that we're desperate to have him back. Like hell we're gonna sell him. Yeah course, we'll sell our top goalscorer too EDIT: we shouldn't be letting Daws go anywhere near the exit door either.
I'm sure he'll come in for Dawson - That's almost a cert. any others I think would wait to see if Harry looks like saving them, or not. I'm sure that Parker,and others have no wish to be playing Championship football prematurely.
Harry won't go there for 6 months. Plus they want Pep, however read today that he is not impressed with their unstable attitude and thus is waiting for the United job. He said he respects both Manchester clubs and their stability. Aswell as having a good friendship with Fergie which counts for alot for him. I like Pep, I hope im not forced to dislike him by him going to Chelsea.
I wonder how many times Harry will mention "when I took over we only had 4 points from 13 games".....
