Andy Gray: Why Tottenham boss Redknapp is no lock for the England job

Sharethematch.com ambassador Andy Gray was talking exclusively to tribalfootball.com.

YOU couldn’t script it could you, Harry Redknapp being found not guilty in his tax trial and then Fabio Capello walking away from the England job.

A lot has been said about it already and many people think the two are going to come together with Harry becoming the England manager.

There is still much to happen between then and now, if it is even to happen, but the one thing for sure is that it gives us plenty to talk about.

First things first, let’s deal with the Redknapp trial and the good bit of news he got on Wednesday.

I’m sure Harry and his family will be very relieved that it’s come to an end and it’s been a very good verdict for them.

There is no doubt that it will have been hanging over him for some time and now it allows him to get to back to doing what he enjoys best and that’s working in football again.

And no doubt it will be good news to Tottenham as not having Harry on the touchline would have had an effect on the team for sure.

But while it is good news for Tottenham in the long term I wonder if it is bad for the club in the long term after what happened with Capello.

Harry was already being touted around as the favourite to take on the England job when Capello stepped down after Euro 2012 like he said he was going to.

And then just a matter of hours later the England post is vacant and Harry is being talked about as taking the job before Euro 2012.

Now I don’t know what will happen but I do know the one thing that was a blemish on Harry’s England CV was all the stuff with the court but now this is no longer an issue.

So while it is good news for Tottenham, it might be bad news in the long run and even better news for England.

But we will have to wait and see. I always said before all this happened that Harry would be a great candidate for the England job after what he has done at Tottenham and where he has brought that club from.

However, I would urge that he isn’t the only one that should be considered.

Roy Hodgson at West Brom has been doing a fantastic job on the quiet at the Hawthorns and obviously worked wonders for Fulham when he was in charge there.

We have seen other countries do it when they have gone for a former player fresh from a great career and that would obviously open the door for David Beckham.

I think the passion he would bring to the squad would make a huge difference and if people think that he doesn’t have the coaching know-how to do the job then why not get someone like Hodgson involved alongside him.

And never for the life of me do I understand why they continue to dismiss Glenn Hoddle with the attributes he has.

He lost his job last time out, I think slightly unfairly, but has grown and matured and learnt from his mistakes and is a fantastic football man with a great football brain who is young and progressive.

So I think England have got many options but there is no doubt that the way Harry has gone with Tottenham and where he has taken them and the standing he has in the game that Harry would be a massively popular choice now Capello has gone.

 
Andy Gray is an official ambassador for Sharethematch.com – Football’s Social Network. Available now for FREE online or at the App Store; http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/share-the-match/id450784289?mt=8