Newcatle United: Dirty Harry

Article by Newcastle Correspondent Martin Black

There was always something about Harry Redknapp I’d found mildly annoying. Was it his cockney barrow boy persona? The way that he and his fellow Southerners insist on adding a non-existent R into their pronunciation of Newcastle to resemble something like a one syllable drawled Nucarrsell? This alone is enough to raise any Geordies hackles. Was it just is rubbery old face, nearly pliable as his tax avoidance skills? Was it his likeness for tapping up players and all things in brown paper bags? It was this side to his ‘lovable nature’ why the F.A, with their constant paranoia of any potential scandal (or lack of imagination and progression it can also be added) decided not to touch him with a barge pole when considering an England manager appointment. But what really tipped the balance for me from mild annoyance to downright hostility was when he decided to tell all and sundry about Demba Ba’s buy out clause right before a transfer window. Why did he feel the need to share this with anybody who would listen to him if not to blatantly cause trouble and/ or unsettle the player? The only logical conclusion of this was; Demba thus unsettled, Harry then smugly unveiling him in a Spurs top at a bright flash of a press conference. But as transfer window came and went I can’t remember even any rumours of interest from Spurs for Ba. I came to another conclusion; Harry just likes the sound of his own voice.

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Now I’ve got that of my chest, I’d like to cover his spouting on Loic Remy. As you probably remember QPR snatched Remy from under our noses a year ago, this maybe having something to do with them offering to double what we were then prepared to pay him. As the obvious happened, Harry happily racking up ridiculous transfer debts, his chairman handing out equally ridiculous wages and QPR’s eventual relegation, we were linked with Remy once again. This was rumoured to be on a season long loan, but Harry was having none of this confidently insisting that none of his players would be leaving on loan, that it would be of no benefit to the club etc. Obviously his chairman didn’t share the same view as shortly after Remy was on his way to Newcastle, on loan. So Remy was finally in a Toon top, sheepish trying to explain his reasons for not joining us earlier, yes we know the money, oh and fact that nobody but us seemed willing to take a chance on a player with a rape charge hanging over him too. I wonder if this sign of faith (or desperation) from us will inspire any sense of loyalty from the player? I doubt it, as sadly I think Remy is just putting himself in the shop window. Anyway, not long after Remy’s arrival on Tyneside it was hotly debated whether there had been a fee agreed if we wanted to make his transfer permanent, jail sentence permitting. As it swung back and forth in the local press it appeared that there was apparently a deal in place if all parties were agreeable for a fee rumoured around £8m. This seemed about as clear as we were going to get during a summer of (even worse than usual) misinformation and contradiction from our club. Meanwhile Harry sulked, stating that he didn’t know the details of the deal and that was up to his chairman.

Dirty Harry?

A couple of mornings ago I saw a few headlines online from different sources all stating that Remy’s price had been set at £16m. (This figure has now even been stated in a recent article in our local Chronicle) As I clicked on the first few I quickly realised that it was only Harry at it again. This is what he is quoted as saying: 'If someone came and offered £15m or £16m for him I'd sell him if it was my choice, but it's not - it’s down to the chairman.' Redknapp added: 'I don’t know what the deal is. You’d think they’d want to snap him up, wouldn’t you? If they don’t then someone else will. ’For what we got him for, he’s probably worth double that now. He’s scored goals in the Premier League again this year.' So what Harry is saying is: he still doesn’t know if there is a deal in place and as Remy is one of the top scorers so far this season his price will likely to have gone up. I could have told you that! Basically he’s saying nothing and stating the bloody obvious.

As the other Dirty Harry once said ‘opinions are like assholes, everybody’s got one’. Harry, do me a favour and shut up … make my day.

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