When Saints and Pompey fans meet up there is no love lost between them, but there is one topic which they agree on and collectively spit on the floor.
Its fair to say Saints and Pompey fans dont agree on much, but the majority do concur on one thing and that is the fact that they beleive that Harry Redknapp is not likeable "Arry" the darling of the London based media, but an individual who cares about only one thing and that is himself, whatever the ramifications to the club who employs him.
As manager of AFC Bournemouth Redkapp enjoyed a good reputation, however for some strange reason job offers in a higher division were not that forthcoming indeed his reputation was tainted in 1990 when the Cherries were relegated back to division three, sadly for Harry that was the start of a bad summer as he was involved in serious car crash whilst in Italy for the World Cup.
He spent a further two seasons at Bournemouth before joining his beloved West Ham and his cheeky chappy image would soon be in shreds, he joined the Hammers as assistant to Billy Bonds and within two seasons Bonds was ousted in favour of Redknapp, certainly Sir Trevor Brooking saw it as treachery at the time and so much so 18 years later it was still brought up as the main reason Brooking alledgedly vetoed Redknapps surely cast iron confirmation as England manager.
After being sacked at West Ham in May 2001, Harry was looking for a job, strangely he spent a lot of time at St Mary's despite being newly appointed director of football at Fratton Park with even then Chairman Rupert Lowe commenting that Harry was looking for the Saints job if and when Stuart Gray was sacked.
Of course we all know what happened next and although initially edknapp was the new messiah at the East end of the M27, when he left, promising the crying Pompey fans on the doorsteps of Fratton that he would "Never go to that lot up the road" he was about to reveal his true colours to them, it wasnt blue and white, but it wasnt red & white either come to that.
Of course his tenure at St Mary's was disastrous, he will of course cite a lack of money, but the fact was that he still spent a lot in the transfer window that January including a near club record fee on Nigel Quashie plus some catastrophic loan deals, and we mustnt forget the players he had at his disposal who were already there, Niemi, Crouch, Delap, Higginbotham, Jones, Baird & Phillips would all go on to become Premier regulars afterwards and thats not to mention the likes of Le Saux, Lundekvam, Ormerod, Oakley, Anders Svensson, Leon Best & even James Beattie all of whom were available to him, forget his excuses he had the quality to keep Saints up and should have done.
But his heart wasnt in it, the only reason Rupert Lowe had to appoint Redknapp was there mutual thing in common, they both hated Milan Mandaric, it suited them both to put one over on the Pompey Chairman, Lowe abandoned his princibles and his usual criteria for a manager, partly in panic at Saints position and partly because he could stick two fingers up to Mandaric, Redknapp for his part joined Saints for one reason only, he wasnt interested in the job or team, but it stuck one over Mandaric, Pompey or their fans never came into it, he cared about only one thing and that was himself.
History shows what happens next, many Pompey fans could never truly forgive him for what he had done and many were alienated, of course the cup win for them pasted over a few cracks and the JCL's came out of the cracks in the pavement, but even at their greatest hours for half a century or more, Fratton didnt seem to completely sell out and as has been shown the hard core of support had gone, once the rot set in the JCL's went very quickly and for the last season in the premier there were a lot of empty seats, (not a dig at Pompey here, just illustrating how if you dont cultivate your hardcore if they go then things go downhill quickly without them)
Harry of course didnt care and was soon off to White Hart Lane leaving a raft of highly paid players behind him, which would financially bring the club down, of course he would defend himself and say that he didnt realise that the money wasnt there, but given that he was desperate to get away, almost going to Newcastle at one stage, it perhaps evidenced the fact that he knew the writing was on the wall.
In February of this year as he stood on the steps of the Crown ourt at Southwark, ouwardly smiling and saying the result was never in doubt, Saints and Pompey fans probably never had so much in common, a hatred of this man for what he stood for and what he had done to their clubs, aints fans perhaps having a little more to gripe about, a few days later Capello was gone and with purs seemingly set to finish at least in the top three and perhaps even sneak a Premier League Title at a pinch, Rednapp was surely still on the ascent in his managerial career.
However a little more than three months later and Redknapp looks to be a spent force in football, of course he will manage again in the Premier League, but the fact is that he will never manage England, Brooking will see to that, and he will never find a club as big as Spurs, who in the top six would employ him ? he does not fit the bill at any of the other top sides, only perhaps Chelsea.
Redknapps success's are based on spending money, at bournemouth he had to wheel and deal with little of it, but in the 20 years or so since he left, its spend spend spend, at West Ham he almost got relegated after spending a fortune and never really took them anywhere for all the cash, in his first spell at Pompey it was all about buying big for the Championship and bringing in players on big salaries, at Saints he got some money but in truth he shouldnt have needed it, the first time he has really had to manage in two decades and he is found wanting.
We all know the story of his second spell at Pompey as do two sets of insolvency judges and the nation, a further explanation might be construed as gloating.
So hopefully the bubble has burst on Goodold Arry" I have said nothing libellous here and im not going to nor need to, Im sure people will wonder why I havent been harsher on the allegations that he faced in court, but that was for a jury not me, so ill leave you to draw your own conclusions.
But when Saints and Pompey fans meet up, watch your shoes because they might get covered in spit, we dont agree on much but we all agree that if there is a footballing version of Hell, then sitting on the throne will be good old Arry, man of the people, who lives on the richest mile of real estate in Europe, being the most fincially astute man in the EU, affording that on the wages of a division 3 manager at Bournemouth or an assistant at West Ham, all this despite being unable to barely read or write, perhaps we Skates and Scummers are just bitter after all, he is one of us !