Haven't seen these articles posted, merge or delete if so. What a tosser this piece of work is.
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Harry Redknapp says Manchester City are doing deals in fear of Spurs
• Frustration follows loan request for Craig Bellamy
• Pursuit of Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott also foiled
Harry Redknapp has said Manchester City are happy to allow Craig Bellamy to move to Fulham on loan but the Tottenham Hotspur manager is frustrated at City's refusal to do a deal with his club.
Redknapp has expressed an interest in a number of City players, mindful not only of their quality but of City's requirement to trim their squad to meet the Premier League's new regulations. Bellamy has been a long-term target while Redknapp has chased Micah Richards since the end of last season yet he fears the pursuit is doomed to failure. City do not want to lose Richards as it would leave them short of cover at right-back. Redknapp has also made an unsuccessful loan inquiry for the centre-half Joleon Lescott.
City lost out to Tottenham last season in the race for the fourth Champions League place and they consider them to be among their rivals again this time out. As such, they are reluctant sellers to them in the transfer market. The Fulham manager, Mark Hughes – who has worked with Bellamy at Blackburn Rovers, City and Wales – has made the striker his top target and he may draw encouragement from Redknapp's comments.
"They [City] must want to sell Bellamy but they wouldn't want to loan him to us," Redknapp said. "Richards wouldn't be a goer, not really. I don't think they want to loan anyone to us. That's why they would loan Fulham Bellamy but wouldn't loan people to us."
Redknapp agreed a £6m deal for the highly rated 21-year-old Brazil midfielder Sandro in March but the player does not arrive until after his current club, Internacional, with whom Tottenham have a tie-up, conclude their Copa Libertadores final against Chivas Guadalajara this week. Internacional lead 2-1 going into Wednesday's second-leg.
It has been a frustrating summer for Redknapp, who has missed out on the signatures of Joe Cole and Scott Parker. He hopes to sign the goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa from Spartak Moscow and has said he has an interest in the central defender William Gallas, who is a free agent after leaving Arsenal.
Redknapp said he had narrowly failed to pull off a deal for a star player at one of England's top clubs, although he refused to name him. "There was one particular player, I just think would have been amazing for this club, an amazing signing and I really thought we had a real chance," he said. "He's at a big club and it'd be difficult. Where? In England.
"It was just getting the one or two who could make the difference. I don't need to bring decent players in, players who you say: 'Is he better than this one? Well, there's not much in it.' I wouldn't bother. I'd rather stick with what I've got."
Ledley King has said he will not follow Paul Robinson and Wes Brown in announcing his England retirement, although, given his chronic knee trouble, it seems unlikely that he will feature again at international level.
"I won't pull myself out but first thing's first, I need to come back here [to Tottenham] and try and stay fit," King said. "It's about staying fit here and we'll look at it from there."
Redknapp said: "If England play midweek, Ledley can't play on Saturday for Tottenham. It's nothing the boy can do."
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Manchester City have long way to go, says Tottenham's Harry Redknapp
• Redknapp criticises Roberto Mancini's midfield glut
• 'I wouldn't tip them to win from what I've seen'
The trouble for Manchester City these days is that everybody has an opinion on them and it is not always complimentary. Take Harry Redknapp's yesterday, after his Tottenham Hotspur team had been denied all three points by the excellence of the goalkeeper Joe Hart. Roberto Mancini's hopes of a flying start for his lavishly remodelled City were confounded amid caution and disjointedness.
"I wouldn't tip them from what I've seen, I wouldn't say that they'll win the championship," Redknapp said. "They have a long way to go. I wouldn't see them finishing above Chelsea and Manchester United while Arsenal could be close. Liverpool are going to be strong. There's probably seven or eight scrapping for the top four but Chelsea and Manchester United will be favourites. Arsenal and Liverpool would probably be favourites [for the top four]."
Mancini's answer to the surfeit of holding midfielders in his squad was to stuff as many of them as possible into the starting line-up; Yaya Touré, Nigel de Jong and Gareth Barry played in a line in front of the back four. Redknapp was asked whether he foresaw City winning many games with such an approach and how Mancini could keep all of his players happy.
"No, they'll find it more difficult," Redknapp said, in response to the first question. "When Emmanuel Adebayor came on [in the 83rd minute], it gave them a target and it suddenly looked like they might do something. I was more concerned when he came on. Can he [Mancini] keep the players happy? It's difficult. He's not going to do it. Sometimes you can cause your own problems by having too many players."
City find themselves under suffocating scrutiny, with eyes peeled for signs of player unrest. Craig Bellamy has already talked his way to the exit door but the goalkeeper Shay Given, too, made it plain last week that he would not take kindly to Mancini overlooking him. And what of Kolo Touré, who has been forced to hand over the captain's armband to Carlos Tevez?
Mancini cannot consider Touré a shoo-in for selection. "Kolo was surprised," the manager said. "But it's normal." Mancini has difficult decisions up front, where he has added another combustible striker in Mario Balotelli. Adebayor, it is safe to say, will expect his share of starting minutes.
City's tremendous wealth has brought pressure, sky-high expectations and bitchiness. The background noise seems deafening and one of the principal challenges facing the dressing room this season will be to shut it out.
Vincent Kompany said: "As a player, if you pay too much attention to that, it has an effect on your game." The defender, who signed from Hamburg in August 2008, one week before the Abu Dhabi United Group's takeover, went on: "In 24 months, I have seen the most crazy things so nothing will get me unsettled."
He added: "75% of what is being said on the sports channels is about City. There is an expectation, there is pressure, there are surprises about players coming in. Everybody has his feelings about it but a while ago I decided not to pay attention to anything that is happening around.
"I understand the situation, I have no problem with people giving their opinion and not being happy about it but we always go out to play football. The games are going to keep coming and people are being patient. We are trying to create a team spirit rather than get divided about stuff."
Mancini told a story from the early years of his playing career when he was a substitute for a run of matches. "I was angry every game," he said. "But every day, you must work to convince the manager to change his decision." Was he able to convince the manager? "Change the manager," he replied, with a smile.
The Italian will live or die in his job by how he integrates his expensive new signings to fashion a cohesive team. "I don't know the new players, it's a joke," Mancini said. "I saw them for only two days. We never worked together. I think [it will take] one month, maybe two months to make it work."
Tottenham, by contrast, reaped the benefits of continuity. With the exception of Vedran Corluka for Younes Kaboul at right-back, this was the team that beat City at Eastlands in the penultimate game of last season to clinch the fourth Champions League qualifying spot. There was still no place for Wilson Palacios in midfield. Tottenham dominated in the first half and they could feel unhappy at being denied the victory.
"In the first 20 minutes, it was coming from everywhere," Kompany said. "It was like we were defending our castle, more than anything else."
City may need the mentality for a siege.
