The news wires this morning seem to be awash with the words of Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager, in advance of the 4th round reply with Leeds United at Elland Road tonight. Not, you note about how great it is for Spurs to visit a proper top club but a series of less than subtle comments on Beckford (yes the transfer window is shut but Elland Road’s Katie Price is still all over the news). Here is just a sample of what you can find today:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=735863&sec=england
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_5913888,00.html
http://www.football.virginmedia.com/page/Football/PremierLeague/Headlines/0,,12555~1953812,00.html
Now let’s take this at face value (ignoring the is he isn’t he good enough issue), Harry Redknapp is a serial wheeler-dealer, Beckford is from London and is weeks away from being out of contract, Spurs sign about 15 players every summer these days, Beckford comes free and is high on the radar after Old Trafford and White Hart Lane. Seems to us here at Clarkeonenil that the Spurs manager isn’t even trying to disguise his approach! Obviously some will assume it’s an attempt at mind games before the replay, if it is it’s a crap one, no its what it looks like, a blatant pre-tap.
We like to be consistent on this blog, we don’t ebb and flow like a menstrual cycle simply because someone scores a goal or two and it’s in that tradition of consistency that we say to Harry Redknapp: get on with it, make your move (assuming Everton haven’t already tied him down), don’t let Grayson’s dream of “the last minute contract offer” stop you, sort it out so we all at least know where we stand and don’t have to spend another 4 months of will he won’t he. You’re up in Leeds today, finding Nick Rubery won’t be that difficult. You never know, Beckford might replicate the live TV performances he recently perfected and give you more reason to want him by putting you out of the cup, you get him June (after we become the first L1 FA Cup winners), can’t say fairer than that!
