Harry Redknapp: I would go back to Spurs but I doubt it is going to happen
By George Sessions and Nick Robson, Press Association
Harry Redknapp has played down his chances of getting the Tottenham job as pressure builds on interim head coach Igor Tudor after the latest awful defeat of his short tenure.
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) called for “emergency action” after a chaotic 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
The club confirmed Tudor was set to speak at a scheduled pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of Sunday’s trip to Liverpool, but a run of four straight defeats under the 47-year-old has already made his position close to untenable.
Ex-Spurs boss Redknapp does not expect to get a call, though, telling the Press Association at Cheltenham: “I’ve been asked a few times if I’d go back to Spurs and it’s probably not going to happen, is it?
“Would I go back? Of course I would, but I doubt very much it’s going to happen.
“They’ve got it all on to stay up, it’s going to be hard. I’m looking at their fixtures and (Nottingham) Forest are playing all right, West Ham are playing very well, it’s going to be tough for Tottenham.
“My only concern at the minute is The Jukebox Man (his horse) in the Gold Cup, I’m nothing to do with Spurs any more.
“They haven’t been in touch, not at all. I hope Spurs stay up and I hope West Ham stay up.”
Records tumbled for Spurs on an extraordinary evening in Madrid where young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was withdrawn after 17 minutes due to two terrible errors.
Defeat made Tudor the first Tottenham boss to lose his first four games in charge, while the club have lost six games in a row for the first time in their history.
Tudor has only been in charge for 26 days but refused to answer questions about his future post-match.
THST branded the performance and result against Atletico “a total disgrace”.
It added in a statement: “It’s symptomatic of the abysmal state of things at Spurs right now.
“Emergency action is needed as right now we are sleepwalking off the edge of a cliff. Being a Spurs fan has never been so difficult, but supporters will not sit by and watch the club continue to decline.
“At the very least those in Madrid should have their match tickets refunded.”
Former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood described Tudor as “a firefighter who has a can of petrol in his hand” and believes the club might make their move during the international break later this month.
“He keeps chopping and changing things, which is a worry to be honest,” Sherwood said on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.
“He’s gone from three at the back to four at the back, then back to three again, with players playing out of position. I’ve scratched my head at some of the decisions he’s made since he came in.
“He hasn’t given the players a lift at all. He’s a firefighter who has a can of petrol in his hand at the moment – he’s adding fuel to the fire rather than restoring confidence to the players.
“Hopefully he can turn it around but, if he doesn’t, I think Spurs might roll the dice again. There’s an international break after their game against Nottingham Forest, which would be a good opportunity for a new manager to come in and have a look at things.”
Spurs are one point above 18th-placed West Ham ahead of Sunday’s daunting trip to Anfield.