Now, Harry is no fool. He is expert at keeping his profile very high and he knows full well what he is worth and how to keep that value at its optimum. People knew that original favorite Alan Shearer was not a prime target for club officials, who might want someone with experience. Okay, even if that were the case there were plenty of other candidates with better credentials than Harry.
But as the deluge of cash continued it became evident that the move for Harry was coming from the Newcastle end, for whatever reason. Again, I wondered why a man who had never ventured much further north than Essex during his management career, who owns valuable property on perhaps the most sought-after part of the south coast, should want to uproot his family to move to the North East?
And at a time when his own club was going along better than a club whose history over the past half a century has been tempestuous and seen off a whole string of bosses, all of whom left without enhancing their own reputations or the club’s Introduction 1001 Great Gambling fortunes. Had I been so inclined I would have started laying Redknapp with the betting exchanges.