(Jimmy Pursey & pals are waiting for an answer just like the rest of us).
Sick of being undermined by ownership, Harry Redknapp has left the managerial post at Portsmouth and is a prime candidate to take over at Wolves, writes the Guardian’s Jon Brodkin.
Harry Redknapp resigned as Portsmouth manager yesterday after he decided he could no longer work with the chairman Milan Mandaric and executive director Velimir Zajec.
Redknapp, 57, felt his position had been compromised by the arrival of Zajec and has terminated a relationship with Mandaric which has been tense for some time. He could be offered an instant return to management by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Zajec will take temporary charge of Portsmouth for their game at Bolton on Saturday and will have a major role in deciding on a replacement.
“It was my decision and something I have been thinking about for some time,” Redknapp said. “I made it without any pressure from the chairman or the board. I feel very proud of both my own and the club’s achievements over the last two years, leaving them in an excellent position.”
Publicly, Redknapp insisted that he wanted “a break”. But his assistant Jim Smith, who has also left, hinted at the underlying problems. “If you believe Harry has left to take a break from football you will believe anything,” said Smith, who at 64 is the oldest coach in English football. “The writing has been on the wall for months. Velimir Zajec coming in was a major factor but it was not the only thing. Things have not been right for some time.”
Redknapp and Mandaric rowed publicly over Smith’s future at the end of last season. Mandaric said he had been caught “a little bit by surprise” by the timing of Redknapp’s departure but added: “We have been talking about Harry leaving for some time, I knew he would go, unfortunately. He has done a wonderful job.”
Redknapp’s resignation yesterday follows speculation last week that Wolverhampton would make a move for QPR manager Ian Holloway, or perhaps Mickey Adams, recently fired by Leicester.