Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp claims that Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger has now gone from a quiet introspective “professor” of the game to one of the top raving lunatics on the sidelines during a game, after intense pressure from his 14 years in English football and having not won a trophy in the last five years.
Redknapp was referring to the increasing stress levels experienced by managers in the game nowadays with a light hearted reference to his north London counterpart Wenger, who recently received a touchline ban and fine after being found guilty of laying his hands on the fourth official.
“He has joined the nutters, you know. In fact, he is one of the key nutters. It just shows you what happens in football.” Redknapp said.
“We can all remember when Arsene first came to England.
“I remember reading articles saying he’s like a professor, watching the game when all the other nutters are jumping up and down, shouting and screaming, hollering and hooting and this man is not like those idiots.
“He just sits there, studying every move that goes on the pitch, like chess. They never lost a game all season and it was OK. I could’ve sat there with a cigar, but suddenly then you start losing a few games and it all changes. Now he’s joined the nutters. In fact, he is one of the key nutters!”
Wenger will be back in the Arsenal dugout for their game against West Brom on Saturday but the Frenchman had to be in the stands for his side’s Carling Cup win over Spurs in midweek after a £8,000 fine and one game suspension for pushing Martin Atkinson at Sunderland last weekend.
“That’s what it does to you. Arsene was the quietest man of the lot at one point. He’s a gentleman and I get on well with him. But that’s the tension that you are under. It’s affected him now. He is no longer sitting there, he’s up arguing with everybody and gets into it all. It can’t do you any good, can it?” Redknapp added.
Redknapp is also no stranger to getting into trouble with touchline antics with the most recent incident three seasons ago in February 2007 when as Portsmouth manager, he was sent off against Manchester City. The Spurs boss admitted that he still loses his cool occasionally but admitted that it usually counted for nothing.
“I don’t think you can make a big difference,” said Redknapp.
“In the end, you don’t get anywhere. You can’t change anything. You aren’t going to make the referee whistle quicker. If he’s played extra time, it’s done.
“I used to go into the referees’ room and get done two or three times a year before the FA and get fined and have a row with them all. In the end, it’s done and what are you going to do?
“I’m sure I’ll lose my head sometime, get the hump one Saturday.”
Tags: Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, English Premier League, football managers, Harry Redknapp, Tottenham Hotspur
