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Tottenham Hotspur Boss Harry Redknapp: Footballers Have To Be Role Models
Big-name players have to set an example to youngsters...
03-Feb-2010 12:42:00 PM
By Adithya Ananth
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has had his say on whether or not John Terry should remain as the captain of England following revelations regarding an alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel - the former girlfriend of ex-Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge.
The cockney gaffer insists that the armband comes with a responsibility that a player must adhere to, on as well as off the pitch.
"It’s not difficult to choose a captain really - it is normally quite an easy decision," Redknapp said, according to The Mirror.
"You look for a leader, somebody who can take your instructions on to the pitch, see where things are going wrong and put them right in their own way.
"Every captain is different - Bobby Moore was a great skipper because he led by example. He was quiet, he didn’t shout and scream at anyone, and he was probably our greatest captain because we won the World Cup with him leading the side.
"But everybody has different ways - Tony Adams would be barking out orders, organising people and talking, and John Terry is a leader when he plays because he bosses people on the pitch."
Coming down to the crux of the matter, the former Portsmouth boss had no intention of playing soothsayer.
He added: "I don’t want to second-guess what the England manager [Fabio Capello] is going to do, I’m sure he will make his own decision.
"But there have to be standards. Footballers are young men, but they are role models and they are setting examples to kids out there - and they have to set the right examples.
"You can sit them down and talk to them about things, whether it’s going out or behaving in public, but you can’t be with them 24 hours a day, and who knows what goes on behind closed doors?"
Redknapp then turned his attention to the role of agents in football, questioning their morals and basic human values while taking care of their clients and acting in their best interests.
He continued: "They [the players] don’t come to me and ask me for advice - they’ve all got agents now, who are paid fortunes, and who are supposed to be helping them and getting them through any little problems.
"But most of the agents only turn up when their players are signing a new contract and they want their cut of the deal. They are the people who are supposed to be helping their clients.
"From a manager’s point of view, it’s impossible to know what they do with their spare time, but if they don’t want to be role models they shouldn’t be in football.
"Kids look up to them every day and wear their shirts, they are in the public eye and they get very well-paid to be in the public eye. When we were kids, we all idolised footballers and it’s no different now - they all turn up to games with a name and number on the back, whether it’s [Frank] Lampard, [Steven] Gerrard or [Jermain] Defoe.
"They want to grow up and be like those players, but it’s not always easy. You can’t suddenly turn somebody into something they are not - if it’s in you, to be whatever you are, that’s how you live unfortunately and you can do what you want.
"Does it matter what footballers do off the pitch? Of course it does. But I don’t know if you can educate people into behaving properly. Society has changed - it’s a different world out there, they move in completely different social circles.
"I played for a club in the east end of London [West Ham United] and we never moved out of the east end - we didn’t even know where the west end was."
It is said that Three Lions boss Capello is leaning towards keeping Terry as the captain of the national team unless there are any further damaging revelations concerning the player.
The Italian is expected to make his decision purely based on "footballing grounds", and the skipper is reportedly confident that he will be backed up by his boss after privately receiving support from some senior team-mates.
It is widely expected that Capello will make an anncouncement concerning the situation following the Euro 2012 draw in Warsaw on Sunday.
For the latest on Chelsea, visit the Chelsea team page!
The cockney gaffer insists that the armband comes with a responsibility that a player must adhere to, on as well as off the pitch.
"It’s not difficult to choose a captain really - it is normally quite an easy decision," Redknapp said, according to The Mirror.
"You look for a leader, somebody who can take your instructions on to the pitch, see where things are going wrong and put them right in their own way.
"Every captain is different - Bobby Moore was a great skipper because he led by example. He was quiet, he didn’t shout and scream at anyone, and he was probably our greatest captain because we won the World Cup with him leading the side.
"But everybody has different ways - Tony Adams would be barking out orders, organising people and talking, and John Terry is a leader when he plays because he bosses people on the pitch."
Coming down to the crux of the matter, the former Portsmouth boss had no intention of playing soothsayer.
He added: "I don’t want to second-guess what the England manager [Fabio Capello] is going to do, I’m sure he will make his own decision.
"But there have to be standards. Footballers are young men, but they are role models and they are setting examples to kids out there - and they have to set the right examples.
"You can sit them down and talk to them about things, whether it’s going out or behaving in public, but you can’t be with them 24 hours a day, and who knows what goes on behind closed doors?"
Redknapp then turned his attention to the role of agents in football, questioning their morals and basic human values while taking care of their clients and acting in their best interests.
He continued: "They [the players] don’t come to me and ask me for advice - they’ve all got agents now, who are paid fortunes, and who are supposed to be helping them and getting them through any little problems.
"But most of the agents only turn up when their players are signing a new contract and they want their cut of the deal. They are the people who are supposed to be helping their clients.
"From a manager’s point of view, it’s impossible to know what they do with their spare time, but if they don’t want to be role models they shouldn’t be in football.
"Kids look up to them every day and wear their shirts, they are in the public eye and they get very well-paid to be in the public eye. When we were kids, we all idolised footballers and it’s no different now - they all turn up to games with a name and number on the back, whether it’s [Frank] Lampard, [Steven] Gerrard or [Jermain] Defoe.
"They want to grow up and be like those players, but it’s not always easy. You can’t suddenly turn somebody into something they are not - if it’s in you, to be whatever you are, that’s how you live unfortunately and you can do what you want.
"Does it matter what footballers do off the pitch? Of course it does. But I don’t know if you can educate people into behaving properly. Society has changed - it’s a different world out there, they move in completely different social circles.
"I played for a club in the east end of London [West Ham United] and we never moved out of the east end - we didn’t even know where the west end was."
It is said that Three Lions boss Capello is leaning towards keeping Terry as the captain of the national team unless there are any further damaging revelations concerning the player.
The Italian is expected to make his decision purely based on "footballing grounds", and the skipper is reportedly confident that he will be backed up by his boss after privately receiving support from some senior team-mates.
It is widely expected that Capello will make an anncouncement concerning the situation following the Euro 2012 draw in Warsaw on Sunday.
For the latest on Chelsea, visit the Chelsea team page!
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