Steven Gerrard Tells Harry Redknapp To Name And Shame Tottenham Players Who Supposedly Shirked England Duty

Chris Wright

23rd, June 2014

6 Comments

By Chris Wright

Brazil Soccer WCup England

“I don’t know who you are, but I will find you and I will kill you”

Once again, Harry Redknapp has crow-barred his way into the England story by claiming yesterday that, while he was manager at Tottenham, several of his players would actively and routinely seek to get out of England call-ups.

Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek, Redknapp claimed that “two or three” Spurs players regularly came to him before England games and asked him to get them out of international duty.

Redknapp’s tittle-tattle was put to Steven Gerrard at Sunday’s World Cup press conference and the England veteran was quick to refute it, before telling the QPR boss to name names:

“I tell you what, I’d be interested to find out who those players are. If Harry is making a comment like that, he should name them and embarrass them.”

“No-one in this group wants to go home. No-one wants to go home.

“Should Harry not name them? If it’s the case, it’s disgusting. For me, if a player doesn’t want to be [with England], he doesn’t deserve to be here at a World Cup.

“‘They’ didn’t want to play for England. I don’t know who he means. Five years ago? Ten years ago?

“Who? Name them. Is it Aaron Lennon, Kyle Walker, Andros Townsend?”

Thankfully, Roy Hodgson dismissed Redknapp’s comments, adding:

“In the two years I’ve been here, I’ve seen a greater interest in playing for England, so Harry’s comments come as a bit of a surprise, quite frankly.”

“So if you are going to make global comments like that, it’s a bit dangerous.

“You have to be prepared to say: ‘This player came to me and said …’

“I could imagine ‘a player’ with an educated guess, but I don’t think I could name many Tottenham players [to which Redknapp’s claims would apply], and certainly not among the ones I’ve worked with.”

Is ‘Arry still so aggrieved about Hodgson getting the England job when he was led to believe that he had it sewn up that he’d go to these lengths to undermine Roy’s tenure after a very public failure (i.e, the World Cup)?

Of course he bloody well is. Sticking his jowls in once again, attempting to cash in on the (utterly conceited) belief that the nation still thinks he’s the right man for the job.

F**k Harry Redknapp, and the horse he rode in on.

Posted in International football, Managers, Newsnow, Tottenham Hotspur, World Cup

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6 Comments

  1. Room101 says:

    Hear hear! Harry, you can’t have your cake and eat it. Any Tom, Dick or, indeed, Harry can make claims players don’t want to oblige their international call ups. But actually, as a fan, I want proof because not only do I have an interest in my national football team, but pay my money to go and watch them when I can. Stevie G is right and, for once, I would have no problem seeing this being a naming and shaming because, frankly, it’s unprofessional. Don’t want to play for your country? Come out publicly and say that or does a footballers pride take over. I love football, am loving this World Cup but some times footballers make me sick.

  2. asd says:

    Gerrard trying to make a scapegoat out of players not even in the squad

  3. Jim says:

    Gerrard is some piece of work, type into google “gerrard withdraws” and see how many times he has a mystery injury just before international friendly yet plays in pools next game. The guys a charlatan, he might be good for liverpool but he is and always has been useless for england. Hodgson is a clown, picking a bunch of liverpool players just cos he failed as manager there…

  4. the69ersfc says:

    I don’t think Redknapp is deliberately trying to do anything here. I just think he’s running his mouth off without thinking of the consequences ‘cos he’s a bit dim like that.
    I’m guessing that Bentley is probably “the player” Hodgson is referring to as the most likely to sack England off because he can’t be doing with it.

  5. Tyler says:

    He was taken out of context – he was saying no Tottenham players deserved a call up.

  6. Dave says:

    @ Jim…. Is right mate, just what I was thinking.

Leave a Reply to Dave