Having retired from football management in 2017 and moving into advisory roles, Harry Redknapp has enjoyed a long and storied career in the sport that, including his playing days, spans well over 50 years. As a player, Redknapp predominantly played for West Ham United and Bournemouth between 1965 and 1976 as a midfielder, retiring in 1982 after spending time as a player-coach.
By 1983, just one year after completely ending his time as a player, Redknapp had found his way into management. Then a Third Division team, Bournemouth decided to appoint Redknapp, who guided the Cherries away from relegation. Just three years later the manager had steered Bournemouth to a Third Division title.
Bournemouth were ultimately relegated from the second tier after just two seasons, but Redknapp had shown his capabilities as a manager with the south coast side. He joined West Ham in 1992, originally as an assistant to Billy Bonds. In 1994, however, when Bonds was moved to a different role at the club, Redknapp became manager.
Redknapp would spend seven further years with the Hammers, establishing them in the Premier League and finishing as high as fifth in 1999. Leaving West Ham in 2001, Redknapp would spend his time between then and 2008, predominantly, with Portsmouth, though his departure in November 2004 for rivals Southampton angered club supporters before his return the following year.
After Portsmouth, Redknapp managed Spurs for four years, joining Queens Park Rangers in 2012, a club he departed in 2015, which was Redknapp’s final long-lasting job as a manager. Before his 2017 retirement, Redknapp enjoyed brief stints in charge of both the Jordan national team and Birmingham City.
Harry Redknapp's Record in The Premier League
Matches
Wins
Draws
Losses
Points Earned
Points Per Match
An experienced and therefore well-respected figure in the game, Redknapp has shared a number of his footballing opinions, such as when, in 2019 as per FourFourTwo, the Englishman revealed which crop of players, he felt, were just as good as a more famous selection.
‘Man United Kept Their Youngsters’
Redknapp reflects on talented group
While Redknapp’s reign at West Ham is fondly remembered by Hammers fans for the club’s high-ranking finishes in the Premier League, it is also cherished for the focus Redknapp put on the club’s youth academy. West Ham’s academy is historically one of football’s best and Redknapp, especially, oversaw many professional debuts.
In reflecting on the young players that debuted for West Ham under his guidance with The Athletic, as per FourFourTwo, Redknapp said:
“People always talk about Manchester United producing the Class of ‘92 but they weren’t any better than the six boys we produced at West Ham. If you put those two groups of six against each other, there would be nothing in it.
“(Rio) Ferdinand went on to win championships, Frank Lampard won everything, (Joe) Cole won everything and Michael Carrick won everything. Then you have Glen Johnson who won Premier League titles and Jermain Defoe who had a terrific career.
“If the kids had stayed at West Ham, what a team that would have been. That would’ve been six England internationals in one team. That was the difference, Manchester United kept their youngsters and that’s what enabled them to become a great team.”
Redknapp listed some incredible names who, as the manager himself stated, enjoyed stellar careers. Rio Ferdinand, who left West Ham for Leeds, joined Man United just two years after moving to Yorkshire. Spending over a decade at Old Trafford, Ferdinand was a key starter for Sir Alex Ferguson throughout his tenure at the club.
Michael Carrick was another West Ham product who played for the Red Devils, joining Man United in 2006 having originally left the Hammers for Spurs in 2014. Carrick is often regarded as one of football’s most underrated talents.
Frank Lampard, meanwhile, established himself as a Chelsea legend after leaving West Ham while Joe Cole enjoyed the best form of his career at Stamford Bridge. Both Glen Johnson, who turned out for Liverpool and Portsmouth, and Jermain Defoe, who represented a number of Premier League sides, both enjoyed “terrific” careers, as Redknapp said, and all six players were called up to the England national team.
Were West Ham able to keep such a crop of players, given what they went on to achieve in their careers, then Redknapp’s claim is perhaps not so far-fetched. The Hammers did much under Redknapp but with the aforementioned names, he could have guided the club to something even better.
( All stats are fromTransfermarktand are correct as of 18/06/2025 )
Harry Redknapp in a suit Related
Harry Redknapp Named Ex-West Ham Ace As 'The Best Young Player' He Ever Saw
Harry Redknapp hailed the Englishman as the "best young player" he ever saw, recalling his first impression of him.