Newcastle United's St James' Park
Newcastle United's St James' Park (Image: Getty Images)
Harry Redknapp has admitted he agreed to become Newcastle United manager in 2008 before changing his mind.
The former West Ham and Portsmouth boss accepted terms from former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley to become Toon boss after Sam Allardyce had been fired but then cancelled plans to live in the North-East and stayed with Pompey before managing Spurs and Queens Park Rangers.
In a Sky Sports documentary show, titled 'English Managers - The Decline', Redknapp discusses the difficulties of English coaches amid the glamour of the Premier League with star-name bosses like Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho ruling the roost in the top-flight down the years.
Up until Eddie Howe winning the Carabao Cup, Redknapp was the last man to guide a Premier League team to a major domestic title when steering Portsmouth to the FA Cup after their 2008 victory over Cardiff City. It was that Wembley win that whetted the appetite of Ashley to replace Allardyce with Redknapp before he snubbed the job in a remarkable turn of events, leading to Kevin Keegan becoming boss at St James' Park.
Redknapp said: "I could have gone to Newcastle and actually accepted the Newcastle job at one time. When Mike Ashley was there.
"And I agreed to go and didn't take it the end. It is a regret because Newcastle is a fantastic club. Well supported and a big club."
Redknapp regarded his stint at Spurs, where he qualified for the Champions League, as his only real tilt at the big time. Despite three top five finishes he was brutally sacked by Daniel Levy.
Redknapp - who also took Spurs to the last eight of the Champions League - said: "I went to Tottenham and OK they were in the bottom three but they had good players.
"I went in with a group of good players and got them believing in themselves and playing. But they were quality players and that is the key."