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IN HIS first exclusive column for the Daily Echo, Harry Redknapp discusses AFC Bournemouth’s “excellent” performance at Manchester City and says why Marco Rose is bucking a trend that is one of the football legend’s biggest bugbears in the modern game…
THE start of the new season is always exciting, and I thought Bournemouth played some great stuff and there were some real good signs at Manchester City.
I thought it was an excellent performance. To go to Man City, one of the biggest games of the year - Arsenal away, Liverpool away, Man City - and play as well as that, I thought Bournemouth were excellent and really just got undone the last six minutes, just a slight lapse on a set play, didn’t pick Marc Guehi up from a set play, and then just come out the wrong end of a VAR decision, it was inches onside.
But overall, I thought it was an excellent performance, and I think it bodes well for the rest of the season.
(Image: Nick Potts/PA WIre)
I’m feeling very positive about Bournemouth this season, and I like Marco Rose.
I went over to watch the youth team play on Saturday morning, the under-18s, they were all playing at the training ground.
Talking to Matt Ritchie, who I think is a fantastic appointment for Bournemouth, having met him quite a bit the last few years, got to know him, he’s so knowledgeable and he has so much to offer, I think he’s a great appointment on the staff at Bournemouth.
Matt was saying that Friday night, the under-21s beat Chelsea under-21s, which is great, but not only that, the manager and his staff were all at the game, which I find so fantastic because that has gone out of football in this country, managers and coaches taking an interest in the youth teams.
They said he was there on Friday night to watch the under-21 game at Wimborne Town.
(Image: Richard Crease)
And I love that.
That tells me a lot. I love that message that’s coming from the manager.
He’s interested in every aspect of the football club, the youth team producing players, and I think that’s wonderful.
Looking back at my time in charge at Bournemouth, one early season game that sticks in the memory is when we played Chelsea in our first home game of the season [Bournemouth won 1-0, Richard Cooke with the goal].
I think it was their first year in the Championship.
I remember the late Ken Bates, I think he came down to the touchline to speak to Bobby Campbell [Chelsea boss] when we were winning.
The Daily Echo's match report as the Cherries beat Chelsea in their first home game of the season in 1988/89 - after boss Bobby Campbell had said playing Bournemouth 'would be like playing a fourth division side'
(Image: NQ)
He came down to the dugout, the chairman.
And I was asked on the Monday how I would feel about my chairman coming down to the dugout.
I said my chairman wouldn’t do it in the first place, and if he did, I wouldn’t be happy.
Ken Bates, who I got to become good friends with in later years, wrote me the most stinking letter because I voiced an opinion about him coming down to the dugout.
He slaughtered me.
Him and Bobby Campbell, they both became good friends of mine, but I never forget that day!
I’m sure it’s going to be a really good, exciting, positive year. I really feel they’ve got the right manager.
They tell me he’s really personable, a great person, and obviously a top, top manager.
So I think everything’s looking good, I'm really looking forward to it.
But the message he sent out by showing an interest in the under-21s, it’s been my biggest beef in football for years, that managers no longer take interest in the kids.
That was always my big thing.
I went to West Ham, I went to it every Saturday morning, I would come watch the youth team play when the first team was at home before going to Upton Park for the first team game.
Jermain Defoe
Redknapp sent Defoe on loan to the Cherries in the 00/01 season.
We produced players out of that youth team like Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe, Glen Johnson, all went on to become super internationals, winning the Champions League, winning Premier League titles.
But I was there every Saturday morning.
That was what I did, and that’s what we did back then. I think that’s gone out the game.
Managers now have come in, a lot of them, because there are a lot of foreign managers, they don’t take an interest in the kids.
To see him turn up on Friday night, I thought was a fantastic message to send out.
There’s lots to look forward to this season. It’s great to see the club in such good hands.
The owners, the manager, I just think everything is positive going forward.
One of my great characters while I was Bournemouth boss was Tommy Heffernan, and I’m sending my best wishes to him after he had a stroke back in Ireland.
I’m keeping in touch with Tommy’s daughter, and we’re just keeping our fingers crossed.
Tommy’s made a little bit of improvement.
Tommy was one of the great characters at Bournemouth over the years for me.
I loved him. He was a fantastic right-back, centre-half, even played centre-forward a few times for me, scored a few goals.
But Tommy was a real great personality.
I’m sure there’s still a lot of supporters out there who fondly remember Tommy, the lads who played with him and knew him from back in the day, we all sent our best wishes.
Harry's fee for his column has been donated to the Dorset Cancer Care Foundation, of which he is patron. To find out more and to donate, visit dccf.co.uk.