Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp insists there is "no way" he would return to West Ham United to replace Alan Curbishley. Curbishley ended his two-year reign at Upton Park on Wednesday after citing a lack of control over the club's direction in the the transfer market.
Former Hammers boss Redknapp has emerged alongside Croatia coach and fellow former player Slaven Bilic as an early frontrunner for the post, but the current Pompey chief has no interest in returning to the east London club. Redknapp spent seven years in the Upton Park hot-seat before being sacked in 2001, told The Sun.
"Alan Curbishley may have gone as West Ham boss - but there's no way I'll replace him. Curbs quit because he feels he has been undermined and shown a lack of trust by the owner. I take my hat off to him for sticking to his principles. Don't get me wrong, West Ham is a fantastic club with fantastic fans and - having gone there aged 15 - it has a special place in my heart. But I love it at Portsmouth and I have one big advantage over a lot of Premier League bosses these days: I've got an owner who lets the manager manage."
Meanwhile, Redknapp was warned that the growing influence of billionaire club owners and European-style sporting directors is setting a worrying trend. The 61-year-old is alarmed that both Curbishley and Kevin Keegan at Newcastle United have reportedly been unsettled by interference in their transfer plans in recent weeks.
He continued: "The days of managing as I know it are coming to end. You will basically be given players and told to get on with it. West Ham sold players and it was nothing to do with Alan - but that will happen more and more. Let's face it, the way it's going, every Premier League club will be owned by a foreign billionaire. They all want to win the title, they all want to be in the Champions League and if they don't get it they'll be changing managers like we change socks. It will be a revolving door that never stops turning.”
Should West Ham scrap the Sporting Director role at West Ham and has it been the root of all problems at Upton Park and dare I say St James' aswell?
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