Harry Redknapp gave Jermain Defoe a dressing down in front of his team mates after his sending off against Pompey on Saturday. Nothing wrong with that as far as I’m concerned, especially when he already warned him to cool it at half time.
Redknapp said: “Yes. He’s sorry for what’s done. For sure. I gave him a rollicking in front of all the lads, to be fair.”
“He can be a bit like that,”
“At times, he has to learn to curb that. I couldn’t have told him more. I sat him down at half-time and said to him ‘don’t do anything silly. We can’t afford to go down to 10 men here. We have to have 11 on the pitch. Don’t let us down’.
“He let himself down, he let us down as well. He could have cost us the game. The way he reacted, it was disappointing.”
The only problem I have with it is the fact Harry felt the need to tell the press. These things should be kept in house; disciplining players isn’t a matter that needs to be discussed in The Sun. I appreciate Harry being straight with us but all he needed to say was Defoe had been stupid and he’s told him as much or the matter is being dealt with by the club, not that he told him off in front of his team mates.
Doing things this way makes Defoe look like a naughty little kid. He doesn’t need any help looking stupid. Suing the police for being racist and going out with some shocking women springs to mind.
The fact is Jermain got the winner. Yes he was impetuous stamping on Mokoena but I like that he has a bit of fire in his game and he was obviously very wound up from the treatment he’d been getting from the Portsmouth players. There’s no excuse for it but there’s also no excuse for telling the world he got a telling off in front of his team mates.
I think Harry was right to let everyone know he’d given that cocky upstart a telling off. He needs it. Good player, bad attitude.
if Defoe,s sending off cost us the game you would be thinking differently my friend!!!
Are you serious? Do you think that Capello would have patted him on the back if he had done that in a World Cup Semi? Defoe is NOT, let us be honest, a team player, though he has improved this season. Others run into good positions for a pass only to see Jermaine ‘go for glory’ and blaze over the bar; he also does a fine line in running offside. Yet he HAS made progress, is a more consistent performer, and WILL get better if he can work on his weaknesses. And one of those weaknesses is an inability to see the bigger picture and think beyond the moment. A swift bollocking from ‘Arry will help in that respect. So, go on ‘Arry, show ‘im up in front of the lads.
Absolutely right he had a go at him. ESPECIALLY as he’d already said;
“I couldn’t have told him more. I sat him down at half-time and said to him ‘don’t do anything silly. We can’t afford to go down to 10 men here. We have to have 11 on the pitch. Don’t let us down’.”
How much more does Defoe want it spelled out? DON’T do anything silly, DON’T get sent off… what does he do? BOTH! He’s lucky that he’d already got our winner, and that Dindane WAS on the pitch all game… that was our only saving grace! Now he’ll miss the North London Derby… great! Nice one Jermain… hope watching on for the next 3 games gives you plenty of thinking time!
Quite agree, things should stay in the changing room and all that needed to be said, was that Defoe has apologised to myself and the rest the squad.
Keep the media in the dark, where they should be, in the sewer with the rest of the rats.
Don’t agree with public whippings but this is for Jermains own good after the bad press Adebyor got he could of got more of a ban.It looked mild to me but its the intent ref’s go by and is England manager wouldn’t think kindly to this kind of sending of and could hamper is chances especially when you consider Rooney’s temper and what happened with Beckham in his world cup nightmare sending off.Harry has let Cappello know he wont be repeating his moment of madness and he can safely take him to the world cup and win with Jermains goals not is petulance
It’s a pity that the referee’s authority is limited to sending a player off in such circumstances. It would have been much better if he had been able to send him straight to bed without any supper. The naughty room is not enough.
Agree with article, keep these things in house. Harry’s association with the current bun does us no favours.
I can’t see the problem, he was warned, his petulence let himself and the rest of the team down. Harry said that he apologised to the rest of the team, so fine. Harry is a good man manager and it will have been his way of keeping him in line, he was clearly naffed of by it after stating that he had told him a number of times.
I’ve got no problems with Harry giving JD a dressing down. He’s a professional so he needs to act like one. Everyone knew the stick he was going to get including him, keep your head and the best way to answer the hatchet men is to stick a couple in the back of the net. Now he misses one of the most important games of the season
After a bad performance, Ferguson will take a bullet for his players. Stirring up controversy to divert media attention away from them.
Harry on the other hand seems happy to lead the criticism against his own players to protect his own name in the press.
Who cares if the post match focus is on slamming the Bent miss or JD’s discipline, as long as people realise that Harry Redknapp is blameless. The wronged party even. The darling of the tabloid papers.
Wenger doesn’t see things. Harry does – and sprints to the cameras to absolve himself from any blame