van der Vaart bigs up Harry Redknapp

RAFAEL VAN DER VAART reckons Harry Redknapp is the Special One - not Jose Mourinho.

The former Real Madrid star claims life at the Bernabeu under Mourinho was 'boring'.

But he says Redknapp's laid-back approach at White Hart Lane makes his new boss very special.

Van der Vaart, 27, insists he has rediscovered not just his form at Tottenham but also his love for the game.

The Dutch playmaker said: "Harry is a very special man, that's why I already feel at home at Spurs. It feels like I'm back on the street.

"There are no long and boring speeches about tactics, like I was used to at Real Madrid.

"There is a clipboard in our dressing room but Harry doesn't write anything on it!

"It's very relaxed. The gaffer gives us the line-up 20 minutes before we go out to do our warm-up.

"And the only words he speaks to me are 'You play left or right, work hard, have fun and show the fans your best'.

"Then the defenders get an instruction about who to mark at corners and free-kicks - and that's it."

The Dutch Master, who has hit seven goals already this season, says training at Tottenham is equally low-key.

He added: "It's not that we do nothing - but it's close to that.

"For instance, last weekend Gareth Bale scored a header against Blackburn from my corner.

"But we didn't train one minute on it, it was pure luck. Good kicking, good heading, nothing more.

"And our win at home over Champions League winners Inter Milan was a clear example of playing on intuition. You can't train the goal I scored in that game.

"Of course the players need to have the qualities to end in the good position and the gaffer has to select the best squad.

"But in the end, it's all about feeling and that's what I have right now at Spurs.

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"I try to give the best assist possible and guys like Bale try to score a goal out of it. That's our tactic!"

No wonder Van der Vaart cannot stop scoring and cannot stop smiling. He insisted: "Playing in the Premier League was a long-time dream not just for me, but also for my wife.

"She loves England and London and we've been talking for years about how nice it would be to play and live in this fantastic country.

"I have been dreaming about the Premier League since I was a kid. Now I'm finally there and I love it."


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz15XAT3MzS

Nailed on next England manager. Tactical genius

wonder what saf and phelans tactics are.

especially when sending on a central defender to play upfront away @ villa park.

He was at Real Madrid with Mourinho for all of a month or something.

That'll explain all the trophies Redknapp's won and Mourinho's empty haul.

Originally Posted by marlo

wonder what saf and phelans tactics are.

especially when sending on a central defender to play upfront away @ villa park.

Yeah, wish we were mired in 7th like Harry's boys.

Originally Posted by marlo

wonder what saf and phelans tactics are.

especially when sending on a central defender to play upfront away @ villa park.

Originally Posted by andyroo

He was at Real Madrid with Mourinho for all of a month or something.

He doesn't even mention mourinho.

Journalists artistic licence

Originally Posted by Ginners

Wow, just wow.

Have Spurs not beaten any of the so called big 4 for 60-odd games or something like that? Sounds a decent CV for England boss

Originally Posted by Pete's Shoes

Have Spurs not beaten any of the so called big 4 for 60-odd games or something like that? Sounds a decent CV for England boss

C'mon, the way he tactically outwitted SAF and Phelan at OT this year by getting his team to utterly capitulate in the 2nd half was a masterclass in management genius if ever I've seen one.

Redknapp

Pisses me off we weren’t in for VDV, tremendous player and excellent ‘value’. Love watching him play

Originally Posted by marlo

wonder what saf and phelans tactics are.

especially when sending on a central defender to play upfront away @ villa park.

Dunno mate but SAF's tactics might be okay really judging by his record of winning stuff do you think?

Originally Posted by PaulParkersPubes

Dunno mate but SAF's tactics might be okay really judging by his record of winning stuff do you think?

Do you think there's any chance he threw a CB up front at that point, cos a CB had just scored an equaliser and he thought there was maybe aweakness to exploit?

Originally Posted by The Watcher

Pisses me off we weren’t in for VDV, tremendous player and excellent ‘value’. Love watching him play

he cost the same as bebe ffs. exactly the sort of player we needed and a good age still. proper bizarre we werent interested. no resale value i guess?

I'd rather we had Ferguson than a tactics-obsessed genius like, say, Rafael Benitez. Or Roberto Mancini.

But that's just me.

Brilliant manager

Doesn't pretend to be something he isn't and still gets the job with "style"

Originally Posted by Pete's Shoes

Have Spurs not beaten any of the so called big 4 for 60-odd games or something like that? Sounds a decent CV for England boss

I think it's their away record against the 'big 4' that is spectacularly shit, not all Harry's doing tbf twitchy

Originally Posted by Ginners

he cost the same as bebe ffs. exactly the sort of player we needed and a good age still. proper bizarre we werent interested. no resale value i guess?

And he'd had injuries. And I very much doubt Real Madrid would have sold to us at the same price. And there were wages to consider as well.

But apart from that...

Surprised the concept of sending on a big defender to play up front late on and chasing a game has come as a tactical revelation to some of the youngsters.

Originally Posted by PaulParkersPubes

Dunno mate but SAF's tactics might be okay really judging by his record of winning stuff do you think?

Your just being stupid now, most successful manager in the Premiership......doesnt mean he has a clue about tactics though you loon

[SIZE="4"]Does it ?????