No rift with Spurs boss, says Redknapp

By James Cunliffe Sunday, January 13, 2013
2:30 PM

Harry Redknapp rubbished claims of ill feeling towards Andre Villas-Boas after QPR held his old side Tottenham to a 0-0 draw yesterday.

The Englishman was sacked by the Spurs in the summer after four years in the White Hart Lane hotseat.

Former Chelsea boss Villas-Boas was the man to fill the role and the build-up to yesterday’s London derby centred around the relationship between the pair.

Redknapp had previously said that only a “dope” could fail at the Blues while the Portuguese, who was given the axe at Stamford Bridge after just nine months, responded by saying: “You have to be able to access a club like that to experience it.”

The two managers spoke on the touchline at Loftus Road and Redknapp was keen to point out there was no rift with his Spurs successor because the story had been twisted out of a question about current Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez.

“There is no problem with him, I don’t know him - I meet him on the touchline for one minute and talked to him,” he said.

“A story was made up after I said the other week that you would have to be dopey not to succeed with Chelsea’s squad.

“I was talking about Rafael Benitez and I said I don’t think he will fail because he is not a dope and he is a very clever manager.

“I never mentioned anyone else - so I don’t know why people have to twist it and make it look like I’m talking about Villas-Boas.

“The next time I see him, please God we are all here, will be next year hopefully.

“I just see what a good job he is doing and he is doing a good job. He didn’t take my job, I didn’t have a job - I was gone.

“Someone had to take the job, what difference to me if he takes it or someone else takes it, it makes no difference to my life.”