FORMER TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR manager Harry Redknapp has revealed that he once feared Gareth Bale was too preoccupied with his hairstyle to make it as a leading footballer.
Bale left Tottenham for Real Madrid last month for a reported world-record transfer fee of £85 million (€100 million), but Redknapp says he used to have doubts about the Welsh forward’s strength of character.
“He drove me mad in training,” wrote Redknapp in his autobiography, which is being serialised in British newspaper the Daily Mail.
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“Technically, he was outstanding, but he always seemed to be playing with his hair.
“It was never right. He’d be flicking the fringe or wiping it out of his eyes and I would be going quietly mad, just watching. ‘Gareth, leave your barnet alone! Gareth! Stop touching you hair!’”
‘Barnet’ is cockney rhyming slang for ‘hair’, derived from a rhyme with ‘Barnet Fair’.
Redknapp, who now manages second-tier Queens Park Rangers, was also worried about Bale’s propensity for injury.
He was always getting a little knock in training, too. He’d go down then limp off and I always thought the physios made too much fuss of him,” he said.
“It was the same pattern every morning. Gareth would tumble and stay there, and they’d all go running over. In the end I told them just to leave him alone.”
“All he needed was to be toughened up to emerge as a star player,” he added. “We had to tease that combative streak out of him. Gareth seemed too soft to be a defender so we decided to try him further forward.”
No he wasn’t going to sell Bale, Bale himself asked could he go out on loan and Harry said no and this has been confirmed by Harry and even Bale in the last few weeks..
No I don’t buy rags like that but I did read that fact in a number of articles during the summer… Do I guess your not such a bale expert after all , and interesting you should mention the sun newspaper …
Yes you read an article from some Newspapers or even worse online football gossip sites great sources. And yes you are correct I am not a Bale expert but Id rather take his word and Harrys word over a few articles you read over the summer.
Harry is some chancer trying to take any credit for Bale’s development. His footballing knowledge amounted to him saying on numerous occasions that Bale’s best position would be left back. It’s unclear whether the Bale to Birmingham rumours are true since Alex McLeish says one thing and Harry the other but it is true that Harry didn’t rate Bale at spurs as evidenced by him starting only 11 games of Harry’s first 40 in charge .
I’m as sceptical of Harry’s chancer style of management as anyone but to be fair Bale’s emergence as a left winger who could change games did begin under him
A player that talented is always going to emerge to be fair . Bale’s rapid emergence and development into a world class player in just one season under avb further points to the lack of input Harry had in his career in my opinion.
Arry was always a bluffer. Still going on about not getting the england job. I’d say there is a few more stories to come out in the next few years about his past dealings, probably why the FA took the save option with Hodgson.
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Harry is an absolute inspiration this man couldn’t even read or write 18months ago and now he has his own book
He was about to sell bale to birmingham for 3 mill b4 an injury to the choice left back got him into the first team Harry is a cretin…nothing more
No he wasn’t going to sell Bale, Bale himself asked could he go out on loan and Harry said no and this has been confirmed by Harry and even Bale in the last few weeks..
Who is Dowling???
Think he was on Big Brother a few years back if im not mistaken
Nonsense Bale was part of a deal at one stage to bring Dowling to spurs , 15 mil plus plus himself, but Dowling chose to sign Liverpool instead
Why because you read it in The Sun?
Funny enough it was the Daily Mail who ran the story . The same Daily Mail that is now serializing Harry’s book.
No I don’t buy rags like that but I did read that fact in a number of articles during the summer… Do I guess your not such a bale expert after all , and interesting you should mention the sun newspaper …
Yes you read an article from some Newspapers or even worse online football gossip sites great sources. And yes you are correct I am not a Bale expert but Id rather take his word and Harrys word over a few articles you read over the summer.
To be fair Alex McLeish is quoted as saying he nearly bought him . So it’s Alex or Harry’s word you’ll have to believe.
Yes yes of course I did your do right again …. How do you do it.,,.,
Harry is some chancer trying to take any credit for Bale’s development. His footballing knowledge amounted to him saying on numerous occasions that Bale’s best position would be left back. It’s unclear whether the Bale to Birmingham rumours are true since Alex McLeish says one thing and Harry the other but it is true that Harry didn’t rate Bale at spurs as evidenced by him starting only 11 games of Harry’s first 40 in charge .
I’m as sceptical of Harry’s chancer style of management as anyone but to be fair Bale’s emergence as a left winger who could change games did begin under him
A player that talented is always going to emerge to be fair . Bale’s rapid emergence and development into a world class player in just one season under avb further points to the lack of input Harry had in his career in my opinion.
Pressure starting to build on Bale in Madrid. Not setting the world alight and injured now. £85 million quid, fans won’t be long turning on him.
Then Arry will come out and say he knew bale would struggle at Madrid.
Arry was always a bluffer. Still going on about not getting the england job. I’d say there is a few more stories to come out in the next few years about his past dealings, probably why the FA took the save option with Hodgson.
That’s a bit premature considering he has barely played due to his injuries