Should Harry Redknapp Be Next England Manager?

By Matt Holmes / February 15, 2012

Paddy Power currently have Redknapp listed at 1/3 with his closest opponent, interim manager Stuart Pearce listed at 13/2. Having endured probably the most hectic week of his life last week when he was acquitted of all charges in his tax evasion trial, to then become the name on the lips of everyone in the media regarding the vacant England manager position, to then having the small matter of managing his team against an in-form Newcastle United, who they thrashed 5-0 with a stunning display of classy, attacking football which only poured more fuel on the fire that he was the right man to take England to glory... Redknapp has spent the first half of this week enjoying a break in Dubai. The man sure has a lot on his mind. Never has Redknapp had to mull over such an important decision in his footballing career. Right now Spurs are flying high having turned the North London club from a struggling, relegation threatened side into genuine title contenders having leaped frogged Liverpool two seasons ago and now playing better, more consistent football than the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal. They are a shoe-in for their second stint of Champions League football next season and although they may just fall short of winning the title this year, they aren't far away from being a side who could win that trophy. There is a challenge there for Harry Redknapp. He could become the first English manager to win the Premier League and the Spurs fans, who gave him a thunderous reception on Saturday both before and after the final whistle, love him unconditionally . He could have a job for life at that club and bring them as much success as your imagination could believe. But then the elephant is the room is England. Harry Redknapp has said many times that if England came calling it would be a job that would be impossible for an Englishman to turn down, and now here he is in Dubai trying to work out how he says no to the call of his country. The likelihood is he won't find one and he will be installed as England manager at the end of the season. But is it a job worth taking? England have a tough task at the Euro's, possibly the hardest group they have had in any major tournament in recent memory. They have France and Sweden, two teams who England aren't guaranteed to just storm through and it is conceivable they won't make it through that challenge. The side doesn't have the quality that previous England squads had and he could have crashed England out of the tournament at the first hurdle. Would Redknapp keep his job for the World Cup finals if they didn't make it past the Euros? Yes... but the media would turn on him in an instant. There is no honeymoon period for an England manager, if you aren't winning or looking like winning competitions then its a poisoned chalice and you are out of a job. Redknapp has a huge decision to make and having built up his Tottenham Hotspur into giants of the English game in the past few seasons, is it really worth giving all that up to become England manager and inevitably fail like the rest of them? Former Spurs chairman Sir. Alan Sugar said Redknapp would be 'crazy' for taking the England job as it will only end in tears. We can't help but agree. Yes, Redknapp is the best man to be the next England manager. But should he take it? NO, a resounding No. Paddy Power's latest England manager odds below;