Tottenham Hotspur: Should Harry Redknapp Get A New Contract?

So let me get this straight. The man who took Spurs to the Quarter Final of the Champions League 2 seasons ago, with some rip-roaring performances along the way, wants a new contract. The Tottenham Hotspur board however are stalling because they are worried about his age. In the immortal words of Zack Ryder, "Are you serious bro!". The Spurs board stood by Harry Redknapp last season when he was on trial for tax evasion. They stood by him when he chose to use the incompetency defence, a decision that made him look like a cross between Mike Bassett and Mr. Bean. Even that couldn't shake the Tottenham boards confidence and there wasn't even a whisper of Spurs thinking about a future without Redknapp. So much were they behind Harry that when the whole country anointed him the next England manager Daniel Levy prepared war plans and was prepared to fight to the death against the FA to keep him. Perhaps Levy's history as a tough negotiator played some part in the FA going straight to Roy Hodgson. All the rumours about about Harry taking up a position that every English manager covets led to a blip in Tottenham's form and even then there was no panic from the top, no clue that they were worried about the future. Only faith that they had finally picked a manager that was taking them to the promised land. When the announcement came that Harry had been overlooked by the FA he got Spurs firing again and they finished 4th. Just 1 point behind their bitter rivals Arsenal. They would be rubbing shoulders with the giants of Europe again if fate had decided against smiling on Chelsea (a team they finished 5 points ahead of). Instead it's the Europa League again for Spurs and even last season when Harry treated that competition with disdain the board stood by and let him do his job because they were sure he was the right man for the job. A man they picked to put the misery of Juande Ramos behind them. A man that had Spurs playing some of the most attractive and entertaining football in whole league last season. A man that has a history of getting the best out of a transfer market that at best is fickle. They stood by him through everything but are now playing hard ball over a new contract because he turned 65 this past March. This at a time when the government is abolishing the national retirement age. Also further up the league they may have noticed a man working in the home dugout at Old Trafford who just happens to be 5 years Redkanpp's senior. Sir Alex has always worked by the criteria that as long as he was still hungry, passionate and healthy he will continue. That transfers to Harry, surely. Last November he had a heart scare and had to miss a couple of games but even that couldn't slow him down. In his time at Spurs he has remained loyal to the club and it's fans so much so he is affectionately known around the White Hart Lane faithful as 'Arry Hotspur. All the while members of the media were crying out for him to take the England job he always thought of Spurs first and know that it's gone he has nowhere else to go. No higher brass ring to grab at. Spurs is the pinnacle of his career. Even if England get humiliated at the Euro's Roy Hodgson is there for at least the next 2 years. Therein lies the rub though. Across Europe there is only 1 "big" team looking for a manager and Roman Abramovic has made it clear who he wants. Successful managers like Rafael Benitez and Fabio Capello are sitting on their sofas waiting for their phones to ring. Young talented managers like Andre Villas-Boas and Michael Laudrup are in the same boat just waiting and hoping not to be forgotten. Daniel Levy knows that he can negotiate to the bitter end and not just because he loves to negotiate but because he knows options are limited for top managers right now. He knows that Harry needs Spurs but what he has to realise soon is that Spurs need Harry just as much.