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It has been a crazy week in the football world. Adelaide United, bottom of the A-League with almost a third of the season gone, finished top and won the grand final, 5000 to 1 shots Leicester City won the English Premier League and Central Coast Mariners hired Harry Redknapp as football consultant.
Wait, what? The bottom-placed, cash-strapped club from sleepy Gosford hiring the craftily cheeky cockney to consult with on football matters?
After all, he has an excellent record of working within a tight budget and leaving teams in stronger financial shape than when he found them. Even if that were true, it would still be a little odd.
No disrespect to the Englishman, who has had quite a career on both sides of the white line. Whatever your opinions of his managerial qualities – and everyone has an opinion about the 69-year-old – he is a likeable figure.
Appointing him as a coach would be understandable though debatable in its wisdom. This big name demands big money though he seems increasingly open to travelling around the world with recent links to jobs in Nigeria and Slovenia as well as the ill-fated Jordan spell – but more of that later.
Redknapp becoming coach would be interesting. Some would probably see it as great for the club’s profile and the media would certainly enjoy having the Londoner around.
Others would probably wonder as to whether there would not be someone younger, cheaper with a better knowledge of Australia and Asia who is better-suited to the job.
After all, his last visit to Australia didn’t exactly end well, though being appointed to take on Jordan’s national team for the two final games in Asia’s second round of World Cup qualification was as surprising as news of Lucas Neill’s bankruptcy.
A personal friendship with Jordan FA boss and FIFA presidential challenger Prince Ali Bin Hussein led to the gig, though there were plenty of local and regional alternatives with good knowledge of the Jordan team available.
An 8-0 thrashing of Bangladesh, after which Redknapp paid tribute to the abilities of his players, was followed by the 5-1 loss in Australia, after which he didn’t. You can’t blame the man who came so close to the England job in 2012 for taking the position in Jordan, but the appointment never really made sense.
The same this time with his role as a consultant. What exactly do Central Coast need to consult with him about? He knows English football well but then so do many people who likely cost less.
He may have contacts with big names, but so do many others and even if he puts in a good word, big names still cost big money. His eye for a good deal was faulty at QPR where lots of money was spent for not very much in return. In terms of ‘doing a Leicester’ it was the opposite.
There are riches to the north for Central Coast. Asia is a continent that can offer much for a club that takes time and trips to develop long-lasting relationships. It is not easy but the rewards can be found whether you are looking to recruit or establish business relationships.
Employing the services of a famous, if semi-retired English coach may make a few headlines – though it really didn’t seem to make that many headlines in the lead-up to the grand final – but the benefits for Central Coast Mariners look doubtful.
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