Is Redknapp the right man for Tottenham?

Is Redknapp a Portsmouth hero or villain?

A new era for Tottenham Hotspur has begun with some old problems, but maybe fresh solutions. Harry Redknapp is in the same situation as several previous managers, penning his teamsheet searching for a leader and not knowing whether Ledley King, the captain, is able to play.

In times of trouble, teams look to their senior players, but there has been scant response at Tottenham this season. King’s knee injury has been a perpetual problem, but the defender wants to play against Arsenal tomorrow, which would be his third consecutive match — a sequence he has not managed since January.

Those around him are more cautious, and Redknapp believes that his captain should be playing regularly, leaving King’s status open to question. He could become club captain, with the experienced Jonathan Woodgate taking the armband on the pitch.

Even King has recognised the difficulty. “[Centre back is] an important position and it’s nice to have consistency at the back,” King said. He suggested that Juande Ramos kept him back for some matches, fuelling the belief that the dismissed head coach placed more importance on cup matches. “He wanted me for certain games, so I made sure I was there,” he said.

Steve Perryman, one of the club’s most revered captains, notices the similarities to when he made his Tottenham debut aged 17, in 1969. The club were blessed with players such as Jimmy Greaves and Alan Mullery, but Bill Nicholson, the manager, wanted to add the kind of bite and leadership to the side that Perryman believes they need now.

“You need a leader to take a way of playing on to the pitch, to pull them back when they veer off,” Perryman said. “A manager could instruct, but they are not in the heat of the battle to change things immediately. Without leadership, the players may be going down different routes to each other.”

Perryman suggests that Tottenham have not had a leader since Gary Mabbutt hung up his boots ten years ago. He admires King, but believes that the captain should be on the pitch more often than he is.

“You show leadership in the dressing-room, after the manager has spoke, by saying, ‘Chaps, are we sure of what we did just there? Are we not better than we just produced?’ If a player makes a mistake, you say, ‘Next, move on,’ ” Perryman said. “It’s a double mistake if they let their heads drop.

“Like a team needs a style and ethic, a club needs a dignity to run through it as well. Successful clubs have leadership in the boardroom. Leadership is such an easy thing to talk about, but harder to get. I have not heard anything from Tottenham in the past few months, the staff or board. They have acted now. I hope not to protect themselves, as that is not the right leadership.”

Redknapp has identified the team’s need for a tireless runner who can stop other people playing. He will return to Portsmouth, his former club, to try to sign Lassana Diarra, the former Arsenal and Chelsea midfield player, and has an eye on a goalkeeper — he is an admirer of Robert Green, of West Ham United — after Heurelho Gomes’s displays.

Redknapp has given squad numbers to Hossam Ghaly, Adel Taarabt, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Paul Stalteri and Ricardo Rocha, all of whom had been training with the reserves this season. “Every player has to start again and perform,” King said.

Kevin Bond has joined as assistant coach, reuniting him with Redknapp after their spells at West Ham United, Southampton and Portsmouth. Tim Sherwood, the former Spurs midfield player, claimed last night that he had spoken to Redknapp about a role.

“It’s a great opportunity — there must be a queue a mile long for that job,” Sherwood said. However, it is more likely that Clive Allen will be promoted from his role as development coach to work with the first team.

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Bookies backing Harry

Harry Redknapp’s switch of clubs has prompted bookmakers to change their odds hastily. On Friday, Tottenham Hotspur were 11-4 with William Hill to be relegated, but, with Redknapp in charge, they are a more optimistic 4-1.

Conversely, Portsmouth were 50-1 to go down before the weekend, but the departure of their FA Cup-winning manager has halved those odds to 25-1.