It is sometimes difficult to understand what motivates individuals to become Premier League managers, with all the stress, trials, and tribulations the job brings.
The pressure that these people face is unrelenting, they never get any considerable time off, and they are usually the first ones to be blamed when results don’t go according to plan.
Given that the average life cycle of managers at Premier League clubs is fairly short due to the unforgiving nature of the industry, football management certainly doesn’t seem as if it would be everyone’s cup of tea.
Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has now admitted that being the main man in charge of a first-team can be quite a lonely experience, especially when it comes to getting close to the players.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “Managing is very lonely. You have very few friends when you become a football manager. You are not in the dressing room, you are isolated and have to keep your distance from the players.
“You can never get too close with them, go out drinking with them or socialise too much. You leave yourself too wide open if you do that.
“It can be quite lonely. When things aren’t going quite well it can be difficult times for you. As a player, you’ve probably gone out with a few people and you get on with it and you are ready to go on Monday.”
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The 73-year-old was also asked to name his favourite moment from his long and illustrious career in management.
Understandably, Redknapp found it hard to pick just one moment and instead revealed the most memorable results that stuck in his mind, including beating AC Milan at the San Siro with Spurs.
Redknapp added: “At Bournemouth going to Fulham and winning to get promoted to Division 2 for the first time in 100 years. It’s been amazing what Eddie Howe has done but up until that time they’d only been in Division 3 and 4. That was a great day for me.
“At Portsmouth, getting promoted there was fantastic or going back to Portsmouth when we went on an incredible run and ended up winning at Wigan to stay up. The game had finished and I was looking up at the director’s box and we were waiting for Birmingham at home against Newcastle and they drew. That was a fantastic day. The cup final was a great day for me.
“Staying up with Birmingham was a great day. I took over with three games left and we needed to win two of the three and we managed to do that.
“Lots of great times. Tottenham, going to Old Trafford and winning or going to the San Siro was always special winning there.”
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Harry makes a great point about how managers getting too close to their players can be counterproductive. Perhaps, that played a part in Pochettino’s eventual demise at Spurs.
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