Harry Redknapp. Man of Integrity.

Bolton`s clash with Tottenham Hotspur has additional spice with the news that the club has sacked manager Juande Ramos, and replaced him with Bagpuss, aka Harry Redknapp, formerly of Bournemouth, West Ham, Southampton and until about ten minutes ago, Portsmouth. The reaction of those Spurs fans who were branded as ‘filthy` by Redknapp, after chanting against Sol Campbell, hasn`t been recorded, which may be just as well.

Redknapp, claims to have been interested in Tottenham for a long time. ‘I am a big follower of the history of the game and Tottenham have been a great club over the years,` he said, ‘I followed Tottenham, I trained there as an 11-year-old, 12-year-old so I know the history of the club. It is a big, big, club.`

So Spurs are definitely big and so is ‘Arry, although he seems to be a little confused, as to his boyhood allegiance. Speaking before last season`s FA cup tie between Preston and Portsmouth, whilst waxing lyrical about Tom Finney, he said : ‘I was a big Arsenal fan as a kid and I remember seeing him play against Tommy Docherty one night.`

Bagpuss has resigned from Portsmouth before, in November 2004. He infuriated fans of that club by joining hated rivals Southampton a few weeks later, but redeemed himself somewhat by getting them relegated – before resigning. He also resigned from his first managerial appointment at Bournemouth. There seems to be some dispute about whether he resigned from West Ham or was sacked. He probably resigned.

On a number of occasions, Redknapp has said that Pompey would be his last job, that he loved the place, and the club, and the ground, and the fans, and the seagulls, and the salty sea air. Ok, some of that last sentence is bollocks, but if he can do it, so can we. Now he`s buggered off to Tottenham. Harry Redknapp, man of integrity: We salute you.