HARRY REDKNAPP
The Spurs boss sparked ferocious controversy at White Hart Lane
yesterday after signing out-of-contract defender Gallas.
Frenchman Gallas, 33, quit bitter rivals Arsenal at the end of
last season.
But Redknapp said: "Listen if you play rubbish, he's going to
get slaughtered.
"But if he comes here, throws himself into a few tackles, wins
headers, scores from set-plays, we keep clean-sheets and Tottenham
are winning . . . then we'll see."
Spurs fans are already resenting the arrival of Gallas and are
planning to slaughter him with verbal abuse.
But Redknapp believes the player can handle anything thrown at
him.
He added: "Stick? When I was manager at West Ham in 1993 we
signed David Speedie on loan and he was getting dog's abuse when we
were trying to get promoted. There were two minutes to go and if we
didn't win this game we were not going up.
"He'd been getting abuse all afternoon from West Ham fans. But
Speedie dived in, nearly got his head kicked off and in the last
minute of the game he put the ball in the back of the net.
"You thought, how about that after all he's gone through he's
gone and got us promoted.
"William is not the first to move between the clubs and won't be
the last. George Graham played for Arsenal's Double-winning team,
managed them and then came to manage Tottenham.
"Pat Jennings played for Tottenham and Arsenal. Alan Ball played
for Southampton and Portsmouth.
"Mick Channon played for Southampton and Portsmouth. You want to
see hatred, that is hatred between two clubs.
"You need people like William in the dressing room. Big clubs
have people who run the dressing room. We don't have too many like
him, we're a quiet team."
Gallas arrives at White Hart Lane with a reputation for causing
trouble and was stripped of the captaincy at the Emirates for
criticising his team-mates.
Yet Redknapp is sure any flashes of temperament - like when he
sat on the Birmingham pitch in February 2008 and refused all
handshakes at the end of a 2-2 draw - are down to passion.
Redknapp said: "A manager can either do things or sit back and
do nothing. The easy thing was for me to think 'Oh some fans might
not like him, I am not going to do that and we will keep plodding
along.'
"I don't think he is a bad influence. I remember the time at
Birmingham, he could have just walked off the pitch and asked the
lads 'Where are we going tonight . . . Tramps or somewhere?'
"But he didn't, did he? He was distraught at the result, he
cares. You need people like him.
"If he has got a temperament, then he just gets the hump with
players who are not as professional as he is."
Another criticism of the Gallas signing is his age. But Redknapp
added: "People can talk about kids all they want but at Man United
the other night it was Scholes giving the ball to Giggs and Giggs
volleying the ball into the net.
"Man United have men like Ferdinand, Vidic, Neville. Chelsea
have John Terry, Drogba, Lampard - all these people are winners -
they are men.
"At Inter Milan Jose Mourinho won the Champions League with men.
They were all experienced players, not kids - look at the age of
his team.
"They have gone out to win, they want to win. I am not saying
you need all older players but you need people who know how to win
matches and you only gain experience with age."
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger insists Redknapp has landed a good
player and hopes Gallas will be remembered as an Arsenal great -
not a trouble-maker.
He said: "I believe William is a great player and Spurs have got
a winner.
"We made him an offer to stay but you have to understand that at
some stage you reach an agreement or not and then you have to move
somewhere else."
Redknapp has built a reputation as an excellent man-manager and
has taken on some of the games most controversial figures like
Paolo Di Canio at West Ham.
The Italian striker infamously shoved ref Paul Alcock to the
ground in 1998 while at Sheffield Wednesday.
Redknapp added: "When I took on Paolo, people said I was walking
a tightrope without a safety net, that he would cost me my job.
"Paolo became one of the greatest all-time players for West Ham.
That is the chance you take.
"If people don't like it, what can you do, they pay their money
it is up to them. William is playing for Tottenham you have to get
behind him.
"He will come here with a point to prove. If he wanted an easy
life he could have gone to Greece or somewhere for big money and
said 'That's OK, I've done all that'.
"But he's put himself under massive pressure. You've got to give
the man some credit.
"Patrick Vieira wanted to come here last year. I said 'Are you
sure Patrick?' He said 'Yeah, I want to prove I'm a
footballer.'
"Vieira was a legend at Arsenal, more of a legend than
William.
"He was in the team that were winning everything, the
Invincibles, they didn't lose a game. And he wanted to come here -
and would have come here!
"I have spoken to a few other people about William, some who
have played with him, and everyone came back with the same view as
I have got.
"William is a nice guy and a real big talent. Signing him is a
no- brainer as far as I'm concerned."
