Harry Redknapp is extremely glad that he will be able to take his place in the Tottenham dugout on Saturday without the prospect of being jailed hanging over his head.
Redknapp, along with co-defendant Milan Mandaric, was cleared of two charges of tax evasion on Wednesday morning after a 13-day trial at Southwark Crown Court.
The former Portsmouth manager on Friday described the trial, which came eight years after he was originally investigated by tax authorities, as “the most draining thing I’ve ever been through in my life”.
The Spurs boss, whose team face Newcastle on Saturday, looked haggard on Friday as he admitted the trial had taken its toll on him.
The 64-year-old insists he will be back to his usual chirpy self on Saturday, however, when he returns to the home dugout at White Hart Lane having cleared any thoughts about the trial from his mind.
“It’s great to be back,” said Redknapp, who has transformed Spurs from relegation candidates to title contenders despite having the threat of a custodial sentence lingering over him.
“It (the trial) knocked me for six.
“I haven’t felt so good for the last couple of days. I went down with the flu. I was a bit low but I feel good today.
“It was always a case of things were going well on the pitch, but I always had that other thing hanging over me – that was a problem for me. Thankfully it’s gone now so we will move on.”
Within eight hours of his acquittal, Redknapp’s world was turned upside down by Fabio Capello’s resignation.
Redknapp is now the overwhelming favourite to succeed the Italian, but insists that although he is interested in the post, his only current focus is the game against the Magpies.
“I’m just getting on with my job,” Redknapp said.
“I am trying to pick a team for tomorrow and then for next week at Stevenage.
“All my focus is just on Tottenham. It’s been hard to get where we are and this is my job. This is what I get paid to do.”
Redknapp missed Monday night’s draw at Liverpool as the private jet which Spurs had chartered to take him to Anfield suffered technical difficulties at the airport.
Without him, the Londoners battled to a gutsy goalless draw, which Redknapp saw as a point gained, rather than two lost, due to the injuries that caused him to pick a threadbare team for the game on Merseyside.
Rafael van der Vaart missed the game with a calf problem and will be absent again on Saturday, but Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe are fit after overcoming hamstring complaints.
Redknapp, whose team trail league leaders Manchester City by seven points, is expecting a tough game against Newcastle, who have defied all the odds to climb to fifth under Alan Pardew.
“They are playing well so it will be really hard,” Redknapp said.
“It has the makings of a great game. Alan Pardew has done a fantastic job there.
“He wasn’t really wanted when he took over from Chris Hughton, who was popular, but he has won the fans round and you have to give him and (owner) Mike Ashley credit for that.”
