Whites boss backs Redknapp
11:20am Friday 10th February 2012 in Sport By Marc Iles
HARRY Redknapp could give England “a fantastic chance” of winning the European Championships, according to Owen Coyle.
After Fabio Capello’s resignation was announced on Wednesday night, Redknapp's name was immediately put into the frame as his successor, following the completion of his own legal trial the same day.
Although Stuart Pearce has been placed in temporary charge for the friendly against Holland later this month, the Spurs boss is long odds-on favourite with the bookmakers to lead the country into this summer's tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
And, believes Coyle, he has the kind of personality needed to galvanise the national team after a period of turmoil.
“Harry's the favourite and rightly so,” he said. “If you looked on the wider scale, right across the world, I still think he'd be the perfect candidate.
“If someone can come in and take that bunch of players, get them motivated, have the fire in their belly. If they can make them patriotic and desperate to do well for their country – I think Harry Redknapp ticks every box in that.
“If it is him (who takes over from Capello) then I think England have got a fantastic chance at the Euros, I really do.”
Coyle did have sympathy for outgoing manager Capello, however, who opted to leave the post after four years after a row with the FA over the removal of John Terry as captain.
“I think Mr Capello did a great job,” he said. “Without going away on a tangent, you saw in the Hearts-Celtic game the other night why we need goal-line technology, and looking back to that Frank Lampard goal against Germany at the World Cup, they would have gone on from there and who knows?
“Mr Capello was very, very unlucky.”
Coyle has himself been installed as 25-1 to take over at White Hart Lane, should Redknapp leave.
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