RE: how did he get clearance to play in pre-season but not the league? nt Dont think you need it for non competative games
anyone can play in pre-season friendlies. like the time that guy told harry redknapp got abuse from a fan, he said "will you do any better" - the fan played the scond half and scored a goal!!!
The whole situation is a complete joke. We have a midfield crisis because our manager thought it better to 'strengthen' our squad with a signing from the other side of the world instead of from these shores. No problem though, Simon can still play Hassell there....ffs.
RE: I hope so, awesome story if it is! In 1994, Redknapp was assistant manager of West Ham and his side were playing Oxford City in a pre-season friendly when ... well, we'll let 'Arry take up the tale: "Lee Chapman was playing for us at the time," recounts Redknapp. "All through the first half some tattooed skinhead behind me was giving Lee terrible stick. At half-time I turned to this bloke who had West Ham etched on his neck and asked 'Can you play as good as you talk?' He looked totally confused. So I told him he was going to get his dream to play for West Ham. We sent him down the tunnel and he reappeared 10 minutes later all done out in the strip. He ran on to the pitch and a journalist from the local Oxford paper sidled up and asked 'Who's that Harry?' I said 'What? Haven't you been watching the World Cup? That's the great Bulgarian Tittyshev!' The fella wasn't bad - actually, he scored!"</p> The fella in question was a 27-year-old called Steve Davies who had given up park football six years earlier. The West Ham board were obviously impressed with Harry's idiosyncratic decision-making: they made him manager a month later.</p>
