Redknapp: No regrets over Magpies snub

Harry Redknapp says he has no regrets about snubbing the Newcastle manager’s job in 2008 in order to stay at Portsmouth.

The QPR boss, whose team visit Tyneside on Saturday, this week described Newcastle as “one of the great clubs in English football”.

But he still believes he made the right decision to remain at Fratton Park before eventually leaving Pompey to take over at Tottenham.

He said: “I don’t ever regret anything. I don’t look back and think like that. You keep looking forward and keep moving on.

“That was ages ago – way down the line. I took the Tottenham job after that and didn’t regret that, I had four fantastic years there.

“I don’t regret staying at Portsmouth instead of going to Newcastle, I absolutely loved it there.”

Redknapp has also praised Newcastle’s much maligned owner Mike Ashley for standing by manager Alan Pardew.

Magpies fans called for Pardew to be sacked during a poor recent run but he has since presided over a major upturn.

“I think the chairman’s been fantastic there. He gets a lot of stick, Mike Ashley, but he’s always at games and follows the team,” said Redknapp.

“He’s stuck by Alan because he knows he’s got a good manager. It’s easy to have a knee-jerk reaction and bomb him out.

“They finished fifth the other year and were very unlucky not to finish in the Champions League places.

“Alan’s done a good job and he knows he’s got the backing of the chairman there.”

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