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Trial took its toll on Redknapp 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 described the trial, which came eight years after he was originally investigated by HMRC 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 and admitted the trial had taken its toll on him. The 64-year-old insists he will be back to his usual chirpy self, 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 (Friday). 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 insisted 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 Newcastle 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." Rafael van der Vaart missed out against Liverpool with a calf problem and will be absent again, but Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe are fit after overcoming hamstring complaints.

Meanwhile, James Perch is content to be cast in the role of unsung hero in Newcastle's continuing mission to upset the Barclays Premier League's accepted order.

While manager Alan Pardew this week moved to rule himself out of the race to succeed Fabio Capello as England boss, and big-money signing Papiss Cisse marked his debut with a stunning winning goal, Perch was quietly going about the business of establishing himself in the team.

The 26-year-old former Nottingham Forest player has emerged from a difficult start to his career on Tyneside to provide vital midfield solidity in recent weeks in the absence of Cheick Tiote.

His performances in the second half at Blackburn and throughout last weekend's hard-fought 2-1 victory over Aston Villa may not have won him a share of the headlines, but they have not gone unnoticed in the dressing room or in the stands.

It is all a far cry from his early months at the club when, after being brought in by Chris Hughton in the wake of the Magpies' promotion, he was booked in each of his first five top-flight games as he struggled to make the step-up.

Perch said: "It was a tough start, a tough first year, maybe, but the gaffer has put his faith in me and put me in the side, and all I can do is try to pay him back by playing well on a Saturday afternoon.

"It's going well. I have only played the last three games or whatever, but it's going well at the minute, touch wood." Newcastle will once again be without Yohan Cabaye, who completes his three-match ban, and for the final time before his return, central midfielder partner Tiote, whose Ivory Coast side have reached Sunday's African Nations Cup final.

Tottenham vs Newcastle

Last modified 19:52 11/02/12

Spurs fans show Redknapp the love in five-star triumph Tottenham's fans pleaded with Harry Redknapp to snub England and stay at White Hart Lane as the Spurs boss masterminded a brutal 5-0 hammering of Newcastle.

Louis Saha scored his first two goals for the club and there were also strikes from Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Niko Kranjcar and Emmanuel Adebayor as Spurs moved within five points of the Barclays Premier League summit.

The performance was one of the team's best of the season and came amid a background of constant adulation from the home crowd towards their manager.

The 64-year-old started the week with the prospect of jail hanging over him, but by Wednesday afternoon he found himself in the clear and in pole position to take over as England's head coach following Fabio Capello's shock resignation.

Chants of "you're Spurs and you know you are" greeted Redknapp as he made an emotional return to the dugout and "we want you to stay" rang out on several occasions as the home support made it clear that they did not want to lose their boss, who has transformed the club from relegation candidates to title chasers within just over three years.

Redknapp acknowledged their chants with a warm smile and wave, but it remains to be seen whether their pleas will be enough to make their boss stay at White Hart Lane.

The reality is surely that he is extremely interested in taking Capello's place and on today's evidence, it is easy to see why he is the overwhelming favourite for the post.

If any of the four-man FA board tasked with appointing Capello's successor was watching today, they will have been delighted with what they saw.

Despite being without key talisman Rafael van der Vaart, who was out with a calf injury, Redknapp's men started in devastating fashion and were two up after five minutes.

With barely three minutes on the clock, Adebayor played a one-two with Kranjcar and he crossed for Assou-Ekotto, who rifled home from a tight angle to score after three minutes.

Two minutes later it was 2-0. Adebayor peeled off down the right, muscled his way past Fabricio Coloccini and crossed for Saha, who turned home from six yards.

Redknapp, usually a restrained figure on the bench, sprung to his feet and punched the air with glee.

Tottenham continued to pulverise the away side and added their third in the 20th minute.

Luka Modric jinked into the box and found Adebayor and he laid the ball off to Saha, who smashed home from 12 yards.

Demba Ba curled a free-kick just wide, but otherwise Newcastle barely threatened in the first half.

Spurs were playing some of their best football under Redknapp and the popular manager was on his feet again in the 34th minute as the home side scored again.

Tim Krul's save from Adebayor's close-range shot ricocheted in to the path of Kranjcar and he swept home from 15 yards for his first Spurs goal in a year.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew turned away in disgust at his team's defending and they did little to suggest they were capable of offering anything at the other end.

Ba drove a low shot straight at Brad Friedel but Tottenham were soon on the attack again through Saha, who curled a shot just wide.

Adebayor, Assou-Ekotto and Kranjcar all missed chances in first-half injury-time.

Pardew ditched the ineffective Obertan at half-time and brought on Shane Ferguson in his place.

There was no let-up in the Spurs pressure, though, as the hosts looked for a fifth.

Bale played a delightful chip over the Magpies' back four but Adebayor mistimed his run and the Togo striker wasted another chance moments later by screwing his shot wide.

Redknapp thanked the jubilant home crowd once more as they chanted his name.

Newcastle gained more possession, but they could only muster a weak attempt on goal from Jonas Gutierrez, and moments later Krul was once again picking the ball out of his net.

Saha nodded Assou-Ekotto's cross towards Adebayor and he wrapped his right leg around his marker to poke home and make it 5-0.

With 24 minutes left Redknapp brought on Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon for Bale and Saha, who received a big hug from the Spurs manager.

Kyle Walker skinned his marker and whipped in a cross but Adebayor just missed the header that would have made it six.

Newcastle missed a great chance to score a consolation soon after but Gosling skied over from six yards after Friedel had done well to save Ba's point-blank header.