Redknapp refuses to take credit for Spurs' surge

He has turned Tottenham into a Premier League superpower playing some of the best football in the land.

His side, the highest placed club in London, are sitting pretty in third place - the first time they have occupied that position at Christmas since 1984.

His club are enjoying their second best start to a season in their 1929 history – surpassed only by their double-winning team of 1960-61.

And still Harry Redknapp is refusing to take the credit!

The man whose man-management skills have made him the red-hot favourite for the England job has laid the praise firmly at the feet of his talented squad.

Redknapp, whose men travel to Norwich on Tuesday, insisted: “I think it is good players.

“They are good lads and good characters. It is knowing who can do what for you and getting the best out of them. That is the key, really.

“But first and foremost, it is no coincidence that the top teams are the ones with the best players.

“At the start of the year, if you sent Sir Alex Ferguson to Wigan, they are not going to win the league. He will be doing well if he kept them up. Players are what they are - and you need good ones.”

The story so far, however suggests it is Redknapp’s Midas Touch that has transformed a club going nowhere under Juande Ramos three years ago.

A League Cup victory under the Spaniard was followed by a poor, end-of-season run of form that stretched into the following season.

With just two points from his first eight games of the 2008-9 campaign, Ramos was fired and the rest is history.

After stabilising results and taking the team up the table, Redknapp has led the team into the top four, enjoyed a Champions League adventure that led to the last eight and now put Tottenham into the title race.

The 1956-57 season is the only previous time Spurs have won 11 and drawn two of their first 15 matches. That season they finished second, eight points behind Manchester United’s ‘Busby Babes’.

Backed by billionaire Joe Lewis and chairman Daniel Levy, Redknapp will go into the January transfer window looking for the quality to go one better.

But he is delighted with the attitude and the team spirit of the men that have taken the club to such heady heights so far. In stark contrast, Redknapp believes, to other clubs where unhappy players have caused problems.

He explained: “We all know there is a player in the country at the moment that I am sure the club would like to see the back of.

“They take up half your time - you are looking at them wondering ‘What they are doing?’ You see him talking to another player and you are always thinking ‘What is he talking to him about?’

“That’s how it gets you, it does your head in, in the end. And the player he is talking to - you start to get the needle with him. That’s human nature. You’re better off getting them out of the way if you can.

“They’re around the place and don’t want to be there. So they’re better off going. I let some players go at the start of the season - they didn’t want to be here.

“They take up as much of your time as the ones playing. You’re worried if they’re causing problems in the team, in the dressing room or with team spirit.

“If people want to cause you aggro you’re better off getting them out as fast as you can.”

With Tottenham out of the Europa League a clutch of players Redknapp DOES want to keep will be allowed to leave on loan in January.

Incoming will be a new striker with injury and the lack of work-rate from Roman Pavlyuchenko in Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea exposing Tottenham’s lack of depth up front.

Highly-rated Celtic winger James Forrest is also on the radar with Redknapp having received glowing reports about the winger from his chief scout Ian Broomfield.

And Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen is a possibility with Chelsea gaining first run on Bolton and England defender Gary Cahill ahead of the transfer window.