Harry Redknapp: My best night at White Hart Lane was when Gareth Bale terrorised Inter for Tottenham

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Harry Redknapp11 May 2017

The standout night at White Hart Lane for me as a former Tottenham manager was beating Inter Milan in the 2010-11 Champions League group stage.

I swear I could hear ‘Taxi for Maicon!” ringing in my ears for a day or two afterwards. Inter were European champions at the time and they had beaten us in the San Siro but the stadium was rocking and the players fed off it from the first whistle.

Gareth Bale ran them to death all night long and they just had no answer for it. This was a team that had Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto’o and Javier Zanetti in it but we rolled them over 3-1. It could have been more.

People talk about the “Glory, Glory” nights at the Lane and that has to be right up there with the very best of them. It was entertaining, edge-of-your-seat stuff for 90 minutes — totally different to the other big night I remember there against AC Milan.

Photo: Glyn Kirk//AFP/Getty Images
Glyn Kirk//AFP/Getty Images

It was in the same season at the last-16 stage and with a 1-0 lead from the first leg, we produced a very professional, well-organised team performance to not concede a goal.

They were great times but Tottenham always had a great tradition for European nights.

I remember going there to watch a game in the early 1960s when Bobby Smith terrorised the foreign goalkeeper, who wasn’t used to being bashed in the back of the neck. The home fans loved it! Cliff Jones, Dave Mackay, Danny Blanchflower — all these fantastic players stay in your memory forever.

If there was a good game on and my Dad could afford to take me, he would. We’d watch games across London, if Stanley Matthews or Tom Finney were in town we’d try to get there.

The atmosphere was always key at Spurs. The toughest places to go as an opposing manager were always the tight stadiums. Southampton’s Dell, West Ham’s Upton Park, White Hart Lane when it was full — it was a lot more intimidating to go to those grounds than it is with the new modern-style places.

You worry how Spurs will get on at Wembley next season having struggled there this year but there’s plenty of time for that. Sunday is all about saying goodbye and Tottenham could not have a better opponent to finish against than Manchester United.

The Premier League title may have gone but it’ll be one of those special days no matter what. I will be there. The club invited a lot of past managers and players and I wanted to go there and see it all one last time.

These iconic stadiums are slowly all disappearing but it is a sign of progress. Clubs have to move forward and the new stadium should excite every Tottenham fan. But not before one last trip to the Lane.

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