No pressure on me, says defiant Redknapp

LONDON (Reuters) - Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp says he is under no pressure despite his side sitting bottom of the Premier League table and has not sought assurances about his job.

No pressure on me, says defiant Redknapp

(Reuters)





"None whatsoever, none at all," Redknapp told reporters on Friday ahead of the weekend's home clash with Liverpool.

"When you've been under pressure you know what pressure is."

Speculation has increased that Redknapp, who has not signed a contract extension with the west London club he guided to promotion last season, could be sacked after managing one win from the first seven games of the season.

However, the former West Ham United, Portsmouth, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur boss, said he was not concerned.

"I'm looking forward to the game on Sunday playing against one of the best clubs in the world in my opinion," he said. "We are the underdogs, it's a great game to look forward to. We are seven games into a Premier League season.

"We have played three home games, got beat by Hull when we missed a late penalty, beat Sunderland and drew with Stoke, it's not easy is it? On Sunday we'll have seven maybe eight of the lads who played in the Championship last season and finished fourth. It's hard but I'm confident we'll be ok.

"Nobody is walking around feeling sorry for themselves. If we had seven points now we would be delighted but we are three points short of what we could have. But we're seven games in to the season, not 20."

Giving a typically forthright news conference, Redknapp said he was meeting QPR chairman Tony Fernandes for dinner on Friday night but would not be discussing contracts.

"I wasn't bothered about signing a new contract," Redknapp said. "What are contracts? There's a manager in the Premier League who has an eight-year contract but what is it really?

"If you get the sack you don't get eight years money, you get whatever you get, a few months, six months. You work for the club and if they don't want you, talk to the chairman and sort out what you're doing and all move on.

"I don't need assurances from anybody. I'm a big boy. I talk to (Fernandes) every day. I'm going to dinner tonight with him but I won't be buying him a dinner so that he keeps me in a job.

"Let him pay for dinner! What can I do? I'm doing my best with what I've got."

Despite QPR's problems, the 67-year-old Redknapp says his passion for the game is undiminished.

"If we stay up this year and Tony wants to talk to me about another year I would be delighted if that's what I want to do in my life," he said.

"I left home at 5am this morning and I love doing it. I look forward to coming in. The day I don't I'll switch off the alarm and turn over."





(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Alan Baldwin)


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