Harry Redknapp slams Gareth Southgate’s England for being “bland” and “lacking flair”
Ex-Spurs boss says the nation has lost interest in the team after a string of clueless performances
HARRY REDKNAPP has blasted England as "bland" ahead of their crunch World Cup qualifier with Scotland tomorrow night.
The ex-Tottenham, West Ham, Portsmouth and Southampton boss believes the Three Lions has lost its identity over the years with no clear idea of how they want to play.
England have failed to make any significant impact in a major tournament since Italia 90 when they reached the semis and Gazza burst into tears.
Roy Hodgson failed dismally and quit while Iceland were still out celebrating on the pitch following their 2-1 win over Wayne Rooney and Co at Euro 2016.
Sam Allardyce promised to a new dawn but lasted just 67 days or one game after he was caught out in a sting over advising on dodgy payments.
Gareth Southgate is the interim boss charged with guiding England to the World Cup finals in Russia in 2018.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest football news, gossip, transfers and goals on our club page plus fixtures, results and live match commentary by clicking here
And Redknapp, 69, who was once favourite to land the national team manager's job, said: "England are bland, no flair. What is important is finding an identity.
"What is Gareth Southgate really about? How do his teams want to play? That's what I want to know.
"If someone asked me how England have played under four or five managers since Glenn Hoddle, I couldn't remember.
"One minute it's 4-3-3, then it's 4-4-2. How do England play?
"What do we do? Kick it long? Play from the back? I don't know what we do.
"I don't get excited about watching England play any more. I'm very patriotic but you look at other qualifiers and they're not games.
"England versus Malta? Or San Marino? Or the Faroe Islands? Who's interested, really? I can't see any interest.
"Gareth, find a system. I want to see us play. We've got John Stones, play three at the back, let him break out and overload midfield.
"Push the full backs on because we've got wing backs and play with two strikers."
Ex-Middlesbrough chief Southgate, 46, is currently in charge of the senior team, almost by default following Allardyce's sacking.
He was a success at Under-21 level but showed no interest in stepping up when his predecessor was appointed.
Redknapp, talking in his Daily Mail column, added: "Gareth's as good a candidate as there is. I hope he's a great success.
"What is he doing well? I don't know.
"Qualifying for the World Cup? We'll do that. Then what? He's a great lad, was a good player.
"As a manager he hasn't proved anything. Maybe he was at a club, Middlesbrough, where it was difficult to achieve at the time. I don't know.
related articles
"He's taken the Under-21s and they've done OK. I think Gareth fits. There's not a lot around.
"They were talking about Ralf Rangnick, a German bloke I'd hardly heard of. What's he done?
"Why should he be manager of England?
"Would the Germans have an English manager? Not a chance.
"Maybe Jurgen Klopp would be OK. I do like Klopp's personality.
"It looks like the Liverpool players want to play for him. But it should be English.
"You could go for Sean Dyche, he's getting blood from a stone at Burnley.
"Eddie Howe is an obvious candidate. In two or three years I can see Eddie being England manager.
"At the moment he's happy at Bournemouth, he's at home with a good owner."
England still have some way to go in the eyes of the nation before they forget about the shambolic Euro 2014 campaign under Hodgson when they crumbled at the hands of minnows Iceland in the last 16.
Redknapp recalled: "We were like rabbits in the headlights once it started going wrong. 'Oh my God, what's going to happen'? Even on the touchline it looked that way.
"You looked at the bench and you could see the fear.
"It's understandable, when you're in that position, it isn't fun, knowing what you're going to get.
"Roy had an easy ride, really. He went to the first Euros, disaster. He went to the World Cup, absolute disaster.
"We can't beat Costa Rica. My God, England. Costa Rica haven't got a player who could get in our fifth squad.
"Roy's a good man, a nice guy, I like Roy but we had three disastrous championships on the spin.
"I'd like to see Gareth bring people in with a bit of personality to work with the squad.
"The players get fed up with the same boring people around. Someone with a bit of personality can lift the mood."
Redknapp, who had worked wonders at Spurs, was the over-whelming public favourite to land the England before they plumped for Hodgson in 2012.
That was seen, yet again, as the FA choosing the easy, less controversial option.
And the colourful boss, who was briefly in charge of Jordan earlier this year, added: "I look at the FA and the people there are very much the same types.
"We've gone back to the Charles Hughes days where everybody came through coaching courses and were almost like teachers.
"I don't see a lot of flair there at any level and a lot of the people involved, if you look at their records, didn't have teams who have looked to play football. Not the way I talk about playing football.
"The game's being run by academics rather than football people.
"There's not many ex-footballers at the FA. It seems to be schoolteacher types and young academics.
"I see these people when they're 21-years-old coaching kids and I think 'why aren't they playing'? They don't play but they know all the answers and they're coaching the kids when we should just let the kids play, encourage skill, let them dribble.
"Where have the dribblers gone? No one can beat anyone any more.
"Everybody, pass-pass-pass-pass. That's all you hear them saying. Not take him on. I don't hear that. I want to see Messi.
"Ross Barkley doesn't need knocking down. He needs picking up.
"It's no good saying what he can't do. What can he do? He can play.
"He can see a pass, he's strong, he can run with the ball. He's got great ability, so tell him.
"Him and Dele Alli, they're 6ft 2in, they can tackle and head it, both strong lads, great footballers.
"Why can't they play together? Play your good players."
"It's great, we sit at clubs watching ProZone and studying the opposition non-stop. We know everything they do. We're so obsessed with what they're doing we forget to play."