Football story by Boris Webb, Wed, 28 Dec 2005 13:16:00 GMT


LONDON - Harry Redknapp the prodigal son of Pompey is furious over what he perceives as a language barrier at the club. And he squarely blames erstwhile Pompey boss Alain Perrin for the situation.

"It's a crazy situation," Redknapp thundered. "We've got three people who can't speak English. You can't even tell them what to do. What are you supposed to do, draw diagrams for 20 minutes? It shouldn't happen."

The situation exploded when Redknapp sent in Columbian John Viafara with 10 minutes remaining against West Ham. Viafara was given strict instructions to defend a corner, which he failed to do. "I brought the boy on with 10 minutes to go and asked him to mark the near post space from a corner which is a very vital position," Redknapp said. "We were down to 10 men (after the sending-off of Laurent Robert) and he runs on the pitch and goes and stands somewhere else because he doesn't speak a word of English."

Portsmouth currently has three or four players who do not speak English, Redknapp said. Dario Silva, Zvonimir Vukic and Azar Karadas of Norway could be on their way out in the January transfer window if Red hot Harry has his way. "I'm looking to bring in players who have played in Europe and understand the game. I want players who know what it means to Pompey fans to try to stay up," he said.

Portsmouth take on Arsenal tonight and Redknapp fells that his team have a chance to win only if Thierry Henry makes an appearance in a Pompey shirt. "He can wear one of our shirts at Highbury if he likes," he joked. "If he would like to play for us, I would appreciate that very much."

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