I want to show the world that we belong in the big league: Harry Redknapp

It must be an exciting season ahead for Spurs with a CL qualifying spot, how do you look at it?
Champions League football was always the dream, it is what we all wanted. It was a great achievement to finish fourth last season and now we have got a big chance of making the group stages of the Champions League if we can win our playoff against Young Boys.

Any draw is hard. It is going to be tough. We will be favourites but we will give them utmost respect. They beat Fenerbahce in the last round, which is a fantastic result. They also have an Astroturf pitch at their stadium and they play well on it. So it will be a tough game for us. European nights at the White Hart Lane have always been special so it would be great to bring Champions League football here.

You gave Spurs its best result in many years, what are your aims this season?
The expectations will be very high from the fans, I’m sure. We want to do as well if not better than last year. That is the aim. We want to get through the Champions League playoff match against Young Boys, which is going to be very important to us because we want to have a run in that competition and continue taking this club forward.

If we can get one or two players I want in then I think we can achieve something fantastic and I am not talking about spending big money either. I won’t bring players in for the sake of it because it is difficult to improve on the quality we already have here. If I can’t get the players I want then I won’t try for just anyone.

Our first game of the season is Manchester City at home and that is a massive game for us to start with. In fact, it is a big opening to the season — Man City on the Saturday, Champions League qualifier on Tuesday, Stoke away on Saturday and then Champions League return leg. Four huge games.

What are the changes you brought in the playing style and the squad?
I just felt getting players to believe in themselves, getting them in the right positions, pretty basic stuff. There was no magic formula, really. From day one, I felt we had a real chance.

The fixtures at the end of the season were so tough; Arsenal at home, Chelsea at home, Manchester United away, with all the teams battling for the Championship and then going away to Man City and everyone felt that would be the decider. Obviously, they had the advantage of being at home in what was a winner takes all game.

So to go there and win was a great result for us and we deserved it. We played well that night, we were the better team. So, it was a great achievement from the players and we have put ourselves in a position now from where we can establish ourselves right there as a top four side.

The domination of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool to an extent hasn’t been challenged for a long time now.

What is the reason behind this? Is it the fact that spending big behind picking players makes a difference?
It has happened before — Chelsea under Abramovich, he took them from nowhere and bought the best players in and they won the championship. Man United can bring in Rio Ferdinand for £32m, it’s the way the best teams have always had the most spending power. Arsenal and Liverpool have been there as well without winning the league and now Man City have got the spending power, the backing and the structure.

I think they have got every chance if the owner stays interested because it will be difficult to stop them, it is frightening what they could achieve. Nobody else has the resources of Man City right now that’s for sure but we are one of the haves too. There are teams way below us in the division who have got nowhere near the resources that we have here at Spurs. We are one of the lucky ones. We are in a strong position, the club has been well run and the chairman has done fantastically well and has always supported me.

Life of an English footballer and manager living in the UK isn’t easy. How do you deal with the paparazzi culture, which almost tracks every movement of your life?
I have to say I’m not mad about being in the spotlight. I really enjoy my life most when I’m away from the media. We live a very quiet life; I and my wife Sandra. We enjoy going out for walks with the dogs, spending time with the grandkids and I love a game of golf. I’m happier doing that than being in the spotlight!

How do you look at England’s disappointing World Cup campaign since two of your key players, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe, were a part of it?
We definitely underachieved again for whatever reason. The whole package just didn’t work in this World Cup and I genuinely thought we could go to South Africa and win. It was a massive disappointment. But I think now is the time to get behind Fabio Capello, we need to support the team.
We know we had a disappointing World Cup but now we have got to look to push on and do well in the European Championships. It is a must now. We need to do better. We have got great players in England, I feel. Hopefully, we can have a great European Championships now.

Despite EPL being one of the best leagues in the world, why do you think English national team has not lived up to its potential? Is the mass influx of foreign players in most of the big EPL teams a reason for this?
The standard of kids is not as strong as in the past as there are so many different things for them to do now. In my days, we only played football. We need to improve recruitment.
There’s not a massive amount of talent around in this country but it’s still out there. Nothing gives you more pleasure than seeing them come right through the youth policy. They have real feelings for the club.

If the young players are good enough, they’ll come through. They’ve got to be good enough, wherever they are from. You have got to deserve to play in the team.