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Harry Redknapp tells us a touching tale about how Frank Lampard's Dad helped Harry Kane

A couple of years ago, you might have seen a video doing the rounds. It featured then-West Ham ma...



Harry Redknapp tells us a touc...
Soccer

Harry Redknapp tells us a touching tale about how Frank Lampard's Dad helped Harry Kane

A couple of years ago, you might have seen a video doing the rounds.

It featured then-West Ham manager Harry Redknapp and a clutch of coaches and players speaking to some Hammers fans at a club event.

One supporter in particular had it in for a young Frank Lampard, who sat there impassive as his ability was questioned.

But Redknapp responded emphatically to the fan and predicted that the future Chelsea and England midfielder would go "right to the very top".

He wasn't wrong. And it had echoes of the tough experience of Lampard's father Frank Senior - Redknapp's brother-in-law and former West Ham team-mate and later his assistant manager at the old Boleyn Grounds.

That experience and the video above was something Redknapp spoke to Newstalk's Team 33 about at the launch of Eir Sport this afternoon.

"[Lampard Senior] was struggling, 17, 18, left-back, couldn't run, slow... manager says he's going to send him on loan to Torquay," Redknapp began telling me about of one of the two best trainers he has ever seen - the other being Lampard Junior.

"I was in the dressing room and the [manager] said 'Frank [Senior], I've fixed up for you to go on loan to Torquay'. Frank said 'Why? I want to play for West Ham. Well, what's wrong with me? Tell me what's wrong with me and I'll work on it'.

"'[The manager] said 'well you're not quick enough and your passing...' but Frank said 'I'll show you'".

And boy did he work on it as Redknapp recounts, describing how Lampard came back every day after training for an hour or more.

"The kid [Lampard Junior] was exactly the same. He got the [running] spikes. Frank couldn't run. He put the spikes on, ran ten yards...jogging, jogging, turn and run. And the kid did exactly the same as his Dad."

Redknapp recalled looking out of his West Ham manager's office on a dark, rainy afternoon at about 4pm to see Lampard Junior doing sprints all alone.

Lampard Junior

"I thought somebody had got over the fence onto the training pitch," Redknapp admitted. 

Long, story short, Redknapp later became Tottenham manager and Lampard Senior joined him in the stands to watch a Spurs reserves side featuring Harry Kane against Birmingham Reserves.

"Harry Kane was fantastic that day - I think he scored four goals. Frank Senior was there but wasn't involved in football but lived nearby. He said to me after the game 'I like the centre-forward' and I said 'yeah, [Kane] is a good player, but he's just short of a yard though.'

"[Frank Senior] said 'can I have a chat with [Kane]?' So I said 'yeah, sure'. So Frank sidled up to him and he said 'Harry, I like you. Get yourself a pair of spikes. Give yourself another yard. Get yourself another yard and you'll be unplayable'. Next day, Harry got a pair of spikes, came in and started doing his sprint."

Team 33 also spoke to Redknapp about Gareth Bale's transition from left-back to vibrant attacker and his regret that West Ham could not keep their golden generation together.

We will play the full interview out after Euro 2016 but here is the portion of the story Redknapp told me in audio form:

 

 

Harry Redknapp was speaking at the launch of eir Sport, formerly Setanta Sports and the eir Sport Pack. The eir Sport pack includes eir Sport 1 and eir Sport 2; BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2, BT Sport Europe and BT Sport ESPN. The eir Sport Pack is now free to all existing and new eir broadband customers. eir Sport has also secured the rights to the 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup. eir Sport was formerly Setanta Sports.

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