Redknapp says Spurs are safe

11 April 2009 19:06
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp believes his side have now done enough to avoid relegation after beating London rivals West Ham 1-0 on Saturday. The win moves Spurs up to eighth in the Premier League and, maybe more importantly, past the 40-point mark which is often seen as the minimum required to beat the drop. When Redknapp took over the Spurs job last October, the side was sat at the foot of the table on just two points from eight games. Since then they have taken 39 points from 24 fixtures, consolidating their position in the middle of the table and giving fans a glimmer of European football next season. Redknapp says it has not been an easy task to drag the club up out of danger, but he says he is pleased by how quickly the team has arrived at apparent safety. Redknapp said: "We got there earlier than I expected to be honest. I thought it was almost going to go right down to the wire this year for us and for everybody and I think to be out of it this early is fantastic. "It has been a great effort from the players. We started with two points from eight games and to be sitting here now with 41 is a terrific achievement. "People can say what they want, that Tottenham are always too good to go down, but they weren't too good to go down. "You don't have two points from eight games if you're too good and you don't only win three games since last year's Carling Cup final if you're too good." The Spurs boss says his side were deserving of all three points on Saturday against West Ham and he singled out Roman Pavlyuchenko as the difference maker. "They were always dangerous on the counter attack and they were looking to suck us in and hit us on the break which they did well first half," Redknapp said. "They were quick on the break and they had a bit of pace about them. "Gianfranco has got the best out of his squad with one or two key players missing, and I thought his lads put in a shift for him today. "We had to be at our best but we deserved to win in the end. "There was plenty of time when I made the change and I brought [Pavlyuchenko] on because he is capable of turning a game with a little bit of something special and he did that with the goal." Redknapp added: "First and foremost I came here and I only had one thing on my mind and the chairman only had one thing and that was to try and keep this club in the Premier. "We were in trouble because that's how good we were. The players' attitudes have been fantastic since I've been here and they have responded and worked hard and again today it was another outstanding performance. "It's been a long, hard season and I'm looking forward to finishing the season strong and getting a break in the summer."

Source: SKY_Sports