Harry Redknapp: my nan would take bets off all the old girls on the street

Jonathan Harding speaks to the football legend about his love for racing

Harry Redknapp, manager of Birmingham City celebrates after his side avoid relegation after the Sky Bet Championship match between Bristol City and Birmingham City

Harry Redknapp: the manager celebrates after Birmingham City avoid relegationCredit: Michael Steele

Few people have had a more unusual introduction to racing than Harry Redknapp.

A love of the sport was more an inevitability than a choice for the former Premier League manager, who grew up in the East End, where his grandmother took illegal bets in the 1950s.

“She was like the bookie’s runner,” says Redknapp. “The bookmaker was Cyril the paperboy. He was about 60, but we still called him that.”

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Published on 17 February 2019inFeatures

Last updated 16:45, 17 February 2019

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