Harry Redknapp says that Football Association
senior officials do not have the knowledge
required to choose the best England manager.
The QPR boss was overlooked for the role when Roy
Hodgson succeeded former coach Fabio Capello in May
2012.
"I wouldn't trust the FA to show me a good manager if
their lives depended on it," he wrote in his
autobiography, serialised in the Daily Mail.
Redknapp, 66, says he holds no grudge against Hodgson
after the decision.
But he insists he was the leading choice with England
fans and players, claiming senior players texted him to
offer him their support.
"This isn't about them giving the England job to me or
Roy Hodgson, but English football being run by people
who really haven't got a clue - and they get to pick the
England manager," he said.
"Everyone said I was the people's choice, the only
choice. All the senior players seemed to be up for me to
get the job.
"I got quite a few text messages at the time from
players saying they would love me to manage England:
Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, John
Terry.
"But the FA went for Roy Hodgson to be the England
manager - a man who is more their cup of tea."
Redknapp, who was manager of Tottenham when the
decision was made, said he wanted Liverpool boss
Brendan Rodgers - then with Swansea City - to be his
assistant.
"My thinking on Brendan was this: if he can do it with
players from the lower leagues at Swansea what can he
do with Rio and Terry or Rooney and Gerrard?" he
added.
"So when Tottenham played Swansea on 1 April, 2012 I
pulled Brendan after the game and said that if all the
speculation about me and England was true would he
consider coming to the European Championships in the
summer as my part-time coach?
"I told him I wanted England to play with as much
technical ambition as Swansea. He was up for it.
"Some Tottenham fans might think I was distracted
from my club job, but I can assure you the
conversation took five minutes. And we beat Swansea
3-1 that day."
Redknapp's side won just twice in 10 matches following
Capello's resignation as Spurs failed to qualify for the
Champions League.
He was sacked in June 2012 before taking over at QPR
the following November.
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