‘I told Harry Redknapp he was out of order – he gave back the biggest insult’
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Ex-West Ham United defender Tony Gale has revealed Harry Redknapp once delivered to him "the biggest insult" possible during his time with the Hammers.
Having joined West Ham from Fulham back in 1984, Gale went on to make a monstrous 368 appearances for the club over a decade long spell in East London. However, despite having largely fond memories of his time with the Hammers, Gale's mood turned sour once Redknapp arrived at the club as Billy Bonds assistant.
The ex-Hammers defender claimed he and Redknapp never saw eye to eye, with Gale admitting he "never got on with" the former. At the beginning of the 1992/93 campaign, Gale inked a new contract with West Ham that would take him through to his testimonial season.
However, when his testimonial did come about in 1994, with West Ham facing off against the Republic of Ireland, Gale was met with some shocking news, being told by Bonds his contract offer until the end of the season had been rescinded.
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And in his new autobiography, 'Tony Gale: That's Entertainment', Gale revealed how he believes it was Redknapp who was behind the contract withdrawal, calling it "the biggest insult" possible.
"When Billy Bonds took over from Lou Macari at West Ham in 1990, I couldn’t have been happier," said Gale. "But when Harry Redknapp came in, that all changed. Harry came in as Bill’s No.2 at the start of the 1992/93 season and from the moment he arrived, I never got on with him. I had signed a contract which intentionally took me right through to the end of my testimonial season.
"We were playing Luton in an FA Cup replay and I travelled with the team to Kenilworth Road, but didn’t even make the bench. Then someone fell sick and so I had to be a substitute. I remember rolling my eyes, thinking ‘Is this what I get after 10 years at West Ham?’
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"Harry said to Billy: ‘Did you see his face Bill? Did you see the way he reacted to that? Are you doing us a favour by sitting on the bench?’ I replied: ‘My face is fine and I’m really happy to be a sub, but you’re bang out of order.’
"To this day, I’m eternally grateful to the 8,000 fans who turned up for my testimonial game against the Republic of Ireland in 1994. Shortly before kick-off, Harry called me to the manager’s office. Billy was also there and you could tell he felt really awkward.
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"Billy said: ‘We’ve decided not to give you a contract.’ Although he had to tell me the news, I bear no grudges with him because in my eyes he was just the messenger. In one of Harry’s recent books, he said ‘It was Billy who wanted him out of the club’, which I think is nonsense. As for how well things worked out for me afterwards, that was certainly nothing to do with Harry.
"When they told me my contract wasn’t being renewed that close to the end of the season, I was f***ed. To have my contract taken away from me on my testimonial day was the biggest insult that could have been thrown my way."
Tony Gale: That’s Entertainment is out now, published by Reach Sport.
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