Harry: I'm Not Bitter

Harry Redknapp has opened his heart to the official website and says that he will return to Upton Park one day - as a fan.

He insists that there are no hard feelings following his departure from Upton Park and reveals: "I would love to come back and the chairman says there will always be two seats for me in the Directors' Box.

"I will be taking him up on that and I don't have any problems with anyone at the club.

"I'm not going to fall out with anybody at West Ham - I love the club and I've got great respect for the people there.

"I'm certainly not going to fall out with the chairman either, I get on very well with him and everybody else at West Ham.

"But life moves on and I genuinely wish everybody there all the best.

"The only sad part for me was that Frank left. I really was disappointed about that.

"But that is football and the most important thing is that I can walk away knowing that I've done a good job.

"I was only an employee at the end of the day, I'm not a bitter and twisted person, and I don't want to have aggravation with anybody.

"I think people respect the job I've done - you've only got to read the papers to see that."

Describing the events of the last 36 hours, he says: "I don't really know what happened, to be fair - but something obviously did!

"I think if I'm honest about it, one or two things that I said at the weekend, the chairman wasn't happy with, but you've got to take it on the chops and get on with life.

"It all came out of the blue to be truthful, but these things happen."

He admits that waking up on Thursday morning no longer manager of West Ham was "very strange" and shows he has lost none of his old humour by adding: "But now I don't have to worry about trying to find someone to play on the left hand side!

"I had one or two terrific players lined up that I would like to have brought to the club in the summer but someone else can get on and do that now."

He says his thoughts are with the fans and admits: "The most important people at the football club are the punters.

"I opened the doors at the training ground to everybody and I think it was important that everybody could watch training.

"It's their club - if you haven't time to talk to people and sign autographs then you shouldn't be in this game.

"You are only in it because of the people who pay your wages - and that's how I always saw it."

Harry adds that there is no chance of the parting being reversed and he stresses: "That is not for me to consider, it's for others - it is done and dusted and things move on.

"I don't know what I will do next - I will wait and see what happens and make a decision from there."

He feels the legacy he leaves behind is a strong youth policy and some valuable assets, pointing out: "Where will you find four young kids like Ferdinand, Lampard, Cole and Carrick?

"No disrespect, but it might be a long time before another bunch come in like that.

"But I hope the youth policy keeps coming through and I just want to see the club do very well next year.

"The club is now sitting on a fortune in terms of players and if they want to sell them, they could make mega money."

"We took chances in the transfer market and made some great signings, you only have to look back at people like Di Canio, Kanoute and Sinclair.

"Some of them didn't come off of course, but that's football - we were dabbling at the cheap end of the market.

"I was just so lucky that I worked with some fantastic people and made so many great friends - I'm getting too old to be bitter about anything."