Neville Dalton is a journalist with the BBC News website and a
I wasn't going to do this.
I told myself after Pompey's amazing recovery last season that I'd have to trust Harry's judgment.
It's not that I don't rate him – he's by far Pompey's most successful manager in my lifetime (and one of the best in their history).
His signings and galvanising effect on the players after a decidedly dodgy start to his second term at
Harry got them playing, and suddenly all my previous misgivings about him – not the fact that he left, but some of his less impressive signings; his occasionally odd team selections, and most of all his misuse of players who did not rank among his favourites – dissipated.
Or rather, I shoved them conveniently to the back of my mind while chanting his name, figuratively and literally, as we stunned the Premiership with our survival-with-style.
But – and here goes…
Harry Redknapp is wrong. Bloody wrong.
If the reports about offloading Brian Priske are true (and I usually delay judgments until I'm pretty satisfied that what I've read or heard is genuine), he's taken the club a step backwards.
Prisko seems to be another of those players to divide the Pompey faithful, but I'm dealing with facts here.
Brian Priske was the best right-back to play for Pompey last season. In fact he was also the best right-winger.
OK, he didn't perform brilliantly in every single game, and he may not be the best crosser of the ball in the world.
But I can't actually think of anyone better. And who else apart from Gary O'Neil was more consistent last year?
His defending probably rates only as good (still higher than some of his colleagues). His overlapping is exceptional.
It's not just the fact that he more often than not beat his opponent and frequently sent over decent crosses. It's more the extra dimension he gives the team and particularly the midfield players.
Not since Warren Neill have we had such an intelligent right-back who links so well with the players in front of him.
When Gary O'Neil or one of the central midfield players had the ball, frequently under pressure, Priske's intelligent runs and positioning invariably gave them a practical option for a pass.
In fact, it gave them a positive option, providing momentum to attacks and averting the need to play the ball sideways or backwards so often.
His return to the side after Harry's initial reluctance to give him an even break was undoubtedly one of the reasons for Pompey's resurgence.
If you don't believe me, take a look at last season's fixture list and check when he returned to the side.
That's right –
Of course he didn't mastermind the revival single-handedly, but it is no coincidence that Pompey's revamped midfield suddenly found its feet when there was a new attacking option available, as well as a more solid look to the right-hand side of the defence.
Of course Mendes, Davis, D'Alessandro and Mwaruwari played massive roles. But Brian Priske was an integral part of our revival - even during his first spell in the side, he was one of the better performers in a welter of mediocrity more often than not.
I'm more than happy that Harry has brought in Glen Johnson. I thought he was an exciting youngster when he first emerged, although his performances have clearly fallen away since those early days.
Whether he should play instead of Priske is a moot point.
Personally, I reckon we could play both. We could do worse than use Priske on the right side of midfield.
But what is not in doubt is that Priske is an asset to the club. Without him, the squad is weaker.
Priske is far and away a better right-back than Andy Griffin, yet the tough-tackling, hard-working, honest – but extremely limited – defender is staying.
He has performed consistently better than Noe Pamarot, who admittedly has had limited opportunities so far. But Harry would rather keep him, it seems.
We don't yet know whether Richard Duffy can hack it at the top level. But given Harry's record with youngsters, I wouldn't put money on him getting much chance to find out.
But whether he can or cannot, what we do know is that Priske can – and did – in a team under immense pressure at the end of last season.
What's more, we all know that Glen Johnson is here for one season, when hopefully he will perform well enough to help us as much as himself.
But he's not going to be here in a year's time. Unfortunately, it looks like Priske – who is one of ours – won't be, either. Strength in depth?
Harry may yet prove me (and a lot of you, by the looks of it) wrong and have lined up more quality cover for those right-sided roles.
But given our deficiencies elsewhere, I would have thought that position was the least of his worries.
One thing I do know is that Pompey with Brian Priske is a more exciting and promising prospect than one without him.
And I fear that if it is true that Harry is shipping him out, it bodes ominously for what was supposed to be a season of revolution and comparative success.
Priske must stay. And if anyone wants to start a petition to that effect, I'd be happy to add my name.