Reasons to be cheerful: Redknapp is popular with many

He says he was never allowed to rebuild his confidence and recover. How different it had been when Hutton had been transferred from Glasgow Rangers to Tottenham three years earlier for a reported £9 million. Then-manager Juande Ramos was an obvious fan.

'He had watched videos of me, I knew that and felt wanted,' Hutton recalled. 'Then Redknapp came in. He had Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon flying down the flanks, he didn't want his right-back going forward like a wing-back, too. He wanted to strengthen things at the back. I understand that.'

What Hutton did not understand was why he had to be made to feel so small. He can move on but he cannot forget. And he would love to take revenge on the international stage one day, if circumstances ever allow him to play for Scotland against an England team managed by Redknapp.

The very thought of it gets Hutton fired up. 'Don't even get me started,' he said.

Speaking about his dark days is part of the process that will return him to the sort of form that makes him such an exciting player.

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