Redknapp's a friend of mine - but he had to go for Cahill lunge

Oct 5 2004 By Mark Lawrenson, Daily Post

I KNOW Jamie Redknapp really well, and he is one of the nicest blokes you would wish to meet.

However some things you just cannot defend and at Goodison Park on Saturday, he should have received the red card for his tackle on Tim Cahill, in the same way as Dietmar Hamann should have for Liverpool against Norwich recently.

The tackle was high and late, and although the fact that he fronted up and apologised during and after the game showed the measure of the man, it was not enough for me.

It seems as though referees are hot on sending off players for celebrating scoring a goal, but not for the type of tackle which could have ended someone's career.

Cahill reacted angrily to the challenge and I have to say I could not blame him. When you are hurt on the football field due to someone else's actions, it is only natural to show your anger. Hopefully he will not be out for too long.

Saturday's defeat should not dampen the club's enthusiasm because they could easily have won the match 2-0. They dominated the first half, but when you do that and don't score, it strengthens the other team's resolve and that happened with Spurs, who scored a classic sucker punch goal.

It also strengthened the importance of David Moyes bringing in more numbers and quality during the January transfer window.