When Harry Redknapp announced Portsmouth would be his last job in football in May 2006, he had no reason to believe his resolve would be seriously tested.

Redknapp is 60, an established son of the south coast in the millionaires' row of Sandbanks, and is putting a final gloss on his managerial career at Fratton Park.

Suddenly he is being tempted out of a comfort zone in Portsmouth to sip from the Premier League's poisoned chalice.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley appears happy to ignore the vogue of importing foreign coaches to hand the task of ending a near 40-year wait for a trophy to one of English football's old guard.

It is an unlikely marriage - but could it be a perfect fit?

Let's assemble the pieces and see whether Redknapp could actually succeed where so many others have failed.

What attracts Newcastle to Redknapp?

Redknapp has no track record of winning major trophies, but then again neither have Newcastle.

He can, however, produce attractive, attacking, passing football and has proved a master at working the transfer market with limited resources.

Ashley may believe those two qualties - helped by an even bigger budget - could be the combination to unlock years of frustration on Tyneside.

Redknapp can attract players, breathe fresh life into older campaigners and is an expert man-manager.

And if he takes the job, that is proof enough that hunger and desire still burns within the veteran manager.

So what might attract Redknapp to Newcastle?

West Ham apart, he has never managed the major clubs. This would be his last chance to command the big stage - a statement made with due deference to Portsmouth.

And with a bigger kitty to work with, Redknapp can work his magic in the transfer market on a wider scale.

He will feel the pull of managing in front of 52,000 fans in almost every home game. Redknapp was schooled at Upton Park, so he will have an empathy with a passionate set of fans attached to their club almost from birth.

And, despite its reputation for chewing up and spitting out managers, he will get glowing references from those who were in charge at St James' Park before him.

Kenny Dalglish said: "Managing the Magpies was a privilege for me and it should be for any manager who is given the chance to take charge of a football club where passion is password."

And if he was the man to end that search for success, he will go down in Newcastle folklore. He will have his statue standing on the Tyne.

These are the plus points - but what might weigh against Redknapp making the move should he be confronted by the choice?

The main obstacle will be Redknapp's lifestyle in Sandbanks, with his luxury home he shares with wife Sandra, and a bond of affection with Pompey fans.

There has also been some early dissent from Newcastle supporters, who do not regard him as "big" enough to manage the club.

This, of course, is laughable given Newcastle's record of success - or lack of it.

Newcastle will not attract a Jose Mourinho, and Redknapp's approach could be just what they need.

Will he sacrifice what he has in Portsmouth to move to what Jermaine Jenas described as "a goldfish bowl" before he left Newcastle for Spurs?

Redknapp will also have to contend with a ludicrous weight of expectation from supporters starved of silverware since the 1969 Inter Cities Fairs Cup win.

Does he need the aggravation both personally and professionally at this stage of his career?

He may also have memories of his last departure from Portsmouth in November 2004 to contend with.

Redknapp quit and ended up at arch-rivals Southampton, where he experienced the bitter taste of relegation.

Once he was back at Pompey in December 2005, he regained the old magic and engineered a stunning escape from relegation.

He has built on that success and is in charge of his own destiny at Fratton Park.

Will he give all that up for Newcastle? Ashley and his Newcastle sidekick Chris Mort will have to be at their most persuasive to tempt him north.

And despite those soothing words from Dalglish, Redknapp will have watched developments at Newcastle and noted how managers swiftly pay the price if instant success is not forthcoming.

If he moves, it will be a gamble on the part of both Ashley and Redknapp - but one that might just be worth taking.