Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp has admitted that he "felt like crying" when Chelsea pipped Tottenham Hotspur to the final Champions League spot when he was in charge of Spurs.
Redknapp's side finished fourth in the Premier League at the end of the 2011-12 season, only to miss out on Europe's premier competition after the Blues lifted the Champions League trophy.
Redknapp, whose autobiography is being serialised in the Daily Mail, wrote: "You all know what happened. Chelsea were outplayed by Bayern Munich — as they had been by Barcelona and by Napoli in previous rounds — but they won the trophy.
"I was distraught. I felt like crying. It meant Spurs hadn't qualified for the following season's Champions League, despite finishing fourth — two points above Chelsea in the Premier League. They took our place as holders.
"I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life the night I went to watch Chelsea win the 2012 Champions League final."
Redknapp has been at QPR since November 2012.
Paul Gorst
