The 26-year-old agreed to join Premier League rivals Blues on loan form Spurs for the rest of the season during the January transfer window and he has not looked back since. Bentley admits the sacking of Juande Ramos at White Hart Lane rocked him soon after he joined the club from Blackburn in 2008. And when Redknapp took over the reins at the North London outfit, Bentley admits things got 'progressively worse', not least with Aaron Lennon's good form. Bentley told the Daily Mail: "I was at a great club (Blackburn) and I was happy. Maybe another year would have done me good. The Man Citys and Villas were looking at me but I thought Tottenham was a match made in heaven. "There were so many pluses to it. I wanted to play for them, (Juande) Ramos was there. It was purely for football. "When I turned up there, the place was in turmoil. Ramos was sacked after eight games. I was so passionate about going to Spurs, doing well, being guided by this manager who was going to be the Spanish Arsene Wenger. "I didn't deal with his sacking very well. I took it to heart. I just got down and I was holding on to the past. All of a sudden I was in a relegation battle with Spurs, playing right-back. That wasn't the plan. "Then Harry came in, Aaron Lennon came in, too, and it just got progressively worse for me. That's what it has been. "I don't blame Harry. The club's bought two players in the same position. Essentially, it was their problem. It was as if I'd been hit by a shotgun. "My issue was never with Harry Redknapp. As far as I know, anyway. I'm not questioning what he has done. How can I? They won in the San Siro. "People are pointing the finger saying there's problems with the manager, problems in your life. Not true. Absolutely not true. "I can't blame the manager for playing Aaron Lennon. If I was him and he was left out for me, then I'd be annoyed. I've come to Birmingham because I need to play." The winger is adamant that he can now start rebuilding his career under Birmingham boss Alex McLeish and is looking forward to the challenge. "I do believe in my ability," he said. "I want to play the games. When you build up your profile and momentum, it goes hand-in-glove. Here, at Birmingham, I've started rebuilding again. And there's a lot of positive energy around this club. "I've been here four weeks and I've moved my family here. You never know if there's a deal to be done."
