The former Spurs manager insisted he was a success during his brief spell at Tottenham despite a 6th place finish. He brought the talented England striker Harry Kane into the side, which has been a revelation this season, and often-carried Spurs on his own. While allowing other young players like
Ryan Mason, Andros Townsend, and Nabil Bentaleb to play an important role in his team, who are now vital parts of the Spurs team this season. Although Spurs have been playing some goodfootball this season and current manager Mauricio Pochettino has been receiving praise for the job he is doing, he only has 3 more wins as Tottenham manager despite having managed in 10 more games than Sherwood.
Sherwood’s future was constantly in doubt during his tenure, with other managers being consistently linked to the job before his eventual departure. Managing a club on a short-term basis is one of the hardest jobs in football. It is very difficult to command the respect and trust of the players and fans since they are aware that the manager will be gone by next season.
On February 2nd 2015 Aston Villa parted company with manager Paul Lambert as the club went 10 league games in a row without a win, and fell unto the drop zone. Tim Sherwood was named their new manager 2 days later, andVilla’s form has quickly picked up. A convincing 4-0 away win against Sunderland, and a vital 2-1 win at home against West Brom in the Midlands Derby has swiftly earned the support of the Villa faithful. Along with impressive league form, they have enjoyed an exciting cup run, and with an FA Cup Semi-final against struggling Liverpool next week, silverware isn’t off the table for Sherwood.
A dream return to White Heat Lane this weekend saw Christian Benteke’s strike be the difference as Aston Villa outplayed Tottenham, effectively ending their Champions League aspirations. Sherwood’s side showed strong character and composure in an end-to-end game as they fought off strong pressure from Spurs, while also creating some clear chances throughout the game.
The recent form of midfielder Fabian Delph, who has emerged as an England international, and striker Christain Beneke’s form has been outstanding, scoring a hat rick last week, and now has 8 goals in his last 6 games, after Sherwood decided to make him the focal point of attack with the pacey Gabriel Agbonlahor, who is also experiencing a new lease on life under the manager. The confidence that Sherwood his breading into his players shows signs of a good manager as he continues to improve the players that he inherited from Lambert, without spending money on new players.
The Villa fans have taken to his fiery, passionate style and were singing his name as Villa move 6 points above the relegation zone with only 5 games remaining, and with the backing of the fans and owners it seems as though Sherwood can build a squad of his own players in the next few seasons and for the first time in his managerial career Sherwood will have time to prove his worth as a top flight manager.