| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… 00:49 - May 8 with 5041 views | HarryfromBath |
I thought it might be helpful to gather some thoughts from a West Midlands’ perspective on Tim Sherwood after the story earlier today reporting him as a serious candidate to replace Mick. I have separated out their comments to highlight different themes which became apparent.
The caveat I would add is that these are comments from just one chapter of his career. His time at Villa Park was brief, arriving in February 2015 and departing in October of the same year. He took them to the FA Cup final but left after eight defeats in their first 10 games the following season…
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“When he initially came in he did as well as any of us could have hoped in keeping us in the Premier League and taking us to the FA Cup final. That semi-final against Liverpool is arguably the highlight of the last handful of years.”
Many fans have fond memories of his honeymoon period and their decent Cup run, even if it did end in a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Final. “He might be an idiot but he gave me the best two games of watching Villa since Martin O’Neill left, namely the West Brom and Liverpool FA Cup games.”
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“Sherwood lost the four best players he inherited in Fabian Delph, Christian Benteke, Ron Vlaar and Tom Cleverly. We spent £50 million trying to replace them and improve a squad that overall lacked quality and had been struggling for years.”
Sherwood lost some talented players but was given funds to replace them, bringing in defenders Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott, Jordan Amavi, Jose Crespo, and Tiago Ilori (the latter on loan), midfielder Jordan Veretout, winger Adama Traore and strikers Rudy Gestede and Jordan Ayew.
Most of his signings didn’t work out. “He had the biggest budget out of any of our managers in that time. In that one window (his first ever) he was given more money than Paul Lambert's three seasons (and six windows) combined. Alex McLeish also got a fraction of that in his two windows.”
“It was crazy decision by the club to give the funds from Benteke and Delph's sale to a manager who had never managed a team through a transfer window and to entrust him and the backroom team with a squad re-build after losing the best two players.”
“Any manager would struggle let alone one that had never bought or sold a player before and you could certainly argue for that reason alone he should never have been in charge over that summer”, “His hands were not really tied and to do as poorly as he did was down to him and him alone.”
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“Sherwood was given ample funding to be honest and was shown to be a complete tactical fraud.” Claret and Blues were pretty damning when assessing him tactically. “He takes the blame for being an utterly incompetent manager and not having a Plan B once Benteke left.”
“His tactical knowledge was laughable. He was a decent motivator of players and they liked him and I think there's a place for him alongside someone who knows how to manage a football team. He is essentially football management's equivalent to Bez from the Happy Mondays.”
“Sherwood was nothing more than a delusional youth development coach”, “The first warning signings were the 6-1 at Southampton [the penultimate game of his first season] where our tactics were non-existent.”
“He thought Richards and Lescott would be a good central defensive pairing. It was borderline crazy, two defenders known more for their goalscoring”, “He was more found out for having a high line, no second tactic and being rubbish with his substitutions. No tactics, no idea, no solutions.”
“Sherwood continued to divide the dressing room and play with absolutely no clear style or system or... well, anything. He then tried to save face. It was all incredibly embarrassing and has led to where we are today”, “His line-up selections were some of the worst I've seen.”
“For me it was the interview he gave to the official site where he said he would continue to change the system until he found one that worked. That dartboard approach to management told me he needed to be sacked immediately...
“Up to then I had been in the ‘it's not great but he needs time’ camp, but that told me he had no clue what he was at. It was a staggering admission of his own incompetence and it never dawned on him what he had said. He was gone soon afterwards, so someone high up obviously read a similar message between the lines.”
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“I honestly don’t think Sherwood knows the truth. He is so full of his own self-importance and bravado he probably believes the rubbish he comes out with”, “He has that brashness that rubs people up the wrong way but I enjoyed it at the time so I can't knock him.”
Many supporters struggle to trust him and felt that he failed to take responsibility when things went against him. “Sherwood would constantly throw players under the bus publicly in his interviews to cover for his ineptitude, with his pathetic ‘just about to cry’ face.”
“In typical Tim Sherwood fashion, he claimed he had the final say in the transfers and scouted them all himself at first. Once it was clear they weren't working out, he tried to wash his hands from them. He's a self-aggrandizing narcissist. The Donald Trump of football.”
“He spent money on players (whether his call or not, they were bought) only to completely ostracise them when the going got tough... for him, of course. Because it didn't really matter about the club or the players. After results fell off a cliff, he had no idea how to get it back on track.”
“I find him humorous. His unflappable self-confidence is fascinating, commendable and utterly bewildering, hence the hilarity. Basically, it's not his fault that he's him. I can't help admire on some level the black-belt levels of blaggery that has got him the jobs he has held over the past few years.”
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“The mauling at Southampton is what turned the tide on Timmy's chapter here. He didn't know how to respond to it properly. You could see during the game he was on the verge of tears. He is too emotional for management in my view”, “The job was too big for him after the Cup Final really.”
“After the initial honeymoon, it was some of the worst football I have ever seen. It's like watching a kid constantly falling over and running back to mummy and daddy, but they keep trying that same walk across the same slippery patch and keep falling and crying. That was the tactics under Tim.”
One other issue flagged up was his ability to handle pressure. While any difficulty at Villa could be put down to inexperience, one incident from March 2017 last season while he was subsequently Swindon Town director of football was reported in the Birmingham Mail (below) and in the national media. This was also flagged up by Claret and Blues…
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21 March 2017
“Swindon Town Director of Football and former Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has been handed a two-match stadium ban by the Football Association after his foul-mouthed outburst to referee Mark Brown at the interval of the Robins' match with Bury last month.”
“In his post-match report, Mr Brown wrote: After the half time whistle, and as I was walking down the tunnel Tim Sherwood of Swindon Town approached me and said “you’re the only f***** in the ground that’s f****** seen it you f****** mug.”
“I told him to calm down and stop pointing at me or he’d be sitting in the stands for the second half.
He then continued: “I wasn’t even in the dugout you f****** mug and you would be doing me a favour. I told him I wanted to speak to him at my dressing room but he ignored me and walked off towards the Swindon changing room.”
“I followed him and stood outside and told the coaching staff I wanted Mr Sherwood to come outside as I needed to speak to him. After approximately 45 seconds Mr Sherwood walked out and walked past me and I informed him that he would be reported for his comments towards me.
His reply was: “F*** off you mug.”
“I then entered my dressing room area and informed the stewards of my decision and that if Mr Sherwood tries to come down into the technical area he shouldn’t be allowed.” Swindon are seven points adrift at the bottom of the League One table with seven games to play.”
Swindon were relegated at the end of the season and Sherwood left the club in June 2017.
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“Sherwood was terrible. I liked his enthusiasm which was pretty infectious but that’s about it”, “He did motivate the players to Wembley and we stayed up for an extra season, so it wasn’t all bad”, “I am baffled how he supposedly did such a good job in the Spurs youth setup though.”
“To me it was simply a case of an inexperienced manager completely out of his depth at the task in hand in summer 2015 and boy did it show with our start to that season.” Some felt that the role of Villa manager came too soon but other fans are more damning. “A pathetic incompetent maniac”, “Genuinely embarrassing that he was our manager”, “Charlatan.”
“Sherwood isn't a football manager and I don't know why he parades himself as one. He's probably a reasonable coach and if he didn't reek so badly of failure he'd be an entertaining enough pundit”, “I don't think I ever really hated him, but I cannot for the life of me understand the allure.”
“To begin with it was all laughs and good intentions about turning around a terrible situation but disorder soon set in, disharmony and anger followed, resulting in tears before bedtime and a sudden demise. Essentially, Sherwood's reign at Villa was the managerial equivalent of “Lord of the Flies’.”
[Post edited 8 May 2018 0:57]
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 01:07 - May 8 with 4958 views | LankHenners |
Great work, Harry. If anyone (for some reason) was still on the fence over him then this should put them right. If people thought Mick was divisive and all 'me me me' then they'll get a wake-up call with Tactics Tim. |  |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 01:45 - May 8 with 4891 views | TonyHumesIpswich |
Sounds like nearly all his signings turned out to be duds. |  | | |
| So as bad as we already think on 03:28 - May 8 with 4829 views | itfc1981 |
Very much like Keane. Thinks he is a mini god on earth. Crap in the transfer market.
The fact that Evans would even grant him an interview shows he really lacks any ability to judge a talented individual. Gob smacked given his success in business.
He has employed so many flops with us. |  |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 05:54 - May 8 with 4720 views | brogansnose |
Oh, no.
That makes for frightening reading. Is Evans still listening to that gollum Rednapp ? |  | | |
| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 06:00 - May 8 with 4697 views | ElderGrizzly |
| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 05:54 - May 8 by brogansnose |
Oh, no.
That makes for frightening reading. Is Evans still listening to that gollum Rednapp ? |
Apparently not. Redknapp hasn’t been ‘involved’ since he recommended Jewell. |  | | |
| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 06:12 - May 8 with 4659 views | NewcyBlue |
| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 06:00 - May 8 by ElderGrizzly |
Apparently not. Redknapp hasn’t been ‘involved’ since he recommended Jewell. |
Any chance we can get Harry’s details over to ME? Can’t think of a better advisor! |  |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 06:30 - May 8 with 4592 views | Swailsey |
Sign him up! |  |
| Who said: "Colin Healy made Cesc Fabregas look like Colin Healy"? | We miss you TLA |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 08:34 - May 8 with 4149 views | GeoffSentence |
Picking a manager must be one of the hardest jobs in football. Aside from the obvious McCarthy like safe pair of hands it so often comes down to the right time and the right club for a manager, but how on earth do you identify that in advance.
I am sure if we had listened to Fulham fans in 1969 we would have been less than impressed with what we heard about Bobby Robson. |  |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 08:41 - May 8 with 4107 views | itfcjoe |
| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 08:34 - May 8 by GeoffSentence |
Picking a manager must be one of the hardest jobs in football. Aside from the obvious McCarthy like safe pair of hands it so often comes down to the right time and the right club for a manager, but how on earth do you identify that in advance.
I am sure if we had listened to Fulham fans in 1969 we would have been less than impressed with what we heard about Bobby Robson. |
And the job specs are so different depending on which club and what structure in place.
Bar handing the keys to the club over to a Mick or a Warnock at this level, good managers can be put in positions they can't cope with and vice versa.
I do feel that this is a decent time to pick up ITFC job, and that Evans has learned from previous appointments - Jewell most notably - where you don't need to allow the new manager to come in and rip up what is here and start again when generally a tweak is what is required.
We have the spine of a decent squad, good prospects - and any new manager coming in will need to show they will work with that and add to improve what we have. For all we know Sherwood could have come in and interviewed breaking down how he sees likes of Dozz, Downes etc developing, what he is planning on doing to get the best out of them, and a real detailed presentation which blows Evans away. |  |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 08:42 - May 8 with 4106 views | Guthrum |
Doesn't do a lot to improve my thoughts on Sherwood as a prospect for Town. Especially the bit about poor transfers - that's the last thing we need.
Interesting segment on R5L's Monday Club last night in which Wright, Charlie Austin and someone else spoke openly about the issue of 'jobs for the boys' in football management. Of decisionmakers and advisors constantly 'getting their mates in' when a vacancy appeared. Why the same names keep coming up and new talent doesn't get a chance. Would have said some time between 8.30 and 9.30 (while I was driving through Wolverhampton).
Wouldn't want to see us fall victim to that. |  |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 08:44 - May 8 with 4091 views | bournemouthblue |
Excellent work as always Harry
The classic kind of manager who needs a good number 2 and a director of Football
Did he sign Lamela and Eriksen at Spurs or was that their DOF? |  |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 08:50 - May 8 with 4040 views | TractorWood |
Remember that ref's statement from Swindon. Can't believe he's still being linked to jobs, 'he's too emotional for management' is a very stark statement and probably correct. |  |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 08:53 - May 8 with 4011 views | MaySixth |
All that has to happen is for Marcus Evans to read this |  |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 09:38 - May 8 with 3772 views | Bad_Boy_Mark |
Thanks for this great insight Harry, another fantastic piece of work!
Under no circumstances should Tim Sherwood become our next manager. His appointment would not be the right fit for our beloved club and my belief is he would cause more harm than good.
This scenario would fit the "be careful what you wish for" warnings we have heard lately.
Marcus Evans is no fool; this link, from the outside at least, does not fit the calculated risk that Marcus mentioned in his recent interview. |  | | |
| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 09:53 - May 8 with 3714 views | Herbivore |
If Sherwood gets the job I may have to consider cancelling my season ticket. He'd be a total disaster and is just such a risible sh!tbag of a man, I cannot get behind him managing my club. |  |
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| Villa Supporters’ Thoughts on Tim Sherwood… on 11:30 - May 8 with 3529 views | HarryfromBath |
No manager is perfect and any weaknesses inevitably become apparent in the sodium light of high-profile publicity. Most candidates will have question marks around their suitability and track record, but the pattern of feedback here threw up some pretty serious questions.
If I were interviewing him, I would want to drill into the following areas:
(a) The detail of his tactical philosophy and his preferred method of setting up a team.
(b) What he learned from that transfer window at Villa about squad building to support his philosophy.
(c) How he goes about team-building and generating trust from players.
(d) Most of all, how he will handle pressure and criticism, especially in the light of what happened here towards the end of our time with Mick?
No appointment is without risk but the risks with Sherwood seem to be a bit more self-evident than I would be comfortable with. I would also gently ask who advised Marcus Evans as to his suitability. | |
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