Despite winning the West Midlands derby against West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa have just 10 games left to salvage their Premiership status and have called upon new boss Tim Sherwood to guide them to safety. But has he got the skill and personality to achieve such a goal?
We have all heard the expression that a club is ‘too big to go down’. Aston Villa certainly are such a team, but time is running out for them. Ex-boss Paul Lambert quite clearly couldn’t motivate the players to perform to a higher level, as defeat followed defeat. Before tonight’s victory, the Villains had lost 7 games in a row. Something had to be done and so the outspoken Tim Sherwood was appointed.
The ex-England international splits opinion wherever he goes. Having spent a short period of time in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, his stock has risen and he was courted by manager-less Crystal Palace and Newcastle United before getting the job in the midlands. His tenure at the North London club was hardly successful, having been on the receiving end of heavy defeats against Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, as well as missing out on the perennial hope of qualifying for the Champions League.
That being said, he brought through academy products such as Nabil Bentaleb and the latest sensation, Harry Kane. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, something which is refreshing to the modern day football fan, especially as player power seems to be at an all time high. He even managed to get the best out of Emmanuel Adebayor, who managed to score 14 goals from 25 appearances. He clearly knows how to spot talent and isn’t afraid to look within his own club, values that should be promoted throughout the league.
So what seems to be the problem, why do many people have a lack of faith in him? Is it because he is not afraid to speak his mind? Is it because he doesn’t have much experience managing in the Premier League? Or maybe it is because his man management doesn’t seem to endear himself to the players. Look at someone like José Mourinho. His players and staff love him. He makes them feel valued and as such, they produce the goods for him. After having suffered a 4-0 defeat away to rivals Chelsea, Sherwood publicly criticised his Spurs team, saying “There’s a lack of character, too many of them are too nice to each other and you need to show a bit more guts and not want to be someone’s mate all the time.” These were hardly words that professional sportsmen need to hear after a heavy loss. After this game, it seemed like the players stopped responding to Sherwood and his fate was sealed some time later.
His approach seemed to be more “stick” and less “carrot”. Human Beings are naturally averse to being offended. No one likes to be shouted and screamed at. In fact, there were rumours that Sherwood had actually punched a Spurs player, although these allegations seem to be unfounded. Least of all, no one likes to be publicly criticised, whether that be as a part of a small group of peers, or at a press conference beamed around the world. Either way, Tottenham and Aston Villa are two difference entities. Both sets of players needs different approaches. It will be interesting to see if Sherwood bawls out his players in this situation, or is more sympathetic to them.
His Aston Villa team are teetering on the brink of relegation. They have been for a while now. Sherwood needs to find the best way of grinding out the results to ensure their safety. Misfiring striker Christian Benteke has made 22 appearances this season for the Villans. He has only scored a paltry four goals. This is quite clearly not acceptable for a striker who was touted to be one of the best in the league two seasons ago. Maybe the last minute goal against West Brom will galvanise the forward and the whole team onto better performances.
But with crunch games against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Southampton all still to come, Sherwood will have to step up and lead the club to safety, proving that the old adage “Too big to go down” really is true.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on twitter – @LWOSryanhall. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Feel free to discuss this and other footy related articles with thousands at r/football.
