How many of the football managers currently plying their trade in the professional game are better qualified to be Tottenham Manager than Tim Sherwood?
All 91 of them.
Hiring any one of the Managers in the top 4 tiers of English football would have provided a lesser gamble than the decision by Spurs yesterday to award Tim Sherwood an 18 month contract as their Head Coach.
That Daniel Levy has seen fit to put one of world footballs oldest and most significant institutions in the hands of someone who has managed precisely 2 more Premier League games than me is simply outrageous.
EXPERIENCE
Tim Sherwood may well be a great guy, popular with supporters, ‘know the club from top to bottom’ and ‘be a real influence around the squad’, as I am repeatedly hearing from pro-Sherwood pundits and fans, but I won’t apologise for pointing out that, unfortunately, the Emperor does not appear to be wearing any clothes.
What shred of evidence is there to suggest that the new Spurs boss can mould the expensively assembled and badly misfiring squad into all it was supposed to be when Levy was signing the numerous and bloated cheques in the summer? A 3-2 win over Southampton at the weekend? Sounding quite good on Tele sometimes? You start to wonder if Sherwood has some incriminating photos of Senior Board members at ‘The Lane’.
Big personality around the dressing room, talks a great job, tough tackling midfielder. Roy Keane for next Tottenham manager anyone?
Tim Sherwood is now being asked to put all of his non-existent experience up against his new peers, the likes of Jose Mourinho, Manuel Pelligrini, Arsene Wenger and David Moyes (don’t say it…). On what basis are Levy and the Sherwood fans claiming he has the strategic and tactical competence to compete with these experienced and successful individuals? Football has moved on and it is no longer enough to simply be able to rally the troops effectively prior to kick off. That Sherwood will be afforded time to make his tactical mistakes and learn from them is extremely unlikely as the ghosts of Tottenham Managers past will testify.
OPPORTUNITY
The one person you can’t blame in all of this is Tim Sherwood. The charismatic and straight talking local lad from St Albans has seen an opportunity and seized it with both hands. As a graduate and former player of my club Watford, I genuinely hope he goes on to achieve great things. The truth is however, that the odds are stacked against him. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the 44 year-old Englishman went on to prove himself the Managerial equal of the above mentioned heavy weights? He is probably already being installed as favourite to be next England Manager.
SHARKS
If another Daniel Levy Managerial gamble fails to pay off, the Spurs supremos position must surely be in question. His credibility is already under scrutiny following a number of questionable decisions including the removal of Harry Redknapp and the appointment of Andre Villas Boas. That Levy has potentially put his own career in the hands of a completely inexperienced individual beggar’s belief.
I wish Tim Sherwood all the luck in the world. A competitive Tottenham Hotspur with a young English Manager at the helm can only be a positive for football in this country; however, this is a dream appointment for the media Sharks who will be packed into Spurs press boxes and press conferences over the coming months, eagerly awaiting the first drop of blood into the water.
Source: DSG
