I feel that this guy (Spurs blogger) has got it pretty much spot-on. It's crazy the way Sherwood has been carrying himself. It seems like Sherwood really believes in the wonky theory that managers (read: Mourinho) act the dick to take the pressure off their team, when it's simply a case of managers (read: Mourinho) acting the dick because they are one.
http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tottenham/id/2345?cc=4716
Sherwood would be wise to keep quiet
- Dan Fitch
I can put up with the fact that Tim Sherwood clearly doesn't know what he's doing.
After all, he's a complete novice in management, and no one can blame him for taking the chance of a crack at the big time. I'd have taken over for former manager Andre Villas-Boas if the opportunity had been offered, and my experience for the role stretches no further than many years playing Football Manager.
It's not surprising that he's making mistakes with his tactical decisions on the pitch. A new manager is bound to make such errors, and that is why one's first job tends to be in the lower divisions rather than the high-stakes of the Premier League.
When Sherwood was appointed on an 18-month contract, the likeliest scenario was that he'd be replaced at the end of the season with a nice payoff, hopefully having done enough to secure another job elsewhere. The better he did during his time in charge of Spurs, the higher the level of club that would appoint him.
Things looked positive for Sherwood at first. The team were picking up results, it seemed like he was committed to an attacking style and he was refreshingly honest.
Yet as time has gone on, the pressure seems to have gotten to him. Sherwood no longer has the courage of his convictions when it comes to tactics. He's picked teams that are as defensive as anything Villas-Boas selected and now he seems to change personnel and formations on a weekly whim.
But what is worse than the mistakes that he makes on the pitch are the ones that he's making in interviews and news conferences. It's what Sherwood is saying that could have the biggest impact on his future employment options.
Some chairmen will like the way that Sherwood has been calling out his own players, but they're unlikely to come from the Premier League. Such shock tactics might work when it comes to motivating players with few options, but it's not the way to do things at the highest level.
Sherwood's comments regarding the squad playing for their futures were not just ill-judged because he'll be the first out of the door this summer. Why does he think that anyone at Tottenham is going to be motivated by the thought that they will be sold? They're all good enough to play at a decent level and will join sides where they will continue to earn their wages. Not least, they will get to leave an absolute mess of a club and move on to calmer waters.
You could forgive Sherwood for speaking emotionally after the Chelsea game, but he then continued to unnecessarily warm to his theme ahead of the Benfica match. Then came a slanging match with Benfica manager Jorge Jesus, before claiming that Spurs were the better team against Arsenal, when it's fairly obvious that if they were the better side, they would have been able to score.
The pressure is building on a man who should be under no pressure at all. He's the interim manager in all but name and was previously in charge of the youth team. Nothing was expected of him.
Now he's making himself the story with every sorry news conference. The man he reminds you of is the one who hired him in the first place. Harry Redknapp's inability to keep his mouth shut was a big contributing factor in him losing his job at White Hart Lane and missing out on the England job.
Despite his success at Tottenham, Redknapp is now in the Championship with QPR. Club owners do not want a loose cannon, which is what Sherwood is increasingly coming to resemble.
He'll get a job somewhere. My guess would be Swindon, where his former Norwich teammate Lee Power is chairman. The pair obviously have a close relationship, as demonstrated by the links forged between Spurs and the League One club.
Swindon would be a big step down from Tottenham for a man who fairly recently turned down a good opportunity to manage Blackburn, whom he captained to the Premier League title. There is also the possibility that Sherwood could replace Tottenham Technical Director Franco Baldini, but will chairman Daniel Levy want such a quote-heavy figure in this role?
The time has come for Sherwood to take a deep breath and come to terms with the fact that he's likely not long for the Spurs manager job. With that in mind, he can set his sights on the future and start to act more professionally.
---
Dan Fitch is a freelance journalist and founder of TottenhamBlog. A regular at White Hart Lane, he writes about Spurs for ESPN and football in general for the Bleacher Report.
http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tottenham/id/2345?cc=4716
Sherwood would be wise to keep quiet
- Dan Fitch
I can put up with the fact that Tim Sherwood clearly doesn't know what he's doing.
After all, he's a complete novice in management, and no one can blame him for taking the chance of a crack at the big time. I'd have taken over for former manager Andre Villas-Boas if the opportunity had been offered, and my experience for the role stretches no further than many years playing Football Manager.
It's not surprising that he's making mistakes with his tactical decisions on the pitch. A new manager is bound to make such errors, and that is why one's first job tends to be in the lower divisions rather than the high-stakes of the Premier League.
When Sherwood was appointed on an 18-month contract, the likeliest scenario was that he'd be replaced at the end of the season with a nice payoff, hopefully having done enough to secure another job elsewhere. The better he did during his time in charge of Spurs, the higher the level of club that would appoint him.
Things looked positive for Sherwood at first. The team were picking up results, it seemed like he was committed to an attacking style and he was refreshingly honest.
Yet as time has gone on, the pressure seems to have gotten to him. Sherwood no longer has the courage of his convictions when it comes to tactics. He's picked teams that are as defensive as anything Villas-Boas selected and now he seems to change personnel and formations on a weekly whim.
But what is worse than the mistakes that he makes on the pitch are the ones that he's making in interviews and news conferences. It's what Sherwood is saying that could have the biggest impact on his future employment options.
Some chairmen will like the way that Sherwood has been calling out his own players, but they're unlikely to come from the Premier League. Such shock tactics might work when it comes to motivating players with few options, but it's not the way to do things at the highest level.
Sherwood's comments regarding the squad playing for their futures were not just ill-judged because he'll be the first out of the door this summer. Why does he think that anyone at Tottenham is going to be motivated by the thought that they will be sold? They're all good enough to play at a decent level and will join sides where they will continue to earn their wages. Not least, they will get to leave an absolute mess of a club and move on to calmer waters.
You could forgive Sherwood for speaking emotionally after the Chelsea game, but he then continued to unnecessarily warm to his theme ahead of the Benfica match. Then came a slanging match with Benfica manager Jorge Jesus, before claiming that Spurs were the better team against Arsenal, when it's fairly obvious that if they were the better side, they would have been able to score.
The pressure is building on a man who should be under no pressure at all. He's the interim manager in all but name and was previously in charge of the youth team. Nothing was expected of him.
Now he's making himself the story with every sorry news conference. The man he reminds you of is the one who hired him in the first place. Harry Redknapp's inability to keep his mouth shut was a big contributing factor in him losing his job at White Hart Lane and missing out on the England job.
Despite his success at Tottenham, Redknapp is now in the Championship with QPR. Club owners do not want a loose cannon, which is what Sherwood is increasingly coming to resemble.
He'll get a job somewhere. My guess would be Swindon, where his former Norwich teammate Lee Power is chairman. The pair obviously have a close relationship, as demonstrated by the links forged between Spurs and the League One club.
Swindon would be a big step down from Tottenham for a man who fairly recently turned down a good opportunity to manage Blackburn, whom he captained to the Premier League title. There is also the possibility that Sherwood could replace Tottenham Technical Director Franco Baldini, but will chairman Daniel Levy want such a quote-heavy figure in this role?
The time has come for Sherwood to take a deep breath and come to terms with the fact that he's likely not long for the Spurs manager job. With that in mind, he can set his sights on the future and start to act more professionally.
---
Dan Fitch is a freelance journalist and founder of TottenhamBlog. A regular at White Hart Lane, he writes about Spurs for ESPN and football in general for the Bleacher Report.
