- Aug 23, 2012
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The time to judge sherwood will be this time next season. At the moment it's impossible to tell whether villa's improved form is due to Tim being Tim or Tim not being Lambert.
The time to judge sherwood will be this time next season. At the moment it's impossible to tell whether villa's improved form is due to Tim being Tim or Tim not being Lambert.
Sherwood went the second 45 vs Saints in late March with a midfield of Lennon/Townsend, Chadli, Siggy and Eriksen. Then played either a 4141 or 4231 vs Liverpool with a midfield 5 of Bentaleb, Chadli, Siggy, Eriksen, Lennon. So either way, those are twice he went with AM's/wingers at CM. Down the stretch, he went with cm2's of Paulinho and Chadli/Siggy.They didn't play CM2 together (I don't think) but neither should playing it at all.
I think there's plenty of re-writing of history where Adebayor and AVB are concerned, because in his first season we played some decent football and Adebayor got chances and was horribly out of sorts and wasted most of them, games like Sunderland and QPR stick in my memory. Then we had the summer transfer bollocks and Adebayor choosing to spend his time in NY fucking around instead of training and then he got arsy behind the scenes (for the umpteenth time in his career - including this year). Despite this, AVB still gave him a chance and just like under Pochettino what we got was an Adebayor who decided to sulk and mope around. Pochettino has ended up doing exactly the same as AVB, deciding the group is better without his disturbing effect off the pitch.
Personally I think it's weakness if a manager panders to this for the sake of short term gain. You can't build a club or earn respect by showing the rest of the group that wankers will not only be tolerated but rewarded.
If Adebayor was some 100% footballing stalwart genius who'd been there an done it and earned respect you might accept him challenging his coach on certain points, hopefully in a rational way, but listening to him talk, he's a fucking fruit loop, and a lazy fucker to boot ("I liked Harry because he gave me days off and didn't make me train"), and I certainly have more respect for a manager who stamps on shit like that than rewards it. What example does that set the rest of the squad and young pros ? What kind of atmosphere do you build if you encourage lazy, dissenting wankers ?
It would have been interesting to see what would have happened once Adebayor pulled his usual bollocks - which he inevitably would - on Sherwood down the line.
As I keep saying, I think Sherwood undoubtedly has the character and leadership qualities to be a manager. I wanted him to be given the shot at Spurs because of this and because I hoped he'd adopt the kind of tactics he has in the last couple of games for Villa. 433 with good pressing type of thing - like our academy does.
What we got was amateur hour, we beat some teams we should, got beat by some we should as well, slabbed by teams we shouldn't, played some crazy tactics and had to listen to the "I'm the Mohamed Ali of football show" every week.
If he'd have just kept the self serving bullshit to a minimum until he'd actually achieved something in management, shown he had some clear idea of how he wanted to play, he wouldn't have kept his job I don't think, but he might have earned a bit more respect from the football world.
Whilst not a Tim supporter you could argue that with his short time with us. I wonder how we'd be now, or whether he'd still be here, if his contract was extended last summer. Personally, I don't think it'd be a hell of a lot worse than where we are now. We'd still be top 10 at least, I reckon. Don't think he'd have done any better though.
I still think the guy needs to take a step back, drop a league or two, and learn to be a proper football manager first. Develop your style and build up your knowledge at a smaller team before launching yourself into Premiership management.
Whilst not a Tim supporter you could argue that with his short time with us. I wonder how we'd be now, or whether he'd still be here, if his contract was extended last summer. Personally, I don't think it'd be a hell of a lot worse than where we are now. We'd still be top 10 at least, I reckon. Don't think he'd have done any better though.
I still think the guy needs to take a step back, drop a league or two, and learn to be a proper football manager first. Develop your style and build up your knowledge at a smaller team before launching yourself into Premiership management.
Probably having a hand shandy over Kane's comments about him
A few things that you could almost certainly gaurantee is that Spurs would have had the major sell off last summer and that the likes of Fazio and Stambouli would definitely have not been bought.
I personally believe that with Sherwood at the helm and with the full backing of Levy to bring in the type of players that he wanted.............Spurs would still be in the fight for a top 3 or top 4 place with a Cup already won.
First sentence is unarguable. Second sentence less so, but we would have made a stronger start, and with other teams strungging to find their rhythm that could have counted for a lot.A few things that you could almost certainly gaurantee is that Spurs would have had the major sell off last summer and that the likes of Fazio and Stambouli would definitely have not been bought.
I personally believe that with Sherwood at the helm and with the full backing of Levy to bring in the type of players that he wanted.............Spurs would still be in the fight for a top 3 or top 4 place with a Cup already won.
I'm not so sure whether we'd be as successful under Tim as you say we would be. It's all conjecture, and regardless, it's a moot point because the guy was never given the time to prove/disprove that he can achieve what he claimed he could. I have a feeling Tim would have us playing differently under Poch, but it wouldn't be a better kind of different. As I said earlier I don't think he'd be a hell of a lot worse, but he had a lot of flaws himself that would've stopped us from being successful.
Also, I'm not really sure whether Fazio and Stambouli were Poch's picks or not. Always seemed to me like they were just bought to keep him content as they were seen to be similar, but cheaper, options to Musacchio and Schneiderlin, who were Poch's first choices I believe. Don't know how well we'd have done if we managed to get the first choices, so perhaps one could blame those in charge of transfers...if you wanted to blame anybody at all.
There's nothing to suggest that Tim would've had a more successful transfer window, or even if he'd manage to shift some of that deadwood. Firstly, he's got no proven transfer record so far and even if he'd highlighted some good players it doesn't mean he'd have got them, just like in Pochettino's (and, for that matter, AVB's) case. Secondly, it's not down to him to shift players, it's down to Levy and co, and if they can't or don't want to because of financial reasons then he'll be stuffed there.
As I said, it's all a moot point now as the guy is no longer with us. This summer will make or break Pochettino. I hope he gets Levy's backing, and I hope he doesn't waste it.
First sentence is unarguable. Second sentence less so, but we would have made a stronger start, and with other teams strungging to find their rhythm that could have counted for a lot.
Maybe that says more about Ferdinand's comprehension of what purpose a break clause serves.Les has been very explicit that at the outset they believed they would be given 18 months to put their ideas into action and turn things round.
So in this years final with Sherwood in charge CE shot would have gone in off the bar and the deflections for goals 1 and 2 would not have happened. Got it. And we'd have 4 more points to be within 3 of Utd.A few things that you could almost certainly gaurantee is that Spurs would have had the major sell off last summer and that the likes of Fazio and Stambouli would definitely have not been bought.
I personally believe that with Sherwood at the helm and with the full backing of Levy to bring in the type of players that he wanted.............Spurs would still be in the fight for a top 3 or top 4 place with a Cup already won.
Is it wrong that I want to see Villa beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final, and then get relegated to lose the Europa spot?
First sentence is unarguable. Second sentence less so, but we would have made a stronger start, and with other teams strungging to find their rhythm that could have counted for a lot.
His best tactical game with us was the Newcastle away game where he went 433 and had Bentleb and Paulinho either side of Capoue, with Lennon and Dembele either side of Adebayor. Why he didn't stick with this format and we ended up with the mess we got half the time I have no idea.