The Tim Sherwood Thread

[Stevo985]

I'm fairly sure that those players whom he 'didn't want' have a pretty nice incentive to bury him over the next two games, so I don't anticipate us doing much.

It's a crazy thing to say. How are players going to be motivated playing for a manager who has told the world he doesn't want them?

Almost as crazy as calling the player losers on the eve of a cup final.

It's no wonder they're not performing really.

[Guest av1]

Ultimatum or not, backing of the board or not, The majority of the fans now want him gone. If Tim puts out the kind of brain dead team we saw against Stoke vs Swansea, and we go on the lose, the crowd will well and truly turn on him. Once that happens its just a matter of time, if it isn't already.

He'll be gone by November IMO.

A new manager wont make much difference, this club needs a change at the very top for anything to ever get any better, but thats another thread. Sherwood still has my support, the whole transfer thing is making the club looking a bit amatuerish to be honest and it's hard to really know what's going on.

Conversely, I think handing a guy with no experience in the transfer market £40m plus and saying 'there you go Tim, fill your boots' would be incredibly amateurish. Its the sort of "business sence" Lerner employed with O'Neill, and is arguably one of the reasons we are in the position we now find ourselves.

[villaglint]

I'm fairly sure that those players whom he 'didn't want' have a pretty nice incentive to bury him over the next two games, so I don't anticipate us doing much.

It's a crazy thing to say. How are players going to be motivated playing for a manager who has told the world he doesn't want them?

Almost as crazy as calling the player losers on the eve of a cup final.

It's no wonder they're not performing really.

I have been trying to keep out of this thread but just out of interest where did he say that?

Not saying he didnt but I missed it and can't find anything.

 

[Stevo985]

I'm fairly sure that those players whom he 'didn't want' have a pretty nice incentive to bury him over the next two games, so I don't anticipate us doing much.

It's a crazy thing to say. How are players going to be motivated playing for a manager who has told the world he doesn't want them?

Almost as crazy as calling the player losers on the eve of a cup final.

It's no wonder they're not performing really.

 

I have been trying to keep out of this thread but just out of interest where did he say that?

Not saying he didnt but I missed it and can't find anything.

 

The players not being his or the players being losers?

The latter was in the run up to the cup final. Sherwood said something along the lines of we needed a winning mentality and we needed to get the losers out of the squad.

The former is based on the rumours emerging recently that Sherwood is underperforming because he wasn't allowed to bring in his own players this summer (despite previously claiming he had a say on all the transfers)

[villaglint]

OK yes the Cup thing I was aware of and yes it was hhmm confusing. Throw it on the pile.

Judging from what you've said he hasnt actually said he didnt want any of the players, ie in an interview. Is that right?

 

[KHV]

I think we all agree that Lerner needs to go. But Fox appears to putting in place the sort of structure most of us have been crying out for. And now it's in place, its become a means of shifting a bit of blame from Tim's door. As an unproven and inexperienced Manager, I think it would have been gross mismanagement to not a have a team in place. (transfer committee, call it what you will) we would probably have ended up with the sort of squad that sent QPR down had he been left to his own devices.

I think saying 'the club is a F***g mess' or blaming a recruitment policy for the mess we are in, is a poor effort of detracting from the frankly laughable "job" Sherwood is doing.

Yes Lerner needs to sod off, but the more pressing issue is getting this chancer off the payroll and employing an actual Manager that has half a clue about how set up a football team.

 

Depends on how it works, if the manager can provide a shortlist and it's either a yes or no then that's fine, if it's a case of saying no to the manager and then saying but we got you these guys instead good luck with that, then I think you are going to have problems all round. For me a manager should be in control off all transfers so he can shape his team with the characters he wants to buy into his methods.

It's just speculation but both Villa and Liverpool seem to be operating some sort of transfer committee and both teams have been doing shit, the same thing happened with AVB at Tottenham and that went tits up. Coincidence????  Not sure but something to think about

[dont_do_it_doug.]

I think we all agree that Lerner needs to go. But Fox appears to putting in place the sort of structure most of us have been crying out for. And now it's in place, its become a means of shifting a bit of blame from Tim's door. As an unproven and inexperienced Manager, I think it would have been gross mismanagement to not a have a team in place. (transfer committee, call it what you will) we would probably have ended up with the sort of squad that sent QPR down had he been left to his own devices.

I think saying 'the club is a F***g mess' or blaming a recruitment policy for the mess we are in, is a poor effort of detracting from the frankly laughable "job" Sherwood is doing.

Yes Lerner needs to sod off, but the more pressing issue is getting this chancer off the payroll and employing an actual Manager that has half a clue about how set up a football team.

 

Depends on how it works, if the manager can provide a shortlist and it's either a yes or no then that's fine, if it's a case of saying no to the manager and then saying but we got you these guys instead good luck with that, then I think you are going to have problems all round. For me a manager should be in control off all transfers so he can shape his team with the characters he wants to buy into his methods.

It's just speculation but both Villa and Liverpool seem to be operating some sort of transfer committee and both teams have been doing shit, the same thing happened with AVB at Tottenham and that went tits up. Coincidence????  Not sure but something to think about

How about at Southampton and Swansea? 

[Guest av1]

The merits or otherwise of any given transfer policy should not detract from the fact that Tim has not got any of the requisite skills to Manager a football club.

Let's not forget, Lescott was one signing we know was at the behest of Tim.

[KHV]

I think we all agree that Lerner needs to go. But Fox appears to putting in place the sort of structure most of us have been crying out for. And now it's in place, its become a means of shifting a bit of blame from Tim's door. As an unproven and inexperienced Manager, I think it would have been gross mismanagement to not a have a team in place. (transfer committee, call it what you will) we would probably have ended up with the sort of squad that sent QPR down had he been left to his own devices.

I think saying 'the club is a F***g mess' or blaming a recruitment policy for the mess we are in, is a poor effort of detracting from the frankly laughable "job" Sherwood is doing.

Yes Lerner needs to sod off, but the more pressing issue is getting this chancer off the payroll and employing an actual Manager that has half a clue about how set up a football team.

 

Depends on how it works, if the manager can provide a shortlist and it's either a yes or no then that's fine, if it's a case of saying no to the manager and then saying but we got you these guys instead good luck with that, then I think you are going to have problems all round. For me a manager should be in control off all transfers so he can shape his team with the characters he wants to buy into his methods.

It's just speculation but both Villa and Liverpool seem to be operating some sort of transfer committee and both teams have been doing shit, the same thing happened with AVB at Tottenham and that went tits up. Coincidence????  Not sure but something to think about

 

How about at Southampton and Swansea? 

Like I said, it depends on how it works and how much input the manager gets, and also what experience and qualifications these committee people have. Im must admit I'm not a fan of buying players based on statistics. I believe Swansea extensivley scout their recruits before over a long period of time

[Stevo985]

I think we all agree that Lerner needs to go. But Fox appears to putting in place the sort of structure most of us have been crying out for. And now it's in place, its become a means of shifting a bit of blame from Tim's door. As an unproven and inexperienced Manager, I think it would have been gross mismanagement to not a have a team in place. (transfer committee, call it what you will) we would probably have ended up with the sort of squad that sent QPR down had he been left to his own devices.

I think saying 'the club is a F***g mess' or blaming a recruitment policy for the mess we are in, is a poor effort of detracting from the frankly laughable "job" Sherwood is doing.

Yes Lerner needs to sod off, but the more pressing issue is getting this chancer off the payroll and employing an actual Manager that has half a clue about how set up a football team.

 

Depends on how it works, if the manager can provide a shortlist and it's either a yes or no then that's fine, if it's a case of saying no to the manager and then saying but we got you these guys instead good luck with that, then I think you are going to have problems all round. For me a manager should be in control off all transfers so he can shape his team with the characters he wants to buy into his methods.

It's just speculation but both Villa and Liverpool seem to be operating some sort of transfer committee and both teams have been doing shit, the same thing happened with AVB at Tottenham and that went tits up. Coincidence????  Not sure but something to think about

 

How about at Southampton and Swansea? 

I think it's an incredibly sensible way to do things, and the future of football clubs.

It stops changes in manager being such an upheaval. Basically everything carries on as normal but with a new "head coach" to come in and manage the team.

As you say, it's what has worked so well for Southampton and Swansea.

Of course, if not implemented correctly it goes tits up. But you could say that about any strategy

[Guest av1]

I think we all agree that Lerner needs to go. But Fox appears to putting in place the sort of structure most of us have been crying out for. And now it's in place, its become a means of shifting a bit of blame from Tim's door. As an unproven and inexperienced Manager, I think it would have been gross mismanagement to not a have a team in place. (transfer committee, call it what you will) we would probably have ended up with the sort of squad that sent QPR down had he been left to his own devices.

I think saying 'the club is a F***g mess' or blaming a recruitment policy for the mess we are in, is a poor effort of detracting from the frankly laughable "job" Sherwood is doing.

Yes Lerner needs to sod off, but the more pressing issue is getting this chancer off the payroll and employing an actual Manager that has half a clue about how set up a football team.

 

Depends on how it works, if the manager can provide a shortlist and it's either a yes or no then that's fine, if it's a case of saying no to the manager and then saying but we got you these guys instead good luck with that, then I think you are going to have problems all round. For me a manager should be in control off all transfers so he can shape his team with the characters he wants to buy into his methods.

It's just speculation but both Villa and Liverpool seem to be operating some sort of transfer committee and both teams have been doing shit, the same thing happened with AVB at Tottenham and that went tits up. Coincidence????  Not sure but something to think about

 

How about at Southampton and Swansea? 

Like I said, it depends on how it works and how much input the manager gets, and also what experience and qualifications these committee people have. Im must admit I'm not a fan of buying players based on statistics. I believe Swansea extensivley scout their recruits before over a long period of time

And what Experience and Qualifications does the Manager have?

[Designer1]

Tim has not got any of the requisite skills to Manager a football club.

I think this is very much the main issue.

He simply doesn't seem to understand any aspect of being a football manager.

And to be honest, that's a bit of a major problem when you're managing a football team.

[HanoiVillan]

I think we all agree that Lerner needs to go. But Fox appears to putting in place the sort of structure most of us have been crying out for. And now it's in place, its become a means of shifting a bit of blame from Tim's door. As an unproven and inexperienced Manager, I think it would have been gross mismanagement to not a have a team in place. (transfer committee, call it what you will) we would probably have ended up with the sort of squad that sent QPR down had he been left to his own devices.

I think saying 'the club is a F***g mess' or blaming a recruitment policy for the mess we are in, is a poor effort of detracting from the frankly laughable "job" Sherwood is doing.

Yes Lerner needs to sod off, but the more pressing issue is getting this chancer off the payroll and employing an actual Manager that has half a clue about how set up a football team.

 

Depends on how it works, if the manager can provide a shortlist and it's either a yes or no then that's fine, if it's a case of saying no to the manager and then saying but we got you these guys instead good luck with that, then I think you are going to have problems all round. For me a manager should be in control off all transfers so he can shape his team with the characters he wants to buy into his methods.

It's just speculation but both Villa and Liverpool seem to be operating some sort of transfer committee and both teams have been doing shit, the same thing happened with AVB at Tottenham and that went tits up. Coincidence????  Not sure but something to think about

 

How about at Southampton and Swansea? 

I think it's an incredibly sensible way to do things, and the future of football clubs.

It stops changes in manager being such an upheaval. Basically everything carries on as normal but with a new "head coach" to come in and manage the team.

As you say, it's what has worked so well for Southampton and Swansea.

Of course, if not implemented correctly it goes tits up. But you could say that about any strategy

You can indeed. Football remains a zero-sum game. If all twenty teams had exactly the scouting and transfer strategy as Southampton, three of them would still be relegated at the end of the season. 

[KHV]

I think we all agree that Lerner needs to go. But Fox appears to putting in place the sort of structure most of us have been crying out for. And now it's in place, its become a means of shifting a bit of blame from Tim's door. As an unproven and inexperienced Manager, I think it would have been gross mismanagement to not a have a team in place. (transfer committee, call it what you will) we would probably have ended up with the sort of squad that sent QPR down had he been left to his own devices.

I think saying 'the club is a F***g mess' or blaming a recruitment policy for the mess we are in, is a poor effort of detracting from the frankly laughable "job" Sherwood is doing.

Yes Lerner needs to sod off, but the more pressing issue is getting this chancer off the payroll and employing an actual Manager that has half a clue about how set up a football team.

 

Depends on how it works, if the manager can provide a shortlist and it's either a yes or no then that's fine, if it's a case of saying no to the manager and then saying but we got you these guys instead good luck with that, then I think you are going to have problems all round. For me a manager should be in control off all transfers so he can shape his team with the characters he wants to buy into his methods.

It's just speculation but both Villa and Liverpool seem to be operating some sort of transfer committee and both teams have been doing shit, the same thing happened with AVB at Tottenham and that went tits up. Coincidence????  Not sure but something to think about

 

How about at Southampton and Swansea? 

Like I said, it depends on how it works and how much input the manager gets, and also what experience and qualifications these committee people have. Im must admit I'm not a fan of buying players based on statistics. I believe Swansea extensivley scout their recruits before over a long period of time

And what Experience and Qualifications does the Manager have?

Level one, two and three coaching badges, UEFA A licence, UEFA B license and the UEFA pro license as far as qualifications go, played 453 senior games, won 3 england caps and has managed 54 top flight games.  Proabably more qualifications and experience than Hendrik Almstadt the Sporting Director who used to work on the commercial side of things at Arsenal but who moved into player recruitmnet because he was interested in data analysis.

Im not saying Tim has not made mistakes thus far but I'm not convinced our transfer committe is quite up to Swansea/Southampton standards. You could also argue what experience did Gary Monk have before being appointed at Swansea so I don't think you can say Sherwood is not qualified to do the job, that's a bit unfair on him

[sharkyvilla]

I bet that a fair few managers will be looking at this talk of transfer committees and thinking that they've been working under the same system for years.  All clubs have head scouts, analysts, scouts, a money man who tries to get the deal done in budget, the manager who has a huge say as Lambert has said he did under Reilly, and a chairman/CEO who decides the budget.  We've recruited a CEO and analyst from Arsenal, a club where supposedly the manager has all control over signings.  Yet Wenger is a huge fan of scouting and recruiting young players from Europe like we have, and it's been tremendously successful, and must have done it with a lot of help.  It's not as if we haven't signed experienced PL players either, in Richards, Lescott and Sinclair and Adebayor was set to sign.  It was a very good, balanced summer window IMO.  So we didn't get Townsend, who would have cost £15m, £60k a week and has played five matches this season.  Huddleston, no thanks.  Lennon perhaps, but he would have chosen Everton over us anyway.  Begovic turned us down, and we didn't need a keeper anyway.  I think Sherwood can have little complaint, certainly compared to Lambert who very rarely made a fuss, if at all, about the players we missed out on in his time here.

[KHV]

  Begovic turned us down, and we didn't need a keeper anyway

I think that's one key area we are weak in personally

[Stevo985]

Brad Guzan is a better goalkeeper than Aston Villa are a football team.

[avfc1982am]

I bet that a fair few managers will be looking at this talk of transfer committees and thinking that they've been working under the same system for years.  All clubs have head scouts, analysts, scouts, a money man who tries to get the deal done in budget, the manager who has a huge say as Lambert has said he did under Reilly, and a chairman/CEO who decides the budget.  We've recruited a CEO and analyst from Arsenal, a club where supposedly the manager has all control over signings.  Yet Wenger is a huge fan of scouting and recruiting young players from Europe like we have, and it's been tremendously successful, and must have done it with a lot of help.  It's not as if we haven't signed experienced PL players either, in Richards, Lescott and Sinclair and Adebayor was set to sign.  It was a very good, balanced summer window IMO.  So we didn't get Townsend, who would have cost £15m, £60k a week and has played five matches this season.  Huddleston, no thanks.  Lennon perhaps, but he would have chosen Everton over us anyway.  Begovic turned us down, and we didn't need a keeper anyway.  I think Sherwood can have little complaint, certainly compared to Lambert who very rarely made a fuss, if at all, about the players we missed out on in his time here.

I'm fairly sure that those players whom he 'didn't want' have a pretty nice incentive to bury him over the next two games, so I don't anticipate us doing much.

It's a crazy thing to say. How are players going to be motivated playing for a manager who has told the world he doesn't want them?

Almost as crazy as calling the player losers on the eve of a cup final.

It's no wonder they're not performing really.

 

I have been trying to keep out of this thread but just out of interest where did he say that?

Not saying he didnt but I missed it and can't find anything.

 

The players not being his or the players being losers?

The latter was in the run up to the cup final. Sherwood said something along the lines of we needed a winning mentality and we needed to get the losers out of the squad.

The former is based on the rumours emerging recently that Sherwood is underperforming because he wasn't allowed to bring in his own players this summer (despite previously claiming he had a say on all the transfers)

Sharky I think Lambert didn't make much fuss because he turned into a zombie and could only mumble. Most people wouldn't of had a clue as to whether he was moaning or not anyway. 

I can understand peoples frustration at Sherwoods decision making on match day's etc, however where are all the direct quotes from Sherwood himself saying he didn't want half the players etc? I am being genuine as I haven't seen any and it appears a lot of people are wound up about 'so called info' he may or may not be responsible for saying. Most of what I have read or seen is just regurgitated nonsense or 1 +1 = 3 shite from crap journo's looking for a story.

 

[tylerreznik]

I bet that a fair few managers will be looking at this talk of transfer committees and thinking that they've been working under the same system for years.  All clubs have head scouts, analysts, scouts, a money man who tries to get the deal done in budget, the manager who has a huge say as Lambert has said he did under Reilly, and a chairman/CEO who decides the budget.  We've recruited a CEO and analyst from Arsenal, a club where supposedly the manager has all control over signings.  Yet Wenger is a huge fan of scouting and recruiting young players from Europe like we have, and it's been tremendously successful, and must have done it with a lot of help.  It's not as if we haven't signed experienced PL players either, in Richards, Lescott and Sinclair and Adebayor was set to sign.  It was a very good, balanced summer window IMO.  So we didn't get Townsend, who would have cost £15m, £60k a week and has played five matches this season.  Huddleston, no thanks.  Lennon perhaps, but he would have chosen Everton over us anyway.  Begovic turned us down, and we didn't need a keeper anyway.  I think Sherwood can have little complaint, certainly compared to Lambert who very rarely made a fuss, if at all, about the players we missed out on in his time here.

Yep totally agree, 'transfer committees' are nothing new in reality, maybe a new way of wording it, and for sure the scouting / recruitment team have a much greater say on which players are actually signed.  However I think the biggest change recently to this system is that these people now work somewhat independently of the manger, gone are the days of a manager bring in a few of his old playing mates to his 'scouts'.  Which in my eyes in entirely prudent and sensible and can only benefit the club.

Anyway Sherwood certainly seemed happy enough to work with Reilly 'before' he signed, so really he can just get f**ked with the pathetic leaks....

[StefanAVFC]

Good article here. Very long though.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2579396-tim-sherwoods-tactical-blunders-giving-aston-villa-itchy-trigger-finger

Tim Sherwood was parachuted in as Aston Villa’s saviour on February 14, 2015, tasked with steering the storied English club clear of the Premier League drop zone—a zone they had become all too familiar with in recent seasons.

Years spent narrowly evading its grasp under Alex McLeish and then Paul Lambert had worn on the club, the fanbase and the players. Sherwood burst through the door, promised change and briefly delivered, but Villa have once again seceded back into the relegation places and have mustered just four points from eight Premier League games in 2015-16.

The job Sherwood did from February to May deserves praise and recognition; there are not many men in football who could have lifted the spirits of such a downtrodden group of players and inspired them to win close to 50 percent of their remaining matches. The former Spurs boss ducked into the trenches and roused his troops at the pivotal hour, but now the charm has worn off, it’s clear his men are doubting him.

 Sherwood has committed a slew of managerial errors this season, frequently botching XI selections or in-game tactical decisions. Supporters have grown frustrated with his seeming inability to simply pick his best players in a starting lineup—a feeling vindicated after watching the man himself spend most games trying to repair his own errors using precious substitutions.

Over the last two months he’s dropped three clangers that have directly cost Aston Villa between three and nine points, and every mistake brings a heap of pressure.  

 

The Crystal Palace Debacle

In late August, Villa visited Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on a steaming-hot afternoon. With three points in the bag after the opening weekend, a narrow loss to Manchester United the week before excused as “typical” and Jack Grealish re-entering the XI after spending just over a month struggling with injury, things were looking rosy.

That day, Sherwood opted to play a 4-4-2 diamond—a wise choice—with Grealish at the tip, Carlos Sanchez at the base and Gabby Agbonlahor partnering Rudy Gestede up front. Eagles manager Alan Pardew admitted to journalists after the game that his side struggled with the system Villa used initially, failing to settle on the ball or attack.

 

 

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

 

The base midfield three here is of particular note: Sanchez is your prototypical anchor, he’s perfect for it, and the Idrissa Gueye-Ashley Westwood partnership just ahead of him provided legs, energy and tactical balance. It was, for all intents and purposes, the ideal midfield for an away Premier League game; it had enough about it in every aspect to thrive on a battleground like Selhurst Park.

For context, a point here for Villa would have been a very good result. There was no need to try to force a win; the approach Sherwood originally chose was working a treat. Sanchez, arguably the game’s best player, broke up play in demonic fashion, and his colleagues performed a simple role: give the ball to Grealish and let him weave forward.

But Sherwood’s attacking itch got the better of him, and he introduced Adama Traore in the 69th minute—a flying winger—at the expense of Sanchez. Within seconds, Palace waltzed straight through the centre of the pitch—the area Sanchez had just vacated—drew a centre-back out of position and forced a corner. From the delivery, Scott Dann powered home the opener with a wicked header.

 

 

Credit: PL Pass

 

Sherwood will try to hang his hat on the fact Adama forced an equaliser almost immediately, searing past two players and causing Pape Souare to stab into his own net, but the truth is the back end of Villa’s midfield was wide-open for the rest of the game. Palace sauntered up the pitch with ease following Sanchez’s removal, and their eventual winning goal via Bakary Sako certainly felt inevitable.

In the final minutes, as Villa chased a recovery, Sherwood opted not to use any more substitutes, despite it becoming clear Grealish could barely run due to muscle stiffness—an expected side effect of missing an entire pre-season and the first two league games. €20 million pair Jordan Ayew and Jordan Veretout sat motionless on the bench as Sherwood watched on.

 

The Leicester City Collapse

Two goals to the good against a flying Leicester City side, thanks to lovely strikes from Grealish and Carles Gil, sparked the away section of the King Power Stadium into full voice. There was just over an hour played, with two goals in the bag against a Midlands rival—what could possibly go wrong?

Strange decisions and strange substitutions sparked a downfall of epic proportions. The Foxes completed a brilliant comeback as Nathan Dyer netted the winner in the 89th minute, and credit to them for finding the cutting edge, but Sherwood held up the white flag and surrendered those points in alarming fashion.

At 2-0, Villa brought on Ayew for Gil—a classic trade of guile and silkiness for brawn and power. Sinclair moved right to help track the marauding Jeffrey Schlupp, and Ayew took the left side, tracking Ritchie De Laet. So far, so good.

 

 

Credit: Sky Sports

 

But then De Laet scored (from a corner), and Leicester nosed their way back into the game. Sherwood panicked and brought on Gestede up front, likely intended as a focal point, but also shifted the formation away from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3—which meant bringing Grealish inside to a No. 8 role.

Grealish has an abundance of qualities and is one of the pre-eminent young attacking talents in the league, but he’s not strong enough or disciplined to track runs and jockey markers from a flat central-midfield position. Leicester began burning past him and targeting his pocket of the pitch to instigate attacks, and they werehandsomely rewarded.

All the while, Veretout—a snappy, aggressive, hardworking No. 8—again sat on the bench. Even Kieran Richardson would have been a better shout, but he remained motionless on the pine, too.

 

The Stoke City Catastrophe

On October 3, fans filed loyally into Villa Park ahead of their side’s clash with Stoke City hoping and praying for a result of any kind. Given the fixtures that awaited them after the winter break—Chelsea away,Swansea City at home, Tottenham away, Manchester City at home, then Everton away—they knew a point here, at the very least, was of paramount importance.

They garnered none.

 

 

Credit: PL Pass

 

For this match, Sherwood deployed a 3-5-2 formation—the first time the team have played it under his stewardship, discounting a reserve pre-season game in which Aleksandar Tonev played and scored. Fans recoiled in surprise upon realising this—the system evokes unwelcome memories of bland, atrocious football under predecessor Lambert—and it didn’t turn out much better in practice.

The key issue here was the disconnect between Gestede, a powerful target man, and his supporting “width.” In a 3-5-2 the wing-backs provide all of the width and play a byline-to-byline role; they have to be able to dribble, track and, most importantly (if you’re playing with Gestede) cross the ball well.

Why, then, did Sherwood opt for Alan Hutton over Leandro Bacuna on the right—a player tailor-made for the right-wing-back role? The wide men were overwhelmed anyway; Hutton and Jordan Amavi were hit two-on-one most times, couldn’t cope defensively due to the numbers and found it tough sledding moving forward.

 

 

Credit: PL Pass

 

Gestede has proved to be an aerial monster, but his technical level leaves a lot to be desired, necessitating a good, skilful player be paired with him up front in order to play through the middle. Scott Sinclair has his virtues, but he wasn’t the right choice for the role. Fans saw Sinclair toiling, being dispossessed frequently, and pointed with exasperation to Grealish and Gil, who were sat on the bench kicking their heels.

 

Under Pressure

Sherwood has brought some good players to the club, and the squad is stacked with talent, but it’s being misused. Doubts are now swirling as to whether Villa can afford to hold onto the man who saved them last season past October—the Daily Mail’s Matt Lawton recently outlined just how precarious his position is—and the feeling is that, had the next fixture following the international break been at Stamford Bridge, chairman Randy Lerner would have already acted.

Sherwood’s been bitten by the loss of key men Ron Vlaar, Fabian Delph and Christian Benteke, while injuries to Gil, Grealish, Jores Okore and Adama have also stung. But as credible as those issues are and as heavily as they have impacted the start to the season, he piles pressure on himself by making bad decisions.

 

 

David Rogers/Getty Images

 

For example: Why does Joleon Lescott continue to play ahead of Ciaran Clark? The former has started every game since joining on deadline day despite severely underwhelming, while the latter—undeniably one of Villa’s better players this season—has been relegated to the bench.

That’s just one of many conundrums engulfing the club, and fans are beginning to tire of questioning almost every aspect of decision-making taken by Sherwood. The ice is paper-thin, and unless the boss pulls a rabbit out of the hat at Stamford Bridge, he might be gone soon.

It’s a shame, as Sherwood eschewed his reputation as a “4-4-2 attack merchant” last season and brought real spark and ingenuity to the team’s play. All that good work has been forgotten, though, and the next few weeks serve as a platform for him to either fly or die as manager of Aston Villa.