Tim Sherwood wasnโt without supporters, but those who felt he deserved another year were in the minority.ย Even among that support, almost nobody saw Tottenham keeping him on, especially given an out in the coachโs contract.
Bring the morning rumors to fruition, Tottenham has executed the inevitable. After five months in charge at White Hart Lane, the former Spurs midfielder is out, fired today by the club that gave him his first managerial job.
Fromย Spursโ announcement, with words by club chairman Daniel Levy:
The Club can announce that Tim Sherwood has left his coaching position at the Club.
โWe appointed Tim mid-season as someone who knew both the players and the Club.
โWe agreed an 18-month contract with a break clause at the end of the season and we have now exercised that optionโฆ
โMoving forward, now the season is over, we shall embark on the process of finding a new Head Coach. We have a talented squad and exciting young players coming through. We need to build on this season, develop our potential and inspire the kind of performances that we associate with our great Club.โ
Sherwood inherited a team that was lingering near mid-table and, at one point, took them to the brink of Champions League, but unable to break through against the leagueโs top teams, Spurs ended up sixth. While the performance was an improvement on Andre Villas-Boas, it wasnโt enough to convince Levy a better coach couldnโt be brought in.
Whether that surge was enough to earn another job in England will determine Sherwoodโs managerial future. The way teams burn through managers, Sherwood should be able to find a job in the Championship within the year. The question is whether heโs willing to drop to that level. He should be, but the rhetoric he used to tout his thin achievements hints he sees himself as Premier League-caliber now.
For Spurs, Sherwoodโs tenure helped highlight needs Villas-Boas wasnโt meeting, but the club needs somebody thatโs going to combine Harry Redknappโs positives approaches with Villa-Boasโs virtues. ย As one of the top 10 or 15 jobs in Europe, Spursย should be able to find somebody who can do so. ย Itโs up to Levy to make the right call.
