Former Tottenham midfielder Tim Sherwood has been handed the managerial reigns for Spurs’ Capital One Cup match against West Ham United on Wednesday night.
Sherwood, who was already a member of the coaching staff, has taken on the interim role after Spurs sacked Andre Villas-Boas on Monday.
Spurs released the following statement on Tuesday: “The club can announce that Tim Sherwood, Chris Ramsey and Les Ferdinand will take charge of the first team whilst the club progresses discussions. Steffen Freund and Tony Parks continue as part of the coaching staff.
“Jose Mario Rocha, Luis Martins and Daniel Sousa leave the coaching staff and we wish them well for the future.”
Sherwood had been under consideration for the role of technical director last summer but chairman Daniel Levy instead chose Roma’s Franco Baldini. Attributing Sherwood’s skillset more to coaching, Levy appointed Sherwood as technical coordinator to oversee the under-21 development squad and youth set-up.
His impressive work on the junior side prompted Levy to select Sherwood as interim manager. And, despite a number of high profile names being flown as potential replacements for Villas-Boas including Fabio Capello, Glenn Hoddle and Mauricio Pochettino, the club could extend Sherwood’s tenure if he achieves the results.
So is Sherwood deserving of the appointment?
All indications are ‘yes’. Sherwood has a burgeoning reputation around the club and by instituting someone who has built goodwill from the inside, this could help take some of the edge off the players.
The appointment of Sherwood also allows Levy time to find a suitable replacement. At 7th in the league and still alive in the League Cup and Europa League, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for Levy to feel panicked to sign a big name in the hope of immediately turning things around. For now, that’s not the case.
Hiring Sherwood also makes financial sense because Spurs will have to pay Villas-Boas £5 million in compensation due to his contract expiring in 2015.
Harry Redknapp, who Sherwood coached under at Tottenham, is confident the 44-year-old should be the leading man on a full-time basis.
“Tim should get the job permanently and work alongside Les Ferdinand,” Redknapp told The Sun. “Together they are old-school Spurs and would do a tremendous job.
“I brought them both back to the club because they understand the place. They are great coaches and don’t forget, Tim was captain at Blackburn when they won the league in 1995.”
In addition to playing for Tottenham and Blackburn, Sherwood’s 18-year playing career saw him enjoy stints at Watford, Norwich City, Portsmouth and Coventry City. The Spurs interim job will be his first head coaching position.