Aston Villa's Tim Sherwood: Car salesman or football philosopher?

Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood is often the butt of the joke.

A quick scan of social media reveals there is no shortage of people willing the former Blackburn Rovers captain to fail.

We are constantly reminded of his latest gilet fashion faux pas, his relative inexperience at managerial level and his tendency to harp on about his win ratio. Looking at the other managers in the Premier League and it is perhaps no surprise Sherwood attracts so much attention – negative or otherwise.

He wears his heart on his sleeve like no other top flight boss and his personality is as infectious as it can sometimes be nauseating to his detractors. There are no hidden agendas or grey areas with ‘Tactics Tim’; he says what he thinks and is as honest as the day is long.

Indeed his personality is one of his key strengths. Quite how he managed to persuade the likes of Barcelona wonderkid Adama Traore and Micah Richards, who turned down a better deal at Sunderland, to come to Villa Park and join his revolution is anybody’s guess. A clue is perhaps in Traore’s first interview when he said: “The manager has been great to talk to. He has so much passion, energy and confidence. You just know that this transmits to his players. I felt very comfortable talking to him. We will work very well together.”

Sherwood is a passionate speaker and is great at selling a vision and a product. He would be a brilliant car salesman and could probably sell ice to the Eskimos.

But what else do we know about Sherwood as a manager? And is it too early to be making judgments on which mould he fits? Some would argue Sherwood himself is still trying to deduce that question. What is certain is that Sherwood’s first full season in the managerial hot seat at Villa will tell us a lot about where his career is likely to end up.

Such is his big personality; he has initially been cast as a simple, back-to-basics manager who was first inspired by Harry Redknapp’s minimalist approach to tactics. And even in his initial 46 games as a manager, the 46-year-old has been found wanting in the tactics department on more than one occasion. The 6-1 drubbing Villa suffered at Southampton at the end of last season was a particularly bad day at the office.

But take away the theatre and the side-show that comes with Sherwood and you find the makings of a very good manager. His motivational presence is unquestionable but it is his deep knowledge of the game and careful, rational thinking which often goes unnoticed.

His decision to play to Emmanuel Adebayor’s strengths at Tottenham Hotspur and build the team around him proved to be a stroke of genius with the Togolese striker recapturing some of the best form of his career. The way he set up his Villa side for the 2-1 FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool in May was also highly impressive. We are often reminded by the man himself but Sherwood’s win ratio when he left Spurs was 50%. Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest manager for a generation, retired with a win ratio of 58%.

Of course that is where the comparison between Sherwood and Sir Alex starts and ends. But what it does show is that the man from Borehamwood has the ability to succeed in this game. To the extent of Sir Alex? That would be a very tall order but only time will tell.

When Villa sold its two best players this summer, in Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph, Sherwood looked to be sailing down a certain creek without a paddle. But he has more than steadied the ship and has bought sensibly and with a degree of maturity for a manager so new to the game.

When the Traore transfer was first muted, and with Stoke City (or Stokelona as they are now known) also in the running, there were more than a few raised eyebrows across the footballing world. As it now transpires, Traore is a player Sherwood had been monitoring for quite some time. This was no knee-jerk reaction or panic buy. Sherwood is, piece-by-piece, rebuilding this Villa team and the supporters are responding to it with great enthusiasm.

The summer of change at Villa Park has also seen many fringe first teamers leave the club and Sherwood, a Premier League title winner himself, has been adamant about the need for a change in mentality. Out with the losers and in with those who buy into his long-term vision.

Given Sherwood’s preference for a big man up front, it was disappointing to see him start with the same team against Manchester United as the one which lined up on the opening weekend at Bournemouth. Both Rudy Gestede and Libor Kozak watched on as Villa struggled to make anything stick up top, which inevitably meant the Midlands side invited more pressure on to themselves.

But Sherwood has surrounded himself with valuable people, Ray Wilkins for one, and will hopefully learn from these mistakes starting at Crystal Palace on Saturday. With players such as Yohan Cabaye and Yannick Bolasie now at their disposal, Palace in many ways represent where Villa are trying to get to.

It is early days for Sherwood but the foundations he is laying at the former European Cup winners seem to be a major step forward from Paul Lambert’s drab reign. Maybe Sherwood is on a mission to prove that beyond his car salesman-like exterior lays a thoughtful, intelligent manager who is able to outwit the best in the game. Do you want to bet against him?

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