If you are to believe the media reports in just about every media outlet at the moment then it is clear that the relationship between the club and its manager is breaking down quickly.
Some claim that Sherwood always speaks to one journalist while the club’s officials speak to another. Over the past week or so, these journalists have released stories that seem to contradict one another.
I think Tim Sherwood needs to think very clearly about his next move.
Regardless of who bought who and who did what, ultimately, Tim Sherwood is just a manager and can be replaced, like plenty of others were in the past. The job at Aston Villa was one that people saw as a ‘make or break’ role for the former Tottenham boss and, given the record of past managers when they have left Villa Park, it was a brave one to take on.
Let’s take a look at some of our more recent managers and where they are now:
Paul Lambert
We all know what happened with Lambert so I won’t depress you any more than you probably already are regarding Aston Villa.
Lambert was sacked last season when the Villans looked dead and buried and he left with a win ratio of just 29.57%.
During his time at the club, it was clear the job became too big for him (or was to begin with) and it began to tell as he looked more broken by the day.
He is back on our television screens now when he pops up on Sky Sports – usually having a pop at Aston Villa – but I doubt any Premiership club will be quick to offer him a managerial role any time soon.
Lambert recently made it clear that he would be interested in a role at Liverpool as part of Jurgen Klopp’s back-room staff. Has Lambert realised that he won’t be working at a top club in any other capacity? Only time will tell.
Alex McLeish
McLeish spent only one sorry season at Villa Park, following his appointment in 2011. He had resigned as Birmingham City’s boss just five days prior, after getting the club relegated.
If we are honest, Alex McLeish was always going to be fighting a losing battle following his time with our rivals so he needed to get results – and fast. Sadly for him, he only achieved a win record of 21.43%.
After he was sacked by Villa, he had to drop divisions to prove himself again but he didn’t last long across the Midlands at Nottingham Forest, winning one in seven and then walking away.
He managed Genk in Belgium but opted to leave the club after one season.
Martin O’Neill
Everybody has their own views about Martin O’Neill’s time at Aston Villa. I personally enjoyed his spell at the club and it was possibly the best time I personally have had in my life time supporting Aston Villa Football Club.
O’Neill come to Aston Villa with a good reputation (especially in England) and had four fairly good years at the club. During his one hundred and ninety games he achieved a pretty impressive win ratio of 42.11%, took the Villans to Wembley twice and came very close to getting us into the Champions League.
When he walked out of the club, his reputation wasn’t quite the same as when he first walked into Villa Park.
He soon joined Sunderland but failed to set the world alight. He was sacked after two years at the club after a spell that saw his sider picking up just three points from a possible twenty-four.
O’Neill is currently manager of the Republic of Ireland national side. He failed to make the automatic qualification spots for Euro 2016, following a defeat to Poland on Sunday night. The boys in green will now have to qualify as an unseeded side in the play-offs.
I could go on naming former managers and telling you how their careers seem to have gone backwards after leaving Aston Villa. I urge Tim Sherwood to think very carefully about his next move unless he is happy to walk away with a big settlement and potentially never work at the top level again.
For the sake of the club I believe we need to part company with Sherwood without any further delay to give an incoming manager time to assess the squad before the January window.