Lambert's replacement

[Holte L2]

I've never given a fuck what a Spurs fan thinks and I don't intend to start now.

Two of my best mates are spurs fans. They live in Goulders Green. Two of the nicest blokes you could meet. They hated Sherwood when they had him. Now they are worried on our behalf.

[dl9]

We desperately need more people called Marshall. Ian Marshall mullet king of Oldham needs to get Gabby & Benteke scoring whilst Marshall Mathers aka M&M will come in and get things rapped up.

In the absence of any more Marshalls coming to the fore, I'd get behind anyone as even Stephen Hawkins would be better in charge than the Motherwell mumbler. Thanks heavens Tom Fox finally grew a pair and got rid of PL.

First objective, create a unified fortress for Sunday where the fans as one get behind the team to send those inbreds back to the shite side of the Midlands.

[The Left Side]

Here here

[DeKuip]

Last summer:
Sky sources say Albion in talks with Tim Sherwood
Sky sources say Sherwood has been offered the Albion job
Sky sources say Sherwood turns down Albion job

This week:
All over the papers that Sherwood was out of the running for the QPR job after failing to receive certain assurances

Tonight:
Sky sources say Sherwood in talks with Villa

Would it come out from the Albion end that someone had been offered the job, or worse turned them down - or from QPR that they wouldn't give assurances about the club's future.
And since when have Villa leaked which managers they're talking to?

Who is this Sky source I wonder? How do the papers seem to know Sherwood's every move? And who's lumping money on him getting the Villa job?

[pauliewalnuts]

Edit: A quick look here suggest Walker played right wing in that game, not centre-midfield http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/jose-mourinho-was-delighted-kyle-walker-played-in-midfield-for-spurs-at-chelsea/

It certainly seems to have impressed Mourinho:

And, The Special One had an intriguing critique of Tim Sherwood’s tactics – wondering why Kyle Walker played right wing.

Mourinho makes the comments around the 2:25 mark on the video above: “For us it was very good Walker played right winger because when he plays right back I have to control it in a different way. And I have to give a defensive job to my left winger. When Walker plays against Azpilicueta, he was in the pocket! Was good for us!”

But it's hardly the same as playing him in centre-midfield, is it?

Even if you accept that, what about all the other points?

What about the total lack of evidence that a rookie manager with 20 odd league games under his belt prior to getting the sack is going to be able to lift a team currently sat in 18th position in the league with 13 matches left?

Where's the evidence he's going to be able to do that?

And I don't mean evidence that means you can't rule him out of being able to - ie the "sometimes it just clicks" argument, which is basically random - I mean "yes, this makes me think Sherwood is the best appointment we can make"?

I haven't seen any of that from anyone. The closest I've seen is "He's got to be better than Lambert" (which is the ultimate in pointless arguments as it means precisely nothing) and "he's the best we can get" (which strikes me as strange when we're talking about a job which probably has a £2m salary).

I'm totally willing to be convinced this is a good idea, but all I have seen so far is the argument that he's not someone else, and we can't attract a top notch manager.

Well, that's just it, isn't it? If we're talking about a results business, then his (very limited) record stands up. I take the point about it being with a good team and whatnot. But he did OK. Which means the 'evidence' is on his side.

Again, I think he's a prat, but I also think he is a viable candidate for us right now (a shame, but there we are).

Eh? He took over a team in sixth or seventh place for just over half a season and kept it in sixth or seventh place.

I'm not looking for evidence of his ability to that. I'm talking about evidence that he can come to a club which is in 18th place and, in the space of 13 games, get them out of the relegation zone and keep them there.

Evidence he can be assistant manager at Spurs, talk his old boss into the sack, take over and keep them in the Europa League places for a few months isn't really going to be of much relevance to us.

[citizenDJ]

Eh? He took over a team in sixth or seventh place for just over half a season and kept it in sixth or seventh place.

I'm not looking for evidence of his ability to that. I'm talking about evidence that he can come to a club which is in 18th place and, in the space of 13 games, get them out of the relegation zone and keep them there.

Evidence he can be assistant manager at Spurs and keep them in the Europa League places for a few months isn't really going to be of much relevance to us.

But that's all the evidence there is. And it shows he did OK.

Which managers can you think of do have a bank of work that does provide the specific evidence you are after?

[Chris Smith]

All of the (realistic) options being suggested are less than ideal which, I assume, is why they were loathe to ditch Lambert until they felt they had no choice. Therefore we are starting from a poor position both in terms of available candidates and time. I think circumstances dictate that it has to be somebody who knows this league and what is required immediately, they have absolutely no prospect of a 'honeymoon period'.

Can anyone come up with a name that fits the above and that most of us would be happy with?

[ozzjim]

There are a couple of things though.

Timing - we have to give the new bloke 13 games, and starting with Stoke at home with a win would give a hell of a boost before the next games came along. We are not going to get someone in work out of their deals and in place in that time. We are not going to get Klinsmann, and thankfully we are not looking at Hoddle for the top job.

So of who could be got, immediately, it comes down to Sherwood, Curbishley, etc....

I think saying you would prefer McLeish back is a bit OTT, as we all know he would be negative as hell and try and draw our way to safety, with the entire fan base against him, so it would be utterly counter productive if played out.

O'Leary hasn't worked at any decent level since he left Villa such was his criminal final season, and the lack of heart and effort shown in the 5-0 defeat at Spurs that season I still have scars from.

Sherwood I would doubt is first choice with anyone, but he is someone I reckon can get us out of it in the short term. With the TV deal on the table, the short term has to have priority, we need a boost and we need someone to lead us. He was a captain for years, he has managed albeit for a short period and realistically has got a decent record of winning games against average sides, which are exactly the games we need to win.

If he comes in and rejuvenates Benteke and gets some form from Delph through the middle of the park we can stay up. Which is the priority. Do that he deserves a shot next season to build on it. I hope all get behind him, and give him a shot if he takes it. But I also think the club have to be smart enough to get some experienced coaching structures around him.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

No manager with a big reputation is going to come to us at this stage of the season, especially if "their" team is on the verge of something special. 
Sherwood has the balls to tell it like it is to the players and will not say they were "excellent" after the game when they were "shit" Ye he is probably not the long term answer but i think he could keep us up. And if the speed of hiring him enhances the "new manager" syndrome. So be it .......... 

[dl9]

We should have sacked Lambert weeks ago and brought Pullis in until the end of the season.

[pauliewalnuts]

Eh? He took over a team in sixth or seventh place for just over half a season and kept it in sixth or seventh place.

I'm not looking for evidence of his ability to that. I'm talking about evidence that he can come to a club which is in 18th place and, in the space of 13 games, get them out of the relegation zone and keep them there.

Evidence he can be assistant manager at Spurs and keep them in the Europa League places for a few months isn't really going to be of much relevance to us.

But that's all the evidence there is. And it shows he did OK.

Which managers can you think of do have a bank of work that does provide the specific evidence you are after?

But, as I said, it is totally irrelevant to where we are. And even then, let's not forget, he did so alright that Spurs sacked him at the first available opportunity.

I could draw up a list of possibilities none of which are particularly appealing, but most of them would be better than sherwood. Look at oddscheckers' list of odds for the job. Half of the names listed there would be better.

And, what's more, I'm just a fan venting on a message board. Fox and Lerner have managed to get this club into an absolute disastrous mess.

They now have to do two things. Keep us in the top flight, and make an appointment which will suggest that, finally, we're being dragged into the modern world. We thought we were getting that with Lambert, but it didn't work out.

Not because the idea was bad, but because the man they chose wasn't up to it.

I just don't see the point in sacking Lambert and then appointing someone with a fraction of his experience and expecting him to do better in the space of 13 games.

What about Michael Laudrup? What about Prandelli? What about Chris Hughton (yes, him)? What about Nigel Adkins? What about Jol? What about Nigel Clough? What about Ranieri? What about Slaven Bilic? What about leaving the Marshalls in charge till the summer, then making a long term appointment?
 
I'm not saying that I'd want all, or any, of the above, but at least half of those are better options than Sherwood.

The one thing they got right was sacking Lambert the day after Hull. That gave us almost two weeks till our next league game. To then rush out and sign up Sherwood within a few days strikes me as insanity.

[villan from luton]

We should have sacked Lambert weeks ago, but we didnt so we are in the position we are. I really dont like Sherwood, thinks he thinks he is far better than he has actually proved and dont think he is the best choice but when the likes of Adkins and Warburton are mentioned, we are in the deep brown stuff. I think Lerner would like Klinsman or Moyes, but that is not going to happen. I would take Hoddle every day over Sherwood. He was disliked by the players at Spurs and it was Ramsey who was taking the training apparently.

[lovejoy]

I'd rather have stuck with Lambert than go with Sherwood.

[phantom limb]

I'm dusting off my gilet as we speak, and am ready to blame everyone else for everything that goes wrong.

[dave.woodhall]

I've never given a fuck what a Spurs fan thinks and I don't intend to start now.

Two of my best mates are spurs fans. They live in Goulders Green. Two of the nicest blokes you could meet. They hated Sherwood when they had him. Now they are worried on our behalf.

That's gracious of them. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Tim Sherwood is the answer to anything except a particularly strange question, but you are never going to get an objective opinion about any manager from his former supporters, particularly when the club involved see themselves as somewhere between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the natural order.