Tim Sherwood talks Tottenham: Villa boss discusses Redknapp, Townsend and more
Tim Sherwood: the gift that keeps on giving.
When Tim Sherwood was unemployed, it was no surprise to see a hefty section of the media clamouring for the 46-year-old to find work.
Sherwood is a journo’s dream. His outspoken and often outrageous comments liven up any interview. He does their work for them.
In his latest interview, now-Aston Villa boss Sherwood has spoken at length to the
Mail and, understandably, there’s a whole load of references to Tottenham.
Naturally, there’s plenty of self-promotion, particularly when it comes to Harry Kane and Nabil Bentaleb, but also some interesting anecdotes, including a dispute he had with Harry Redknapp during Spurs’ Champions League group stage clash with Inter Milan at the San Siro in 2012.
I’ve copied all the quotes relevant to Spurs below, so here’s Sherwood on…
…an altercation with Chelsea assistant Steve Holland:
“It happened to me once last season with Tottenham. We were playing Chelsea. Nearly an hour in we had them where we wanted them. Then Jan Vertonghen makes a mistake, Younes Kaboul gets sent off, and we capitulate, lose 4-0.
“I’m hot, I’m upset. Jose Mourinho shakes hands, doesn’t say much. Steve Holland, his assistant, comes up and he’s trying to be nice. “Unlucky mate,” he says. “You played really well in the first half.” I tell him to f*** off. Lost my temper. Called him a patronising c***. I had to phone and apologise. Still fuming, but it was my mistake. He didn’t mean it as I thought. You’re not safe in the heat of that battle.”
…what the Villa players can learn from Andros Townsend:
“I think of Andros Townsend. He’ll run it into the full back nine times, but then the 10th he’ll get past and put in a cross that wins the game, or stick it straight in the top corner like he did the other night. That attitude is the only way this group will get out of trouble.”
…the pressure of playing in front of Spurs fans:
“Blackburn was the best club I ever had because of our success, but it was a walk in the park compared to playing for Tottenham. Midweek, those boys have come in straight from a bad day in the City. There are no replica shirts, just a lot of frustration. They’re going to take it out on you if it’s not going well. So when the pressure is turned up like that, have you got it? Go and get the ball, and make us play.”
…Harry Redknapp:
“Sometimes it is easy to make an impact,’ Sherwood says. ‘I remember when Harry Redknapp went to Tottenham, following Juande Ramos. The players were not allowed chips, not allowed ketchup, not allowed white bread. He saw an opportunity. “What, is that affecting their crossing?” he would say. He changed a few things and immediately the place lightened up. Good results — then they’re eating out of his hand. That’s why the FA Cup game is important. We’ve got to keep moving forward. The more games we win, the easier it becomes for me to get my message across. What I take from Harry is that sometimes you roll the dice. He’s a gambler by nature and that comes through. If you leave everything to luck, you’re going to be unlucky. He doesn’t do that. But if you’re not 100 per cent sure, take a gamble.”
…Nabil Bentaleb’s debut:
“At Southampton when I was managing Tottenham, it wasn’t going well. We needed a change. I turned around to the bench. We had Etienne Capoue, Nabil Bentaleb and Lewis Holtby. I told Nabil to warm up and I could see the others looking at each other. What, him? But that was my gamble. I wasn’t 100 per cent sure of them, but I knew this kid. I’d watched him in training. Every day was like his last on earth. He would cry if he lost a five-a-side. He played and never looked back. There is a bit of that here, just having to roll it.”
…that night at the San Siro:
“Spurs are 4-0 down to Inter Milan in the San Siro, the goalkeeper’s been sent off. I’ve watched the game from upstairs and it’s hell. I come into the dressing-room at half-time, Harry’s blood pressure is rising by the minute. He asks me what I think. I say the game’s gone, get Gareth Bale off, save him for the weekend because we’re playing Everton and we’ll need him. Harry’s going mad. “Get f****** Gareth off?” he says. “He’s the only f****** chance we’ve got.” He keeps him on, he scores a hat-trick, gets us back to 4-3 and, if it goes another 10 minutes, we win. The kid’s career springboards from that performance. I thought I was being calm and calculated — but he’s the one in the technical area. Everyone is staring at the back of his head. Go on then, what are you going to do? He can’t be thinking of next week.”
…Mauricio Pochettino:
“I don’t want to be scrapping around; I want to take them forward. I think I did that at Tottenham. I didn’t leave a crumbling house — Mauricio Pochettino has done a good job, but he had it laid out for him, with players like Kane and Bentaleb.”
http://www.thetottenhamway.com/2015...enham-villa-boss-discusses-redknapp-townsend/