Tim Sherwood. Dan Mullan / Getty Images
Tim Sherwood. Dan Mullan / Getty Images

Aston Villa sacking Tim Sherwood would be harsh but desperate times make his situation dicey



With his time as manager of Tottenham Hotspur coming to an end in May 2014, Tim Sherwood reflected with pride on the job he had done since taking over from Andre Villas-Boas five months previously.

“If I had started the season (in charge), we would’ve been in the (Uefa) Champions League,” he raved after Tottenham’s final match of the campaign.

“It will be interesting to see how I am judged … it can’t be on results. A 59 per cent win ratio is second to none.”

Sherwood, 46, was certainly entitled to some credit for Tottenham’s sixth-place finish that year, but his propensity to build up his own achievements personally has not been conducive to positive public perceptions of him.

Seventeen months on, he finds his job under threat once more with a rather less favourable win ratio – 28.6 per cent in the league – for protection.

Reports emerged earlier this week that Sherwood has just two games to prove to the Aston Villa board that he should not be dismissed, with Brendan Rodgers thought to be on the club’s radar following his dismissal from Liverpool this month.

With Chelsea and Swansea City Villa’s next opponents, Sherwood’s prospects do not look too promising at present.

In one sense, dismissing Sherwood this early in the season would be more than a little harsh.

He fulfilled his remit of keeping Villa in the top flight last term, as well as leading the club to their first FA Cup final in 15 years. Although their performance in a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal was rather dismal, they were fully deserving of their place at Wembley Stadium after outplaying Liverpool in the semi-final. Villa’s start to 2015/16 has left a lot to be desired – six defeats from their first eight matches has left them floundering in the relegation zone – but there are mitigating circumstances that must be taken into account. Villa’s two best players, Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph, and club captain Ron Vlaar all departed in the summer. Twelve newcomers were added to the first-team squad and it is only natural for such a new-look team to require time to gel.

Nevertheless, Sherwood must take some responsibility for the way Villa have begun the campaign.

He has made some questionable tactical decisions before as well as during games, most notably the switch to 4-3-3 and redeployment of Jack Grealish in central midfield against Leicester City last month, a move that played a significant part in Villa surrendering a two-goal lead to lose 3-2.

Sherwood has always been more of a man-manager than master tactician and, while his rousing motivation skills were exactly what Villa needed in his short-term mission to steer the club towards safety last year, the doubts about his suitability to a longer spell of employment have now re-emerged.

With the lucrative new television deal set to kick in at the start of next season, all Premier League clubs will be desperate to avoid relegation this term to guarantee their slice of the financial awards.

It would therefore not be much of a surprise were Villa to dispense of Sherwood if results do not pick up in the coming weeks.

Managerial sackings are often described as premature. But just as Liverpool did with their swapping of Rodgers for Jurgen Klopp, it is sometimes necessary to act if a better alternative is on the market.

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Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Result:

1. Cecilie Hatteland (NOR) atop Alex - 31.46 seconds

2. Anna Gorbacheva (RUS) atop Curt 13 - 31.82 seconds

3. Georgia Tame (GBR) atop Cash Up - 32.81 seconds

4. Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed Al Maktoum (UAE) atop Peanuts de Beaufour - 35.85 seconds

5. Miriam Schneider (GER) atop Benur du Romet - 37.53 seconds

6. Annika Sande (NOR) atop For Cash 2 - 31.42 seconds (4 penalties)

Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team

Several girls started playing football at age four

They describe sport as their passion

The girls don’t dwell on their condition

They just say they may need to work a little harder than others

When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants

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Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)

  • Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave. 
  • Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:

Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona

Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate

Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid

A Dog's Journey 

Directed by: Gail Mancuso

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott

3 out of 5 stars

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Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 626bhp

Torque: 900Nm

Price: Dh1,050,000

On sale: now

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Winner: AZ Dhabyan, Adam McLean (jockey), Saleha Al Ghurair (trainer).

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Winner: Hareer Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

3.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,700m.

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Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

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Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales

Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow

Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades

Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus

Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga

Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez

Can NRIs vote in the election?

Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad

Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency

There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas

Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas

A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians

Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.

This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India

A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians

However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed

The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas

Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online

The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online

The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation

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Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
IPL 2018 FINAL

Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)

Chennai win by eight wickets

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EA Sports FC 25
Essentials

The flights

Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes. 
 

The stay

A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding

Jawab Iteiqal
Director: Mohamed Sammy
Starring: Mohamed Ramadan, Ayad Nasaar, Mohamed Adel and Sabry Fawaz
2 stars

The 10 Questions
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Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
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Recent winners

2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)

2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)

2007 Grace Bijjani  (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)

2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)

2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)              

2014 Lia Saad  (UAE)

2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)

2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)

2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

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