The appointment of Tim Sherwood as manager of Tottenham Hotspur could be the direct result of bigger names that chairman Daniel Levy fancied turning down the vacant manager’s post. Following last Monday’s sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, several big names were linked with the Spurs job. Midweek elimination at White Hart Lane from the League Cup at the hands of relegation threatened West Ham United very easily could have ended Sherwood’s chances for a permanent appointment. However, Levy seems to have hit a brick wall in his efforts to attract a top name to take the White Hart Lane hot seat. Among the names linked with the job were Louis Van Gaal, Frank De Boer, Marcello Lippi, Marat Yakin and Guus Hiddink. Each of these managers has a significant CV that would have elevated the stature of Spurs.

I wish Sherwood the best of luck. A Premier League title winner in 1995 with Blackburn Rovers, he has been in and around the game long enough to pick up the knowledge he needs to be successful. Furthermore, it is good to have an English manager at a top club for a change. But will Sherwood be able to do more than just motivate his players, as appears to have been his tactic before Sunday’s victory at St Mary’s against Southampton?

While the early returns from that specific result were promising for Sherwood’s tenure, one must wonder how he will steer a club forward with a hodgepodge of big money buys, particularly when the team hits its next rough patch. With no management experience at any Premier League or Football League club, how will he handle the personalities in the dressing room and the tactical reshuffles so often required in matches?

While it might be simple to say Daniel Levy has risked much by appointing Sherwood on a permanent basis, I sense he may have been out of other options. Additionally, by elevating a “club man” to the top spot, he avoids the types of clashes that occurred with Martin Jol, Harry Redknapp and Villas-Boas. Sherwood, being a Spurs man, will likely defer to the people around him including the chairman. That might iron out the conflict and circus aspect that has surrounded the club recently, though perhaps this is being done at the cost of competing for honors this season.

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