Levy calms Spurs unrest, but how long can Sherwood last?

(Image credit: 2014 Getty Images)

published 11 March 2014

SPURS chairman Daniel Levy has tried to quell yet more unrest at White Hart Lane, after manager Tim Sherwood appeared to criticise both his players and the club hierarchy in the wake of his side's 4-0 defeat by Chelsea on Saturday. Sherwood, who only took over at Tottenham in December after the dismissal of Andre Villas Boas, said the club's silence over his position had been "deafening", and also taking aim at his players, accusing them of lacking "guts" and capitulating against the Blues. The former Spurs midfielder was given an 18-month contract when he got the Spurs job, but now seems certain to be replaced at the end of the season. According to the Daily Mail, Levy "has been seduced by the prospect of bringing in Louis van Gaal or Mauricio Pochettino" as manager. Sherwood is clearly irritated by the situation and Levy "is concerned that the friction could disrupt the remainder of the season", reports The Times, and has moved to praise the current manager. "Levy credited Sherwood for rejuvenating Emmanuel Adebayor after bringing in the striker from the cold and said that his record of eight wins from 13 Barclays Premier League matches since taking charge in December compares very favourably with recent managers," notes the paper. He had to say something, says the Daily Telegraph. "Sherwood's honest assessment of his and Spurs' predicament threatened to overshadow the remainder of the season [and] Levy wants to diffuse a potentially explosive situation, ahead of games against Benfica and Arsenal." Levy also knows that fans are starting to question his running of the club and "will be well aware that a messy end to the campaign will cause more unrest around White Hart Lane." After his dismissal of AVB there were murmurings of discontent in some quarters. That Sherwood is under pressure is testament to a season of almost unprecedented bloodletting in the Premier League. Spurs' London rivals Fulham are on their third manager of the campaign, having sacked Martin Jol and Rene Muelensteen this season. Cardiff and West Brom replaced their managers earlier in the season, but both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Pepe Mel are under serious pressure. Outside the Premier League the carnage continues. Charlton Athletic of the Championship fired Chris Powell today, meaning that of the 92 league clubs in England, only eight now have a manager who has been with them for more than three years. In the Premier League, Brendan Rodgers, in his second season with Liverpool, is now the fourth longest-serving manager. Alan Pardew of Newcastle is second, behind Arsene Wenger of Arsenal, but has only been in charge of the Magpies for 39 months.