What is Tim Sherwood's Favourite Thing About Management?

Tim Sherwood Hints at Managerial Return ... and Has One Thing On His Mind

Having won a Premier League as a player, and managed two of the “biggest sides in the land” in Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, Tim Sherwood’s name is one that, regardless of what you think of him as a pundit, will go down in top-flight history.

The former Watford, Norwich, Blackburn and Tottenham player has not had a job in management in over 10 years, ever since his fateful stint at Aston Villa, which saw him sacked after just five months of football. However, time away has allowed Sherwood to reassess, and he has confirmed that he remains open to managerial work should the right opportunity present itself.

Posed with the question of whether he would return to management by Football Park in an interview made possible by BetWright Betting UK, Sherwood didn’t hide his desire for a return to the dugout, saying, ““Yeah, I’d never say never. I think I’ve got a lot to offer.”

Whatever you may think of Tim Sherwood, he was the ONLY person at Tottenham who had faith in a 20 year old Harry Kane to make it at Spurs. Without Sherwood Kane would undoubtedly be ripping it up elsewhere, so I’m forever thankful to him for that. pic.twitter.com/BITllGLZ0t

— ⚪️ (@owenthfc__) June 1, 2023

Moreover, Sherwood doubled down on the reason why he loves management, and it probably isn’t the answer you are expecting.

“I love the development of younger players,” Sherwood emphasised. “Fighting for the kids to get an opportunity at their clubs, because I believe that I am coming from a position of huge strength. I’ve been there as a kid; I know what it’s like to be put into a team and be rubbish, and then all of a sudden get a little bit better!”

Breaking through at Watford before being acquired by Norwich just two years later, Sherwood’s rise to the Premier League was swift, and at times, the former central midfielder had to compete with the likes of top-flight regulars Andy Townsend (now a commentator), Ruel Fox and Jeremy Goss, all of whom had successful careers at the top of the game, both in England and abroad.

“I had to stay in the team, and then all of a sudden I’ve become a good player and won the Premier League. All of that has come from being a boy who was given an opportunity by Dave Bassett at Watford back in the day, which I will forever thank him for, because it’s all about someone giving you the chance.”

On developing young players, Sherwood’s approach is surprisingly yet refreshingly simplistic: “You don’t know if someone can sing until you put them on the stage, so give these kids a chance. I know what it’s like to be that kid; I get into the psyche of the boys, and I know their mentality. I tell them it’s going to be a lot more difficult now than when I did it.”

“But just try and nurture them, give them individual development, tell them what they need to work on, and then when I believe they’re ready, I will then pick up the phone to the manager or walk into his office and say, ‘This boy is ready to play.’ If they wanted to argue with me, I’d argue until I was blue in the face!”

And it’s not just all talk - in his 14-month stint at Tottenham, Sherwood gave Premier League opportunities to the likes of Harry Kane before his breakout, Nabil Bentaleb, Milos Veljkovic and Alex Pritchard, all of whom were under the age of 20 when he first introduced them to the first team.

Tim Sherwood - Tottenham Hotspur (2013) pic.twitter.com/vNSRTJvenO

— actual managers (@actualmanagers) June 16, 2025

Of course, while he managed to grab Spurs European football with a sixth-place finish in 2013/14, he has also had his failures. Namely, the nine-game winless streak that saw him fired two months into the 2015/16 season with Aston Villa, a run which ultimately would prove critical in seeing them relegated.

However, every manager has their ups and downs, and having seen what he could be capable of while in charge at Tottenham, Sherwood certainly has pedigree on his side. It also so happens that the perfect youth development job has a vacancy right now. So, odds on Tim Sherwood to Chelsea…?