Eamon Dunphy has his doubts whether Tim Sherwood is the man to steer Aston Villa clear of relegation and believes the Birmingham club should have gone instead for a "proven" manager.
Sherwood was named as Paul Lambert’s successor over the weekend and was present at Villa Park for the 2-1 win over Leicester in the FA Cup.
Yet, Villa fans know that the club now face 13 matches in their quest to remain in the Premier League. Sherwood wouldn’t have been Eamon Dunphy’s choice to spearhead the quest, though he adds that Villa may just have enough to avoid the drop.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, Dunphy said: “I don’t know if Sherwood has the track record. He was with Harry Redknapp at Spurs, was a player in the Blackburn Rovers team that won the league title in 1995 and he certainly talks a good game.
"He won’t be short on confidence but he got a tough job. Villa look a pretty disjointed team at the moment. They give goals up and you don’t know where the next goal is coming from.
"I think they probably will avoid relegation but I don’t have a lot of faith in Sherwood."
"If I had been the [Villa] owner I wouldn’t have made the appointment" - Eamon Dunphy on Tim Sherwood
Dunphy went on single out two managers who have the wherewithal to do a job a good job at Villa.
“Tony Pulis and Alan Pardew are proven guys at the management game,” he added.
“They are good at working with players who are limited and will do well at clubs that are threatened with relegation [West Brom & Crystal Palace].
“I don’t think Sherwood is proven. If I had been the owner I wouldn’t have made the appointment.”
However, fellow RTÉ analyst Alan Cawley believes Sherwood can succeed in his new role, stating that he will “reinvigorate the whole place.”
He continued: “I’m not against Sherwood. He did okay when he was at Spurs. He is very forthright in his opinion and I like that. Some manager come out after matches and trot out the same old clichés time and time again.
“Sherwood is not as bad as people are making out. It’s a gamble but I think Villa will be okay."
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