Exclusive interview with Tim Sherwood - Part 1: I’d have one question for Spurs if they offered me the job, Michael Carrick could be in charge of Spurs next season, and more...

Speaking exclusively to NewBettingOffers.co.uk, ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood has given his thoughts on the Premier League, Champions League and more.

Sherwood has explained what he’d say if Spurs offered him the job and why Michael Carrick and Scott Parker are both candidates to take over from Igor Tudor next season.

The Premier League-winning former Blackburn captain has also discussed how Harry Kane would get on at Man Utd and a potential position change for Jude Bellingham for England.

Q: What did you make of Igor Tudor’s management of Antonin Kinsky?

“Igor Tudor has obviously talked to his goalkeeping coach, who knows the boy inside out and would have said he was ready. The goalkeeping coach would know him better than the manager, so I think it's joint responsibility.

“If it was me, I would not have made that decision. I think it's such a risky decision, to roll the dice at this stage, especially with a young boy learning his trade on a big occasion, in a hostile atmosphere. He's got it wrong.

“I thought the manager should have owned it. I don't think he should have brought the kid off, he should have owned it and let him fight through it. The manager who made the decision, he's put him in the spotlight, so I think it's up to the kid to weather it.

“I would have found it very difficult to bring him off after 15 minutes. I would have left him on.”

Q: Can Antonin Kinsky bounce back from his performance?

“Antonin Kinsky will recover. He'll recover because he's only a young man. I think he has a good network around him. It will be difficult, but he will come back stronger, I believe that.

“I think you learn from experiences, and not all those experiences you learn from are nice. It’s certainly the worst professional one of his career. But he's got to live with it. What can he do? He's got to get on with it.

“I believe, I don't know the boy, I believe hopefully that he'll have the character to come back stronger.”

Q: Will being out of the Champions League help Spurs?

“When you’re in the competition it’s a chance to get some confidence. All those players, hopefully, they'd all want to play in the Champions League. We know players do start jumping off the physio table then and start offering themselves fit to the manager for the Champions League, which could have been a bonus.

“It looks like it might be just beyond them now. This tie might be dead. I wouldn't say never. I don't think Atletico Madrid is great either. They were average, to be honest.

“They're not going past Barcelona or Newcastle. So, yeah, it was a missed opportunity, obviously, to get some joy back to the fans and some encouragement when they're watching in the Champions League, because everyone kept going back to that Champions League campaign and saying, 'Well, they're doing well in the Champions League.' It just shows you the opposition they were playing wasn't at the level.

“As soon as someone steps up, and like I say, I don't think they were great either, they haven't got the answers, unfortunately. So it's going to be difficult for them.”

Q: Should Spurs stick by Igor Tudor or sack him?

“Will Spurs sack Igor Tudor? I have no idea. You know why I say that? Because I don't know who's making the decision. I don't know the people. No one stood up and owned this one, have they?

“No one owned the Thomas Frank one. I don't know who's making the decisions to bring him in. I mean, to sack Thomas, obviously. If it was me, I would still have Ange Postecoglou in charge, I've said that many, many times. And I would have backed him. What you've done there is you've sacked a winner.

“He is gone, they brought in Thomas and now Tudor, I just don't know where this has come from. It's totally left field. I can only think maybe it was Fabio Paratici because he would have known him.

“Obviously Daniel Levy's not there anymore. I really don't know, I don't know whose bright idea this was to bring the man in in a very delicate situation. He's never done this job before. People keep saying he has, he hasn't done this job before.

“This is the Premier League. He's never been here and he's never been in a relegation battle. He took Udinese and kept them safe. They were fifth when he took over and then they finished outside of the relegation spots. This job is the equivalent of Juventus in a relegation battle. This is Tottenham Hotspur.

“This is Juve in England. This is a different kettle of fish to what he's done before. He's taken teams from Europa League to Champions League, which is great.

“But the Italian league is nowhere near as strong. To get relegated is catastrophic for Tottenham Hotspur. He's done jobs like Michael Carrick's done before. Michael Carrick's gone into the equivalent job, he's gone into Man United, you're either going to finish in the Champions League or you're going to finish outside it in the Europa League.

“Not that much pressure, but the pressure of keeping them in the league or getting a club like Tottenham relegated is huge pressure when you don't know the environment you're going into. And I think the Premier League has slapped him straight in the face.

“Is he out of his depth? I don't know. He’s lost all his games and a man in the street could do that, couldn't they? You've got to do better than no points. He took no points out of four games. I mean, anyone could do that.”

Q: If Igor Tudor stays at Spurs, will they get relegated this season?

“With Igor Tudor, Spurs getting relegated is totally realistic. I mean, when I look at Nottingham Forest, the organisation, what they've got there now. You're going to need to take points against all odds.

“Nuno Espirito Santo has got West Ham very, very organised and the FA Cup is an advantage for them.

“I was at Aston Villa, I took them all the way to the final and it massively helped the morale of winning games, confidence and everyone fighting for positions in the team, in-house fighting, just to try and get to the Wembley games, which are the big games everyone wants to play in.

“It really helped and I think it will help West Ham being in the FA Cup now. It's touching distance, it's not early stages, they're playing in the quarter-final against Leeds United, another team who could get dragged in.

“There's incentive for anyone to win that. It's not a distraction. It is a confidence boost. And like I say, it helps with the in-house competition to try and fight for places. All of a sudden they start jumping off that physio table when there's Wembley on the horizon.”

Q: Would you take the job if asked by Spurs?

“I’d have one question for Spurs if they offered me the job, I’d say why didn't you ask me a month ago? Why didn't you ask me when there were three winnable games and still a chance in the Champions League?

“All right, it's never a free hit when you're playing in a North London Derby. It was always going to be difficult, wasn't it? But you need to give the fans some encouragement and show something in that game. You showed nothing, absolutely nothing.

“Then you've got two very winnable games against Fulham and Crystal Palace. So now, whoever goes in now has an even tougher task.

“Because this job is not about tactics. It's common sense. You play players in the correct positions where they're accustomed to playing and you get the best out of them. And you stick to the system, you get it organised. So everyone knows their job. But this job is a man-management job now. Man-management doesn't happen overnight.

“You need time around the players to get to know them, look them in the eye, see who's fighting for you, which ones are going in the right direction. You've got less time now. A month ago, when he was coming in, or three weeks ago, you had that time, and then you've gone into two winnable games, three if you count the North London Derby.

“So now it's an even more difficult task than when he went in, it's double difficult. The guy's meant to be a firefighter who changes fortunes around very, very quickly. Well, he hasn't done that.

“So what are they going to do about it? I don't know who's making the decisions. If I knew that, I could second-guess a little bit better. And I don't know who the options are for them to come in and do this job. But I'll tell you what, no one's got a magic wand.

“No one would come in there with a magic wand and just say, 'You know what, all of you players have been looking very poor or average at best. I'll wave this around and all of you will turn into world-beaters and we're going to run and win six games on the spin.' That ain't going to happen. It's going to go right to the wire.

“You're going to need the nerve to be able to get through it because, at the moment, Tottenham, you would say, are a team that the club has assembled players and managers in the past to fight in the Champions League. Now it's a shock to the system because they're not at that level. Can they acclimatise to the environment they're in at the bottom of the league? The players certainly look like at the moment they're not capable of doing that.

“Someone needs to go in there and change the fortunes around, but there's not long to go. We've got eight games. It's very, very difficult, with Liverpool awaiting the next one. Then you've got two, and then you've got your second leg. Then you've got a two-and-a-half-week break.

“That's the time, and then we're going to give someone seven or eight games they need to win, definitely three, in my opinion, three and maybe a couple of draws in there.

“So, yes, it's a real tough task, not impossible, of course it's not, but from the outside, we're looking in at those three clubs, four including Leeds, you would say Tottenham could be favourites to go down.”

Q: Who would you pick to be in the role, Harry Redknapp?

“There are a lot of candidates who could go in there. But like I say, would they want that jeopardy? It's all right for Igor Tudor. He can go back to manage in Italy and no one will ever remember him, he can go and get on with his life.

“Imagine me going in there now. I live in North London. Every time I go out of the petrol station, fill my car up, go to the supermarket, people will be nudging each other: ‘There's that guy who got Tottenham relegated’.

“It's jeopardy, real jeopardy. So, as much as it is, you would pick up the phone, you would listen to what they had to say, it would take a brave man to go in there and do that job.

“Because the downsides are so extreme. It’s catastrophic, the downsides. And the upsides? Not sure you get too much credit. You are never getting a job long term.

“That is Mauricio Pochettino's job if he wants it. If it's in the Premier League. If they don't end up in the Premier League, they might have to find another manager, because I'm not sure Mauricio Pochettino is going to manage to stop them in the Championship.”

Q: Would Ryan Mason or Robbie Keane keep Spurs up?

“Why would Robbie Keane do it? Why would he leave his job now to come there for nine games? He's got no long-term view. If he was going to take the job on a long-term basis, then absolutely he would run there. But not if you're only going to give him nine games. Why would he leave a job to come there and do that for nine games?

“I don't know what Ryan Mason is up to. He’s available, he knows the club. Harry Redknapp would do it. He's already said he would do it. But, it's a tough one.

“When that job is available usually, there's a queue round the block to take that job because it's a magnificent, still a fantastic club, but it's lost its way. The structure of the club has lost its way. Where are the academy players? Where's the structure? Where's the playing style?

“There is so much wrong with that club at the moment.”

Q: Would you go back into the club alongside Harry Redknapp?

“Would I go in alongside Harry Redknapp? We'd have to look at it, but it's hypothetical. One thing you need to look at is the situation.

“There's no point, and I think Igor Tudor exemplifies this, knowing what you're going into and then complaining about the injuries. He's there because they have injuries, because they've lost their way, and because they're struggling.

“He's gone from his first press conference promising to keep them in the Premier League, to the next one saying they're not fit enough, and then to the one after they played Fulham, saying they're not good enough at the back, in midfield, or up front, and that they need players back to fitness.

“He knew when you went in there that you wouldn't get anyone back immediately. There's no one imminent coming back, so you know what you're getting into. If someone like Harry or I went in there, there would be no excuses.

“It's about getting the best out of the group you have, using the absolute best man-management skills to try and encourage them and get the best out of them. But that isn't easy. People think it is, but it's one of the hardest things to do.

“I've said many times recently that man-management skills have diminished because no one communicates in life anymore, let alone just in football. You walk into a restaurant, you've got four people sitting at one table, and they're all on their phones. No one talks.

“You have to talk to each other, and they are willing to listen if you tell them good things. And this job is primarily about telling them good things, to be perfectly honest.

“I think Igor has gone in there and, from the outside, it looks like he's told them some home truths. Now, you might think that, but you can't say that at the moment because there are no upsides to giving your honest opinion on their performance or their attitudes.

“You can save that for after, get the job done first. And the job now is to stay safe in the Premier League. If someone goes in there now and rescues Tottenham from relegation, it will be the equivalent of Arsenal winning the league.”

Q: Is it 50/50 which division Spurs play in next season?

“Spurs getting relegated is 50/50. Just looking at the other teams as well, you can’t see where Spurs have an advantage.

“I went into Aston Villa in a similar position, but it was a lot earlier, it was February. When I went in, I looked at their squad and I thought, I'm not going to go in there if I don't believe that I can get an opportunity to keep them safe.

“I looked at the characters we had. We had Fabian Delph, we had Tom Cleverley, we had Kieran Westwood in midfield, and that was the engine room. I had Gabby Agbonlahor and Christian Benteke up front who I knew could score goals. I had a little maverick in the making in Jack Grealish, and I gave him the opportunity, cuddled him and showed him real love, and made him the main man. And we were safe.

“Because we stayed in the FA Cup, those games gave us the confidence, and we ended up resting players in the Premier League because we were safe, to play in the Cup final. So it can be done, but you need the characters, and you don't know the characters from the outside.

“But I was lucky that midfield engine room really helped me out. The majority of players I'm talking about there, five out of the six of them, and it was more because they contributed a lot more, they were English boys.

“They were English boys who knew what it was like to be a Premier League player and knew what it was like to drop out of the Premier League. If they dropped out of the Premier League, they might not ever see it again. So they were hungry to stay in it.

“Whereas a lot of the other players knew they could go play all around the world. The English lads, their dream was to play in England, then play in the Premier League, and sustain in the Premier League. So there was a lot of jeopardy there amongst that squad. I'm not sure from the outside they have the same jeopardy within this Spurs squad.”

Q: Would Spurs not find things easy in the Championship?

“Would Spurs win the Championship? I don't know, it depends who the playing squad is. It depends how hard it hits them financially. You would hope they would push the boat out and try and get automatic promotion, but that's a madhouse league.

“That's the most competitive league in the world you're talking about there. The quality is not necessarily there. As in teams, there's very good players within the league, but the actual teams are not great. But the competitive nature of it is second to none around the world.

“So they'd have to find the right characters to be able to get out of it. From the outside you think, oh, that's why I go back to the stadium and the training ground does not guarantee anything. All that guarantees is it's nice and comfortable for the players.

“Perhaps it's too comfortable for the players, but they need the hunger to want to go and play at Lincoln, who look like they're going to come up, could possibly be Stevenage, places like that.

“You've got to go to Frampton Park, to Ewood Park, the places you've got to go to stay in that league. You've got to travel around and it's not glitz and glamour. It's about blood and sweat and that's how you need to get out of that league. So it will take a rebuild.

“That's what it will take, a rebuild. But you think, with a club of the stature of Tottenham Hotspur, if they've got the right people in charge, they should be able to navigate it well enough on the recruitment side.

“If they get the right man in charge to get promoted, yes, at the first attempt. The playoffs get extended next year. So it gives them an extra chance.

“But let's not think about that. Because I still think there is, of course there's hope for them, because if it was to finish today, they would be safe. The other teams still have hard work to do.”

Q: Would Mauricio Pochettino accept the Spurs job in the summer?

“Mauricio Pochettino back to Spurs? It's a better job than going into the team that wins the Champions League in a way. And I mean that as a manager. The last thing you want to do is go into a team like that.

“Can you imagine following Pep Guardiola at Man City? Those are big boots to fill. So, look, if they can survive, I bet he's praying for that. Unless he's got something else up his sleeve.

“It's been reported that Real Madrid might be interested in him. I know that's something he would like.

“It would be very difficult to turn that one down. And there might be other clubs as well. I just think Tottenham is the obvious choice because he's done so well there in the past.

“The fans love him. I think it's impossible for the hierarchy to overlook him if they're in the Premier League because of the clamour among the support to bring him back.

“It would be an almost impossible job for anyone else to go in there because as soon as they lose two games on the spin, it will be like, ‘Well, you could have got Pochettino, you messed up on that one as well.’

“Straight away it ticks that box. It's a less headache for the hierarchy. So, I think it's the automatic choice as long as Tottenham are in the Premier League and as long as he hasn't found something else to do.”

Q: Would Mauricio Pochettino choose Man Utd over Spurs?

“Would Mauricio Pochettino choose Man Utd over Spurs? I just think that maybe the love what he has for Tottenham might make a difference. Maybe, I'm not sure about his lifestyle and where his family are.

“Possibly London might be a pull in that regard, but I don't think they get rid of Michael Carrick. I think he gets the job.

“Even if Mauricio puts his hand up, I'm not sure if they're choosing Mauricio Pochettino over Michael Carrick who knows the environment and has done well and has taken them to the Champions League. I think they go with Michael.”

Q: Could Harry Kane return to the Premier League with Man Utd?

“Harry Kane will only come back to win. When I've had conversations with Harry, he said he'll only return to the Premier League if it's a club he feels can win it. Because he's been used to that now. He's going to win again this season by the looks of it.

“He's still got a little bit of work to do, but he's enjoying it. The fact that he's actually getting rewarded for his efforts. He's always been rewarded individually, but you play football to win trophies with your teammates and that is what he's experiencing at the moment.

“I just think he will want to continue with that if he possibly can once he decides he wants to come back to the UK.

“Kane to Man Utd? I think I would understand it if I was a Tottenham fan. If I was a Tottenham fan, he's gone over to Germany, won two titles or maybe three if he stays there for another season, which looks likely.

“It depends where Tottenham are at that moment in time. Then, forget Manchester United, but he's not going to Arsenal, is he? He's not going to Arsenal and I very much doubt he would ever go to Chelsea as well. So, he's not really kicking them when they’re down that much.

“It would still hurt if he's come back to these shores and doesn't play in their shirt again, which I'm sure he would love to, but they need to be able to win. He needs to feel that the club can win for him to be able to do that.

“I mean, he's almost broken Alan Shearer's record and he would want to have his eyes set on that. In a team that never won anything, imagine him in a team that actually wins something. I mean, he'd probably do it in double quick time.

“I can't imagine United winning the title at the moment, so it's difficult. Can I imagine them winning the title with Harry Kane? Yeah.”

Q: Could Micky van de Ven be a success at Liverpool?

“Micky van de Ven is a good player but he's still not the finished article. I still think he can develop. Recently, we've seen him make a mistake in the Crystal Palace game, and he made another one in the Champions League. He's not immune to making errors.

“So, I think he still has a lot of development left. I just think he's a very good player. He has all the attributes to be a top-class player.

“He's got the pace, he's got the dribbling skills. He looks like he's got the fight, and he certainly has the stature. But I still think he needs to learn a little bit and develop.

“Playing with Virgil van Dijk would help. I mean, there was a time when he and Christian Romero were tipped up as one of the best centre-half partnerships in the league, you know, a couple of seasons ago, even though the team hasn't been fantastic or successful.

“At the moment, they're struggling to stay on the pitch together. They were on the pitch together against Atletico and he should have got sent off, by the way. I don't understand why he's diving into that tackle.

“He's got away with one, and I think he's going to learn from that. But they're both very good players. As a manager, when you look at your team and your two centre-halves, you want to rely on them to be responsible all of the time.

“I can't say both of them are very responsible all of the time. I know you're frustrated with the situation they're in, but that's the bed you've got to lie in.”

Q: Could Dejan Kulusevski be picked up by Premier League rivals?

“Could Dejan Kulusevski be picked up by Liverpool? He's almost become a better player while he hasn't been playing, because everyone talks about how much they're missing him.

“Let's not forget he was part of the team who finished 17th last year. All of those players who have been injured finished 17th last year. They're not world-beaters, are they? They may help you with numbers, bringing them in like James Maddison as well. I love Maddison, he's a very good player. Gives them something different. Kulusevski as well, I really like him.

“Someone might come and cherry-pick a couple of Tottenham players, but I think Tottenham would resist it. They would definitely resist it if they're in the Premier League. They might not be able to if they're in the Championship, which is worrying.”

Q: Where should Spurs be in the Premier League, pound for pound?

‘“Spurs have recruited to be in the Champions League. Now they've come up massively short of that. I think if they felt this squad should be in and around the Champions League qualification spots, I would say they're way off it, way off the mark. This team is nowhere near that level, that squad of players.

“But Europa League is a realistic possibility if they had the confidence flowing through, and you know, it's an easier environment to bed the likes of Xavi Simons and Kolo Muani in. You know, it's been difficult for them and it's really difficult to come to the Premier League and adapt and hit the ground running.

“It's even more difficult when the team is struggling. So they have not been shown in the correct light at the moment.

“They're miles off being, even with everyone fit, a Champions League side. It's quite hard to get to the top four or five places in the Premier League. But Europa League, down to seventh, I think they should be challenging around that, not a relegation fight, nowhere near, that's a massive underachievement.”

Q: What is your prediction for Liverpool vs Spurs?

“Liverpool haven't been great, but Anfield is never an easy ground for Tottenham. It's historically a disastrous ground for them, even in their best periods. You can't worry about that.

“Any team that wants to survive in this league will have to pick up results against the odds, like Nottingham Forest did against Manchester City away.

“The manager, I believe it will be Igor Tudor, as it's too quick to change managers again now, has to implement a style where the team is hard to beat. At the moment, they are far too easy to score against.

“They need to go there, try to frustrate the home crowd, who need points for their own Champions League aspirations, and be well organized with a counter-attacking threat.

“Hopefully, they can nick something, maybe from a set piece or a quick counter-attack, and then they have something to hold onto, forcing them to really fight, dig in, and defend their box, as all teams at the bottom of the table must do.

“However, as I said, this group of players is not used to playing at the bottom of the league, that's not what they were signed for. But they are here, and they have to realize very quickly that they must start fighting like a team facing relegation.

“The manager keeps talking about needing a ‘small club mentality’ to stay in this league, meaning the fighting spirit typically associated with teams at the bottom.

“But it's difficult to instil a small club mentality when you are walking into the best facility in the Premier League. The club has almost created ‘soft’ players by making things too comfortable for them. The training ground is second to none, and the stadium is magnificent. It's very difficult to have a small club mentality when you've got five-star accommodation.

“That luxury means nothing in the end. One thing is for sure, if they got relegated, there would be no argument, they would have the best stadium and 100% the best training ground in the Championship, but that's not what they want.”

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