Tim Sherwood believes the reality of the Premier League has ‘slapped’ Tottenham interim boss Igor Tudor ‘in the face’, following a catastrophic start to his temporary stint at the helm.
The former Juventus boss was appointed Spurs boss until the end of the season in early February, with the north London club sitting just five points above the relegation zone.
However, hopes of a new manager bounce have failed to come to fruition. Tottenham have lost all three of their league matches under Tudor since his arrival, and are hovering just one point above West Ham, who sit 18th in the top flight.
Alarm bells are now very much ringing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium amid fears of relegation, and Sherwood has taken issue with Tudor’s disappointing start.
‘I think he’s been slapped straight in the face by the competition in the Premier League,’ Sherwood told Sky Sports.
‘It ain’t easy. This is a tough competition. He looks lost at times on the touchline; he knew nothing about it.’
Igor Tudor has lost all three of his matches as Tottenham interim head coach
Spurs have nine games left to avoid the unthinkable and battle off the resurgent Nottingham Forest and West Ham, who have both gained momentum in the relegation fight in the past week.
And with Tottenham spiralling toward the drop, Sherwood believes Tudor needs to change his authoritarian approach and adopt a more gentle touch.
He added: ‘He’s gone from, “I 100 per cent guarantee we spend next season in the Premier League”, to, “the players are not fit enough, we’re not good in attack, we’re not good in the middle, we’re not good at the back, we need our injured players back to fitness”.
‘You’ve got to get on with what you’ve got. Forget all that nonsense. Concentrate on the players who are fit at the moment and try and give them a lift.
‘You don’t get that [new manager] bounce by having a stick and whacking them with it. Not if the downside looks like relegation.
‘You have to give them a cuddle. You have to find the best solution. You have to give them an easy solution to how we’re going to play. This is how we play.’
If things are to go even further south for Spurs than they already are, then club legend Glenn Hoddle has thrown his hat into the ring to save Tottenham by returning to the dugout.
Speaking on Could It Be Magic, the FA Cup podcast sponsored by Carling, before the Palace defeat, the 68-year-old was asked if returning to management appealed to him.
‘I think it would actually,’ he said. ‘Particularly with Tottenham, as that’s my club. I’ve supported them since I was eight years of age. So they were a massive part of my life.’
Hoddle was previously in charge of Spurs between 2001 and 2003, having already coached England and Chelsea. Though he enjoyed a couple of cup runs, mid-table finishes in the top flight led to his sacking.
‘I managed them probably at the wrong time, I’ve got to say,’ he added. ‘Let’s put it that way.
‘Politically and financially, there wasn’t money there. Certainly, it wasn’t what they told me I was going into.’
