Monday 26 October 2015 06:37, UK
Following the news that Tim Sherwood has been sacked as Aston Villa manager, we pick out five games that cost him his job...
From Villa's dismal 6-1 thrashing by Southampton in May to Saturday's 2-1 loss at home to Swansea, Sherwood endured some disappointing days at the office during his brief tenure at Villa Park.
Here are five key games that led to his departure after just eight months in charge...
Southampton 6-1 Aston Villa - May 2015
It is not often a Premier League side secures their survival on the day they are beaten 6-1, but Sherwood kept his promise of keeping the club afloat for a 28th top flight season in bizarre fashion. A woeful showing on the south coast - where Sadio Mane scored the quickest hat-trick in Premier League history at two minutes and 56 seconds - was ignored by some as a blip, but it was hardly ideal for the team's confidence 14 days before an FA Cup final showdown with Arsenal.
After Sherwood had guided Villa to fine wins over Liverpool and West Brom in the FA Cup, as well as picking up vital three points against West Ham and Everton when the going got tough, the manager showed his tactical deficiencies at St Mary's. Villa played a high line from the off as James Ward-Prowse, Shane Long and Mane wreaked havoc in behind, and it was a sign of things to come…
Aston Villa 0-4 Arsenal - May 2015
Villa's performance at Wembley on May 30 was polar opposite to the tactical masterclass Sherwood produced against Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool just six weeks earlier. There were few qualms with the starting XI this time, but Villa simply failed to turn up against an Arsenal side given free rein and too much respect. Villa failed to register a shot on target, and produced just two on goal in the entire game.
Some blamed the players for cowering at the occasion, some blamed Sherwood for failing to motivate them to win a first trophy in 19 long years. "I feel sick and so do the boys in there, there will be some changes," Sherwood said after the game, and changes there were.
Leicester 3-2 Aston Villa - September 2015
Villa lost Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph in the summer, but spent the money on bringing in 11 senior players to Villa Park. A hard-fought opening day win at newly-promoted Bournemouth showed promise, while defeats against Manchester United and Crystal Palace were excusable, but Villa have yet to recover from the collapse at the King Power Stadium on Super Sunday having been 2-0 up with 18 minutes remaining.
Villa's goalscorers were Carles Gil - frequently ignored by Sherwood having moved under Paul Lambert in January - and Jack Grealish - given a lengthy run in the side by Sherwood to much success. The 60-minute window into what should have been Sherwood's first full season as a manager looked a positive one, but instead of shoring up the side he replaced Gabriel Agbonlahor with Rudy Gestede and Gil with Jordan Ayew.
"The game was gone, it was finished with 30 minutes to go," said Sherwood, but Leicester's momentum, helped by unforced defensive errors on Villa's part, gave them the win, and the hangover lasted weeks.
Aston Villa 0-1 West Brom - September 2015
"Tim Sherwood is at his best when he is backed into a corner," said Sherwood after the clash, speaking in the third person. "I have said 'be patient' from the start. They have in the main but, when you lose derby games, patience wears thin." Villa hosted Baggies after the Leicester defeat, and fell woefully short against a Tony Pulis side hardly brimming with confidence themselves.
Sherwood's insistence on starting long-time Villa servant Agbonlahor irked the Holte End, but the alternative in Gestede, brought on at half-time, left Villa pumping the ball forward at every opportunity. Despite dominating possession, Villa surrendered three points.
Aston Villa 1-2 Swansea - October 2015
Villa fans took exception to Sherwood's starting XI; leaving promising left-back Jordan Amavi out for the second game running in favour of Kieran Richardson, and playing just one central midfielder at home to out-of-form Swansea. The hosts went ahead through Ayew, one of four summer signings from Ligue 1, but fell apart late on, surrendering the points to an 87th-minute winner from Jordan's brother Andre.
Villa's sixth in a row in the league was followed by more soundbites from Sherwood. "I'll just turn my phone off," he said when asked if he'll get the call from the owners. "We survived last season and went to the cup final and nobody spoke to me then. So I'm not expecting anybody to speak to me now." Less than 24 hours later, Sherwood was gone, and Villa are forced to rebuild again.
