Friday 30 October 2015 10:02, UK
Aston Villa captain Micah Richards thinks it is a shame that Tim Sherwood was not given more time to get the club moving in the right direction.
Sherwood was sacked by Villa on Sunday after just eight months in charge, following a 2-1 home loss to Swansea.
That was a sixth successive Premier League defeat for Villa and they are now bottom of the table after Sunderland won on Sunday afternoon.
For 70 minutes it was not like the Aston Villa of the last two years. They did not have the free-flowing football that Tim brought here.
However, Sherwood did manage to keep the club in the top flight last season and Richards thinks the club may have been a little premature.
"Tim was unbelievable for me," said the 27-year-old defender. "I think he has got me back to my best.
"I feel comfortable. He gave me the captain's armband, which was a massive confidence boost. Tim was great for me but we know that, in football, if you are not getting results, clubs look to make changes.
"I think Leicester was a turning point in our season. When you are playing outstanding football and go 2-0 up, and then find yourselves 3-2 down at the end of the game, I think that knocked a bit of confidence out of the lads.
"For 70 minutes, it was not like the Aston Villa of the last two years. They did not have the free-flowing football that Tim brought here.
"I wish he had a little bit more time, because I think he was on to a really good thing. But when you are not winning, decisions like that are going to get made."
Former Lyon manager Remi Garde has been strongly linked with the Villa post and has pulled out of planned media work for French TV this weekend.
Richards added: "I will respect any manager who comes in.
"I will give 100 per cent and so will all the lads that are here. No player wants to find themselves out of the team.
"The manager who comes in needs to be able to get us going straight away. We have got no time to settle in or blend in."
Richards agrees that the French players in the squad might benefit from Garde's arrival but hopes the potential new boss is multi-lingual.
"If they speak French, obviously it is going to be easier for them to understand how they are to play," said Richards.
"But let's hope he speaks as good English as he does French!
"When I went to Fiorentina, I had to learn Italian. There were certain things I did not understand but I had to try and adapt."
