Sacking Sherwood was Villa’s big error – Schmeichel

Matt Stead

Tim Sherwood was “well capable” of keeping Aston Villa in the Premier League, according to Peter Schmeichel.

Sherwood was sacked as Villa manager after being appointed in February, with the former Tottenham boss ensuring the club’s survival last season.

But Villa were embroiled in a relegation battle at the start of this campaign, with Sherwood winning just one of his first ten games – that coming on the opening day against Bournemouth.

Sherwood was sacked in late October with Villa on just four points from ten games, with the club in the midst of a seven-game losing streak.

Remi Garde was appointed as his successor in November, but the Frenchman left the club by mutual consent on Tuesday with Villa now 12 points from safety, and doomed to relegation to the Championship.

Speaking to Sky Sports, former Villa keeper Schmeichel was reacted with consternation to Garde’s departure, and believes Sherwood could have ensured survival had he stayed.

“I’m shocked that you give a manager a job in a very difficult situation, that he hasn’t put the club in, and then you give him that little time to solve it?” he told Sky Sports News HQ. “They should have done their due diligence and got it right back then.

“Tim Sherwood was well capable of getting Aston Villa out of trouble, but they didn’t think that and now they’ve gone down the route of sacking yet another manager and history proves that doesn’t help.

“So, it’s a shock and then again no, because that’s the way football has been going for quite a while.”