Why Sherwood to Villa makes more sense than QPR move ever did

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The new Aston Villa boss is a much better fit than he would have been at Queens Park Rangers.

When Harry Redknapp resigned as QPR boss, Tim Sherwood looked a sure bet to replace him.

It seemed inevitable with Les Ferdinand and Chris Ramsey in place at Loftus Road – the talk was plentiful and long standing, even while Redknapp was still in the hotseat in west London.

But the former Spurs coach is now in charge at Aston Villa, having been appointed rather swiftly after the sacking of Paul Lambert.

And the move, intriguingly, may have worked out best for all three parties: Sherwood, Villa – and also QPR.

The 46-year-old might be a good appointment or a bad appointment, time will tell, but his particular brand of management is far more suited to Aston Villa.

As Opta stats show, Villa have scored an embarrassing 12 Premier League goals this season under Lambert. QPR have netted almost double that and, although it isn’t the most impressive tally, their main area of concern in the relegation battle is their goals conceded column.

There’s no way Sherwood would help with that. When the now Aston Villa coach was in charge at Tottenham, the north London side would ship goals freely against Liverpool, Manchester City and the like. His lack of tactical acumen translated to goals galore for the opposition.

That style of coaching isn’t much unlike Redknapp’s. That’s why, despite reservations about a lack of experience, the disciplined and resolute Ramsey is a wiser option for QPR than Sherwood ever was.

At Aston Villa, it’s quite different. Sherwood’s cavalier approach to attacking football will be a breath of fresh air at Villa Park. For the Midlands club, shipping a few goals to big sides could prove less of an issue – because what Sherwood is better at is making sure his teams go all out against sides weaker than them on paper.

It might be what keeps them up, it might be the recklessness than finally takes them down. But it’ll finally bring Villa Park back to life – and hopefully get that desperate goal tally up to scratch.