Football
PA Sport 10y

Tottenham fan invited to sit on bench

Tottenham head coach Tim Sherwood invited a vocal supporter to sit next to him on the bench during his side's 3-0 defeat of Aston Villa on Sunday.

#INSERT type:image caption:Tim Sherwood lets the fan wear his gilet.END#

Crace: Season finally over

Spurs ended their campaign in style as Paulinho's strike, a Nathan Baker own goal and Emmanuel Adebayor's penalty sealed a comfortable victory at White Hart Lane, which secured qualification for next season's Europa League.

And in the 84th minute of the match, Sherwood turned to an irate fan before letting him wear a club gilet and sit on the Tottenham bench.

"That guy is an expert,'' Sherwood said. "Seriously, every week he tells me what to do -- 'This one is rubbish, that one is an embarrassment, why don't you play more attacking? Why don't you shore it up?' So I gave him the opportunity to do the job.''

He added: "It's all lighthearted. We've got the police looking for him now because he's nicked the club gilet."

Sherwood, who is reportedly set to be replaced this summer, insists he will not be shedding any tears if he is axed as Tottenham boss but believes it would be best for everyone if his future is resolved as soon as possible.

"I think it would make sense to have it resolved as soon as possible -- I'm not sure what's going to happen, I haven't spoken to [chairman Daniel Levy] about what the future holds,'' Sherwood said. "We need to have a sit down and we need to have a chat. I've enjoyed it -- it's been great. It's been an honour to manage this football club and long may it continue.''

He added: "If it is to be my last game, life goes on. There were no tears shed out there on the lap of honour. This club means a lot to me but if I'm not to continue here as manager I'll be somewhere else.''

Levy included an end-of-season message to the fans in the matchday programme but chose not to mention Sherwood at all.

The Spurs chairman criticised the team's style of football this season, writing: "Even in games where we gained maximum points, our football was not always what we have come to expect and associate with our club.''

Sherwood believes the comment was aimed at his predecessor Andre Villas-Boas and insists he has delivered what was asked of him in December.

"I've got a 59 percent win ratio in the Premier League and I think if I had started the season in charge we'd be in the Champions League,'' Sherwood said. "I don't think that comment is about me -- my brief when I came to the club was to try to score a few more goals. We'd scored 15 when I took the job and we've scored 40 goals since then.''

He added: "It'll be interesting to see how I've been judged and what I've been judged on. It can't be on results, can it? If I'm to leave it can't be on results.''

Villa boss Paul Lambert, meanwhile, had to endure a number of critical chants from the travelling fans throughout the match.

Villa, who finished 15th in the table, only won one of their last nine games and Lambert says he can understand the supporters' frustrations.

"It's never nice because the lads have given everything in their body to avoid relegation and get over the line,'' he said. "Supporters come a long, long way and pay good money to watch and try to see their team win. You've got to be big enough to take it.''

Lambert added: "They're a young group of players as it is and it'll probably affect even the experienced ones.

"Nobody likes to be criticised, it's human nature, but you come through it and when you do it'll certainly make you stronger. It's not nice to hear but I understand it.''

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