Sherwood far from earning his spurs

QUARTER-FINALS

TOTTENHAM 1 (Emmanuel Adebayor 68)

WEST HAM 2 (Matt Jarvis 80, Modibo Maiga 85)

UNITED STATES - If this really was a job interview then Tim Sherwood can probably expect a polite, "Thanks for coming, we've still got a lot of people to see".

On the evidence of this, there's little point in calling off the search for the next Tottenham Hotspur manager yet.

Sherwood, installed as interim boss in place of Andre Villas-Boas on Sunday, saw his side take the lead against a weakened West Ham, only to throw it away in the closing stages.

Goals from Matt Jarvis and Modibo Maiga booked the Hammers a semi-final showdown with Manchester City.

Sherwood, with some justification, bemoaned his side's failure to take advantage of a bright start, but gave some clues as to the reasons for Tottenham's troubles.

"I think, to be honest, they ran out of steam. They're fit enough to play a certain way, but I wanted to change the way we played. I asked them to play a little more gung-ho and up and at them."

While there's nothing wrong with Sherwood's methods, there's something seriously wrong with a club who install a technical director with ideas so different from the first-team manager that the players are incapable of doing both.

DEVELOPMENT TEAMS

Tottenham, so busy on all fronts attempting to turn a medium club into a large one, should surely aim to have the development teams playing in a similar style to the senior team.

And that's not the only problem.

When Sherwood spoke to journalists yesterday morning (Singapore time), he still didn't know if he'd be in charge for the clash with Southampton on Sunday.

He shrugged off concerns that the players would be unsettled, claiming that they would be professional enough to deal with the uncertainty, but few were convinced.

It had all started so well. As if desperate to show how different he was to his predecessor, Sherwood dumped the high line, the inverted wide-men and the lone striker and replaced it all with a very orthodox 4-4-2, bringing Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor back into the starting line-up at the expense of Roberto Soldado.

The football was fast, direct and intense, and West Ham struggled to hold them at bay. Sam Allardyce, widely criticised in the morning papers for announcing that he would play a weakened side, looked on grim-faced.

Adebayor was a conundrum. Many Spurs fans would have been happy to see the back of him after he was pictured grinning broadly with Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the aftermath of the club's 0-5 humiliation by Liverpool. Sherwood gave him another chance and he was rewarded. To a point.

Adebayor took his goal exceptionally well, smashing it in off the crossbar with such force that Adrian Castillo could only watch it whistle past him.

Throughout the game, he showed off flicks and passes that confirmed his status as a player of the highest quality.

But, as a team player, he leaves much to be desired. The Tottenham coaching staff, Tony Parkes in particular, were constantly shouting at him, ordering him to get back into possession. Adebayor's idea of tracking back, sadly, is simply to look back and hope nothing bad happens. For a while, it seemed that it might be enough.

But while Tottenham were certainly exciting, they were also predictable. Everything was coming down the flanks, all in an effort to swing crosses into the penalty area.

Gradually, West Ham grew accustomed to the ploy and began to anticipate their hosts' movements. The chances began to dry up.

West Ham changed the game with the introduction of Maiga. The Malian frontman has had a wretched introduction to life in England, offering up performances so abysmal that some have dubbed him the worst striker in the history of the Premier League.

EMPHATIC RESPONSE

This was an emphatic response. Maiga fought for every ball, moving smartly and quickly to pile pressure on the creaking Tottenham defence.

After Jarvis had equalised, Maiga rose highest in the penalty area to deftly nod home the winner. This was the kind of display that could kick-start his career. Finally, West Ham have a striker.

They also have a place in the semi-finals. Man City are going to be tough opposition, but if anyone can dull their point, it's Allardyce.

For the second time this season, the Hammers have humiliated Spurs in their own ground. Sherwood would do well to watch and learn.

npsports@sph.com.sg

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