With just one win from their last four games; Tottenham’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League once again look to have fallen short. Down in seventh place – seven points off fourth spot – the season looks set for a frustrating finale after delivering plenty of early promise.

And while their latest defeat will have come as a huge blow given the fact their opponents that day were fighting to avoid relegation, a one-nil home loss to Aston Villa hurt even more given the fact it was their former manager Tim Sherwood who was left celebrating as he left White Hart Lane on Saturday.

The 46-year-old was sacked by Spurs in May of last year, two days after securing a sixth place finish and having spent just five months in charge. Despite achieving the highest win record of any Spurs boss in the Premier League era with 13 wins from 22 games, a ratio of 59% was not even to stop chairman Daniel Levy opting to bring in a replacement prior to the new season. A decision that was certainly a debatable one at the time now looks even more questionable given last weekend’s result.

While Mauricio Pochettino was able to spend around £35m last summer in adding five players to an already decent squad, it’s failed to have any significant effect on their Champions League hopes and they actually find themselves one place worse off than last season; hardly the progress they would have been expecting.

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There’s no doubting Pochettino was a worthy candidate for the job, and you only have to look at what he achieved at Southampton to see he has the ability to be a long-term success at the club. But Sherwood deserved the opportunity of a full season in charge after the improvement he masterminded during his brief spell as manager, and there’s no way they would have been any worse of were he kept on.

Since arriving at Villa in February Sherwood has overseen a hugely positive turnaround that looks to have helped the club steer clear of relegation after escaping the bottom three and also seen them make progress to an FA Cup semi-final.

He has brought about a more dynamic and positive style of play that has put an end to their goal scoring issues getting the best out of the likes of Christian Benteke and Gabriel Abonglahor in attack with both netting some crucial goals in recent weeks.

Tottenham meanwhile look to have run out of steam and but Harry Kane, there hasn’t been many positives from recent performances that have culminated in disappointing results.

Spurs certainly need to make some changes over the summer with some new players a must while others will have to be moved on in order to improve and freshen up the squad. But as their slump towards the end of the season continues, Levy might be left ruing his decision to dispose of Sherwood so quickly as he continues to highlight his managerial ability at Villa.

A really passionate man who clearly loved the club and had a drive to improve it, Sherwood had the credentials to warrant a full season in charge at the Lane, and it’s no surprise to see Villa benefiting from Tottenham’s loss. For the time being at least, Sherwood has had the last laugh.

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