There is absolutely no reason why Tim Sherwood should not be the next manager of Tottenham Hotspur.



He has played the game at the highest level, understands English football and he knows the club inside out.

It’s not fair to put Sherwood on trial, somebody needs to make a decision. He’s exactly what Spurs are looking for because he knows the style of football expected and against Southampton he proved he can get that from his players.

VIDEO Scroll down to see Sherwood praise Spurs forward Emmanuel Adebayor



Been there, done it: There is no reason why Time Sherwood shouldn't be the next Spurs manager

He brought Emmanuel Adebayor back in from the cold, so clearly his man-management is good and he’s been in charge of the youth set-up, so he’s not afraid to give the kids a chance. At St Mary’s he left Etienne Capoue and Lewis Holtby on the bench and played Nabil Bentaleb, who was excellent.

People might expect big names like Frank de Boer or Louis van Gaal. But do they know more about Spurs than Sherwood? No. Do they know more about our league? Of course not.

I don’t want to be xenophobic, but it’s not just English players we don’t give a chance to - it’s English coaches as well.

Sherwood won’t talk tactics, he’ll talk football. He’s no bluffer, he’s a football man and he’s exactly what Spurs need.

Opportunity: Sherwood gave Nabil Bentaleb (left) a chance against the Saints and the youngster impressed

Sensational Yaya is more Beckham than Ronaldo



BANK ON BARKLEY

United fans must be asking, why did David Moyes spend £27m on Marouane Fellaini when he could have taken Ross Barkley to Old Trafford? He’s a star .

Yaya Toure was at it again on Saturday. When City won a free-kick on the edge of the area, Fulham were expecting Aleksandar Kolarov to hit it with his left. But it was Toure who cut in from an angle and whipped a sublime shot into the top corner.

He hit it with real pace and power to get it over the wall, but he is old school with his technique. He hits it with natural swerve - more David Beckham than Cristiano Ronaldo - and he does all the work rather than letting the ball move around.

He has scored four out of five free-kicks in the league this season - an 80 per cent success rate. That is sensational. He had never scored a free-kick before for City and at Barcelona he was probably behind Carles Puyol in the pecking order.

Bolt for the Blues: Yaya Toure hit his free-kick with real pace and power during Man City's win against Fulham

It’s easy to forget that in Spain, Toure was mainly a defensive midfielder. He has now evolved into the complete player. Though he may not have been at his powerful best against Fulham, he is still an absolute machine and when he gets going, he’s like a train in that midfield. There were worries last season that he was a bit heavy and sluggish, but great credit to Manuel Pellegrini for getting him sharp this season.

He is so skilful for such a big player, and when Toure is on the charge, it’s like poetry in motion. There’s no better sight in football.

Poetry in motion: Toure bends the ball towards goal as team-mate Aleksandar Kolarov watches on

Vast improvement: Yaya Toure has scored four of the five free-kicks he's taken so far this season

The end of player power?

Yohan Cabaye has been in great form for Newcastle, which only goes to show how important it is to keep hold of your best players. Cabaye has long been linked with a move to Manchester United, but he stayed put and Newcastle are reaping the rewards.



People used to worry that players were becoming too powerful in demanding transfers, but clubs are standing up to them now.



Great form: Newcastle were determined to keep hold of midfielder Yohan Cabaye during the summer

Gareth Bale may have left Spurs, but Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez have stayed with their clubs despite a lot of uncertainty and look how well they are playing this season.

It’s the same with Cabaye. He took his goal well against Palace and it was similar to the one he scored at Old Trafford. He is good on the ball, he tackles well and now he’s adding goals to his game.



The trouble is if he keeps it up, the transfer rumours won’t go away. It’s up to Newcastle to try and hang on to him, but with more of the league’s top stars staying put, it looks like player power could be dead.

Staying put: Luis Suarez and Wayne Rooney stated a desire to leave their respective clubs during the summer



Keep up Ron

We all know Luis Suarez is scoring for fun, but it might be a surprise to see he’s outscoring the world’s best this season.

Surprising: Liverpool frontman Luis Suarez is outscoring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi this term

In with the new, but don't forget the old

Stoke are changing the way they play under Mark Hughes, but you should not ignore the talent you already have.

Peter Crouch might not quite fit the new passing style, but he is a good player. Since the start of November, he has started each of Stoke’s eight league games. They’ve lost only once at Everton.

I played with Crouch at Southampton and when you’ve got a player like him, you can afford to be direct, but he’s a good technical footballer. A goal and an assist against Aston Villa showed his ability and with Abbey Clancy’s win on Strictly, it was a good weekend in the Crouch household!

Back then: Sportsmail columnist Jamie Redknapp played with frontman Peter Crouch at Southampton





SUPER STAT

Five of Everton’s last 11 goals have come from their full backs.

Inside Knowledge

After two great goals on his full league debut against Sunderland, Adnan Januzaj was the name on everyone’s lips. Now the boy’s back again. He took his goal so well against West Ham and his all-round game was excellent.

He’s lighting up Old Trafford and is one of United’s go-to players, so I’ve got no doubt that as he develops he will come inside and play more centrally, just like Ronaldo. It would be a waste of his talent if he stayed out wide.

Talent: Manchester United youngster Adnan Januzaj scored against West Ham and impressed throughout

Ashley Young has come on and scored two good goals in his last two games, but Januzaj looks streets ahead of him.

Some young players, like Ronaldo and Rooney, come along at a different level.