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You sense the vibrant atmosphere at Villa Park these days.

The West Midlands rendition of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" bellows from the Holte End as the Aston Villa players come out. There is an air of expectancy and excitement.

And it is in direct contrast to the sense of gloom that surrounded the club until the arrival of of Tim Sherwood as manager in February.

There is an urban myth that Villa cancelled an in­-house Goal of the Month competition earlier in the season - because they had not scored a goal. Relegation was a "when" not an "if".

Now there is optimism. They rose to the dizzy heights of 14th in the Premier League after the 3-2 win over Everton last Saturday and at the end of the season they have an FA Cup final against Arsenal.

In pictures - Aston Villa 3-2 Everton:

No question – Sherwood has revived Villa. He would never claim to be a tactical mastermind but, there again, neither was the late, great Brian Clough. His memorable instructions to his central defenders Larry Lloyd and Kenny Burns were: "There is only one ball coming into our area. Get your head to it!"

Sherwood is of that school. He wants defenders to out bodies on the line. He wants midfield players to tackle, pass - ­ “and not just pass for the sake of it,” – and create. He wants crosses on which the giant Christian Benteke can thrive. It is a simple formula but damn effective.

Sherwood excels in man­-management. They say the art of management is to make people feel big, not small and he has certainly achieved that.

(Image: Action Images)

Fabian Delph is like a man possessed. Ron Vlaar is like a warrior at the back. Tom Cleverley is back to his marauding best and Benteke is simply formidable. Sherwood has the knack of bringing the best from people.

And you can be sure that the dressing room is a noisy one. As a player, Sherwood was never short of a word and that is why George Graham signed him for Tottenham in February 1999.

“We were too nice, too quiet as a squad,” Graham explained. That changed the moment when Sherwood arrived.

And with him now is Tony Parks. Parks is ostensibly the goalkeeping coach but he is much more than that. If there is a discussion to be had with a fourth official or linesman, you can be sure Parks will be in his ear. Just watch him on the touchline.

(Image: Reuters)

The Villa dressing room is now a busy, lively place where home truths are told – and they will not be whispered.

As things stand, Sherwood was the right appointment at the right time. Liverpool were outclassed in the FA Cup semi­-final and the omens are good for Premier League survival.

Tactics will take you so far. It is players reproducing their best that are the key to success.

Sherwood, Parks and the excellent coach Kevin MacDonald are ensuring that is the case more often than not.