QPR must ignore Tim Sherwood pleas over manager role | OneFootball

The former Spurs captain has been repeatedly linked with QPR over the years, but FLW's Rangers correspondent has serious reservations.

The name of the former Spurs and Blackburn Rovers captain Tim Sherwood has been repeatedly linked with the QPR managerial job over the years, but FLW's Rangers correspondent doesn't want him at Loftus Road.

If nothing else, Queens Park Rangers have been inconsistent throughout the 2025-26 season. They spent a small amount of time in the relegation places and a small amount of time in the play-off places. They lost 7-1 to Coventry City and 5-0 at Southampton, but beat Portsmouth 6-1 and Leicester City 4-1.

Head coach Julien Stephan was only appointed into his position last summer, but his team's failure to challenge for a play-off place could even put his position at risk, even though his team could be on for their first top-half finish in the Championship since 2022.

One name that has been repeatedly linked with Queens Park Rangers is that of the former Spurs and Blackburn Rovers captain Tim Sherwood. It would appear that Sherwood could be tempted to take the manager's job at Loftus Road, were it to become available. Speaking recently to Sky Sports, he said of the Rangers position: "I always fancied that job because I thought with the tight ground and everyone on top of you, you can get that bouncing if you get some results going. Never say never."

"I don't think he's all that" - QPR warned against appointing Tim Sherwood

Football League World have spoken to our QPR fan pundit Louis Moir about the possibility of Sherwood ever managing his club, and it's reasonable to say that Louis was unenthusiastic: "I don't think any Queens Park Rangers fan would be very pleased with Tim Sherwood managing the club. Every time we were in need of a new manager his name always cropped up. There was nothing in the works, but his name appeared all the time."

Louis cannot understand why this particular name always seemed to be associated with his club, particularly because Sherwood hasn't had much of a managerial career: "I was sick of seeing his name. He was at Tottenham for a bit and at Villa for a bit, but since then he hasn't really done anything and how can you trust a manager who hasn't been in work for years? Why hasn't a club taken a punt on him since then?"

And it's this lack of experience - and the amount of time since Sherwood was last involved at a club - which is Louis's biggest concern: "I don't think he's all that. I don't think he's really a good manager. That might sound harsh, but he's not really done anything. He wasn't at the two clubs he has managed for that long. I suppose you can't judge him properly, but why has he not gone into management after all these years?"

Ultimately, Louis feels that the game has moved on since Sherwood was last a manager, and that Queens Park Rangers would be better advised to keep following the path that they've chosen to follow in recent years: "There were rumours every time the QPR job came up, but I think those days are gone. I don't particularly think he would have been any good and I don't think he'd be any good now, so I think we've got to stick with our plan for management and recruitment, what seems more the European way, which suits our way of working as a modern club. I don't think Tim Sherwood is a name who would please fans, and certainly wouldn't please me."

Tim Sherwood has no previous connection with QPR, which makes his former links with the club perplexing

Tim Sherwood's recurring association with the Queens Park Rangers managerial position is perplexing, if for no other reason than that he has no previous connection with the club other than that of mutual ex-teammates. Sherwood was originally a product of the Watford academy, and having made his senior debut for the Hornets in 1989, he went on to play for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth and Coventry, before retiring from playing in 2005. He also won three England caps.

Sherwood's managerial was brief and patchy. He joined the Spurs coaching staff in 2008, becoming the club's technical director four years later. He was appointed as the first team head coach in December 2013, following the departure of Andre Villa Boas, but was sacked the following May, with his team having just finished 6th in the Premier League.

The following February, he was appointed at Aston Villa as their replacement for Paul Lambert. He took Villa to the FA Cup final that year, but once there they lost 4-0 to Arsenal, and he was sacked in October 2015 following six consecutive defeats, which left Villa bottom of the Premier League. He hasn't managed since, with only a brief spell as the director of football at Swindon Town between November 2016 and May 2017, which ended when Swindon were relegated into League Two.

It has, then, been almost nine years since Tim Sherwood has been involved at a football club, and more than a decade since he last managed one. His entire managerial career amounted to just 56 matches, and his record at both Spurs and Aston Villa was not great. He was a fine player who had an illustrious playing career, and was the captain of Blackburn's 1994-95 Premier League-winning team. But there is little in his managerial record to suggest that QPR should appoint him, in the event that they decide that things haven't worked out with Julien Stephan.