It’s time we stopped laughing at Tim Sherwood, he might be as good as he thinks he is

The media portray Sherwood as a clown, an endless source of golden soundbites and touchline drama, while the Villa boss also remains the no.1 victim of the vine.

And it’s not without reason. After all, when Sherwood was appointed Tottenham manager, the 46-year-old carried an air of arrogance. Sherwood would argue it was confidence, self-belief, an unrivalled desire to succeed. Whatever it was, it rubbed people up the wrong way.

The reason behind the Premier League winner’s demeanour was his performance and record whilst in charge of Tottenham’s development squad. Sherwood led Spurs' Under-21 side in the inaugural Under-21 Premier League season, guiding them to finish top in both group and elite stages.

His first taste at management was a roaring success and, having been given full control of the development squad, would have been used to doing things his way. Understandable, then, that when he was handed the reins to the first team he wanted to put his own stamp on things.

But with that came cocky press conferences, bizarre interactions with fans, the Gillet and his “second-to-none” win ratio.

“My win percentage is the best of any Tottenham manager. I'm the best manager this club's ever seen,” he said during his tenure at White Hart Lane.

But it was the antics and insistence on becoming the centre of attention that undermined his ability to manage one of the biggest football clubs in the country.

So it came as no surprise to see Sherwood arrive at Villa Park surrounded by media holding out for his latest meaningless utterance – one with a claret and blue slant – while Villa fans waited anxiously to see what was to become of their relegation-threatened side.

And from his first press conference it was like he’d barely been away at all as the one-liners began to roll out of his brutally honest mouth. The Sherwood that football fans had, for their sins, missed was back. The charm and the wit remained, but it appeared that the arrogance had been left back in north London.

The vast difference in fortunes, and league position, of the side that he'd departed to the side that he'd taken over meant that Sherwood's agenda had changed. No longer was he out to prove a point, but it was abundantly clear from the start that his only mission was to ensure one of the founding members of the football league retained their top-flight status.

There were sighs of discontent from large sections of Villa fans when it was announced that Sherwood would replace Paul Lambert, with many stating that the appointment lacked ambition and that the man did not have the credentials to take a club forward. But during the hiring process owner Randy Lerner probably wasn't thinking too far into the future. It was in the American billionaire's best interests to appoint a manager that would keep Villa in the Premier League - not just for the sake of the club but so that he could recuperate as much of the money he's plunged into it when a potential suitor eventually comes along. After all, a club playing in England's top flight is a far more attractive proposition and worth considerably more than one that is competing in the Championship.

Lerner believed that Sherwood was the man to lead Villa away from the relegation zone and he has done just that. Since his first game in charge, a 2-1 home defeat to Stoke, Villa have played with an urgency and desire that was so lacking in the final 12 months of Lambert's tenure. And more importantly the players have regained a confidence that has seen them win five of their last eight matches in all competitions – including the spectacular win over Liverpool at Wembley that earned the team a place in the FA Cup final.

The former Spurs boss hasn’t worked miracles in the Midlands but he has instilled belief in a side that had won just five league matches and sat 19th in the table prior to his appointment.

It’s no secret that Sherwood is a big believer in man-management – after all, he was able to get the best out of mercurial Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor. The 46-year-old has done the same with Christian Benteke, who had a rather forgettable season before March. The Belgian now has nine goals in his last eight appearances.

Under Sherwood Villa have become a difficult team to beat and they fully deserved their 2-1 victory in the FA Cup semi-final. They played with a pace and freedom that saw them out-battle and out-wit Liverpool in every area of the famous Wembley pitch. Villa will return to northwest London on May 30 to contest their first bit of silverware in 5 years but must now turn their attention to league proceedings.

Sherwood has six games to achieve his one aim – safety – but if they continue in the same vein then that really should be no trouble at all. Of the bottom six teams, the Villans are favourites to avoid the drop, thanks only to Sherwood’s impact. In six weeks Villa have gone from staring down the barrel of relegation to near-safety with a chance of winning their first trophy in 19 years and first FA Cup since 1957.

Sherwood’s outspoken and rather wacky nature has seen him become the most ridiculed manager in the Premier League, but if he does indeed manage to steer Villa to safety and even somehow past Arsenal in the final then we may just have to start taking him seriously.