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Sherwood: Players telling me I'll be sacked

Tim Sherwood is 'desperate' to seal a Europa League spot © Getty Images

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Tottenham head coach Tim Sherwood has revealed that his own players are telling him that he will be sacked at the end of the season.

Spurs midfielder Sandro told ESPN he was looking forward to Sherwood's departure earlier this week, with the pair having fallen out this season.

To Sherwood's annoyance, Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino, Ajax's Frank de Boer and Everton's Roberto Martinez have all linked with the White Hart Lane post.

In response to questions about Sandro's comments, Sherwood said: "If I need any information I'm better off asking the players, he is not the first player to have asked me.

Martinez flattered with Spurs link

Roberto Martinez has guided Everton to fifth this season © Getty Images

• Everton manager Roberto Martinez has admitted he is flattered by being linked with the Tottenham job.
• Martinez has been tipped to replace Spurs manager Tim Sherwood in the summer after guiding Everton to fifth in the Premier League table and says the interest is a vindication of the hard work of everyone at Goodison Park this season.
• "Any speculation I take as a real football compliment," said Martinez. "This is the time you get rumours about the next moves. That means we have done something right."
• Click here to read the full story

"He hasn't actually asked me, he has just given his opinion to someone.

"I'm not sure if the chairman has spoken to Sandro, but obviously someone has told him, the players see a lot of speculation don't they.

"It begins to be more than that, I have had a lot of players come to me and say their agents have told them that I'm not going to be here next year, it is a very difficult situation but I have got to get on with it."

Sherwood has been forced to deal with constant speculation about his future in the job since he succeeded Andre Villas-Boas as Spurs boss last December, even though he was handed an 18-month contract by White Hart Lane officials that runs until the summer of 2015.

"If you have a supply teacher who comes into your school, sometimes they're not treated with the respect that a headmaster is," Sherwood added.

"I think I've done alright. It's a difficult situation taking over when I did with someone else's players. It's a good squad, but we have had a lot of injuries and key players have been missing an awful lot.

"I think my win percentage stands on its own, it's up there, it's better than anyone's [former Spurs managers] in the Premier League, so what more could I have done really? I'm happy with what I've done.

"Obviously we want to beat the bigger teams and against the top four that would have been nice, but you've got to play every team, so it doesn't matter how many times you beat Man City or Liverpool, you've got to play the rest and you've got to put them away.

"Our points accumulated over the period of them when I've been at the club probably takes us into the top four, so I'm not sure if I could have done too much more.

"People will always judge on what I've come in and done. You're absolutely right, it's imperative to have a pre-season and bed your ideas in. And also I'm doing it with a lot of uncertainty around my future."

I think Tottenham's treatment of Tim Sherwood has been shabby in the extreme!

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) May 9, 2014

If the fella is to lose his job, then say as much. If he's to stay, then say as much.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) May 9, 2014

Sherwood went on to conclude that he does not yet have a meeting in the diary to discuss his future with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, as he did his best to insist his eyes remain on Sunday's final game against Aston Villa.

"We are focusing on this last game against Villa we want a positive result and then we will sit down and have a chat," added Sherwood, who insisted he was "desperate" to secure Spurs a top six finish and a place in next season's Europa League.

"I have to wait to see the chairman and see what the future holds. We have already discussed pre-season and I gave a list of players to the chairman and to [sporting director] Franco Baldini of who I recommend we keep, who I recommend leave and who I recommend come in. They haven't given me an indication how they are moving forward with that."

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