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Few English players at Man City, Chelsea 'depressing' - Dyke
Sun May 11, 2014 4:22am BST
Manchester City's Edin Dzeko (C) celebrates after scoring a goal against Aston Villa during their English Premier League soccer match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northern England May 7, 2014. REUTERS/Phil Noble
(Reuters) - The paucity of English players at champions-in-waiting Manchester City and Premier League rivals Chelsea is "pretty depressing", according to Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Dyke.
Dyke is pushing an FA commission proposal to tighten visa requirements on foreign players while having Premier League clubs introduce B teams in lower divisions in a bid to improve the England national side.
While supported by the English players' association, the proposal has drawn widespread criticism from the leagues, who say it would damage their competitions.
"It's been a great league this year," Dyke told British media on Saturday.
"I think the Premiership has been brilliant. But I think there are probably two England players playing at City and two or three at Chelsea - although there won't be that many next year – that's pretty depressing.
"I think the figures that we produced, that the top four clubs last year averaged 29 percent English players starting last year, down to 23 percent this year, I think we should be worried about that."
Top of the table City have marched to the brink of their second Premier League title in three seasons with only two England players in Joe Hart and James Milner playing regularly.
Third-placed Chelsea can boast three capped England players making regular appearances in John Terry, Gary Cahill and Frank Lampard.
Dyke said Premier League club owners were wondering why they would throw money into academies to develop home-grown talent when so few locals were breaking into first teams.
"What do they care about? A lot of them, because they're spending a lot of money on academy programmes, are saying: 'But hang on, what am I getting back for this?'" he said.
"When Chelsea have not had a player out of their academy and into their first team consistently since John Terry you wonder, well, hang on, this is probably the most expensive academy in Britain.
"I always love England because it's so opposed to any change," he added. "And yet you have to say: 'Well, hang on, guys. We might have the best league in the world but we haven't got the best development programme in the world by any means.'"
The FA commission's plan includes the creation of a new 'League Three' to be initially made up of 10 Premier League B teams and 10 sides from the cream of minor league football, with clubs promoted and relegated between the tiers.
The plan is based on the structure of Spanish and German football, where younger players play competitively on a regular basis.
Dyke said as well as City, Manchester United, Stoke City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, "four or five" other clubs were in favour of the plan.
The commission's proposal will be discussed by the leagues in July. Premier League boss Richard Scudamore is a vocal opponent.
"It's all right sitting there saying we won't change anything," Dyke said. "And in 15 years' time there are only 15 percent of the players in the Premier League who are English and we haven't got an England team."
(Writing by Ian Ransom; Editing by Patrick Johnston)
Premier League boss Scudamore apologises for sexist emails
LONDON Sun May 11, 2014 2:27pm BST
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore arrives for a Premier League panel hearing in central London April 27, 2007. REUTERS/Toby Melville
(Reuters) - Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has apologised for his "inappropriate" emails containing sexist language that were leaked to a Sunday newspaper in Britain by his former PA.
In a statement, Scudamore said: "I accept the contents are inappropriate and apologise for any offence caused, particularly to the former employee. It was an error of judgment that I will not make again.
"These were private emails exchanged between colleagues and friends of many years.
"They were received from and sent to my private and confidential email address, which a temporary employee who was with the organisation for only a matter of weeks should not have accessed and was under no instruction to do so."
Scudamore was due to speak on BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday morning but cancelled the appointment for "legal reasons" following the publication of the story in the Sunday Mirror.
The bureaucrat, who earns more than 1.2 million pounds a year and has helped make the Premier League the most lucrative footballleague in the world with a current global TV rights deal worth more than 3.0 billion pounds, faces accusations of hypocrisy having regularly championed equality for women in football.
He has allied the Premier League with initiatives started by the FA and Sport England to promote a new FA Women and Girls programme with a 2.4 million pounds investment over two years.
He has also publicly claimed the league strives to be at "the leading edge" of the "whole equality agenda".
However, his former PA gave explicit examples of insulting and sexist language about women.
She told the newspaper his emails were sent to her automatically while she was working for him at the Premier League last October so she could arrange his diary.
Conservative MP Tracey Crouch, a qualified FA coach and the manager of a girls team, said: "It's disappointing at a time when he's trying to encourage more women to play football that he is using derogatory terminology like this.
"It is important that someone who is promoting the women's game shouldn't' be using language like this."
By Tom J Doyle at White Hart Lane
May 11, 2014 9:46:00 PM
The Spurs boss thinks the sale of Gareth Bale meant they could never realistically qualify for the Champions League and issued an ultimatum with his future at the club uncertain
Tottenham head coach Tim Sherwood says he regrets taking charge of the club as his time in the dug-out looks set to end.
Spurs beat Aston Villa 3-0 on the final day of the Premier League season to secure sixth place and Europa League football next season, but the 45-year-old believes the club was wrong to ever consider themselves as contenders for a Champions League spot, let alone a title bid.
Goal revealed last month that Tottenham have decided to replace Sherwood this summer, and the 45-year-old has stated he either needs a contract extension or will leave White Hart Lane of his own accord to manage elsewhere.
"[The hype] was ridiculous," he told reporters. "We're talking about taking out one of the best players in the world in Gareth Bale and replacing him with seven players who have never ever played in this competition previously.
"How on earth did we expect to be title challengers? I can understand why from the outside, if you don't know the game from the outside, that they would just hit the floor running - it doesn't happen, they need time.
"The club will be better with those seven players next season, because they will have had a season playing in this competition, the experience of it, and they will improve from it.
"But to take out a real match-winner - eight winning goals [Bale] scored last season, 21 goals; Jermain Defoe, 10 goals; Clint Dempsey, eight goals - look at all the goals you are taking away. What are you replacing them with?
"You're replacing him with [Emmanuel] Adebayor who didn't get a start, who wouldn't kick a ball for the club until I took over, and he was the only proven Premier League goalscorer that we had, and [Roberto] Soldado, who is going to take time to settle.
"It's impossible to start thinking about wining the championship, or even top four. As much as I don't want to pour water over it, that's a fact.
"If you talk to people who know, it's impossible. We've qualified for the Champions League once - once. We've got no divine right to qualify for the Champions League.
"Where we finished for the Europa League - in sixth - is where we should be, and where we are. We all want to aspire to be in the top four and win championships, be we ain't getting there at the moment."
"We ain't getting there with what we've got, and to remove a match winner like Gareth Bale out of that squad, then we shouldn't have expected it."
Asked whether he needed a new contract, Sherwood stated: "I think that's very difficult [to manage a team with a one-year contract] because you're in the same situation again, aren't you? You're a supply teacher.
"Iit can only be that [a new deal or a departure]. It will be interesting to see how I've been judged. If I'm to leave, it can't be on results. If I knew it was only five months I wouldn't have done it, to be perfectly honest.
"I think [a quick decision] makes sense. I haven't spoken to Daniel [Levy] about what the future holds, but if I knew any more I'd tell you.
"I think it's a 59 percent win ratio in the Premier League and if I had started the season [as manager] we'd be in the Champions League.
Sherwood was philosophical when asked if the match would be his last in charge, saying: "If it is, life goes on. There were no tears shed out there. This club means a lot to me, but if I'm not to continue here as a manager, I'll be somewhere else."
Aston Villa's new owner, businessman Randy Lerner of the U.S. (L), watches from the stand with an unidentified guest during their League Cup soccer match against Scunthorpe, northern England, September 20, 2006. REUTERS-Stringer
(Reuters) - American owner Randy Lerner has put English Premier League football club Aston Villa up for sale after another disappointing season for the former European champions.
Lerner, former owner of the Cleveland Browns NFL team, took over Villa in 2006 but said he had grown tired of the side's struggles with injuries and recent rumours that he planned to sell up.
"Now is the time for me to look for new ownership and thus new leadership," said Lerner, adding that Bank of America Merrill Lynch had been hired to advise on the sale.
"I owe it to Villa to move on, and look for fresh, invigorated leadership, if in my heart I feel I can no longer do the job," he added.
The asking price is likely to be somewhere in the region of 150-200 million pounds and the sale process will test how much appetite there is among investors for mid-ranking teams in the Premier League.
There was speculation on social media that billionaire Oracle owner Larry Ellison could buy the club but the hiring of a bank indicated that Lerner would be casting the net wide for a potential purchaser.
Villa, based in the city of Birmingham, finished 15th in the 20-team Premier League after the final round of matches on Sunday.
The club lost more than 50 million pounds in 2012-13 but said its finances had improved over the past year as the Premier League enjoys lucrative new television contracts.
The club is forecasting revenues of around 116 million pounds for the year to the end of May 2014 and operating profit of about 17 million pounds.
Villa have won the English title seven times but the last of those triumphs came in 1981. They won the European Cup in the following season and their last major trophy was the League Cup in 1996.
Lerner is one of a number of Americans who own Premier League soccer clubs.
Investors like the Glazer family at Manchester United, Arsenal's Stan Kroenke and John W. Henry at Liverpool have been attracted by the League's ability to generate TV cash and support from fans all over the world.
However, Fulham, owned by U.S. businessman Shahid Khan, have just been relegated from the Premier League and will have to live with lower revenues in the second tier.
The Spaniard was appointed in January but has left The Hawthorns by "mutual consent" despite the club avoiding relegation on the final day of the Premier League season
West Brom have parted company with manager Pepe Mel following the conclusion of the Premier League season.
The Spaniard was appointed in January succeeding Steve Clarke and steered the Baggies to safety, with the club finishing the season in 17th-place.
Yet West Brom have announced that the club have now “parted company” with the 51-year-old.
A statement on their official website read: “West Bromwich Albion have parted company with Pepe Mel by mutual consent.
“Both parties have decided to go their separate ways following talks between the Board of Directors and the Head Coach today.”
Sporting and technical director Richard Garlick added: “We would like to thank Pepe for his efforts over the past four months in helping to keep the Club in the Premier League and wish him well for the future.
“Both Pepe and the Club set out with the best intentions of making the appointment work. However, having reflected on events both on and off the field during our talks today, it became apparent that it was in the best interests of both parties for there to be an amicable parting.
“We are grateful for the manner in which the existing coaching staff and players have rallied behind Pepe to get the Club over the line in what has proved an extremely competitive division.”
Garlick confirmed the search for a new manager has already begun, and claimed “lessons have been learned” from a “disappointing” season.
“Although we have managed to achieve a fifth successive season of Premier League football, it has been a very disappointing campaign and lessons have been learned,” he added.
“The search for a new Head Coach has now begun. We aim to find the most suitable candidate who, with the support of the structure we have had in place for six years and are presently strengthening, will enable the Club to be more competitive next season.”
Mel oversaw three wins from 17 games during his time in charge at the Hawthorns and had previously spoken of the uncertainty surrounding his future.
The Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal reacts during a news conference in Hoenderloo May 13, 2014. REUTERS/Michael Kooren
(Reuters) - Louis van Gaal refused to answer questions on Tuesday about his possible appointment as the new Manchester United manager as speculation mounted over an imminent announcement.
The Netherlands coach turned down several chances to talk about a move to Old Trafford during a news conference in Hoenderloo, where the Dutch squad is holding a pre-World Cup training camp.
"I'm here as Dutch national team coach, not the future Manchester United coach," Van Gaal said.
"You must wait until the process is complete. If you want to know more, then you must be at Manchester United or any other club," he added in a testy exchange with reporters.
He also declined to reveal his plans for Wednesday, when there is a day off for the Dutch players at the camp, prompting speculation that it might allow the 62-year-old to fly to England to sign a contract.
"Are you getting on a plane tomorrow?" a reporter asked.
"Ask Manchester, I don't know," Van Gaal said. "Now there will be press sitting (outside my) house tomorrow to see what I'm doing.
"I said a few words last week about Manchester United because there were uninvited English journalists here and I thought it would be a little mean spirited if I did not answer a few of their questions.
"I mumbled a few words to them and from that they write 60 full pages. But you can't do anything about it."
On Wednesday last week Van Gaal told English journalists that he "would love" the United job, and that "I hope I shall be the one" chosen as their new manager.
He also aimed a put-down at a BBC reporter who asked him what he knew about Manchester United. "That's a stupid question," said Van Gaal, whose relations with the media are rarely relaxed.
United are looking for a new manager after sacking David Moyes in April. Ryan Giggs took temporary charge of the team for the final four Premier League games of the season, as United finished seventh and missed out on qualification for European competition.
(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Stephen Wood)
Tottenham Hotspur's manager Tim Sherwood reacts during their English Premier League soccer match against West Ham United at Upton Park in London, May 3, 2014. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
(Reuters) - Tim Sherwood became the latest Tottenham Hotspur manager to fall foul of the north London Premier League club's sky-high expectations when he was sacked on Tuesday after six months in charge.
The 45-year-old replaced Portuguese Andre Villas-Boas in December after a spending spree fuelled by the world-record sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid failed to propel them to new heights and they were seventh in the table after thrashings by Liverpool and Manchester City.
"It is obviously a massive wrench to leave a club of the stature of Tottenham Hotspur, a club very close to my heart," he told Sky Sports News.
Sherwood signed an 18-month contract when he took over as manager but was widely expected to leave at the end of the season, despite leading them to sixth place and another season in the second-tier Europa League.
"We appointed Tim mid-season as someone who knew both the players and the club," chairman Daniel Levy said in a statement.
"We agreed an 18-month contract with a break clause at the end of the season and we have now exercised that option."
Sherwood, who played nearly 100 league matches in midfield for Spurs after winning the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers, rejoined the club as assistant first-team coach in 2008 and progressed through the ranks until he was handed his first senior management role.
Speculation had mounted in recent months that Sherwood would not last beyond this season, despite having the highest winning percentage of any Spurs manager in the Premier League era.
He never appeared to have the full backing of the notoriously ruthless Levy, who has now used eight managers and two caretaker bosses in his 13 years at the club and failed to acknowledge Sherwood in his end-of-season message to supporters.
SUPPLY TEACHER
Frank de Boer of Ajax Amsterdam and Southampton's Mauricio Pochettino have been linked with the job, with Sherwood saying last week he felt like a "supply teacher".
"On behalf of the club, I should like to state our thanks for all his efforts during his years with us," Levy said.
"We wish him great success in his managerial career.
"Moving forward, now the season is over, we shall embark on the process of finding a new head coach. We have a talented squad and exciting young players coming through. We need to build on this season, develop our potential and inspire the kind of performances that we associate with our great club."
Spurs are desperate for regular Champions League appearances and following the sale of Bale they signed seven players, many with big reputations but none with English experience.
The likes of Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado failed to fire, although Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen and Romanian centre back Vlad Chiriches showed towards the end of the season that they were getting to grips with the Premier League.
Helping the new arrivals settle appeared beyond Villas-Boas, and arguably Sherwood's biggest triumph, alongside bringing youngsters like forward Harry Kane and Algerian midfielder Nabil Bentaleb into the first team, was getting the best out of enigmatic striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who had been frozen out under the previous regime.
Having had no senior management experience, Sherwood wore his heart on his sleeve, accusing some of his players of "lacking guts" after a 4-0 defeat at Chelsea in March.
He was often pictured hurling clothes or kicking water bottles on the sideline.
During Sunday's 3-0 win over Aston Villa he invited a fan to briefly sit in the dug-out, indicative of his approach to the game that found favour with some but failed to convince many he had the skills to take Spurs to the next level.
Keane launches scathing attack on Manchester United flops
By Alex Young
May 14, 2014 8:47:00 AM
A whole host of players as well as Ed Woodward were targeted by the ex-captain's ire, but he feels David Moyes deserved more time to impress
Roy Keane has launched a scathing attack on Manchester United's season, highlighting Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Michael Carrick's performances before defending David Moyes' 10-month reign.
The two defenders were named in Roy Hodgson's England squad for the World Cup on Monday, with Carrick on the stand-by list, but the former captain feels the pair have "gone backwards" in their development.
"We were told two or three years ago Jones was going to be the new Duncan Edwards," he told reporters. "Smalling was this ... I've watched United live nine, 10 times this year and they have been none of those things.
"If anything I think they have gone backwards ... You say you have to give players a chance to mature but also you've got players who you say we've given you a chance and you're not taking it.
"They need to do a lot better if they want to cement their place at United and United to win trophies. Jones needs to toughen up. Every time I see him he is getting carried off. He's got to toughen up - he's playing for United."
Keane, meanwhile, feels Carrick deserved to miss on the 23-man squad for Brazil after an underwhelming season, adding: "I bet you he wasn’t shocked he was left out."
"You can’t fall back on what players did two years ago because if you are not performing or if there is competition in the same position then that is the nature of the beast. You are going to be left out."
Keane also had little sympathy for his former team-mate Rio Ferdinand who called time on his glittering 12-year United career earlier this week amid little fanfare, instead choosing to release a statement on his personal website.
"That might have suited him," he said. "Not everybody wants to wander around the pitch waving and crying. It's not about walking on the pitch - I don't know where you're going with this one.
"He didn't have a chance to say goodbye? You can say goodbye on Twitter, can't you?"
One person who did not feel Keane's wrath was ex-manager Moyes, who was sacked following a disastrous debut campaign.
But Keane feels vice-president Ed Woodward should be blamed for United's worst ever Premier League season after failing to land key targets during the summer transfer window.
He said: "[Moyes] had one transfer window, and it's not always down to the manager when players don't come in. I think Ed Woodward needs to look at himself. He's got to get deals done.
"I think he should have been given more time. I was happy with David Moyes. I think [Louis] van Gaal is a good choice. Only time will tell. He's managed big clubs."
Swansea would only consider Bony sale for 'an astronomical fee'
By Harry West
May 13, 2014 11:34:00 PM
The Ivorian has enjoyed a stunning debut season, scoring 17 Premier League goals, and his manager insists the club have no desire to sell this summer
Garry Monk insists Swansea City are not looking to sell Wilfried Bony, after the Ivorian's impressive debut season in the Premier League.
Bony joined the Liberty Stadium club from Vitesse at the start of the campaign, and netted 17 league goals in 34 appearances to secure Swansea's top-flight status for another year.
The forward scored five times in the last four matches to lead the club to survival and Monk, who was given a three-year contract as permanent boss before the final game of the season, says it will take "an astronomical fee" to covince the club to sell up.
"I think we can hold on to him," he told talkSPORT. "He's a good guy but money talks.
"It would have to be an astronomical fee for him to leave though and we're not a selling club.
"We're not in any debt. We don't need to lose anyone so we're in a strong position.
"He's a proper professional. He's not the sort of player to take it easy.
"Every single day he pushes himself and everyone around him. The more players you have in your squad, the better you're going to be."
Suarez on Liverpool exit rumours: ‘It's more speculation than reality’
By Chris Davie
May 14, 2014 6:01:00 PM
The Uruguay international says he is fully focused on the World Cup and insists there is no clause in his contract which allows him a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid
Luis Suarez insists reports linking him with a move away from Liverpool this summer are "more speculation than reality".
The Uruguay international denies that he has a clause in his contract which would allow him a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid and says he “turns the page” every time he sees a report suggesting he will leave Anfield.
"My head now is focused on the World Cup,” Suarez said at a sponsor's event for 888 Poker.
“I had a very good season with Liverpool but now I am focused on the World Cup. Everyone knows that there is always too much media speculation.
“You know what the press is like, how they speculate, and you try to not take any notice. I know what I want. My agent tells me what's there and what's not. It's more speculation than reality."
When asked about a potential clause in his contract, Suarez replied: "No, no, not as far as I am aware. There is no clause that suggests a priority for a specific team."
Suarez left the pitch in tears following Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace which allowed Manchester City to tighten their grip at the top of the Premier League and the forward admits his side lacked concentration in the final stages of the title race.
"I was so angry on the inside," said the 27-year-old.
"A week before we had real hopes of winning the league and after the Palace game, we knew that it had gone. We had lost the chance.
“I felt frustration and rage at the fact that the opportunity had been lost. I covered my face because I was so hurt and frustrated. I preferred people not to see me.
“We did everything we could; every player gave absolutely everything. The key game was against Chelsea. We lacked a little of... not luck, exactly, but a bit of concentration."
But despite Liverpool narrowly losing out to Manchester City, Suarez praised the club’s “magnificent season”.
"No one imagined that we could win the league,” said Suarez.
“If you had asked us at the start of the season, we would have paid to be in that position. City and Chelsea lost points and we kept on winning.
"In the end it was a pity: we had the opportunity but didn't take it. But if you look at the previous years, at what Liverpool had done before and at what we did this season, it was a magnificent season.
"When we started the season the target was to finish in the top four. To get back into the Champions League, and to finish second, is a great for us."
Premier League committee to discuss Scudamore emails
LONDON Wed May 14, 2014 6:25pm BST
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore arrives for a Premier League panel hearing in central London April 27, 2007. REUTERS/Toby Melville
(Reuters) - A Premier League committee will meet next week and is expected to decide what action, if any, to take against chief executive Richard Scudamore over sexist emails he sent.
The Premier League is coming under mounting pressure to act after a Sunday newspaper revealed details of private emails, exposed by a female employee, that the 54-year-old Scudamore sent to friends.
The situation is expected to be high on the agenda when the audit and remuneration committee, led by Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, next meets.
"There is a standing meeting of the A&R committee scheduled next week and the issue may be discussed," a Premier League spokesman said.
Scudamore, who has previously backed equality for women in football, has apologised for comments that were described as "completely unacceptable" by Sports Minister Helen Grant.
The Football Association has said the matter is for the Premier League to deal with, although chairman Greg Dyke described the content of the emails as "totally inappropriate".
Heather Rabbatts, who chairs the FA's Inclusion Advisory Board, said a special meeting of the IAB would be held on Tuesday and asked the Premier League to respond before then on the steps it will take.
Australian Moya Dodd, one of three women on the executive committee of world football's governing body FIFA, told a panel at the Soccerex Asian Forum in Jordan this week that she was dismayed by Scudamore's comments.
"It's disappointing the way women are sometimes talked about when people think nobody's listening and nobody's watching," said Dodd, a lawyer who is also a vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation.
According to media reports, Scudamore - who has helped make the Premier League the most lucrative in the world since he took over as chief executive in 1999 - earns more than 1.2 million pounds a year.
The competition now has a global TV rights deal worth more than 5 billion pounds over three years.
Van der Sar considered for Manchester United return
May 15, 2014 1:18:00 AM
The Dutch former Old Trafford goalkeeper, who won multiple Premier League titles and the Champions League with the club, could take up a coaching role under Louis van Gaal
By Paul Clennam
Manchester United could turn to former No.1 Edwin van der Sar to take up the role of goalkeeping coach this summer.
The current occupant of that role, Chris Woods, who was brought to the club by David Moyes, was kept on despite the Scot's sacking and the departure of fellow backroom staff members Steve Round and Jimmy Lumsden.
But Woods is also now set to exit Old Trafford, with the arrival of Louis van Gaal as coach understood to be imminent.
Van der Sar was originally offered a coaching role by Sir Alex Ferguson prior to his retirement from playing in 2011, but turned down the job to spend more time with his family.
The former Netherlands international has remained an ambassador for the club, however, and took a Masters in sports management before becoming a marketing director at Ajax.
But Van Gaal, who coached Van der Sar and Ajax to a Champions League trophy in 1995, could persuade the 43-year-old to return to Old Trafford.
Van Gaal is also understood to have held talks with Ryan Giggs, who took temporary charge of the club following Moyes' sacking, on Wednesday.
Goal understands that the Dutchman is keen to keep Giggs at the club in a coaching capacity.
Sherwood wants quick return after Tottenham sacking
By Jack Davies
May 15, 2014 12:31:00 AM
The 45-year-old says that he was unsurprised when told of his departure from White Hart Lane after months of speculation but is keen to use the experience he gained
Tim Sherwood is eyeing a swift return to management after being sacked by Tottenham on Tuesday.
The 45-year-old moved up from his role in Spurs' youth setup to replace Andre Villas-Boas in December, eventually leading the club to sixth in the Premier League, but his tenure was littered with rumours that he would be replaced at the end of the campaign, despite signing an 18-month contract at White Hart Lane.
While Sherwood admits that chairman Daniel Levy's decision to dispense with him came as no surprise, he is keen to use what he learned in north London at another club before long.
"Put it this way: I didn't fall off my chair when he told me," he told ITV.
"It's obviously a disappointment to lose your job, a job I thought I'd done reasonably well in.
"I have to respect the decision of the club. It's a massive club and bigger than any manager that comes in so I fully respect their decision."
"It was a massive learning curve, my first opportunity to manage," Sherwood added.
"I've seen it all - wins, draws, losses, a few tantrums and the sack, which I didn't want to see, so I've experienced a lot in five months and certainly learnt a lot.
"I have to see if another door opens and onto the next, as they say.
"I like doing it. For anyone to want to do that job, [they] must be crazy but I knew what I was going into.
"It occupies your mind totally. I really liked it and really enjoyed it and I can't wait to get back in."
Ryan Giggs given chance to be Louis van Gaal's Manchester United No2
• Welshman meets Holland manager at latter's home
• Van Gaal's appointment could be announced on Thursday
Jamie Jackson
The Guardian, Wednesday 14 May 2014 22.40 BST
Ryan Giggs leaves his hotel in Noordwijk to go to Louis van Gaal's house to talk about becoming Manchester United No2. Photograph: Algemeen Dagblad/Marco Okhuizen
Ryan Giggs is set to accept the No2 position at Manchester United after being offered the role by Louis van Gaal following discussions at the Dutchman's house in his home town, Noordwijk.
With the future of United's most decorated player the last major detail to be thrashed out before Van Gaal's appointment, United hope to announce him as David Moyes's permanent successor on Thursday. While Giggs could yet decide to refuse the offer from Van Gaal, if he did so this would represent a major surprise as the Welshman is keen to remain at Old Trafford.
Although Giggs was photographed leaving the Hotel van Oranje in Noordwijk on Wednesday, it is understood that the 40-year-old's meeting with Van Gaal did not take place there. After flying out on Tuesday, Giggs stayed overnight at the Oranje before making the short journey to the 62-year-old Holland manager's home. There, in a discussion lasting around three hours, Giggs and Van Gaal met for the first time, although the two had spoken by telephone last week when the proposed offer to be United's assistant manager was first discussed.
Whether Giggs – who was at Old Trafford on Wednesday night to see United lose against Chelsea in the final of the Premier League Under-21s competition – will also play on to extend his career at the club into a 24th season is yet to emerge. He would like to continue, though Van Gaal may decide he wants his No2 to be non-playing so Giggs can focus solely on assisting him.
On Thursday Van Gaal returns to the Holland training camp he is holding in Hoenderloo, with Wednesday having been a break day for the Dutch-based players. Then, they will be joined by the rest of Van Gaal's squad for next month's World Cup, including United's Robin van Persie.
As the striker was appointed Holland team captain by Van Gaal, with Van Persie also considering him a mentor, the 30-year-old is favourite to also be handed the armband at the 20-times champions when the Dutchman becomes manager.
Wayne Rooney had been set to replace Nemanja Vidic in the role under Moyes' management before the Scot was sacked last month. It is understood that current Holland goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek will be brought in to replace Chris Woods, who was informed this week that his services are no longer required.
The confirmation of Van Gaal as United's new manager will allow them to return with an improved bid of £30m for Southampton's Luke Shaw. United had a bid of £27m rejected earlier this week, with the south-coast club insistent that the 18-year-old, who was selected by Roy Hodgson for England's World Cup squad on Monday, is not for sale. However, United are convinced that the transfer of the left-back is nearing completion, with the higher offer testing Southampton's resolve.
Newcastle officials confirm that Alan Pardew will remain as manager
• Minutes from fans' forum reveal no change this summer
• Pardew working on recruitment plans with Mike Ashley
Press Association
The Guardian, Wednesday 14 May 2014 19.01 BST
Alan Pardew's immediate future at Newcastle United is secure despite a poor end to the season. Photograph: Scott Heppell/AP
Newcastle United officials have confirmed that Alan Pardew will remain the club's manager.
Minutes of the latest fans' forum meeting include the confirmation after the 52-year-old came under intense pressure from disgruntled supporters as a difficult Premier League season – or at least the second half of it – drew to a close.
Answering questions submitted on behalf of fans, the board admitted the latter part of the campaign had been a disappointment despite Pardew and his players achieving the minimum requirement of a top-10 finish.
However, they also reiterated that the Premier League will remain the priority with many unhappy at the Magpies' failure to progress to the latter stages of the domestic cup competitions.
Pardew, the chief scout, Graham Carr, and the managing director, Lee Charnley, are working on summer recruitment plans with the owner, Mike Ashley, and while club officials revealed that money will be available after two transfer windows without a single permanent signing, they insisted that it was only to be spent on the right players at the right price.
Sam Allardyce granted stay of execution as West Ham manager
• Board to make final decision over his future in 10 days
• Follows complaints by fans over style of football
Dominic Fifield
The Guardian, Tuesday 13 May 2014 17.07 BST
Sam Allardyce managed to keep West Ham up but that may not save him his job. Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
Sam Allardyce will have to wait to discover if he is to be retained by West Ham United following talks with the club's hierarchy. A decision on the manager's future at Upton Park will be made before the end of the month.
West Ham's manager of three years, who steered the team to a 13th-place finish this season after flirting with relegation for long periods, held talks with the co-chairman David Sullivan on Tuesday amid grumbling supporters' discontent at the style of football the side have played. Allardyce pointed to the team's survival, after a difficult campaign blighted by injuries to key players over the winter months, as reason enough to be retained but there remain serious doubts among some members of the board.
Sullivan and his fellow co-chairman, David Gold, are sympathetic to the fans' complaints and will spend the next 10 days considering their options, including exploring replacements for the man who steered the club back to the Premier League in 2012, before meeting Allardyce again. It is understood there are differences of opinion on the board at present as to how best to proceed, with all parties therefore to take stock of the situation ahead of reaching a final decision.
Allardyce took West Ham to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup, where they were humiliated by Manchester City, and oversaw four successive wins in February to allay concerns over relegation. Yet even during that sequence there were calls for him to be sacked by some of the club's supporters – the manager has been insistent that they are a vocal minority – with the scrappy manner of a home win against Hull City at Upton Park in late March actually prompting boos from the home support at the final whistle. A run of five defeats in six games at the end of the season once the team were effectively safe has not strengthened his position.
Yet West Ham remain a top-flight club with their spending effectively restricted by a debt of around £75m and the priority to remain in the Premier League before the move to the Olympic stadium in two years' time. Allardyce has a season to run on a £3m-a-year deal, an agreement which includes a bonus for avoiding relegation, and would still appear the best option in ensuring they prolong their stay in the division. The 59-year-old remains bullish and is pushing for reinforcements to be made this summer, particularly up front, having attended a strategic planning meeting last Thursday where the summer's transfer policy was addressed.
