Tottenham sacked a winner – I don’t like the vibes coming out of the club

Tottenham Hotspur find themselves in a relegation battle after a slow start under new manager Igor Tudor

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood believes the club was wrong to part ways with Ange Postecoglou.

Australian boss Postecoglou was sacked last summer, just weeks after leading the club to victory in the Europa League final. Thomas Frank made a solid start after taking the reins, with Spurs picking up nine points from their first four league games.

They continued to impress in Europe, finishing fourth in the Champions League league phase, only for a league slump to lead to Frank's sacking in February. Igor Tudor succeeded the Dane on a deal until the end of the season but has lost his first three games to leave the team one point above the relegation zone.

Speaking before the third of those defeats - which came against Crystal Palace on Thursday - Sherwood argued the big mistake was made when Postecoglou left North London. "I've said many times I wouldn't have got rid of Ange Postecoglou," Sherwood said on No Tippy Tappy Football.

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"There's a reason why they finished 17th in the league - because he prioritised the Europa League and he won it. They sacked a winner." Sherwood also said he wouldn't have dismissed Frank.

But he recognised the on-field results and what he described as "the toxic nature of the fans" made the decision inevitable. He suggested the higher-ups didn't want to make that change but also pointed to the worrying energy since Tudor took charge.

"Igor Tudor's come in, when he first comes in the door, he does his first press conference [and] I listened to it carefully, he's 100 percent guaranteeing we'll stay in the Premier League. Now, a week, two games on, he's making some negative vibes coming out," Sherwood added.

"I don't like it, I don't like the vibes because everyone listens to that. It breeds anxiety towards the fans, I know a lot of Tottenham fans and they're getting nervous by the man's voice at the moment, because he's obviously gone in there, he's looked at what he's got - at the heart, the ability, the options, what he has - and he's decided it's going to be the hardest job he's ever had. That's what he's said."

Tudor's first three games were all London derbies, with Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace all taking three points. Sherwood insisted injuries couldn't be blamed for everything, even before kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday.

Spurs actually took the lead against Palace as Dominic Solanke scored his fifth goal in all competitions since returning from injury in January. The game turned on a Micky van de Ven red card and the subsequent Ismaila Sarr penalty, though, with Palace going ahead through Jorgen Strand Larsen before Sarr added his second.

"It was two games. After the red card, it was a second game," Tudor told TNT Sports after the latest loss. "The second half we tried and I saw interesting things but I'm very disappointed like the fans.

"We need to work hard and believe. After this game, I believe more than I did before. I know that sounds strange but I saw something in the team. Even in the dressing room after the game. When we are complete, and choose the right guys, I believe it will be good."