Tuesday 7 April 2015 09:17, UK
Tim Sherwood believes Tuesday night’s crunch relegation clash with QPR is the biggest game of their season – and his managerial career.
Villa are fourth from bottom in the Premier League, two places and three points above Rangers in 19th with just seven games of the season remaining.
Sherwood, who succeeded the sacked Paul Lambert last month, has highlighted a stark contrast in the types of players the two sides have.
But he insists his young, “icing-on-the-cake” players can still cope with the pressure and save the club from relegation.
"I think this is the biggest game that a lot of these players have ever played for this football club,” Sherwood said.
"This is without doubt the biggest game of the season for Villa and possibly one of the biggest in a number of years. And it’s the biggest of my managerial career.
"We've got different types of players. You look through QPR's side and they've got a lot of players who are men, with a lot of experience.
"We've got a few men in there – but we've got a lot of ‘icing-on-the-cake’ players and I'm trying to get the mentality into them to forget about digging out results. It's not what we're cut out to do.
This is without doubt the biggest game of the season for Villa and possibly one of the biggest in a number of years.
"I haven't identified many players who can't cope with the pressure, but you don't know until they get out there.”
Sherwood worked closely with his opposite number Chris Ramsey at Tottenham and appeared certain to succeed Harry Redknapp at QPR before Ramsey was given the job instead.
And he said, come what may in May, he would be prepared to work with him again in the future – even at Villa.
Sherwood said: "Listen, I know I am biased – he has been good for me and I have been good for him. He is up there with the very best coaches I have ever seen."
"If there was ever an opportunity for me to work with him again I would do that. I would have to speak to the club about whether we could find a role for him here.”
