Sherwood only a symptom of how far Sunderland-emulating Aston Villa have fallen

At least Tim Sherwood can say he did not leave Aston Villa propping up the Premier League table. They actually slipped to 20th place a couple of hours after his sacking when Sunderland beat Newcastle United.

Perhaps Villa, like Sunderland before them, will secure a short-term boost by changing the manager. It would be a surprise if either, with a combined total of two wins in 20 league games this season, is able to cruise to mid-table. Yet there is an underlying issue that unites them: when did Villa become Sunderland?

As Villa find themselves searching for a sixth manager since 2010, as they find themselves in a sixth successive relegation battle, the similarities are uncanny and unwanted.

These are clubs where managers come and go at an alarming rate, often failing to replicate whatever success they enjoyed elsewhere. Some seem strange choices, others obvious answers, but underachievement is the common denominator.

Each inherits a squad he does not particularly want, courtesy of some of his predecessors’ players, and then compounds the problem with some decidedly unimpressive recruitment. Each feels he is not to blame, citing the club’s fondness for recruiting rookies, often from abroad, instead of the proven Premier League performers he would prefer.

Sherwood left Villa in the rare position of possessing three times as many Jordans – summer buys Amavi, Ayew and Veretout – as league wins this season.

The wholesale importing of Ligue 1 prospects might explain why former Lyon manager Remi Garde appears the frontrunner to succeed Sherwood. But Sunderland, too, have tried looking abroad and adopting a continental approach.

Paolo di Canio, Gus Poyet and Dick Advocaat instead conformed to a familiar pattern, saving them from relegation once only to discover they were unable to steer Sunderland to the upper half of the division, playing progressive football and with a long-term plan.

It felt significant that Swansea City dealt the final blow to Sherwood. Swansea have become the inimitable role models for Villa and Sunderland. They are 12th in the table now, but that represents something of a slump; they never left the upper half of the table last season.

One theory is that it is easier for Swansea, a smaller club, to make quiet progress. They are not confronted by thousands of empty seats or burdened by history, although the chances many players realise that, between them, Villa and Sunderland were champions eight times in the 1890s, are slim, to say the least.

Where Villa differ is that some of their peaks are comparatively recent: European Cup winners in 1982, almost winners of the inaugural Premier League 11 years later and top six finishers three times in as many seasons under Martin O’Neill from 2007-10.

Villa’s decline can be dated to the Northern Irishman’s departure and their attempt to balance the books after overspending. Yet that alone does not explain the mediocrity.

They have pursued policies, of young and experienced players, of looking in the lower leagues for signings and now, seemingly, of trying the foreign markets. Villa Park has acquired the reputation of a graveyard for footballers and managers alike. Time will tell if Sherwood’s career recovers: those of Paul Lambert and Alex McLeish have not yet.

Yet Villa’s greatest flaw is also Sunderland’s. It lies not in strategy, but in judgment, in identifying not just the appropriate players and managers but the right powerbrokers at the club. In Villa’s case, there are questions if head of recruitment Paddy Rile and sporting director Hendrik Almstadt’s influence are really beneficial.

At both, well-meaning American owners, in Randy Lerner and Ellis Short, have invested money and received precious little – in terms of enjoyment, let alone a financial return – as a reward.

Short abandoned any pretence of possessing a philosophy or a long-term plan and appointed Sam Allardyce, the closest thing to a guarantee of survival. It amounted to a pragmatic recognition of failure.

Villa still seem to be experimenting but would be wise to tempt David Moyes back from Spain. The Scot has the resolve to oversee a grind to safety. That is Sunderland’s aim, too. It is a sign of how far Villa have fallen that they now have to try and emulate Sunderland.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Specs

Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)

Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)

Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)

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Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

UAE currency

The specs

Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 715bhp

Torque: 900Nm

Price: Dh1,289,376

On sale: now

COMPANY%20PROFILE

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Key products and UAE prices

iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229

iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649

iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179

Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.

Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.

The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.

Red flags

Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

On Women's Day

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Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

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On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

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Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD%204

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier

Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.

Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar

Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners

Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)