Sherwood pulls no punches over Spurs’ fate

west bromwich — Tottenham Hotspur head coach Tim Sherwood has insisted his team “will get what they deserve” in their quest to secure European football for next season.

A dramatic injury-time Christian Eriksen strike rescued a point for Sherwood’s side as they fought back from three goals down to earn a 3-3 draw away to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Although it appeared a welcome point from such a position, the draw did Spurs, sixth in the Premier League, few favours in their bid to be involved in a continental competition next term. They now trail fourth-placed Everton, who occupy the final Champions League spot, by six points with just four matches remaining.

Tottenham’s north London rivals Arsenal, victorious on penalties in the FA Cup semifinal against holders Wigan on Saturday, are now in the fifth spot which guarantees Europa League football, four points clear of Sherwood’s men with a game in hand. “After 38 games you finish where you deserve to be,” said Sherwood, a Premier League winner as a player with Blackburn Rovers in 1995.

“People’s expectations might be that we should be Champions League or whatever. But that table never lies.”

“Whoever is in the bottom three deserves to go down and whoever wins the league deserves it,” said Sherwood, widely tipped to be on his way out of White Hart Lane at the end of the season after taking over in December from the sacked Andre Villas-Boas. “The luck evens itself out — you can’t point to individual games, it doesn’t work like that.” A Europa League spot is beginning to look their best hope and the head coach admits Arsenal are in their sights after a result which left him with mixed emotions. —