Tottenham match-winner Emmanuel Adebayor backs Tim Sherwood to land Spurs job permanently
Togo striker delighted to get back to scoring ways after netting three times in two games under interim boss Sherwood
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Southampton v Tottenham, 22nd December 2013
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Emmanuel Adebayor handed Tim Sherwood his first win as Tottenham caretaker and backed him to land the job full-time.
Sherwood will meet Spurs chairman Daniel Levy today to unfurl his manifesto for building a new dynasty at White Hart Lane based on home-grown talent.
Adebayor, two-goal hero of a thriller at St Mary's, wants the club's technical co-ordinator to succeed Andre Villas-Boas , who had banished the Togo striker to train with the kids.
AVB's vendetta has looked even more baffling since Adebayor returned from exile with three goals in two games, and Tottenham's born-again hero said: "I want to thank all my team-mates, they have been there for me, they told me to keep working hard and my chance would come.
"I am very pleased, not just for the goals but for the team and I am very happy for the new manager and the fans. They have been supporting me.
"He (Sherwood) told me, 'Emmanuel, I know you for a long time, I need you, get out there and play your football - I will not tell you anything because you have been around the block at Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, you know how to play.'
"For me, that was big confidence, the new manager telling me that, and I am very happy for him.
"The whole year has been difficult for me - my brother passed away, it was emotionally difficult, he was my senior brother and he left a son behind.
"I want to take care of him and his family, but when I went to the funeral, I came back and lost my place in the team."
Sherwood, who has restored the attacking swagger to Tottenham after 18 months of tactical congestion under Villas-Boas, revealed he had done nothing to rekindle the fire in Adebayor - except picking him.
He said: "Listen, we all know Adebayor is a top player. He doesn't need any motivating to go and play now because he's not played for a very long time.
"I've not said anything to him - nothing. It's down to him, I've not had to gee him up. It's a simple game and I want him to attack, defenders to defend and midfielders to knit it all together.
"It was tough for him to train with the reserves, but he was never a moment's problem with me. I'm always honest with players and if they give me respect, I'll give it to them back.
"That's the relationship between me and Adebayor, and I can't criticise anything he's done."
Spurs, fitful and disjointed for 20 minutes, improved after Sherwood abandoned his elevated view in the directors' box to call the shots from the technical area, and he was encouraged by their buccaneering display after the break.
He added: "The first half was horrible and I couldn't sit still. It was nothing to do with formations, we were just passing to the wrong team. I came down from the directors' box to try and get the message across, but I couldn't do it from the sidelines either and I was happy to get to the bell at level-pegging.
"But second half we were very good and we should have been out of sight."
Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino admitted he was "concerned" by his side's six-game run without a win and blasted their seasonal charity, saying: "I am very angry about the result - we dressed up as Santa Claus today and gifted them so many goals and chances.
"We are going through a very tough time at the moment and we need to recover our defensive solidity."
England midfielder Adam Lallana opened the scoring and shone in front of Ray Lewington, Three Lions coach Roy Hodgson's right-hand man, but Pochettino growled: "I would rather have had a positive result than Lallana's great game."
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