WATCH: Garry Thompson - Right men in charge at West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa

Now the man who played for both clubs in the 1980s is backing Tim Sherwood to keep Villa moving forward but warning Tony Pulis he must get Baggies fans off their seats.

Thompson, who grew up a Villa fan but developed a love for Albion during two years at The Hawthorns, knew Sherwood as a confident teenager.

And he is not surprised by the galvanising effect his former Watford team-mate has had at Villa Park.

"When I was at Watford I was 28 or 29 and Tim was 18 and in the first team," recalls 55-year-old Thompson.

"He was then how he is now. He wasn't shy to have a go at senior players or tell them how it was.

"There was no sulking because he had a go at people because this was an 18-year-old kid trying to be a leader even then.

"I wasn't surprised that he went to Blackburn, with Alan Shearer and people like that, and ended up being the captain.

"Tim has always been the same. He knows how to speak to people and he is brutally honest at times but in a group of men you should be able to take that and I think his manner is perfect.

"He was just what Villa needed and I think he'll have a very good career but he's not a shy lad – he'll tell you how good he is!"

Sherwood's impact at Villa has been clear, with the club moving away from the relegation places at the foot of the Premier League and winning through to the FA Cup final, where they will face Arsenal.

And Thompson, while sounding a note of caution over their top-flight status, reckons his boyhood club can upset the Gunners in the end-of-season showpiece.

"Villa getting to the final is great because they've had a shocking two years and this creates a little bit of a buzz around the place," he said.

"I know Tim so I knew what he was going to be like and he has been perfect.

"Paul Lambert was a touch dour to say the least so this has worked out brilliantly.

"They've still got to be careful but I think one more win will make them safe.

"I think they're more or less safe now, but you don't want to be Wigan and get into the cup final but go down.

"Arsenal have battered us twice this season but sometimes big teams don't cope with expectation as Arsenal didn't against Reading.

"They should have wiped the floor with Reading and it didn't quite work out like that.

"Villa will go in as the underdogs but if they can play with energy, pace and drive and get on the front foot, as they did against Liverpool, they will give Arsenal a game and who knows what can happen?"

A few miles away at The Hawthorns, the season has been no less turbulent but Thompson credits boss Pulis with steadying the ship.

Now, though, he is warning that Baggies fans will demand more next season than the ultra-pragmatic approach Pulis has adopted with the imbalanced squad he inherited.

"Most managers look at what they've got as a squad, try to bring people in and then work with that," said Thompson.

"Tony has come in and looked at what he's got and worked out the best way to keep the club up and hopefully he will do that now.

"But the Albion fans will demand a bit more next season.

"This season it was all about getting the points because with Alan Irvine people started panicking so Pulis was perfect to settle it all down and get them organised.

"But now what he's got to do is take it on again because, having been a player for Albion and having watched them over the years, they want a certain style.

"They don't want to just nick results and be defensive.

"But to be fair to Tony Pulis, at Stoke he tried to bring in a couple of players who could add some flair and he did it at Palace, where he utilised what they had, and I'm sure he will do the same at Albion."

The Baggies could be in fresh hands by the start of next season with chairman Jeremy Peace inviting offers from foreign investors.

But Thompson cautions that shrewd management is just as vital as extra cash.

"You always want people to come in and throw money at it, but every football club is potentially a Leeds United if they spend too much money," he said.

"It's all about recruitment so your staff has to be spot on.

"Whoever comes in has to have the right people around them.

"Businessmen run businesses and make fortunes – enough to buy a football club.

"Then they get to a football club and they don't use the same model as they do in their businesses.

"You have to have the right investment and the right recruitment and your choices have to be right with your coaching staff."

Garry Thompson was speaking at the Kidderminster branch of West Bromwich Albion supporters' club, which meets regularly at Kidderminster Cricket Club. New members are welcome. Contact Roy Hayden on 07940 901207.