Steven Gerrard

[Dale]

8 hours ago, tomsky_11 said:

We've just taken 16 points from 10 games which included 4 of the top 5. Our next 5 features no one above 9th, pre-last night's games average ppg position below 14th (which is lower than the 6 non-top-4 games we've just taken 15 points from!), three games at home. Taking 8 from the the next 5 games would be pretty disappointing.

As I've outlined elsewhere on here, only last season did we put together a European-qualification-level run of results over an extended period (the same number of games we have left this season) and that was with arguably a worse team and manager and a more difficult set of fixtures. This team right now should be more than capable of rolling over some of our upcoming opponents and we should absolutely be aiming to win all of the next 5 if we have serious ambitions for European qualification next season. As it stands with the players available it's only really the Brighton game where I could perhaps understand us dropping points.

Certainly a worse team. But the evidence that Gerrard is a better manager than Smith is scant. 

[jimmygreaves]

1 minute ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

I know we are all annoyed and pissed off, but fact is, Leeds were quite good tonight as well.

Absolutely they were but how many of their players tonight would make our squad?

They were a significantly better team than us. We were mostly a collection of individuals. That's on the manager.

I hope we improve but I need more convincing that Gerrard's gonna be the real deal.

[TheLegendOfLeonBailey31]

28 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

He’s done well since coming in. Nothing spectacular, but we’ve improved. 

He should have been absolutely doing everything he could on the touch line to make sure we went in at half time 3-1 up tonight. That’s where the game was lost. If we didn’t concede, we win the game. 

Agreed.  3-2 goal was a backbreaker.

[MaVilla]

 

[mikeyp102]

I think one of the most frustrating things is that I can’t think under Gerrard we have put in a 90 minute performance. We play well in fits, but not throughout a whole game.

[hippo]

31 minutes ago, Dale said:

Certainly a worse team. But the evidence that Gerrard is a better manager than Smith is scant. 

Hmmm - I wish people wouldn't compare the two. Smith did great for us - but looked to have took us a far as he could.

Question for me ...when we dispensed with Smith I thought we would go for somebody from the next level. As it is we've taken a punt on a former very good player - but in terms of management I'm not convinced.

[hippo]

43 minutes ago, Zero7 said:

He will learn more from this than a 1-0 win or 0-1 loss - dare I say it, he needed to see this 

What on earth does this mean ?

He's been playing the game since he was a small lad - what actions are you expecting

 from tonight ? 

Anyone can see the problem - total shambles in defence. Yet individually they are good players. Has to be a organisation problem.

[rodders0223]

If he legitimately thinks bringing out a 98 year old Young to make an impact against a frantic Leeds side I'm worried.

[Phil Silvers]

 

[Spoony]

We are going in the right direction I’m sure we can all feel that (and if you can’t then I find that surprising as we were reversing very quickly backwards and eyeing up relegation, lest we forget). This season for me is a write off other than to get Gerrard familiar with the players and the club. If we can have as successful a summer as we did winter, we will be cooking. 
 

Edit: Just for emphasis I really want to reiterate that I think people have forgotten how shit we were before Gerrard took over. We were heading towards ‘the end of Randy’ kind of form. 

Edited February 9, 2022 by Spoony

[vreitti]

36 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said:

I think one of the most frustrating things is that I can’t think under Gerrard we have put in a 90 minute performance. We play well in fits, but not throughout a whole game.

Much like it was with Smith. I do believe we can reach a higher level of consistency with Gerrard though. 

[AV82]

37 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said:

I think one of the most frustrating things is that I can’t think under Gerrard we have put in a 90 minute performance. We play well in fits, but not throughout a whole game.

Rarely did we do that under Smith even with with JG. Gerrard has been here what.. 2-3 months? It will come.

[Zatman]

4 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

Did we win? Did we play well? Did we even deserve a point? No to all three IMO.

I don't care who scores. I want the team playing well and ideally winning.

Bringing old players in on big money means you must succeed now. Otherwise what's the point? Play some/invest in some younger players and build, while spending less money.

If the plan is to do a MON and keep buying overpriced players on big deals, I don't need to tell you where we'll end up.

Lange needs to do his job this summer and make sure we have a rounded squad, not one only suited to only this very narrow, unique formation.

I think since Gerrard came in Lange has been removed from the transfer team. Purslow has allowed Gerrard free reign to break the previous transfer policy

[KentVillan]

He's only been in charge for 12 games (I think) and results are good enough for him to get a fair hearing. Bit sad to see knives being sharpened already. He's a manager with a distinct way of playing, not a quick-fix Allardyce type, so it was always going to take him a little while to get everything working.

People have criticised his in-game management today, but I don't think it was particularly significant. He had no option with most of the subs, and we were never in a position to kill the game.

There were signs of clever tactical thinking - e.g. the CBs were marauding because they're the only players Leeds leave unmarked, and we got plenty of joy from that (Mings did this really well).

But I think for that aggressive attacking style, we probably needed a more defensively solid player at CDM. Dougie is fine there in a 4-2-3-1 or sometimes in a 4-1-4-1, but we were playing more of a 2-1-4-3 most of the time and when you play a very attacking style like that, the CDM has a lot of defensive work to do.

With Nakamba out, we don't really have that player in the squad atm (I'm not sure Chambers has the legs to do it properly) so maybe he should have adapted the tactics more to the players available to him.

But ultimately, although our tactics did invite pressure at times, all 3 goals conceded could have been dealt with by better execution by individual players. Not sure how much that falls on the manager.

This weekend will be a big test of his ability to get the players firing again quickly. My worry with Gerrard has always been whether his training regime and playing style will burn out too many players, and leave us threadbare by the end of the season. Everyone on the pitch looked knackered tonight. So be interesting to see how he copes with one or both of Buendia and Coutinho out, and whether he can get another 90 out of players like McGinn and Watkins.

The really good sign is that he is clearly improving Ramsey. More performances like that, and he'll be getting his first England cap. So there are plenty of positive signs at the moment. Just need to turn that into results.

[Tomaszk]

15 minutes ago, Zatman said:

I think since Gerrard came in Lange has been removed from the transfer team. Purslow has allowed Gerrard free reign to break the previous transfer policy

Purslow signed Ings without need don't forget. He saw the FFP wiggle room and got far too excited.

I don't rate our recruitment particularly highly at the moment. Really hope the summer isn't more 30m 28 year olds on more money than Aston Villa have ever paid anyone. It won't end well, and that's not hard to see.

[Zatman]

1 minute ago, Tomaszk said:

Purslow signed Ings without need don't forget. He saw the FFP wiggle room and got far too excited.

I don't rate our recruitment particularly highly at the moment. Really hope the summer isn't more 30m 28 year olds on more money than Aston Villa have ever paid anyone. It won't end well, and that's not hard to see.

Funnily you laughed the other day about Lacazette but this is what Gerrard/Purslow type they will sign 

I said before its MON 2.0

[KentVillan]

18 minutes ago, Zatman said:

I think since Gerrard came in Lange has been removed from the transfer team. Purslow has allowed Gerrard free reign to break the previous transfer policy

I think there have always been two parallel transfer policies working in tandem. The manager gets X number of players who suit his style, people he knows personally, trusts, etc. And then the DoF looks more for the Moneyball / foreign / long-term signings and squad players.

Smith was always big on building something for the long-term, and building a culture, and he knew the Championship really well. So naturally he was going to look for younger players who'd proved themselves in the Championship.

Gerrard is clearly targeting more experienced players. However, they aren't that old - Digne is 28 and probably has a few years left in him. Coutinho is 29, is a level above anyone else in the squad, and his game doesn't rely on pace. These aren't mad Peter Ridsdale signings...

[useless]

If villalad was saying half of this stuff about Smith he would been accused of having an agenda and all sorts. Same with the setting up unrealistic targets before the game so can have a go at Gerrard when they're not met. The phrase glass houses comes to mind.

[Tomaszk]

5 minutes ago, Spoony said:

People have gotten too panicky about recent signings IMO. Ings is the only head scratcher. Bailey and Buendia both young and hungry. Coutinho absolute no brainer in the circumstances. Young an easy decision for some much needed dressing room experience and wisdom. Digne also a no brainer - would usually cost so much more but fell out with Benitez.

I don’t think our policy has changed at all, we’ve just taken great opportunities that you can’t turn down. We can’t ONLY sign young players. 

For me Ings has been the only signing that seems to fall completely outside of what we are now about. And the thing is I think we all felt at the time that it was a weird one. 

Maybe I'm getting carried away because I don't think Bissouma or Bentancur are/were great targets either.

The lack of performances are very concerning though. We've barely looked any good since the first few under Gerrard, which were largely backs to the wall wins.

[Zatman]

1 minute ago, Tomaszk said:

Why do you think that?

I'll be worried we'll be drawn into relegation battles if we sign the likes of Lacazette.

They can't possibly be rated as good value by anyone with eyes.

We have once chance to join the elite, and it's these owners. They lose interest and it's over.

I just think the whole policy has changed fir a quick win policy for Gerrard to get him the Liverpool job. Yes its absurd but it just seems that way 

If they wanted to join, no way they sanction the Coutinho/Digne deals for Smith 

How many proven players did Smith get? Ings not his deal, arguably Barkley