Steven Gerrard

[IrishVilla10]

8 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

True, but you need to compare him to the Lage, Conte and Howe appointments and new manager impact. He's definitely in running for worst performance of a new coach during the season. Aside from the first few game bounce. Our form since Christmas day is atrocious. We are getting worse rather than better. 

We were never really relegation threatened with our squad I don't think.

Absolutely, and I have done too. I said earlier Howes done a better job. The next 7 he’s fighting for the job 

[DCJonah]

2 minutes ago, nick76 said:

This is me.  If we were going to replace Smith, for me, it had to be for a quality manager, an “upgrade” if you will.  To lose a connection that we had with the club, a guy in Smith who along with the owners had helped us to be brought back from the brink and back playing football back in the PL, it had to be for an “upgrade”.  To then get a rookie manager with a playing name was underwhelming but we’ve backed him but it’s been hard going.  

Just feel a disconnect with the club at the moment, losing Jack, chucking away Smith, the problems getting to and from games re transport, the performances Gerrard is giving us, 14 points from 14 games, the price hike for next seasons tickets especially the concession tickets.  The other stuff goes away mentally if we see more with the team and results.  I wished we had either kept Smith or gone for a top manager.  Gerrard gets my support but it’s like walking through thick mud at the moment following the Villa.  I’ve certainly had worse times over the last forty years for sure but in a time with rich owners, great infrastructure and what seems an optimistic future, hiring Gerrard, a rookie manager makes very little sense and a questioning Purslows future.

Absolutely on the same page. I appreciate not everyone feels the same. My connection with this club and football in general was ruined by Lerner, Lambert, Sherwood and Garde. We then had Bruce mocking and goading us as fans in his press conferences. And Dean Smith changed all that. 

I don't think that means he gets the job for life. I don't think that means we accept finishing bottom half every season. But if you're going to get rid of that good feeling between the manager and the vast majority of the fanbase, then the next guy has to succeed and progress us. Because if he doesn't, we chucked that away for nothing. 

Gerrard is under pressure. I genuinely hope he's the manager purslow believes him to be. 

[messi11]

If Smith got sacked for losing 5 games on the spin, Gerrard should get sacked after the loss against Leicester in 2 weeks time

[nick76]

5 minutes ago, useless said:

I like Smith, but I wish people would shut up about him, it's starting to feel like people care more about the managers and being tribal over them than they care about the club itself, as if rather than Aston Villa fans, you've got 'Smith fans', or 'Gerrard fans'. Gerrard and Smith don't even know you exist.

 

The tribal thing is correct, the fans connection with the club through Smith and Jack being our own.  It was like the board, the manager, the players and us fans were a tribe, we wanted the same thing because of that bond.  Now that tribal connection has gone, we still function but the board, the manager, the players and the fans are separate entities.  The manager obviously has issues with some of the players and the fans are mixed with a lot having issues with the manager and/or the players.  It’s not about being a Smith fan, we were all on a journey together…promotion, avoiding relegation, midtable with 55 points..where to next together…the key word together.  Now it’s just normal club, some like the manager, some don’t, same with players, it doesn’t feel like we are together on this journey anymore.

[DCJonah]

Just now, messi11 said:

If Smith got sacked for losing 5 games on the spin, Gerrard should get sacked after the loss against Leicester in 2 weeks time

Talk of sacking him is very premature. Next season is where he proves it. 

 

[messi11]

Mods am I allowed to open a 'Next manager of Aston Villa'  thread if we lose the next match?
There was one open when Dean Smith was manager so I see no reason why one cant be open?

Edited April 9, 2022 by messi11

[MaVilla]

2 minutes ago, messi11 said:

Mods am I allowed to open a 'Next manager of Aston Villa'  thread if we lose the next match?
There was one open when Dean Smith was manager so I see no reason why one cant be open?

dude, completely different scenario, Smith had 3 years, multiple windows and literally hundreds of millions of pounds spent.

Can never decide if ur on the wind up or serious tho....

[duke313]

4 minutes ago, messi11 said:

If Smith got sacked for losing 5 games on the spin, Gerrard should get sacked after the loss against Leicester in 2 weeks time

Smith got sacked because he only had 11 wins in 35 league games in 2021.

[messi11]

3 minutes ago, duke313 said:

Smith got sacked because he only had 11 wins in 35 league games in 2021.

Gerrards only got 4 wins out of 14 in 2022.
 

Edited April 9, 2022 by messi11

[jim]

17 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

True, but you need to compare him to the Lage, Conte and Howe appointments and new manager impact. He's definitely in running for worst performance of a new coach during the season. Aside from the first few game bounce. Our form since Christmas day is atrocious. We are getting worse rather than better. 

We were never really relegation threatened with our squad I don't think.

Lage and Conte I disagree with. Lage didn’t take over mid season and Conte is an elite manager who took over a good but under performing Spurs side. Howe, you could argue really couldn’t do any worse than no wins Brucie. Plus he spent a fair amount in Jan.

[Davkaus]

9 minutes ago, messi11 said:

If Smith got sacked for losing 5 games on the spin, Gerrard should get sacked after the loss against Leicester in 2 weeks time

This is a fairly naïve perspective, imo. There's no magic number of losses. Managers get sacked when the executive team lost confidence in them taking us forward. Under Smith, that was a sustained period of poor form when he'd had years working with and building this squad. It's a completely different situation with Gerrard.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

26 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

True, but you need to compare him to the Lage, Conte and Howe appointments and new manager impact. 

 

That means you'd then have to compare them in full.

Such as Lage was appointed in the SUMMER to a Wolves project which has been stabilised for years before ours.

( We were linked with Lage at one point under Deano, and most laughed at the link as they had no clue who he was, and of course because everybody loves Deano )

Conte is one of the most decorated Managers in the world, has two of the best attackers on the planet in his squad, and a much better overall squad than us  ( They are in a Champions League Spot and Europe for a reason, they won their last 2 PL games before us by 5 goal )

Eddie Howe is a seasoned Manager, who also went through a tough patch in the beginning stages, and fortunes began to turn after signing a couple of players they had no business signing if they weren't taken over. Also, Newcastle were years ahead of us with spending and stability in the PL.

Gerrard has been here for 20 games, with an imbalanced squad and a January transfer window.

We are also in a higher position than when he took over, even with the bad patches.

We arguably played one of the best halves of football I've seen this season. Failed to finish our chances, and got undone by a combination of individual errors and the same two outstanding attackers mentioned Re Conte. Spurs had the bus parked for the majority of the half, and only got the ball back when one of ours inevitably handed it over to them with an unforced error ( McGinn ? )

Yet we are always getting " worse " bar the initial New Manager Bounce, apparently.

If anything, you could blame him, for choosing a couple of the same players who make the same mistakes consistently.

The same ones who we would be batting for top 8 under another Manager apparently.

Edited April 9, 2022 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[hippo]

Just a question of how much damage he does between now and his probable departure in October/November.

Can't believe dismissing him hasn't crossed the minds of Purslow/Lange etc.

[nick76]

2 minutes ago, duke313 said:

Smith got sacked because he only had 11 wins in 35 league games in 2021.

Is 8 league wins in 20 much better? Is 4 total wins in 15 games since Xmas better?

[Davkaus]

1 minute ago, hippo said:

Just a question of how much damage he does between now and his probable departure in October/November.

Can't believe dismissing him hasn't crossed the minds of Purslow/Lange etc.

Purslow can not be oblivious to the idea that his reputation could live or die by Gerrard's success, and I worry that might drag things out far longer than another manager would get with the same results

[messi11]

9 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

dude, completely different scenario, Smith had 3 years, multiple windows and literally hundreds of millions of pounds spent.

Can never decide if ur on the wind up or serious tho....

Serious 

[Mantis]

17 minutes ago, messi11 said:

If Smith got sacked for losing 5 games on the spin, Gerrard should get sacked after the loss against Leicester in 2 weeks time

Smith wasn't sacked exclusively for losing 5 games in a row.

[hippo]

Just now, Davkaus said:

Purslow can not be oblivious to the idea that his reputation could live or die by Gerrard's success, and I worry that might drag things out far longer than another manager would get with the same results

True.

I'm hoping he realises whenever he pulls the trigger it's going to be a shit show.

It might be less so if it's done over the summer months. And if it could be played as amicable mutual consent over the non signing of countinho.....

It's a mess - with no easy out 

[nick76]

8 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

Under Smith, that was a sustained period of poor form when he'd had years working with and building this squad

But you forget context of building different teams, getting promoted, avoiding relegation, getting to midtable.  It wasn’t the same level and not improving, we had different goals each season because of the success of the previous season.  Even his final full season he got 55 points in the PL, one of the highest points total for a very long time.  Yes 2021 calendar year was poor but context of the different goals for each season you missed out which is essential in Assessing Smiths squad building because he had to build different teams for different goals and targets.  People seem to be diminishing that too easy.  Each season was different.

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by nick76

[ozvillafan]

It isnt working. He needs to ring in the changes.

Swap Chambers for Konsa in what has been the most obvious change to make: Clear to everyone except Gerrard, it seems.

Drop McGinn for Sanson. Our midfield is weak, but McGinn is currently the weakest link.

Give Watkins a rest. Start Ings with both Couthinho and Buendia behind, or perhaps even start Traore. Not sure we should be starting Bailey, but he's another option.