Steven Gerrard

[Zhan_Zhuang]

We all want the best for Villa regardless of whether we like the manager...

I was not initially enamoured with Gerrard as a manager but he certainly talked the talk and I was willing to give him time. That said our opening day defeat was an eye-opener for me.

People in the game often refer to a manager needing at least three windows to mould their squad and therefore implement a vision and/or philosophy. I saw a few stories over the last few days about our players being a little surprised by the training ethos, methods and therefore are behind in getting on the same page. This may explain a difficulty implementing tactics and the Mings situation.

I've stayed away and off the site as the throthing at the mouth and negativity is depressing one can only read the same things more than a couple of times.

Here's hoping we are galvanised to get three points against Everton and dig in for a point at Palace. This would show us as fans some progress and a foundation to build upon.

UTV

Edited August 11, 2022 by Zhan_Zhuang

[Vive_La_Villa]

13 minutes ago, Rossi said:

 

Don't they say it's the hope that kills you? I think maybe we all went into the season with fresh hope, then that Bournemouth performance has knocked us on our arses again

Looking at the weekend results City, Chelsea and Brighton are the only teams that won away.  The first 2 you expect, the Brighton game was a surprise. 

Not making excuses for us but fans are really pumped up for the first home game of the season after being starved of football for a few months. Players can really respond to this. It’s good to be at home first game of the season. 
 

Im expecting a response tomorrow. 

[MaVilla]

I dont really care if he goes or stays, i just want villa to do well, if we do well with Gerrard then great, if we dont then he clearly should go.

I think i have got to the point where i dont really believe Gerrard can turn it around, he might turn it around to a degree (ie: a few wins here, a few losses there), but im nearly at the point where i dont believe he can turn it around to the required level, ie: the level he was brought in to specifically take us to, such as challenging for Europe - their words...not mine.

Gerrards 2022 form looks very similar to Smiths 2021, ie: only 2-3 teams winning less than us, or gaining less points, it doesnt bode well at all.

Reasons for my belief that i dont think he can turn it around enough (ie: top 8), or maybe not even top 10:

• McGinn - i dont think he is good enough to be a nailed on starter, but as he has been made captain, Gerrard has made a rod for his own back, McGinn will be one of the first names on the team sheet, and for me, that means our midfield wont improve in the McGinn slot, i think this could really be a weight around Gerrard's neck that could be a large part of his downfall. (note: i dont care who the captain is - but i do think picking McGinn, imo, one of the worst players in our starting 11 - was a huge, huge mistake).
• Playing McGinn & Ramsey together, i really like Ramsey, but him and McGinn have too many similar strengths and weaknesses, which leads to our midfield being massively exposed and unable to control the ball, it just doesnt work imo, i cant believe after years of midfield problems, we still havent fixed it.
• The formation - its clearly a joke of a formation, watching the huge gaps in midfield in the Bournemouth game seriously reminded me of Under 11s football, it was seriously amateurish stuff,  to the pont of being headless chicken levels of stupid, I cannot believe a professional club, with professionally coached players can be so, so poor. (thats on the coaches and the players for me - terrible).
• Buendia - how such a good player can be disrespected and not played, i have no idea, im not on the anti Couts bandwagon either, i think both need to play in the same 11 somehow, i find it mind boggling that we are a team that doesnt play our best players.
• Central Defence - I am not pro or anti Mings, but i do see that if we play Carlos (as we should), we likely need some height/power alongside him, i like chambers, but chambers and carlos is a very small central defensive pairing, same for carlos and konsa, but overall, to pick konsa as Carlos' partner is just....next level idiocy, if we dont care about height it should have possibly being Chambers based on pre-season form, but even then, i dont think that would have been good to have two small central defenders, i just think the whole thing there is a mess, we come up against opposition with a 12ft striker and large defenders, and we play 2 x 6ft flat central defenders, just absolute amateur hour. (then add our midfield to that, where the tallest one is 6ft, the others 5ft something).
• Inability to control the ball - watching some of our players try to retain possession, or control the ball etc is painful, i just dont see how after 3 years in the PL, we still have players who literally s*** the bed when they get given the ball in tight spaces, is shocking, is it so hard to buy players, or play players, that can actually control the ball, control possession, have some composure, and pass it 5 yards without giving it away?, its mind boggling.

I just think, factoring in everything going on, there are too many poor choices/decisions going on all across the board, to be able to turn it around to a sufficient level.

I hope i am proven wrong, but im not sure i will be.

Edited August 11, 2022 by MaVilla

[Zhan_Zhuang]

2 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Looking at the weekend results City, Chelsea and Brighton are the only teams that won away.  The first 2 you expect, the Brighton game was a surprise. 

Not making excuses for us but fans are really pumped up for the first home game of the season after being starved of football for a few months. Players can really respond to this. It’s good to be at home first game of the season. 
 

Im expecting a response tomorrow. 

The fans are important to help us win too, I hope they are loud, proud and help us get the win.

[PussEKatt]

1 minute ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

Here's hoping we are galvanised to get three points against Everton and dig in for a point at Palace. This would show us as fans some progress and a foundation to build upon.

UTV

IMHO the bare minimum is a win to Everton and a draw at Palace.

AVFC has spent a lot of money and we have some very decent players.Yet here we are ITS THE SECOND GAME OF THE SEASON and already we have a MUST WIN GAME,FFS. 

[villabromsgrove]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

He is now challenging the Status Quo.....This team has had a lethargy about if for some time, and it needs challenging.

Any Manager coming in, would eventually have the same dilemma.

The soft under belly in this team has been around for some time now.....and it has to be addressed.

I am not saying SG is right about everything far from it, but he does need support in trying to bring about a change in attitude, which won't be easy.....how many times, have we witnessed sloppy play, capitulations, failure to beat teams we should be beating.....this has been bumping along under more that one manager.....it has to be met head on, for it to change.

Folk cite coaching as the problem, it may well be, but there is also more to it than that IMO......something is more deep rooted.

He has come in Mid season, with a brief to ensure, Premier League Status, with 19 defeats, the season was pants.....but stability was key.

He now has to start as he means to go on and maybe " shit or bust" maybe the order of the day is tackle the issues or go( The attitude of this team is taking us nowhere)......They have to back him to sort it out or sack him...but if they take the later, the problems will still be there, for the next man to face.....this has been a similar issue at Old Trafford.

 

 

TRO, you've absolutely nailed it in my opinion.

For the past couple of seasons I've been uneasy about the comfortable 'boys club' mentality that has been allowed to spread through our squad. (I've mentioned it a number of times in posts).

First team players on very comfortable wages, but not prepared to put in 100% when it hurts. Fringe players also on comfortable wages enjoying the luxurious ambience of BMH but not demonstrating a hunger for securing a first team spot when they get an opportunity.

There has been scant evidence of a Gerrard style "do or die" mentality spreading throughout the squad.

 I believe that he has identified that this "Villa boys club" at BMH is a root cause of the malaise that he is determined to cure.

The squad has not yet bought in to his 'blood and guts' mentality. The change of captaincy is the first clear indicator that SG has had enough of the status quo, and I believe his decision to make McGinn team captain was a statement of intent. McGinn's personality embodies the passion, aggression and determination that SG demands, even if he isn't our best footballer. 

Gerrard often mystifies me with his player selection and "tactics". From my viewpoint he regularly fails to play the right team but I realise that I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes at BMH. Is there a reason why certain players aren't involved as much as many of us think they should be? SG knows .... and I haven't got a clue.

Whether or not you believe Gerrard is the right manager for Villa, I would hope that there is a consensus that whoever the manager was/is, his biggest job would be to drag our complacent squad out of their comfort zone into the real Premier League world. Even PL teams that are widely regarded as relegation candidates are still prepared to battle tirelessly, and currently must look forward to playing Villa.

Gerrard's job is to change this perception of soft bellied, easy touch Villa as swiftly as possible. If he fails to get the right response he will be replaced sooner rather than later. 

 

[LondonVillian]

Rumour is now that gerrard had a bust up with watkins and is considering selling him. 

I will be fuming if we do then slippy gets sacked 

[nick76]

7 minutes ago, LondonVillian said:

Rumour is now that gerrard had a bust up with watkins and is considering selling him. 

I will be fuming if we do then slippy gets sacked 

That’s seems to have gotten squashed yesterday as poor reporting from a rubbish website.  Tommy Jordan even said it was nonsense.

[villa89]

2 hours ago, Zatman said:

It was ballsy move increasing the season ticket prices on this form

It wasnt at all. Look at the season ticket waiting list, if someone isn't willing to pay to renew because of a slight price increase there's thousands of other people that will take their place. It's simple supply and demand and we still have very reasonable ticket prices compared to the rest of the league. 

Edited August 11, 2022 by villa89

[NurembergVillan]

5 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

I am firmly of the belief that Purslow would sack his own mother if he felt it was the best way for him to achieve his aims.

The idea that he wouldn't sack Gerrard because he likes him is nonsense - it's pretty clear that he does like him, he says he's never met anyone who hates losing as much as Gerrard does and he admires his attitude - but if he felt that Gerrard was preventing him being successful, he'd slit his throat in a heartbeat.

 

It's important that we recognise this as a positive attribute in a CEO, as I'm sure you do, and not another opportunity to portray Purslow as a pantomime villain.  It's all about success for the club. Nothing else is relevant.

32 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

• The formation - its clearly a joke of a formation, watching the huge gaps in midfield in the Bournemouth game seriously reminded me of Under 11s football, it was seriously amateurish stuff,  to the pont of being headless chicken levels of stupid, I cannot believe a professional club, with professionally coached players can be so, so poor. (thats on the coaches and the players for me - terrible).

I was working with a Rangers fan the other day who described his time up there pretty much how this is described here.  He also talked of stubbornness in terms of system and favoured personnel, and how the only times he seemed to alter his preferred system was to shoehorn in his favoured personnel.

Strangely, he liked him and said he did a great job but that there was a lot of stuff Gerrard just won't get away with at a higher level.

[Made In Aston]

19 minutes ago, nick76 said:

That’s seems to have gotten squashed yesterday as poor reporting from a rubbish website.  Tommy Jordan even said it was nonsense.

That might be true, but he is hardly going to publically confirm a bust up. 

[nick76]

1 minute ago, Made In Aston said:

That might be true, but he is hardly going to publically confirm a bust up. 

True!

[DCJonah]

38 minutes ago, villabromsgrove said:

TRO, you've absolutely nailed it in my opinion.

For the past couple of seasons I've been uneasy about the comfortable 'boys club' mentality that has been allowed to spread through our squad. (I've mentioned it a number of times in posts).

First team players on very comfortable wages, but not prepared to put in 100% when it hurts. Fringe players also on comfortable wages enjoying the luxurious ambience of BMH but not demonstrating a hunger for securing a first team spot when they get an opportunity.

There has been scant evidence of a Gerrard style "do or die" mentality spreading throughout the squad.

 I believe that he has identified that this "Villa boys club" at BMH is a root cause of the malaise that he is determined to cure.

The squad has not yet bought in to his 'blood and guts' mentality. The change of captaincy is the first clear indicator that SG has had enough of the status quo, and I believe his decision to make McGinn team captain was a statement of intent. McGinn's personality embodies the passion, aggression and determination that SG demands, even if he isn't our best footballer. 

Gerrard often mystifies me with his player selection and "tactics". From my viewpoint he regularly fails to play the right team but I realise that I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes at BMH. Is there a reason why certain players aren't involved as much as many of us think they should be? SG knows .... and I haven't got a clue.

Whether or not you believe Gerrard is the right manager for Villa, I would hope that there is a consensus that whoever the manager was/is, his biggest job would be to drag our complacent squad out of their comfort zone into the real Premier League world. Even PL teams that are widely regarded as relegation candidates are still prepared to battle tirelessly, and currently must look forward to playing Villa.

Gerrard's job is to change this perception of soft bellied, easy touch Villa as swiftly as possible. If he fails to get the right response he will be replaced sooner rather than later. 

 

Just a whole lot of speculation in both posts. 

Challenging the players. Blood and guts mentality. Soft bellied villa. 

How's it done that exactly? Playing Coutinho at every chance and leaving Buendia on the bench. How does that help what you're describing?

No settled style of play or formation after months of being here with 2 windows and a pre season. How does that help what you're describing. 

I'm all for him getting more time but this is just utter desperate nonsense to try and blindly defend the manager. 

[Tomaszk]

4 hours ago, sne said:

Now this is the stuff I expected from the media as soon as Gerrard came under pressure. Top stuff  .

 

Brexiteers will lap it up.

[nick76]

C’mon Gerrard we are due a home win, the fans also need one.

[Keyblade]

2 hours ago, Davkaus said:

I'd be curious what the more optimistic fans think he might achieve in the next half a dozen games that he hasn't been able to resolve so far this year.

It doesn't seem like it's based on anything other than faith and hope. Because all the evidence points to him but being able to turn this around.

[viivvaa66]

1 hour ago, PussEKatt said:

IMHO the bare minimum is a win to Everton and a draw at Palace.

AVFC has spent a lot of money and we have some very decent players.Yet here we are ITS THE SECOND GAME OF THE SEASON and already we have a MUST WIN GAME,FFS. 

No the minimum for the Everton game is a different starting XI. If Gerrard uses the same XI again on Saturday, he should be sacked, regardless if win or lose. If I was the owner I would have had security throw him out of Villa Park before the match started.

If the starting eleven is different and look sensible and balanced, I’m willing to give Gerrard some time, regardless of result.

So my wish list for Saturday is a good team sheet and winning the lottery, both equally likely outcomes, since I doesn’t play the lottery and Gerrard is our manager.

[a m ole]

Same tropes rolled out every time a team isn’t doing particularly well, it’s all bollocks. Effort and commitment isn’t our problem ffs.

[Vive_La_Villa]

49 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

It doesn't seem like it's based on anything other than faith and hope. Because all the evidence points to him but being able to turn this around.

[CarryOnVilla]

How many games does everyone think he has left, before the board sack him 

Edited August 11, 2022 by CarryOnVilla