Steven Gerrard

[Wainy316]

15 minutes ago, nick76 said:

He did unlock it first of last season and then after lockdown we lost something for the rest of 2021.  The football we played in that first half of the season was fantastic so it’s unfair to say he didn’t unlock it…he just lost the key after lockdown

You mean after the Villa squad covid outbreak?  Before the first lockdown Smith was apparently one game from the sack (Chelsea at home).

[nick76]

14 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Is it far fetched to think that the players might be telling the truth?

We’ll never know…they certainly aren’t going to say nothing has changed or that it’s inferior are they? They are 100 times out of 100 going to say a positive comment aren’t they. We’ll never know the truth.  

Sure they could be telling the truth, I’m not saying they aren’t but equally they might not.

[nick76]

Just now, Wainy316 said:

You mean after the Villa squad covid outbreak?  Before the first lockdown Smith was apparently one game from the sack (Chelsea at home).

Yes mate

[fruitvilla]

19 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Is it far fetched to think that the players might be telling the truth?

it's not far fetched to think they believe they are telling the truth.

[Guest av1]

34 minutes ago, nick76 said:

He kinda is though, although quite inexperienced compared to other managers at this standard.  This league is full of top quality managers now.

We have to hope but that’s far from guaranteed.  It could easily go just as wrong as right, we just have to hope it goes in our favour.

After the 3 games I’m finally fully onboard with SG, I’ve liked what I have seen, but difficult to argue with this. 
 

The “name” means absolutely nothing, plenty of top players have failed at management. 
 

This absolutely isn’t a pop at SG, like I said I’m fully on board, but the buzz of playing for a legend with quickly wear off and then it’s about what he’s like as a manager. 

[KentVillan]

I’m fully on board with Gerrard now. More so from the City performance than the two wins. His willingness to drop in form players, his willingness to risk youth, the improvement at half time. The way we harassed them all game. It just seemed like he really laid his balls on the table.

My only slight concern is can he keep the squad working at this intensity for a whole season, or will we run into burnout and injury issues? Might need 2 or 3 signings in January to avoid that.

Be interesting to see how he copes  when the 4-3-3 isn’t working or injuries force him to try something different / play people out of position.

I really think he has something about him, though. He’s tough but he’s not stubborn or arrogant. Comes across as a much more intelligent person now than he did as a player. Always thought he was a bit of a loose cannon as a footballer, trying to do everything, too many Hollywood passes and long shots, out of position all the time. But seems very astute when he analyses games now.

[Keyblade]

22 minutes ago, KentVillan said:

I’m fully on board with Gerrard now. More so from the City performance than the two wins. His willingness to drop in form players, his willingness to risk youth, the improvement at half time. The way we harassed them all game. It just seemed like he really laid his balls on the table.

My only slight concern is can he keep the squad working at this intensity for a whole season, or will we run into burnout and injury issues? Might need 2 or 3 signings in January to avoid that.

Be interesting to see how he copes  when the 4-3-3 isn’t working or injuries force him to try something different / play people out of position.

I really think he has something about him, though. He’s tough but he’s not stubborn or arrogant. Comes across as a much more intelligent person now than he did as a player. Always thought he was a bit of a loose cannon as a footballer, trying to do everything, too many Hollywood passes and long shots, out of position all the time. But seems very astute when he analyses games now.

Exactly my thoughts on him. Very pleasantly surprised.

Meanwhile, Lampard, who was much more measured in the way he played appears to be a bit of an airhead as a manager. And Scholes bringing up the rear as a dreary pundit, who was a genius as a player. Quite funny how these things turn out.

[Aston_Villan4]

7 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

To be fair, Gerrard himself has said that they are training at a very high intensity now, so he expects players to be getting little niggles etc?

( He was also gracious enough to say, he doesn't know what the intensity was before, but he knows he wants them to be at the same level as in game basically ) When asked about intensity going up

If they were training at the intensity they were previously, surely they would have been past that phase?

Conte is renowned for being an extreme high intensity manager as well.

I get people are still being defensive of Deano, but it seems as if we are literally just trying to shoot down any talk of positivity or changes he might have brought.

If nothing at all is changing, or was expected to be changed, we would have just kept Deano?

Is it far fetched to think that the players might be telling the truth?

Isn’t Conte also criticized for running players into the ground because of his high intensity?

[villalad21]

6 hours ago, Keyblade said:

Exactly my thoughts on him. Very pleasantly surprised.

Meanwhile, Lampard, who was much more measured in the way he played appears to be a bit of an airhead as a manager. And Scholes bringing up the rear as a dreary pundit, who was a genius as a player. Quite funny how these things turn out.

Scholes never really been a leader though. 

Lampard has shown he is incapable organizing a defence. 

Gerrard always had all the ingredients to become a top manager. 

[jacketspuds]

7 hours ago, KentVillan said:

It just seemed like he really laid his balls on the table.

[Zatman]

14 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

To be fair, Gerrard himself has said that they are training at a very high intensity now, so he expects players to be getting little niggles etc?

( He was also gracious enough to say, he doesn't know what the intensity was before, but he knows he wants them to be at the same level as in game basically ) When asked about intensity going up

If they were training at the intensity they were previously, surely they would have been past that phase?

Conte is renowned for being an extreme high intensity manager as well.

I get people are still being defensive of Deano, but it seems as if we are literally just trying to shoot down any talk of positivity or changes he might have brought.

If nothing at all is changing, or was expected to be changed, we would have just kept Deano?

Is it far fetched to think that the players might be telling the truth?

Nobody is shooting down anything its just that players and managers say that all the time when come into clubs. Check Smith thread from October/November 2018 its similar posts about his interviews and pre match comments 

[dont_do_it_doug.]

16 hours ago, MWARLEY2 said:

I have .. gives great insight into him. One serious person . Totally focussed at all times . 

The  same as Jack . Carrying them at times but in absoutely huge games.  Never ever going missing or hiding. I  think its whats not said that speaks the most. He will never be happy until he wins the premier league . 

Appreciate these sentences are maybe not meant to be connected, but to even hear these words in this particular order is disrespectful to Gerrard. 

[bannedfromHandV]

Love all these ‘fully onboard’ comments, lose today and next week and I guarantee it’ll be ‘fully off board’ again.

I don’t seen the need to declare yourselves onboard or otherwise, surely as Villa fans, you’re just happy to see us playing well and winning games.

[Mark Albrighton]

I dare say training has changed under Gerrard and the players are responding to it positively. A change is as good as a rest (but obviously more than just that).

But as has been pointed out, Smith mentioned the fitness levels of the players when he took over from Bruce and Bruce mentioned the fitness levels of the players when he took over from Di Matteo. It’s just something that’s often said when a new manager comes in. A sort of back to basics reset. 

Ultimately the better way of assessing whether the players are right in their approval of the new regime is on the field.

[It's Your Round]

7 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Love all these ‘fully onboard’ comments, lose today and next week and I guarantee it’ll be ‘fully off board’ again.

I don’t seen the need to declare yourselves onboard or otherwise, surely as Villa fans, you’re just happy to see us playing well and winning games.

I’m onboard with this.

[It's Your Round]

6 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said:

I dare say training has changed under Gerrard and the players are responding to it positively. A change is as good as a rest (but obviously more than just that).

But as has been pointed out, Smith mentioned the fitness levels of the players when he took over from Bruce and Bruce mentioned the fitness levels of the players when he took over from Di Matteo. It’s just something that’s often said when a new manager comes in. A sort of back to basics reset. 

Ultimately the better way of assessing whether the players are right in their approval of the new regime is on the field.

All new managers/coaches say that fitness needs to improve. While it might be true in some cases, it’s more of a cliche now, one to go with the massive club, great support line. 
 

If we imagine that each new manager is telling the truth, and the previous manager’s team weren’t fit enough. Then by travelling back through the line of managers, each team being progressively less fit than the next. We’d end up with a team of useless, fat wasters by the the late 00’s. 
 

Actually… considering Dunne and Gabby of that era, maybe there is something in it

[TRO]

18 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Love all these ‘fully onboard’ comments, lose today and next week and I guarantee it’ll be ‘fully off board’ again.

I don’t seen the need to declare yourselves onboard or otherwise, surely as Villa fans, you’re just happy to see us playing well and winning games.

Thats an interpretation of whether folk believe he will do well or not....I beleive he will.

localised games winning or losing will prove, very little, because realistically he has had no time to make a deep rooted mark.

If we lose the next two, my belief won't change.

The first thing to be bothered about is steering clear of the drop zone.....that's SG's prime short term task.

[lexicon]

33 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Love all these ‘fully onboard’ comments, lose today and next week and I guarantee it’ll be ‘fully off board’ again.

I don’t seen the need to declare yourselves onboard or otherwise, surely as Villa fans, you’re just happy to see us playing well and winning games.

There's been a clamour in society to 'nail your colours to the mast' over the last decade or so, mostly fueled by the media who have tried to turn politics into some sort of sporting event, but also by gambling companies who relentlessly encourage people to 'call it' so they can be a winner. They make people feel like they have to be 'all in' or have stronger views about things because it's good for their respective businesses, and also chastise those who sit on the fence because subconsciously there's this idea that 'you're either with us or against us'. 

[MWARLEY2]

1 hour ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

Appreciate these sentences are maybe not meant to be connected, but to even hear these words in this particular order is disrespectful to Gerrard. 

You know i didnt mean it . You get the point i was making though . One thing carrying in the lower part of the prem or championship. A completely different one carrying a team back from the dead at half time 3 nill down against Milan.  Theres levels and Gerrard is levels above that Jack . 

[TRO]

On 03/12/2021 at 20:44, DCJonah said:

It's a strange feeling, but whilst I'm very excited about the potential under him, I just don't feel fully associated with him. I think it's still so surreal to see Stephen Gerrard as our manager.

It doesn't compute when I see him there.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I feel the opposite.....I do get your point about feeling surreal to see SG as our manager, but for me, thats due to the Club, not recruiting "winners" for so long...and finally have.

SG has a way to go, to cement us in to the version of Aston Villa he see's.....I want him to build similar to how West Ham have built and I think he will and I think it is really doable.

It will take a slightly varied view of Squad requirements, but I think he knows that. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few raised eyebrows from the fans, when January arrives....and I don't mean big money signings.

I Look at Steven Gerrard now and think, we have finally woken up, and moved away from emotional attachment and more towards an ascertive approach and this win at all costs approach....His interviews alone are enough to convince any body language expert that this guy means business and being humble at the same time. The players look like they have woken up too.

I am excited for the future and I think SG and Aston Villa will grow together....The scouse accent probably makes it harder to adjust.