Steven Gerrard

[jim]

Excited by this appointment. Just listening to Chris Kirkland and he was saying he has high standards and the players will have never worked so hard.

His first job will be to pick the players up off the floor as their confidence is shot after 5 consecutive defeats. I think just his arrival will be a shot in the arm and we’ll see a good performance against Brighton.

[tomav84]

14 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

the interesting thing will be if the money was always there but we couldn't get our targets, with a new coaching team do we have new targets

im guessing we will never know

i think the money was kept back for this eventuality

[jim]

1 minute ago, tomav84 said:

i think the money was kept back for this eventuality

Ditto. It was mooted at the time.

Purslow was disappointed with the second half of the season so I think the writing was on the wall if we didn’t get off to a good start.

Edited November 11, 2021 by jim

[Follyfoot]

13 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

I agree with this entirely. People are entitled to be as skeptical as they like, or indeed go as far as to wish the new manager of Aston Villa failure before we have even kicked a ball during his reign. 

I’m entitled to think this is what differentiates between a ‘fan’ and a ‘supporter’, two words I don’t personally believe are interchangeable. 

I’ll continue to support Steven Gerrard up until the point I feel he can take us no further. At that point, I’ll still wish him all the success in the world on the pitch, because it’s good for Aston Villa. Other ‘fans’ are entitled to do whatever they wish from the off. 

Edit - I should say my opinion above applies almost exclusively to those ‘fans’ wishing him failure. Critical thinking on the other hand is essential. 

November 20th at 4.55 PM 

[Peter Griffin]

40 minutes ago, MakemineVanilla said:

Purslow's historical Liverpool connections suggest that the appointment is an act of nepotism, which explains Smith's opportunistic sacking.

I am not sure winning that two-horse race, known as the Scottish Premiership, is sufficient proof of being good enough, any more than finishing top of the Championship would be.

Gerrard's elevation is very reminscent of that of Lampard, which proved to be premature.

No doubt Garrard will enjoy the luxury of calls that he should be given time, should the same players who have lost the last five, fail to find the form since their collapse against Wolves.

It certainly seems like the Villa faithful are about to live through some interesting times, once again.

Was ROK coming here nepotism too? And more nepotism with Gerrard taking Beale et al to Villa Park. Having worked with somebody previously also suggests you have a better understanding of the person, their character and their motivations. Understanding these can help in the recruitment process. 

[pacbuddies]

1 minute ago, tomav84 said:

i think the money was kept back for this eventuality

Maybe the owners didn't want Smith spunking any more of our money up the wall.

[VillanousOne]

42 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

I thought it being well known before it was confirmed would make me less angry we sacked off Deano for a rookie. I was wrong.

I love Dean, but he was also a rookie at Prem level and it really showed.
 

Gerrard might not be an improvement, we don't know, lets hope he is, out of the options available I think he was probably the best one to go for.

Edited November 11, 2021 by VillanousOne

[a m ole]

Just now, pacbuddies said:

Maybe the owners didn't want Smith spunking any more of our money up the wall.

It wasn’t his money to spunk, it was Lange’s.

[sidcow]

2 hours ago, TrentVilla said:

 

One more thing, can we please please please not start callling him "Stevie G" thanks!

OK. Big G it is then 

 

Edit - Beaten to it about 100 times  

Edited November 11, 2021 by sidcow

[Adam2003]

Absolutely taken to task by Ewan Murray (Scottish football writer in the Guardian) as not great at Rangers and doesn’t think he’s done enough to deserve a PL job. Fascinating the different sides you hear from people watching the same thing in this game.

[Peter Griffin]

41 minutes ago, hippo said:

Sorry I meant what does a typical fan have to do be "backing the manager"

I don't like the appointment. But imo it's misguided rather than lacking ambition. SG met the whole board and was impressed by what he heard. I think he will have a fair wedge to spend 

It wouldn't be pushing the boat out to far to assume that the whole board were impressed by what they heard too

[Peter Griffin]

40 minutes ago, StanBalaban said:

How long are his arms?

[WakefieldVillan]

Hated him as a player, hate(d) Liverpool so hardly surprising as he was one of their greatest ever players - But whenever I have seen any of his interviews at Rangers he always comes across well and my feelings towards him had definitely softened during time.

But TBH, I don't care about any of his playing past, other than he should have a great influence on our (young) players, particularly the midfielders so that for one is a good reason for his appointment.

He will get my 100% full support and although he is no Dean Smith whom I wanted to be given longer, that ship as sailed having a Villa Manager / Captain scenario (which I loved about our club) so why not. He's young, he's a winner, he has ambition, he has personal pride - To me it's a bigger risk for him than it is for us and that shows a lot to me about his character as an individual. 

Every management appointment is a risk, this one on paper might be riskier than a lot of other choices we could have made, but who knows what the future holds, as said I didn't want Deano sacked but I am genuinely excited with this move and hope that he proves the doubters wrong UTV 

 

[jim]

1 hour ago, Peter Griffin said:

I didn't realise Jamie Carragher was such a Villa fan. Sky giving us a lot of coverage today

He’s always spoken well about us.

[Newry_Villan]

Has his interview been released yet? 

[est1874]

3 minutes ago, Adam2003 said:

Absolutely taken to task by Ewan Murray (Scottish football writer in the Guardian) as not great at Rangers and doesn’t think he’s done enough to deserve a PL job. Fascinating the different sides you hear from people watching the same thing in this game.

Whatever people think about the appointment this is a bizarre take. I'm not a keen follower of Scottish football but not clear on what more he could have done? Won the league and left them top again at the moment. Did well enough in Europe without setting it alight, which he wouldn't have been expected to do. Sure he could have won a cup, but is defeat in a knock-out tournament the be-all end-all? Confused.

Edited November 11, 2021 by est1874

[est1874]

1 minute ago, jim said:

He’s always spoken well about us.

Always thought this too. Seemed especially disappointed when we started the season so poorly this time around too, think he likes what we stand for and likes to see the old giants resurfacing.

[villa89]

6 minutes ago, Adam2003 said:

Absolutely taken to task by Ewan Murray (Scottish football writer in the Guardian) ....doesn’t think he’s done enough to deserve a PL job. 

I agree. If he wasn't such a good player he wouldn't have got the job.

[Mazrim]

OK, here's my tuppence. All in all, I'm not totally sure how this will go down but I do understand the decision. I know many of the candidates would not have worked. I can t east say with Gerrard, I don't know.

- He's our manager and I'm totally behind him. All I ask is measurable, demonstrable improvement, some semblance of planning and forethought, some compose and awareness on the pitch.

- I do not give a flying toss about his connections to another club. It is of no consequence to me. He's a Villa man now until he isn't. I do respect that he gave everything to that club though. It shows loyalty and character. I'm a Villa fan. I don't require the manager to be one too, however nice that is. I just want them to do their job. Villa's success is all that matters. If one day Gerrard moves on and it's considered upwards, it means he's done a good job here. Fine.

- I've always though he was honest, frank, astute and aware of the game based on his interviews. He's certainly no fool and no bullshitter. We'll know his honest thoughts and so will the players. He's a bit dour but I'd rather he was effective than entertaining.

- He's a big name in the game. The players will not question him as I think they might have with Smith. He is a winner. That cannot be denied. He's been a leader on and now off the pitch. Let's see how the players react. But there's only one winner here and the players had better shape up.

- This show guts from Gerrard. We're a team that have had a rough preseason and have a squad that needs work, still a month and a half away from what is always a difficult month to buy players. He could have waited for a more stable job and a summer of planning. He didn't. He's gone all in with a pair of 10s and I admire that. This confidence will serve him well.

 

I understand the trepidation as we're talking about a guy just starting to make his way through management. However, that start has been fantastic so I choose to be optimistic.
He hasn't managed in the Premier league but he played his entire career in it. It hasn't changed that much. He obviously feels up to it so lets see what he can do.

So yeah, bring it on. It definitely wasn't working and had to change and this is where we are.
Best of luck Steve.

[sidcow]

2 hours ago, Rob182 said:

I’m almost certain the chant will be “Stevie G’s Claret & Blue Army” so it’ll soon catch on and spread like herpes.

I'm seriously anxious about the SJM song