The boos must still have been ringing in Steven Gerrard’s ears when the news was delivered.
After his humiliating 3-0 defeat, the press officer at Craven Cottage has completed his duties. FulhamGerrard was then told by Aston VillaChristian Purslow, chief executive, said that his time with the club was done.
An emergency board meeting was held at Fulham’s stadium on the final whistle. Nassef Sawiris, the co-owner, made the short journey from London to attend. He decided midway through the second period that it was the right time for him to retire. It was time for change.
In the directors’ box, the Egyptian co-owner raged at another defeat and left early. Gerrard may have sensed his time was up and answered only four questions at his press conference, before Purslow confirmed the news.
As Gerrard informed them, the players sat down behind him and began to plan for the future.
Some were upset and embarrassed that they didn’t do enough to help save his position but others welcomed the change.
Gerrard makes the long trek back to Craven Cottage for his dressing room (Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images).
Gerrard addressed the team at 1am, when they returned to Bodymoor Heath. He thanked them for their efforts and reassured them that their talent will shine through. Following the speech, Gerrard gave a short speech to thank them all for their efforts and promised that they would be back in good spirits.
It is now first-team coach Aaron Danks’ job to prepare the team for the home game against Brentford on Sunday as Gerrard’s backroom staff — Gary McAllister, Neil Critchley, Tom Culshaw, Jordan Milsom and Scott Mason — have also left their roles.
Villa want to act quickly and decisively and have already gauged Mauricio Pochettino’s interest in managing the club but he has shown no interest in taking over. Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim and Brentford’s Thomas Frank are both on Villa’s radar.
How damaging this start to the season will be for Villa’s season remains to be seen.
The next step for Gerrard (42 years old) will also be fascinating. Gerrard enjoyed a remarkable career as a player. LiverpoolBut he was fired as coach. He had two and a half years left on his Villa deal, worth around £4million ($4.4m) a year.
So, where did it all go wrong.
Let’s start with the statistics that lay bare the struggles of the Gerrard reign. In his 40-game tenure, Gerrard won only 13 games and only four victories in the 22 Premier League games.
Villa is 17th in the table and only one spot above the drop zone, because they have scored more than the average goal scorer. Wolverhampton Wanderers.
There are so many other painful moments that make it difficult, like the loss at Brentford. Newcastle UnitedLast season, then at Watford.
Or the 4-0 battering. Tottenham HotspurAnd the 1-1 draw Crystal PalaceOn May 4, the club celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Villa’s win of the European Cup.
Gerrard was able to make a right decision to form a Guard of Honour made up of the 1982-winning team, which is to his credit. However, he would never be able to appreciate the club and its fans as a whole.
This season is a failure to win Leeds UnitedWhen they had 10 men and lasted 42 minutes, they were bottom-of the-table Nottingham ForestHis sacking was due to these factors. Villa was never a player on the up. Except for a short time in February/March, they were dull and predictable to watch.
Gerrard’s Villa lacked a spark (Photo: Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images)
So many of the creative players were out of form and when that happens, the manager’s methods have to be questioned.
But, losing to was the true setback. BournemouthThe season’s opening day. The club was shocked by the defeat, largely because it came as a complete surprise.
Villa came into the game fully-fit after a unbeaten preseason. This was aided by the arrivals Diego CarlosAnd Boubacar Kamara.
Gerrard made some bizarre decisions that day. He was the top goal scorer. Ollie WatkinsYou can also sit at the bench with us Douglas LuizThe captaincy change was poorly handled Tyrone MingsTo John McGinn.
Instead of explaining to Mings that Mings was suffering from a minor injury, he made a big deal about the centre-back’s need to prove he was worthy of being relegated. It caused offence to many fans and led to a resentful attitude towards the coach.
Both goals were conceded by this route, despite the message being to not give away free kicks. Bournemouth was a serious threat from set play. The inference that Gerrard’s players couldn’t follow basic instructions began to show that the group were not playing to their full potential.
The Vitality Stadium was a gathering place where family and friends of players from the first team argued with those who were supporting abusers.
Villa have been on a downward spiral ever since. The damaging defeat at Fulham proved to be the final straw for a manager who had faced increased scrutiny from supporters more than Villa’s board members, who, up until this week, backed him to succeed.
Purslow described Gerrard’s appointment in November 2021 as a “fantastic moment in Aston Villa’s history” after whittling down an initial 20-man list to four candidates, with Gerrard then undergoing a five-hour interview.
Purslow is now under increased scrutiny because he is the CEO and must find the right person to replace Villa. Johan Lange, the sporting director, should also be held accountable for the expensive signings Villa made.
Purslow and Villa’s owners, Sawiris and Wes Edens, backed Gerrard in the transfer market but all signings had to pass Lange’s strict test around data science.
Lange, Purslow & Gerrard at Walsall’s pre-season friendly in July (Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images).
Gerrard stated that he needed to strengthen his team’s spine before a ball was kicked in 2022-22-23. Gerrard desired a solid centre-back as well as at least one defensively-minded midfielder.
It took a lot of time to tell the story. James Tarkowski exactly why he was the right fit for his side but Villa instead looked elsewhere and decided to spend £26million on signing Diego Carlos from Sevilla instead. Tarkowski joined the organization. EvertonStarting at BurnleyYou can also request a free transfer
Yves Bissouma was the recipient of a January bid but BrightonThey were unwilling to sell. Villa decided that the overall financial package was too high and Bissouma moved to Tottenham in the summer for over £25million on wages Villa would not match.
It was a huge coup to secure a deal to sign Kamara in Marseille on a free transfer.
Gerrard helped seal the deal during a mission to France towards the end of last season and that was an example of one of the manager’s best qualities. Gerrard was very involved in tracking players, and that was a trait many appreciated. Premier League’s all-time great midfielders was interested in signing them.
Gerrard begged Lucas DigneMultiple times per week to find out if he is interested in Everton. He was also said to be a key figure in those discussions.
He video-called Leander Dendoncker immediately after Villa’s defeat by ArsenalOn August 31, with only hours remaining in the summer transfer window, his passion convinced him to join.
Gerrard made an impact when signing players.
Philippe CoutinhoTransferring on a loan BarcelonaWithout Gerrard and his Liverpool connections, January would not have happened.
There’s a wider debate over whether the £17million permanent move was worth it, though. Recent form and a dismal set of statistics — he’s yet to score or set up a goal this season — suggest it wasn’t, but Villa were prepared to give Coutinho a full pre-season and see whether he could rediscover some of the magic that made him such a hit at Anfield.
Other players were also attracted to his arrival. Digne, Kamara and Diego Carlos were all impressed by Villa’s ability to pull in a big name and that helped convince them to join an exciting project ahead of clubs in the Champions League.
Coutinho showed faith, but the biggest mistake was not signing another experienced striker during the summer. Cameron ArcherTo have another spell on loan, he has already played 28 minutes of Premier League football.
Luis Suarez, age 35, wanted to relocate to Villa. Gerrard kept asking him if he could facilitate a move, but Villa decided against it. Others could have offered assistance if Suarez wasn’t the best option. Gerrard had lengthy discussions with WatfordSign up Ismaila Sarr on a £25million deal but Villa pulled out at the last minute.
The team’s shot-conversion rate is second in the Premier League. Goals have been a major problem — only Wolverhampton Wanderers have scored fewer than Villa’s seven.
Without Gerrard, Coutinho’s signing would have been impossible (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images).
But he never questioned the backing or support from the owners, who have pumped more than £400million into the club since their takeover in July 2018.
Only this week, they showed their continued intent with another cash injection of £15.5million this week.
Getting the right players in is key, though, as Villa spurned the £100million Jack GrealishSpend money Leon Bailey, Danny IngsAnd Emiliano BuendiaThree players have severely underperformed.
You will need to have more funding, better recruits and a clear approach for training.
Gerrard was unable to deliver the latter, but now the focus is on whether other elements can also be achieved.
Gerrard arrived at Villa Park just 11 months ago, brimming with energy and admirable passion.
His respectful words about Villa were evident right from the beginning. He understood the size of Villa and the challenges at hand. And he also expressed the frustration of supporters who felt they were being thrown around in the Premier League’s lower reaches.
After winning over Purslow and Lange with a lengthy presentation that carefully detailed how Villa’s playing style could look under his leadership — possession-based but entertaining and exciting — Gerrard immediately set about raising standards.
He made the training grounds more strict. The system was refined and the training times were adjusted.
Villa set off on the journey to various away venues in preparation for the game. Villa’s first success on the road was celebrated by the manager in front the travelling fans.
The canteen was also updated with healthier options and reduced use of table sauces.
The players enjoyed the intensity of the training sessions, and some of the more experienced members of the team saw a change in their performance after Dean Smith’s departure.
Gerrard was strict but honest with his players (Photo: Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
Gerrard was tough with his players, often pulling up individuals for underperforming in his drive for an “elite” dressing room. Many players felt that Gerrard was open with them about team selection, and that there was also a softer, more compassionate side to him, especially when injured players were involved.
Michael Beale, Gerrard’s assistant manager, was extremely thorough. Gerrard explained to his first assistant manager Michael Beale how he wanted his team played and gave him the right to implement it. While most players liked it, others felt that Beale was too assertive to be a right-hand person.
Beale left Queens Park Rangers when he was 26. Critchley came in as a different type of coach. The former BlackpoolThe boss is more calm and has his own method of working. He doesn’t tend to get riled up in the face if there are difficulties. Although Critchley was denied entry to the pre-season trip, Gerrard was pleased to welcome him aboard.
Gerrard was told that a top-half finish in this season was possible and that Villa should be competing for a spot in Europe. At the end of the game, there was a painful, slow, inevitable inevitability that Villa would leave, before a brutal dismissal.
Garry Thompson, a former Villa striker, commented that Gerrard would be reviewing every detail and feel afflicted by his managerial career.
“Getting on that coach would have been painful,” Thompson told The Athletic “He’ll be gutted and feel humiliated. This was a man who was a winner as a player and what has happened was not part of the masterplan.”
Gerrard found it more difficult to attend media conferences each week. Time limits were imposed on reporters to try and reduce the negative energy. Gerrard was known for being too open and expressing his feelings, often to his disadvantage.
He admitted that he was feeling the pressure but right until the end, he continued to face the challenge head-on, in the way he did as a player — and believe it or not, he didn’t like talking about how he was Once the Premier League’s top midfielder.
It would have been great if he could find something similar in his playing career to match-defining moments like the FA CupFinal rocket against West Ham or his second-half performance in Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League triumph in Istanbul. He wanted to succeed.
But when the “Steven Gerrard, he slipped on his arse” song in reference to his 2014 blunder against ChelseaThe Villa fans were the ones who won the Premier League title race. There was no turning back.
Although his pride was evidently affected, the perception that he was disrespectful of the supporters by not acknowledging their defeat was false.
He was just a winner, coping with the difficult times his way.
There was no doubt that change was necessary. However, if the problems are deeply-rooted, this fight could continue under the next regime.
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
