Steven Gerrard

[tom_avfc]

25 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

we have a long way to go, but this should tell us all we need for now:

Under Gerrard - 2021/22 - game week 12 to 30:

 

Under Smith: (2021/22 - game week 1 to 11):

 

Under Smith - 2020/21 - Game week 18 to 38:

21 games, 26 points in that bottom table. With spurs at home and Leicester away next up I think that top table is likely to read 21 games, 26 points in a couple of weeks time.

I just don’t see any real improvement. We were a patchy mid table team under smith and are a patchy mid table team under Gerrard.

The only thing that has changed for me is that we looked like we had a plan for the majority of Smith’s time at the club. Now we look devoid of any ideas and set to overhaul the squad again in the summer.

[nick76]

24 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

we have a long way to go, but this should tell us all we need for now:

Under Gerrard - 2021/22 - game week 12 to 30:

 

Under Smith: (2021/22 - game week 1 to 11):

 

Under Smith - 2020/21 - Game week 18 to 38:

What is it supposed to tell us?

1) Smith 20/21 final 21 games 26 points

2) Smith 21/22 first 11 games 10 points

3) Gerrard 21/22 first 6 games 12 points

4) Gerrard 21/22 last 13 games 14 points

 

1,2,4 are iffy…3 is a new manager bounce?

[maqroll]

Today was the first time under Gerrard where I thought they looked badly coached. 

[messi11]

1 minute ago, maqroll said:

Today was the first time under Gerrard where I thought they looked badly coached. 

first time you watched villa play under Gerrard then?

[paul514]

This is a complete shambles......

The change hasn't worked, the formation doesn't work, they don't look well coached or motivated.

[maqroll]

 

[VillaParkAvenue]

1 hour ago, hippo said:

Really ?

I think a good whack of players - would go for more than we paid.

Konsa, Ming's, Cash, Mcginn, Watkins, Martinez

Sure theres been a few duds too - but given many arrived after a surprise promotion and we were forced to assemble a squad in a few weeks. I ve know poorer periods in a transfer history.

IMO the transfer business was mostly good from promotion and through the summer of 2020. The team gradually strengthened and also performed much better 20/21 than the previous season.

The question marks for me are from the end of 2020 and going forward, which coincides with Lange’s appointment though I’m not sure he’s to blame. The board seems to have become a bit impatient and not content with gradual improvement, so we have begun looking for players who have come further in their development.

[Villa_Vids]

33 minutes ago, maqroll said:

Today was the first time under Gerrard where I thought they looked badly coached. 

I suppose the easy thing for him to say that there was a lack of coaching time with them into the build up to this match due to the internationals, which is fair enough. 

[Zatman]

8 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

After looking at the fixture list, I realise it's best to probably avoid this thread till season's end.

He'll get at least a pre season and half next season for me.

Yes there have been some shite performances, but the reluctance to consider ALL the mitigating factors are frustrating.

The problem is, he is already disliked by a chunk so unless things go exceedingly well these pages are going to be painful reading.

Don't get me wrong , there are things I don't like as well, and a couple of worries I consider, but I'm ok to take an unbiased look at the circumstances as a whole for now at least.

* Note, we aren't playing shite teams, and most the squad is the same.

Isnt that the problem. Would you give Remi Garde pre season in similar circumstances? 

[Zatman]

At end of the day i prefer to trust Lange vision for Villa than Purslow and his bestie

[Zatman]

1 hour ago, paul514 said:

This is a complete shambles......

The change hasn't worked, the formation doesn't work, they don't look well coached or motivated.

Win 3 games in a row against his preferred system, lose 3 when he brings it back

Him and his brains Beale are clowns if thats the case

[Zatman]

2 hours ago, jim said:

But we are no better than we were under St. Dean?

55 points last season 

[Zatman]

He has many defenders but what has he done since he arrived that Dean Smith didnt do. 

I dont think Dean Smith was the man to bring us to the Champions League for example but he is more qualified than this clown

[Tomaszk]

5 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

We spent 300 mill and then did this?

It wasn't £300m I don't think, but it was over £100m.

And yes it was really stupid to sack the manager that bought them and bring in a guy who plays no wingers when we'd just bought two for £65m.

5 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

However, this is where the club and recruitment team need to come in with the longer term strategy for the CLUB.

Ridiculous requests should obviously be vetoed.

Yes. I have large concerns Gerrard will be overruling everyone to sign players like Coutinho and Suarez and Gomez.

[Delphinho123]

Gerrard desperately needs to get to the end of the season and amass at least another 8-10 points in the process. Nobody is expecting us to finish any higher than 9th, but he needs a base to work off of next season and that requires having the fans on side. The fans will start to turn if this losing streak continues and then the whole atmosphere around the club is different. Even a 12th place finish wouldn’t be so bad, we just have to arrest this current run of form. 

He’s going to be backed this Summer. I think you’ll see huge changes in the playing squad with the likes of Targett, Traore, Trezeguet, El Ghazi, Davis etc. moving on and you’ll see some more high profile exits like Luiz and McGinn. I think the club will give him the tools to try to achieve his way of playing. 

I hope we move away from this system of playing two number 10’s and relying on the fullbacks for all the width. I much preferred Smiths 4-2-3-1 formation - we just didn’t have the personnel to play it (no defensive midfielders). 

[Demitri_C]

My problem with gerrards football (apart from the shambles at the back) is why is it when we get close to the opponents box we attempt 20 passes before going for a shot? It constantly slows play down and creates less space for us and the opposition has got all their players back making it difficult. 

 

[Tommo_b]

8 hours ago, messi11 said:

How dare he blame the players. He threw them under the bus yet again today, I'm not liking this kind of management. 
This is something you should do in private not public.

Why does he keep playing out of form players like Mcginn? His favourites are nailed! 

 

Why can’t he throw them under the bus though?

If I’m a player and I get thrown under the bus publicly it’s going to make me question myself and try to perform better, I’m all for it, play crap and you get called out for it, they earn enough. 

[Tommo_b]

8 hours ago, hippo said:

I agree there has been / is an agenda against him from day 1. It was always a divisive appointment - but doesn't that also mean it was an unwise appointment.

 

Possibly… though never more unwise then Mcleish

[hippo]

3 minutes ago, Tommo_b said:

Possibly… though never more unwise then Mcleish

That's setting the bar pretty low.

[TRO]

15 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

If I'm honest, it's a combo of all those things.

One MAJOR difference though, is that Dean Smith pretty much signed ALL of those players.

There definitely were times under Deano, where a few of us did note that players were letting him down as well, notably, the same ones which are currently letting us down.

It's entirely possible for the board and people to think " There is no way X player and X player are this bad, they would certainly be doing better under another manager " and then come to the realisation that " Nah, X player really is shite ". Lol

It's all a process, if it were only ever exclusivley down to players or managers, none would ever get changed. It's why even the best clubs will have a manager comes in who wants his own players.

Even if currently SG is a " side step " at best, the board might view him as a side step with a higher ceiling which is/was worth whatever some might consider short term " pain .

Also to note, Deanos most fierce critics, are some of the same ones criticising Gerrard as well.

I tend to agree with @TROin the sense that it's not even so much the quality, but the balance.

Personally, I've always said this was going to be a season of transition, since the events of the summer.

SO my expectations weren't " high ", but they certainly weren't what was eventually happening under Dean either.

At the end of the day, it's still way too early to decide if sacking Deja and bringing in SG was a complete cock up or not.

 

What we are trying to do Shaun, is run with out having dedicated defensive nous in central midfield, and papering over the issue, by deploying offensive minded players there and taking it as fixed...its not, and the problem is with us until the summer and then god knows we need to sign one......No other position in the team, would be ignored or passed over, like this one has......would we run without a centre back, or centre forward....No

Its too early to blame SG....but the club, is at fault here, surely the Director of football has eyes, and there are so many now involved in recruitment, surely, its been mentioned in the past.

You are right, its the balance, more than the quality, although I have to say, we are so lightweight, staying on the ball, in light of a challenge, seems a difficulty, for most of our players.

SG said yesterday...." The ease in which we concede, is in contrast to how hard we have to work,to score"......That is a tell tale sign of our issues.....The first goal was an epitome of that statement.

The problem is, the answer, doesn't lie in the present squad, every permutation of player and system has been tried, by 2 managers......We simply can't cover the absence of a quality CDM. I hear the cries of they are rare and hard to find, and yet just about every other team we are competing with has one or two.....its baffling.

The bit, I struggle to comprehend, is how long its taken for the penny to drop at the club.

Edited April 3, 2022 by TRO