Steven Gerrard

[DCJonah]

16 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Not sure how all of a sudden people would be " happy with 14th ", otherwise, what was the point of the change?

Unless you don't think we couldn't have even gotten 14th with Deano? Or are looking longer term?

Still top 10 - 11th/12th for me.

Although we might have already given up too much ground.

Surely it has to be. 

What is the real difference between finishing 9th or 14th? 

For me, its all about Gerrard implementing his ideas and getting the squad even better for next season.

[Delphinho123]

5 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

Surely it has to be. 

What is the real difference between finishing 9th or 14th? 

For me, its all about Gerrard implementing his ideas and getting the squad even better for next season.

This I kind of agree with. 

I don’t see a massive difference and ultimately we need to make sure we stay up and Gerrard can start getting his way of working across to the players. With a couple of additions in Jan and another 2/3 in the Summer, hopefully we can really push for a top 10/8 finish next year. 

My only worry in finishing 14th would be a lack of progression and how that translates to the likes of Martinez and Konsa wanting to stay. 

I know you don’t agree with me on the summer window DC, but for me, it’s the first step backwards we’ve taken as a club since the NSWE ownership. Grealish leaving was a huge blow but even with that happening, we failed to address areas that needed improving had he of stayed. It was a poor, disjointed window and we’re paying the price now. 

[TRO]

17 hours ago, AntrimBlack said:

Sounds from the above that he is not good enough for us.

Gerrard out.

we might start winning....that could be the problem, we are not quite used to it.

[TRO]

14 hours ago, sidcow said:

Because there is literally no space between being one of the biggest clubs in Europe (which Rangers are literally miles and miles away from being) and a tin pot back street club? 

You're just being plain daft there. 

Rangers are a huge club....nothing daft about that.

[DaveAV1]

5 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

Surely it has to be. 

What is the real difference between finishing 9th or 14th? 

For me, its all about Gerrard implementing his ideas and getting the squad even better for next season.

Yes of course it’s about the long term but we can’t just ignore the here and now. Firstly get away from the bottom of the table and put as much distance as possible between us and the bottom three.
 

On the face of it a few places either way in mid table doesn’t really make that much difference. However finishing on an upward trajectory brings a generally more positive feeling to the club. In turn that can make the summer transfer targets look more favourably at us. It’s easier to carry a buoyant mood into the following season than have to turn the mood around. 
 

I’ve always thought Leicester’s title challenge started at the end of the previous season. Of course in practical terms they stayed up, but they managed to maintain that momentum into the following season. 

[Jas10]

17 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

My only worry in finishing 14th would be a lack of progression and how that translates to the likes of Martinez and Konsa wanting to stay.

 

Another, key, point. Our best players are not going to want to stick around if we’re not progressing and there is interest from elsewhere… we have to keep moving forwards.

[TRO]

18 hours ago, Weechops said:

You have paid for the brand. The Gerrard brand. Wait till you lose/draw against similar teams and hear his interviews. They are all the same. A lot of us switched off at times. In his first season we had a real opportunity to push on and win the league.  We lost it in a 2-1 defeat at Kilmarnock with Joe Worrall selling both goals.  Two seasons ago we were top of the league and crashed spectacularly allowing Celtic to win an incomplete league. We won 55 and I personally think that it was down to no crowds. The pressure playing for either of the old firm is intense. You need to be able to "wear the Jersey,". Not every fan is sad.  He won 55 but it was stopping 10 for them that was the prize for us. 1 trophy out of 9 in domestic competition is and was poor. Getting put out by St Mirren and St Johnstone in the cups was down to the management team. We should have won a treble last season. AV have better players but he's not a magician. 

If he was a magician, he would be at a top European club....He is still learning and has admitted as such.

Jurgen Klopp, is one onf the best managers in world football, but lost to us 7-2.....We can all pick out instances of good or bad games.

Its the overall, that is significant.

We just have to wait and see.

[Jas10]

19 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

This I kind of agree with. 

I don’t see a massive difference and ultimately we need to make sure we stay up and Gerrard can start getting his way of working across to the players. With a couple of additions in Jan and another 2/3 in the Summer, hopefully we can really push for a top 10/8 finish next year. 

My only worry in finishing 14th would be a lack of progression and how that translates to the likes of Martinez and Konsa wanting to stay. 

I know you don’t agree with me on the summer window DC, but for me, it’s the first step backwards we’ve taken as a club since the NSWE ownership. Grealish leaving was a huge blow but even with that happening, we failed to address areas that needed improving had he of stayed. It was a poor, disjointed window and we’re paying the price now. 

I suspect we held back funds for a new manager… maybe that had been the intention for quite a while. And maybe Gerrard was always the man for Purslow…

Maybe the intention wasn’t to heavily back Smith going forwards. To see how we were going to start the season first… but did they even take the mitigating factors into account?

Smith always came across as maybe too amiable. Happy to work with others and willing to have certain decisions made for him, rather than challenge his “superiors”. I don’t really know. Maybe Gerrard would take a firmer stance on things…

Oh well, what’s done is done.

[Jas10]

15 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

However finishing on an upward trajectory brings a generally more positive feeling to the club. In turn that can make the summer transfer targets look more favourably at us. It’s easier to carry a buoyant mood into the following season than have to turn the mood around. 

Another great point, we need to be able to attract the best players possible and be in a position to do so (be an attractive proposition)… there won’t be a shortage of suitors either. Competition on and off the field is fierce in the PL and there is an abundance of finances…

[AntrimBlack]

26 minutes ago, TRO said:

we might start winning....that could be the problem, we are not quite used to it.

I noted your optimism, Tro. Good on you. Gerrard's high profile enthuses me, and, whatever happens, I am looking forward to seeing what he can achieve with us.

 

[TRO]

5 minutes ago, AntrimBlack said:

I noted your optimism, Tro. Good on you. Gerrard's high profile enthuses me, and, whatever happens, I am looking forward to seeing what he can achieve with us.

 

Me too....I think many things he has going for him, could be contagious.....players will surely listen to him.

I have no doubts there will still be, tricky times.....No manager is impervious to them.

One thing, I do think Steven will do, is manage Purslow, better than Dean.....I don't mean that disrespectfully to either party, I just get the feeling, it could have been an issue.

 

[avfc1982am]

I think Gerrard will be under pressure. To stabilise the slump this season but also to ensure the team is playing with an identity by the end of it and we aren't flirting down the bottom of the table. I would gather mid table or there about would be acceptable this season whilst he settles into the role. I would also believe next season, should this one pass by without it going tits up, will be when he is truly judged and will fall on his sword if he doesn't produce what the owners want. If we can pick up one or 2 signing's to bolster the squad in January I think we could potentially kick. I'm not expecting miracles, but definitely an improvement on what we have been seeing. 

I think the players will be very much onboard with Gerrard. He's a players man, still revered throughout the game, respected and young enough to communicate in a way the players understand. I also think they will see him as a draw and someone who they want to play for. I think the appointment is really intriguing. I'm not overly concerned with all those criticising his achievements or experience either because he's going to have different tools and resources at his disposal than Rangers and will be in a more familiar surrounding in the PL. What I do think will happen will  be a lifting of standards within the coaching set up. I think a higher level of discipline will be instilled which in itself will benefit the team. This group of players are definitely playing within themselves for various reasons, and have been for a while.

Anyway, I think everyone should just try to be positive. It hasn't gone wrong yet, Gerrard hasn't failed yet and we are not a basket case yet. The season is still early, there is still much to play for and much to be positive about. A fit Bailey, Traore, up to speed Buendia, a firing Ollie Watkins, more solid defense and midfield and we may all be much happier in a couple of months time. Wouldn't that be nice. 

[AntrimBlack]

1 hour ago, Delphinho123 said:

No. Because he couldn’t fit them all onto the pitch at the same time anyway.

Even if he could, our central midfield area is too weak for us to push for anything near Europe. 

So many people are looking for answers to our form that don’t exist. We didn’t address the areas that badly needed addressing in the Summer. On top of that, we lost our best player. It’s really that simple.

IMO, Smith never had a chance. 

Well, we will find out now when a new manager takes over if Smith could have done better. Not saying how it will go, one way or the other, because obviously I cannot know, but it will certainly be interesting.

[TRO]

3 minutes ago, avfc1982am said:

I think Gerrard will be under pressure. To stabilise the slump this season but also to ensure the team is playing with an identity by the end of it and we aren't flirting down the bottom of the table. I would gather mid table or there about would be acceptable this season whilst he settles into the role. I would also believe next season, should this one pass by without it going tits up, will be when he is truly judged and will fall on his sword if he doesn't produce what the owners want. If we can pick up one or 2 signing's to bolster the squad in January I think we could potentially kick. I'm not expecting miracles, but definitely an improvement on what we have been seeing. 

I think the players will be very much onboard with Gerrard. He's a players man, still revered throughout the game, respected and young enough to communicate in a way the players understand. I also think they will see him as a draw and someone who they want to play for. I think the appointment is really intriguing. I'm not overly concerned with all those criticising his achievements or experience either because he's going to have different tools and resources at his disposal than Rangers and will be in a more familiar surrounding in the PL. What I do think will happen will  be a lifting of standards within the coaching set up. I think a higher level of discipline will be instilled which in itself will benefit the team. This group of players are definitely playing within themselves for various reasons, and have been for a while.

Anyway, I think everyone should just try to be positive. It hasn't gone wrong yet, Gerrard hasn't failed yet and we are not a basket case yet. The season is still early, there is still much to play for and much to be positive about. A fit Bailey, Traore, up to speed Buendia, a firing Ollie Watkins, more solid defense and midfield and we may all be much happier in a couple of months time. Wouldn't that be nice. 

I think he will be judged from Monday morning....That does not mean unrealistic expectations, but he will be judged all the time, by everyone.....and he knows that.

The pressure is something people like him wallow in, others it crushes them.....Jack loved the pressure, top folk do.

I think he will identify pretty quickly, who in our team thrives on it and who shrinks under it.

I too am just looking for safety and stabilising the league position away from the trap door.....Once we stop, the dastardly act of conceding goals, we have a chance.

 

 

[TRO]

36 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

Another, key, point. Our best players are not going to want to stick around if we’re not progressing and there is interest from elsewhere… we have to keep moving forwards.

I would think the club are acutely aware of that, hence their action.

[Jas10]

21 minutes ago, avfc1982am said:

I think Gerrard will be under pressure. To stabilise the slump this season but also to ensure the team is playing with an identity by the end of it and we aren't flirting down the bottom of the table. I would gather mid table or there about would be acceptable this season whilst he settles into the role. I would also believe next season, should this one pass by without it going tits up, will be when he is truly judged and will fall on his sword if he doesn't produce what the owners want. If we can pick up one or 2 signing's to bolster the squad in January I think we could potentially kick. I'm not expecting miracles, but definitely an improvement on what we have been seeing. 

I think the players will be very much onboard with Gerrard. He's a players man, still revered throughout the game, respected and young enough to communicate in a way the players understand. I also think they will see him as a draw and someone who they want to play for. I think the appointment is really intriguing. I'm not overly concerned with all those criticising his achievements or experience either because he's going to have different tools and resources at his disposal than Rangers and will be in a more familiar surrounding in the PL. What I do think will happen will  be a lifting of standards within the coaching set up. I think a higher level of discipline will be instilled which in itself will benefit the team. This group of players are definitely playing within themselves for various reasons, and have been for a while.

Anyway, I think everyone should just try to be positive. It hasn't gone wrong yet, Gerrard hasn't failed yet and we are not a basket case yet. The season is still early, there is still much to play for and much to be positive about. A fit Bailey, Traore, up to speed Buendia, a firing Ollie Watkins, more solid defense and midfield and we may all be much happier in a couple of months time. Wouldn't that be nice. 

Great post tbf. Need to look forwards with hope and positivity, hope it all works out.

[Rightdm00]

1 hour ago, DCJonah said:

Surely it has to be. 

What is the real difference between finishing 9th or 14th? 

For me, its all about Gerrard implementing his ideas and getting the squad even better for next season.

Especially if he plans on implementing a high pressing system. We lack several players for a system like that and honestly only a few currently have the fitness levels for it. 

I'm honestly very curious to see how we setup when we face stronger opposition. That type of situation is not something he had to deal with often while in the SPL. 

[Jas10]

23 minutes ago, TRO said:

Me too....I think many things he has going for him, could be contagious.....players will surely listen to him.

I have no doubts there will still be, tricky times.....No manager is impervious to them.

One thing, I do think Steven will do, is manage Purslow, better than Dean.....I don't mean that disrespectfully to either party, I just get the feeling, it could have been an issue.

 

I hope he does manage Purslow better because there have been some concerning signs (despite much of the good work, academy most of all)… but I hope Gerrard has the right approach and strategy in all aspects, including recruitment.

No ageing, injury prone & heavily paid players please. No pursuit of players past their best based on name/reputation alone… I hope he works closely with Lange and his team…

Said it before but maybe Dean was a little too amiable and allowed others to exert their influence a bit too much… who knows? A little too accepting of decisions made for him? Dunno.

I’m eager to see how we conduct ourselves in every way going forwards, what will change and so on…

That Brighton game can’t come soon enough! (although it’s good he has some time to settle in and assess the squad and situation we’re in, of course).

[DaveAV1]

On 13/11/2021 at 13:07, hippo said:

Some breaking news (or maybe not) - that he has a release clause in contract - in 2024 allowing to be free from his contact for a defined amount.

No real problem with that. But what happens if we start getting approaches from Liverpool for some of our players in say late 2023 ? 

I assume there will some protections in there. For example  if Martinez declines a new deal , and then signs for Liverpool and Gerrard follows him there six months later ?

Same with some of our promising youth players.

 

Look it doesn’t matter about managers or coaches contracts. If they’re doing well they’ll attract attention. If we’re doing well they’re more likely to stay. It’s no secret that SG is a Liverpool fan, it would be strange if he wasn’t with his history. Not appointing a manager or signing a player because they might do well and leave doesn’t really work. If they’re all rubbish then losing them isn’t a problem, the problem then becomes much worse. 
 

We’re very well run and financed now. Anyone and everyone is replaceable and the current set up reduces the risk when a change is made. Enjoy the ride don’t let paranoia beat you every time we’re flying high and some click bait journo writes another SG to Anfield article , or pastes an old one more likely. 

[Zatman]

2 hours ago, Laughable Chimp said:

I'm sure the owners still want continuous improvement but jesus christ cut the guy some slack. He's a relatively inexperienced manager coming into a club in turmoil on the pitch right now, I'm sure the owners wouldn't be too disappointed if he took the rest of the season to stabilize things and get himself used to the club and the league unless the results are genuinely disastrous.

Yes, they would be holding him to a different standard than Smith. But Smith had been at the club for a couple of seasons already, they had plenty of time to evaluate his qualities until they finally decided he was no longer the man for the job. That's the key difference between the 2 situations. Gerrard is a relative unknown who's ceiling might be really high for all we know, he'll be given enough time for them to evaluate how good of a manager he really is. 2/3rds of a season isn't much time at all to do that.

Isnt this what people are worried about? An inexperienced manager brought in who can easily ruin tye good progress that has been made