Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard's time at Aston Villa came to a disappointing end on Thursday, but the Liverpool legend's career is far from over. His next step should be ...

Having someone of his experience in the dressing room again could be extremely valuable and his advice in high-pressure situations is something that the club's players could also benefit from. What the next step in his career remains to be seen. His initial start at Villa was encouraging, but ultimately he struggled to rebuild the team and he is now leaving the club with Villa on the brink of the relegation zone. Of course, that wasn't the sole reason for his downfall. In the last few weeks, it was becoming increasingly inevitable that Steven Gerrard would part ways with Aston Villa. His Villa side struggled defensively in particular and that is a side of his coaching he still needs to approach better.

Steven Gerrard sacked following 3-0 defeat to Fulham on Thursday night; former Liverpool midfielder took charge at Villa Park last November; Villa have won ...

But in the end, so too did his spell at Villa Park after a defeat which begged one too many questions about where his often rudderless squad were heading. He did a fantastic job at Rangers, I'd assume Villa's ambitions are to be in a European spot. Clearly it was not a question Christian Purslow or the Villa board could answer either. Villa have lost key figures to injury but that does not explain their rot, losing six of their 11 league games in 2022/23. Steven Gerrard made one change at Fulham from the encouraging defeat by Chelsea on Sunday, bringing in Jan Bednarek for Matty Cash. A wretched performance and result against Fulham at Craven Cottage left Aston Villa hovering above the relegation zone on goals scored. I have been around the game a long time, I understand the situation and won't sugar-coat the situation or give anyone false lines. Barely 90 minutes after the final whistle, they confirmed their head coach's departure. I know that they're not enjoying it at the moment - I'm certainly not - so we'll see what happens moving forward. I understand the fans' frustration and it was so far from how we looked at the weekend. "The performance was miles away from what I want, expect and stand for. I want to be as honest as I can.

Steven Gerrard has been sacked following Villa's 3-0 defeat to Fulham on Thursday night, having won just two league games all season.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Gerrard's departure comes as no surprise after a disappointing start to the season by the Villans. Aston Villa only won one of the 19 Premier League games in which they conceded the first goal under Steven Gerrard. [confirmed in a statement on the club's website](https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2022/october/20/club-statement/) after full-time, that read: "Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect."

Gerrard succeeded Dean Smith as Villa manager in November 2021 after leaving his role at Rangers. But the former England and Liverpool midfielder, 42, led Villa ...

The fans are allowed to voice their opinion." He can't do that from the bench." It's nothing to do with the manager - the players have to look at themselves in the mirror. It's up to us now to put in a performance for him." "He's a top manager, he's hurting just as the players are. He will be badly hurt by this experience, alien territory for someone who has been synonymous with success throughout his career. I think stability and patience seems to be running out. The support are very demanding so I can understand the frustration. McGinn added: "I understand the fans' frustration. I took over the team in a very similar situation. Before Gerrard's departure was revealed, captain John McGinn said: "It's embarrassing to be part of. We've tried to recruit to get us out of that situation.

Steven Gerrard's tenure as Aston Villa boss ended abruptly on Thursday evening following an abject performance in a 3-0 defeat away at Fulham.

He also led the club to success in the Portuguese League Cup again, with a 1-0 win over former club Braga. Emery returned to Spain following a season at Arsenal, and won the trophy for a fourth time with Villarreal in 2021. The Argentine is fondly remembered by Tottenham fans for his five-and-a-half years in north London, after taking them close to winning both the Premier League and Champions League. Pochettino is possibly the safest option on paper with his extensive experience of English football, but does he fancy a potential relegation scrap with no prospect of European football any time soon? He could be a shrewd appointment. We give our verdict on the potential runners and riders below.

The former Aston Villa manager deserves credit for the job he did at Rangers but his generation is yet to make its mark in coaching.

John Terry has a coaching consultancy role at Chelsea, Rio Ferdinand is a pundit and Paul Scholes lasted seven games at the helm of Oldham. Yet it felt unfeasible for Gerrard to remain in Glasgow with his family south of the border. What became of the golden age? For now, it is the unattainable dream. There was audible grumbling about Gerrard’s performance as Hamilton secured a 1-0 win at Ibrox in March 2020, days after Hearts had bundled Rangers out of the Scottish Cup. There is a widespread and perhaps reasonable theory that the expectations of Villa’s supporters are too high. There was also boldness – albeit some will say naivety – in accepting the overtures of Villa. Gerrard brought status and standing back to a club who had earlier been bundled out of European competition by a team from Luxembourg. What happened before and after the season in question – played behind closed doors – does however raise the question as to whether this was somewhat freakish. Mention either in the context of Premier League jobs now and you will receive strange looks. Should Gerrard flop at Rangers or elsewhere, the notion of his replacing Jürgen Klopp on the basis of on-field exploits alone would resemble gross negligence by Liverpool. Seven goals have been scored in the team’s opening 11 league games.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has backed Steven Gerrard to come back stronger after the Anfield great was sacked by Aston Villa on Thursday.

Maybe use it now for himself to recharge.” He knows the game long enough and these kinds of things can happen. Premier League