Steven Gerrard has been fired as Aston Villa manager after only 11 months in charge.
The decision by the club was made immediately after Gerrard’s team’s lopsided 3-0 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage, Villa’s sixth loss in just 11 Premier League outings.
After the game, a statement was issued that read: “Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that head coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect.”
“We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
On November 11, 2021, the former Liverpool player took over as the manager of Villa Park in lieu of Dean Smith. However, he only held the position for less than a year before being fired, joining Scott Parker, Thomas Tuchel, and Bruno Lage as the top-flight managers to lose their jobs this year.
After Villa’s crushing defeat in southwest London, Gerrard acknowledged he was in a “really difficult position.”
The board of Villa quickly decided to fire the English tactician despite his insistence that he would not leave his position.
Mauricio Pochettino, a former manager of Tottenham, and Thomas Tuchel, a former manager of Chelsea, have both been associated with the position, although it is unclear whether either coaches could be persuaded to move to Villa Park.
“I’ve been sending messages to the fans for the last few weeks because I certainly share their frustration and their pain,” said Gerrard in his post-match press conference.
“I’m someone who is honest. I know that they’re not enjoying it at the moment – I’m certainly not – so we’ll see what happens moving forward. But you know and I know I’m in a very difficult position right now.”
“The performance was miles away from what I want, expect and stand for. I understand the fans’ frustration and it was so far from how we looked at the weekend. We’re in this situation, I’m in it to face the tough questions because the reality is it’s not good enough for the club.”
Fulham Ensured Villa Showed Gerrard The Exit Doors
Steven Gerrard had a bad day once more. Aston Villa found themselves just above the relegation zone on goals scored after a terrible performance and outcome against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Just 90 minutes after the final whistle, they announced the dismissal of their head coach.
You had the impression that this game was always going to be crucial for Gerrard, who was already under pressure after his team lost five of their first ten games of the year.
Fulham won 3-0, deservedly, thanks to goals from Harrison Reed, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Tyrone Mings.
Villa, however, played poorly the entire game and had a miserable night when Douglas Luiz was dismissed for a petty headbutt in the second half.
At halftime and the end of the game, the visiting supporters booed loudly, and cries of “Steven Gerrard, get out of our club” conveyed a loud and clear message to the Villa board.
Villa has yet to win a game since September 16th. When the next one finally comes, they will have a new man in the dugout.
Steven Gerrard At Aston Villa
Gerrard’s record at Aston Villa declined after he won four of his first six matches in charge.
The club dropped four straight Premier League games in the middle of his administration, and he leaves with just one victory in his final eight games.
It’s also important to note that throughout Gerrard’s tenure at the club, he had plenty of money to spend on signings, with players like Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho both signing lucrative contracts.
Throughout his tenure at Villa, Gerrard brought in a total of nine different players, but he was unable to quickly achieve the desired results with any of them.
