Every now and then I look at our upcoming games.
Sky have saved me the trouble and showed the seven fixtures leading up to the World cup break.
And I struggle to see which one of them we can win.
That’s the first indictment against Gerrard.
As I expected, Forest were incredibly poor, yet a great shot from Ash Young apart, I don’t remember us seriously testing Henderson. Don’t get me wrong, if you look at events individually, it’s easy to blame the players and indeed Gerrard talked about our lack of quality up front.
My problem is we have players who have previously performed, so we know they have the quality, but are just not performing. Why is this? and why is this such a consistent state of affairs?
Players go through bad patches and fall out of form. We might moan about it, but generally as fans we accept it.
The trouble is it’s been ongoing and this is what concerns me the most. That’s indictment number two.
As with the lack of quality up front, it’s the same at the back. Mings gives away another stupid foul (and it was a foul to my mind) and costs us a goal. But that’s an indivual error that you can’t blame Gerrard for.
Yet the defending that followed was horrendously bad and we simply shouldn’t be gifting players free headers in that situation. Yet we do. Still.
I’m being massively repetitive, because I have no option. Nothing has improved probably since the turn of the year. The players look bereft of any conviction in their play. It’s always way to slow and we never look much like picking the pace up for more than the odd minute or two. There’s no movement and we just generally don’t attack the game and look for the win like a supremely confident side does.
How often do we see players trying to go round an opponent?
Answer, apart from Ramsey, we don’t. We’re more happy passing it side to side or even worse, backwards. The amount of times I’ve felt like pulling my hair out, because we’ve had a free kick well in their half, it’s not gone how we want, then we pass it back and it ends up with Martinez are many.
Why does that happen? It ought to be outlawed and only allowed if there is no other option, to my mind.
Are the players doing it under instruction? or is it just another sign of a serious lack of confidence and belief? Either way, it goes back to the coaching.
And then the ultimate indictment against Gerrard.
Do I think he can turn it around?
The answer is a massive NO, he can’t. We’ve had a year of his tenure now and the fact is we look worse than when he first took over.
Even if you don’t agree with that, there is no doubt that we are absolutely terrible to watch and have been for weeks. Which should be reason enough for Gerrard’s dismissal in itself.
This simply can’t go on.
But the problem is, as has been said, we’re unbeaten in four games and that will be used to justify his ongoing tenure. My guess is Gerrard will be given those seven games before the hierarchy even assess things.
The thing is, I don’t even get angry lately. This utter rubbish we’ve been watching has me not massively caring and I think it’s just caused a malaise around Aston Villa, as I’m not really sensing much vitriol among the fanbase. An acceptance that he needs to go, yes, but not the same sort of anger that was demonstrated against Bruce, for example.
Perhaps it’s the case that I’ve made my mind up too soon, which might be fair comment, as I never wanted Gerrard in the first place, meaning I’ve been proved right.
But I have no interest in that and the club’s/team’s performance is more important.
But I was very slow to call for Bruce’s head and likewise with Smith, so it’s not as though I jump the gun usually.
Assuming I am in tune with the majority of fans, what the club needs to careful of is that malaise I’ve just talked about.
We might have 10,000 people in the queue for a season ticket, but when times are hard, it won’t take much for the fans to not fill the ground every week.
I commented at work today that I’m glad I don’t have a season ticket, put it that way.
I know the fan’s cash for seats is insignificant in the modern scheme of things, but it’s not a good look seeing lots of empty seats.
The truth is I’ve been thinking that I want Gerrard out for weeks, but have kept it quiet on here because I was still hoping he could turn it around.
Now that I don’t think that’s possible, I can finally say it.
GERRARD OUT!
Comments
119 responses to “Forest 0 – 0 Villa; That’s it, Gerrard has to go.”
Credit to Villa, they did the same against City and Arsenal.
Don’t be fooled into thinking we are playing great. Chelsea scored an early goal and immediately dropped into 2nd gear. They showed with the Sterling shot off the bar that they can cut through us like a hot knife through butter. If they get a second then the floodgates will open. One thing is absolutely certain is we are lacking a quality striker. Haaland would have scored a hat trick if he was up front for us.
This feels like a pre season game.
Please tell me, do Sky fix the sound? It’s like a cup tinal when the crowd seem to be sitting in silence. Are EA doing the effects?????
Mount great free kick.
2-0 and you suspect that’s game over.
Mings again, I’m afraid 🙁
The 2nd is Martinez fault imo. It wasnt a great free kick if he stood where he was he saves easily. He tried to anticipate the direction of the ball, sidestepped the wrong way and then couldn’t get back across the goal. 2 mistakes 2 goals typical Villa as usual. I’m not even angry or upset because we need Gerrard gone ASAP.
Terrible goalkeeping. Are the owners not there?
I hope the owners are with Poch finalising terms
Coutinho on for McGinn.
I don’t recall ever seeing a captain subbed as much as he does.
Gerrard has even managed to turn Martinez into a shit goalkeeper. Totally at fault for the second goal.
The owners are meant to be there, but if they are, I suspect they’re watching behind smoked glass. Or from behind the sofa.
How many more matches will Gerrard be allowed? At least there has been a bit more width to our game today.
I’m waiting for the pro Slippy G pundits to comment on our improved attacking display in the first half. Reasons to be cheerful 😏
If he doesn’t go today I will be hoping for defeat on Thursday just to see the back of him. Clueless Manager that has made no improvement to the team. He can go back to Scotland and take Coutinio with him.
VP looks empty.
“I took over a team two points above relegation” That statement from Gerrard suddenly looks even more stupid. Bye!
It’s got to the stage where a defeat no longer hurts primarily because defeat seems to be our default position. I couldn’t even be bothered to watch, finding that I have other more interesting and fun things to do.
If the owners can’t be motivated to kick Gerrard out, then I can’t be motivated to watch the dross he’s managed to reduce our team to producing.
I know how you feel mate ☹️
I am reminded of Napoleon’s comment when replacing one General with another. “I prefer my Generals to be lucky”. SG just isn’t lucky. Let down today by the usual suspects and their usual faults. Mings sloppy defending, Watkins sloppy heading and passing and Mcginn doing little, and a new suspect Martinez whose goalkeeping is now approaching relegation standard. The rest of the team put in a shift, though crossing balls in the air to a forward line who don’t score with headers has a predictable result.
Though I can’t see a new manager curing the above players’ faults, he would have an excuse for dropping them and trying the reserves from the start.
I shall be at Craven Cottage on Thursday – expecting some changes.
Holte. You don’t have to be a pro Slippy G pundit to comment on what you have just seen. A much better attacking display than we have seen for weeks. Neither of their goals was impressive and in the main we stopped them playing. So much is wrong with how we play but we saw some spark today. Ollie should be told to spend every minute between now and thursday hitting the ball against a wall and learning to control the rebound.
Gerrard shouldn’t be sacked because of todays result. He should be sacked for the overall results in 2022 and not beating a poor Leeds team reduced to 10 men and a Forest team with zero confidence after being hammered by Leicester. Smith was sacked for a poor year of results according to Purslow. It’s time for the same to apply to his mate. He is clearly out of his depth and being a great player and winning the title in a two horse race aren’t reasons to keep him.
Villa were better first half but that was the poorest chelsea have played against us for years.
Gerrard does not have a clue
Why hasn’t he gone?
He’s destroying my love for my club.
I said before that I wouldn’t watch Villa again whilst Gerrard remains – I was weak – but now I’m so pi**ed off with his tenure I’m definitely not going to watch again until he’s peddled away on his bike.
Roll on Thursday. Then Brentford Saturday. Maybe it’ll be all over by then. We shouldn’t be where we are and I for one think we have a half decent squad. It’s early enough in the season and we’re not too far away points wise from 10th, so bearing that in mind, it shouldn’t be off putting for a decent manager to come to VP. It’s not like we’re asking Gary Megson or Big Sam to come in and save us from relegation in the last few weeks of the season. A top 8 place is there for the taking…for the right manager, and that manager is NOT Stevie F***ing G.
Gary (couldn’t trap a bag of cement) Megson..
Now there’s a blast from the past 😂🤣
🙂
Lol! Point is, we’re not in so much of the brown stuff that it’s a serious risk to a decent manager’s reputation in joining us. And I’m not talking about Steve McClaren either.
Our owners were there today but probably wanted to stay away from the cameras. I can’t think for one second they aren’t looking at alternatives while giving SG a bit more encouragement, last chance saloon and all that. It just depends who they’re lining up. Oh, to be a fly on the wall !!!!!!!