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.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11317305/TOM-COLLOMOSSE-Aston-Villa-fans-decided-Steven-Gerrard-not-them.html
Seems it’s not just us.
Like all managers, Gerrard knows how to ‘talk the talk’ but can he actually deliver.
He makes a good point about Potter’s poor run of results at Brighton, albeit from a stronger league position, where he was given time to turn it around. But, with all due respect, this is Brighton we’re talking about!
If Gerrard can deliver then that’s fine by me but I just don’t think he has the ability to man manage these players to create the results they should be achieving.
Bournemouth, Forest and against 10 man Leeds and we can’t produce a single win. There is something very wrong.
One big difference though Hitch. Brighton were at least watchable.
Whereas Gerrard should be tried for crimes against football.
Potter and Gerrard never in the same breath.
Google Potter, see what he achieved at Östersund it’s incredible. Plus the fact the plaudits they received for their playing style.
Then Brighton imo the most easy on the eye team outside the big boys.
The Bin dippers a charloton, trading on his playing career and a season in the sun north of the border.
Taxi for Gerrard!
Taxi? Make him walk.
Sounds like a plan 😁
Fin Azaz 2 assists and 2 very well taken, composed goals today. Plymouth top of the league. Grealish made his start in lower leagues and kicked on I think Azaz will be next.
Trouble is Adam would not promote him to the first team. Why you might ask? Because he is not 29 years old and cannot demand £125k per week. Therefore, he is not proven and can’t be bought.
Finn Aziz – if I remember correctly we picked him up when Albion released him.
It seemed a strange decision by Villa at the time – but then with kids who can tell – was Mark Harrison with us by then?
On a different topic, I note that ‘Fanny’ MacPhee now has the position of Individual Coach (rather than set piece coach) – no wonder many of our players are playing poorly.
Does that mean he coaches individuals or is a coach who coaches individually? Or does it mean the idea of exploiting set-pieces to score goals has been abandoned because he’s not very good at it? Oooooh, whiskey!
“Does that mean he coaches individuals or is a coach who coaches individually?”
Looking at our set pieces he’d be better driving the coach!
:’D
lol 🙂
Any predictions for tomorrow, chaps? I expect to see lots of goals at VP for a change. I’m going for 0-6 to match the car-crash against ‘Pool the year we went down. On that note, I just read on Twitter that our shots per game is the same as the year we went down. Great.
2022 is the year of incompetent people in high positions, it would seem. What’s saddest? That these impostors are offered the job? Or that they say “yes”, actually believing they can do it?
I do hope the man with the large bed-sheet who sits in the Holte has been busy with his marker pen today. Sorry, sorry, ‘person’, how silly of me. Remind me to stop by Aldi for a cabbage on the way to VP…
Oh my god that’s scary, they get an early goal and we’re bang in trouble.
I’m dreading it, mate.
Me too mate.
This could be top draw humiliation )-:
If it gets his out, so be it.
RSS, I believe they will get an early goal, because Potter will know that VP is a powder-keg and that the Villa players are sh****** their panties. If he’s as good a coach as he appears to be, he will tell his players to go for the kill. What price Chuky getting his first PL goal to rub it in?
Oh don’t say that (but I could see it happening)
But you know the score, they get an early goal, we push up trying to equalise, they get behind us again & again. Spurs Everton today but worse.
Oh well let’s see how it pans out 🤞
0-3 )-:
Why is it Michael Beale has transformed the Super Hoops, and Deano is flying with Norwich?
Are we cursed at Villa? I can see a similar game for us today as the Spuds/Everton game yesterday. We’ll park the bus until we get knackered in the 78th minute and they’ll stick 2 past us in quick succession.
Just watching Fat Frank interviews and you can see why the players will fight for him. A very upbeat guy who’s totally different to the dour Gerrard.
I wonder if my month long subscription to Now TV will stay live until the end of our game????
No mate we are not jinxed just run by serial poor decision makers starting back in February 1982 and ever since.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Luiz, McGinn, Ings, Watkins, Young, Bailey, Ramsey.
Subs: Olsen, Sanson, Buendia, Chambers, Nakamba, Bednarek, Coutinho, Dendoncker, Bogarde
Sorry, not had time to write anything, I’m afraid.
No Buendia and no Coutinho.
Gerrard’s obviously going for it.
0-2 for me.
0-3 for me.
2 up front but where’s the service coming from?
Sky keep saying we are unbeaten in 4. Everyone outside VP obviously thinks all is okay.
Of course they do when Gerrard is their mate.
“This is a different challenge, I took over a team two points above relegation”
That’s a statement from Gerrard himself. Please remind me how many points we are currently above relegation.
I hope NWSE can ignore the pro Gerrard Sky pundits who would happily see us as sacrificial lambs to enable his managerial experience. Whatever happens today I hope it’s time up. I do think it will require us to lose for it to happen but it’s a short term pain for long term gain!
And they’re off…
Ho, ho – not watching today too busy and we’re one down after 6 minutes.
Cricket score in the offing.
I’ve booked a taxi for Gerrard
Good old Tyrone 👍
Fuckin one nil already absolutely awful
I think the crowd are starting to turn.
Any of u guys at VP? Is there as much pro Villa singing there as we can hear on TV?
Lucky Chelsea.
We should have scored then.
The comms have mentioned the crowd’s frustration a couple of times.
Saints winning so we drop to one place off the relegation zone.
I don’t know how we haven’t scored! Unbelievable missed chances. Yet we give goals away for fun to make it hard for ourselves.
Unlucky Ings.
Great save and we ought to be winning this.
You have the like the way we have responded. Well struck shots and a goalie playing out of his skin. Come on you Villa
Agree Gerry.
Bailey’s playing well, imo.
When things are going against you, luck deserts you. Chelsea playing in 3rd gear. How i despise that club.
Yes, they don’t look like any great shakes, do they?
We’ve been the better team there and are unlucky not to be leading.
We just seem short on quality and Chelsea don’t look to being going all out.
We need goals!
Have we been good or Chelsea poor?
I don’t think either apply, tbh.
Watkins just then, jesus 🙁
Lackluster by both sides imo
We don’t look a happy camp.