So I called the result right, but it’s no consolation.
I actually think that performance was better than we’ve seen for a good while.
It has to be said though, that I never really got the feeling that Chelsea were playing in top gear and it looked like they could easily have stepped it up, should it be required.
That it wasn’t probably says a lot about the game really.
If we want to look at positives, we were the better side for much of the game and it was only poor finishing, combined with a very good game for Arrizabalaga, their goalie, that stopped us winning the game.
Errors by Mings didn’t help, but I’m glossing over them for fear of being labelled a hater (I am, but that’s by the by and I don’t want to keep moaning about him, is the point).
Poor goalkeeping by Martinez also didn’t help and it says everything that even he is playing nowhere near his best.
I think the overall thought that stuck with me through the whole game though, was the lack of quality all over the pitch. I can’t fault the effort, but we just look so, so poor, from Watkins’ total inability to score of late, to the stupid errors at the back which have haunted us for seemingly ages.
I think what this game boils down too, is the fact that we played reasonably well, but still lost all too easily against a very average Chelsea side. That really doesn’t bode well and is the sign of a team that has “relegation candidates” all over it.
Unfortunately I think today’s performance has probably given our owners a clouded view and I certainly don’t think Gerrard will be sacked in the morning.
There was plenty of “sacked in the morning” singing and have seen some say Villa fans were singing it too, but it didn’t strike me that it was anything like a majority of the home support. We know Chelsea fans have a massive dislike of “slippy”, so it was most likely them making most of the noise. Perhaps someone who was at the game can confirm that?
Given that I think there was a general lack of quality showing today, does that mean I blame the players as much as the manager?
Well, it’s been an oft asked question lately and I think it’s a bit of both.
The players are poor either because of a lack of belief in what they’re being asked to do or just a plain dislike of the manager, coupled with a lack of confidence after being so bad for so long.
It doesn’t matter really, because if we play the best we have for a while and still lose, you’re not on a good path. This game wasn’t enough to save Gerrard’s job and I don’t even think he can do anything to stop his dismissal.
It’s just a matter of time.
Comments
65 responses to “Villa 0-2 Chelsea: Gerrard sacked in the morning?”
Bailey played well and I was surprised when Gerrard hooked him, as he looked our biggest threat, I thought.
I’m surprised you’re surprised!
Isn’t that typical of Gerrard’s strategic incompetence?
By far our best most creative and effective player on the day.
Totally nonsensical substitution but then who knows what going on inside the mind of our glorious leader?
Guys, I was there and Bailey was utter garbage. For a player whose main attribute is supposed to be pace, he slowed the game so much whenever he got the ball. He should’ve been hooked at half-time, in my view. The fans around me felt the same; that’s not to support Gerrard. El Ghazi, Traore and even Trez offered far far more, in my opinion. How Buendia doesn’t start is beyond me.
Gerrard OUT.
Whereas I’m reading elsewhere that Buendia has been a total waste of money. It’s all about opinions, isn’t it?
Of course, but I don’t see how anyone can say that about Buendia, based on what he’s shown in the limited opportunities given. Put it this way, Buendia and Bailey cost roughly the same. Who would you keep if you had to keep one? And who’s done more (far more) in the (same) time they’ve been at VP?
Bailey – sllllooooows the game down. Buendia – speed of thought and pass, always forward
Bailey – how many assists? Buendia – numerous assists, namely two slide-rule passes to Ings (who thrives on that type of service)
Bailey – how many goals? One? And scoring it f***** his hammy. Buendia – how many goals? Defo more than one, including winner at Goodison and earning a draw vs Burnley, not to mention lovely goal vs Brentford.
If in doubt, watch this:
https://www.facebook.com/avfcofficial/videos/every-goal-and-assist-emi-buend%C3%ADa/360177032691076/
The pass to Ings at Brentford is world class, no exaggeration. Can Bailey do that? No. Buendia does it at Burnley as well, again for Ings. The guy needs a run in the team and a manager who believes in him. Top, top quality. Probably why Villa don’t know what to do with him. Pathetic. Poch would make him PFA player of the season, or something close to.
And don’t forget the Everton game this season. If Coutinho doesn’t get injured and Emi comes on, we don’t win that game.
Bailey is s***. Buendia is class. End of.
I said that Gerrard would take us down and we should sack him and get Potter and Chelsea did and look at them now five wins out of six still it wasn’t as bad as I thought it be I said, it would be 3 nill . UTV VTID
We do lack quality but how can that be considering how much we’ve spent?
And a hater?
What’s all that about?
Definitely not Mings’s finest 90 minutes that’s for sure.
Our best player on the day gets subbed (what’s SG looking for in a performance?)
As you say Badger Watkins is right off it and Ings touch is simply terrible.
There are much much worse squads in this division but the manager gets a tune out of them. The only team that plays with such little quality or cohesion is forest (imo) and they are 22 blokes thrown together two months ago.
It ain’t looking good.
Yes, “hater” is totally the wrong word. I don’t hate him, of course but do have a serious dislike for him as a centre back.
And if some think he’s the best we’ve got, that’s really not saying much.
For the record, Chelsea were complete sh*te today and offered nothing. Villa were never worried. A goal on a plate and a set-piece won them the game, and their keeper. Both from a player who was in a goal-drought, so guaranteed to score against Villa. They were there for the taking and we couldn’t do it.
Gerrard out. Poch in.
The disconnect between us Villa fans and Gerrard is now a chasm. I saw a number of empty seats in the Trinity in the first half. By full time it was almost spot the Villa fan left in the ground.
Gerrard is damaging the good work NSWE have done.
Sack him
Sack him
Sack him
Just sack this incompetent manager.
I think you might be right Badger. I hoped for a breaking news flash up after the game but it hasn’t happened so maybe they are waiting till the World Cup shut down. The improved performance has possibly given hope to Purslow in particular that he can sweet talk NWSE that things will get better.
If we don’t beat either Fulham or Brentford, does that mean Gerrard will be gone sooner? The worry is that we have two better managers out of work at the moment who might not be available if the board takes too long. Of course I’m not implying we would be able to convince either of them to join us. All I know is Gerrard has lost the majority of the fans and it feels like it’s delaying the inevitable.
As for the Bailey substitution, apparently the clubs doctors advised a maximum of 60 minutes game time!
So wouldn’t if have been better to use him as an impact sub and started with Buendia?
Just a thought.
Yes. And Bailey was sh*t.
Holte, I believe at least one of Poch or Tuchel would come. It’s all about money. Offer them a fat salary and a £100 to spend on top class players, and a top 6 challenge, top 4 in 4 years. Why would they not come? Poch especially – where can he go now if he comes back to England. All the top jobs are taken long term. Villa is a perfect fit. Give him what he needs/wants and get him in.
*100 million lol
Agreed, BFR.
I think it might take a bit more than £100 million though, unless you’re just talking about his first window.
Absolutely, Badger.
£100 BFR?
I know we play like the Festival League team but come on mate 😂🤣
Martinez, next time you want to pass the ball three yards to Mings, consider Liverpool’s winner today. Then kick it long. Please.
What a take from Salad that was.
Imagine Watkins doing that?
No, nor me 🙁
I know. 🙁
I have, took on the turn, put the after burners on and lofted if over keeper and the ball nestled gently in the bottom corner…
Then the alarm clock went off.
BFR
Maybe Charles Hughes was onto something?
He was, but everything in moderation. Who coined the phrase ‘long pass’, RSS? Was it Graham Taylor? Definitely a weapon if used properly.
Mix your game up mate. Be pragmatic, horses for courses and all that.
Liverpool hurt Nouveau riche FC by going long today
( much to my delight 😁).
If they (Liverpool) would played them at their own game it would have been a guaranteed loss imo.
Good on old clipperty.
Dunno mate but Charlie Hughes was much maligned but like everything it was of it time and fashion moves in cycles. Who knows, give 10 years and it’ll be the way to go (again)?
“Hughes concluded most goals were scored from three passes or fewer, therefore it was important to get the ball quickly forward as soon as possible. He based this analysis on over one hundred games at all levels, including games involving Liverpool and the Brazilian national team, as well as many England youth games.”
What coaching school did Gerrard go to? This Charles fella makes it sound simple, which it is! THREE PASSES OR FEWER. GET THE BALL FORWARD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Ah bollocks, I give up.
Making the connection to earlier comments, which of our players is capable of “getting the ball quickly forward as soon as possible?” And which player is involved when we score aftern”three passes or fewer”?
Clue: it’s not Bailey.
Have a look at motd or whatever, very few goals come from a succession of passes, must do come from about 3/4 passes.
I like Bailey’s energy and movement. At least he seems intent on moving the ball forward instead of sideways and backwards. He still hasn’t really had time to settle after his injuries.
Buendia is cracking too. I don’t really dislike any of our squad but think they’re being massively underused and misused. Imagine us playing a wider free flowing game, full of positivity. Even Ollie was on fire when he first joined. What happened?
Oh yeah, Gerrard and his stiffling narrow tactics.
Has he gone yet?
Lol
Statistically that’s probably bang on the money but if only it where so simply 😁
Hughes’s was the first person to use statically analysis in football without the aid of computers and he was very successful with it although there were those who derided him at the time.
I think I’m right in saying he continued it throughout his life and only recently passed away.
A man truly ahead of his time.
How often have we seen MOTD w@nk over ’38 passes before it goes in the net’?
I think yr being a bit harsh on Bailey Ron. Save your anger for the real eejit that’s meant to be running the show.
Gerrard out!
A lot of comments here about Bailey; I didn’t think he really did much either good or bad yesterday, and I was a bit surprised to see him pulled-off early – I was expecting Watkins to get hooked at half-time!
Should mention Young here – he seemed to me to be our best player against Chelsea, driving the play forward as much as he possibly could.
I was pleasantly surprised by much of our play – OK, as has been mentioned above, maybe Chelsea could have stepped up a gear if they’d really needed to – obviously apart from gifting them 2 needless goals and failing to score from maybe 4-5 chances when we should have done!
But all said & done, I think Gerrard still got a lot wrong, for me typified by leaving Buendia out of the starting 11, leaving both Watkins and Ings on for the whole game, and then bringing his mate Phil on again…
He’s lost the plot, lost the fans. Time to get rid.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11324987/Aston-Villa-target-Mauricio-Pochettino-replace-pressure-Steven-Gerrard.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490
“There’s a party goin’ on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you
Come on now
Celebration
Let’s all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration!”
(-:
Oh God Please!!!!!!!!
Football Insider claimed at 22:26 this evening Gerrard has been sacked. Anyone else able to confirm this, checked website and nothing on there.
There’s little snippets filtering through online but nothing official. I think it’s just social media chit-chat tbh
According to social media he’s gone, fingers crossed there’s foundation to it 🤞
Football insider
“Aston Villa have sacked Steven Gerrard with immediate effect, sources have told Football Insider.”
I just read the same on News Now. All excited turned on SSN and….Nothing!
Sounds like Gerra is packing his curly wig and ‘tache into a cardboard box. Anyone know the nunber for Aston Taxis?
021100101121
(-:
This is being covered by every newspaper this morning. Can’t believe the idiots at The Telegraph defending him. Even a few diehard Bluenoses can understand grammar. Same people that put Truss in charge. (On that note, how come we essentially have a new PM in *unt that not even the Tory members voted for? Looks like a Remainer coup to me).
Gerrard will have Fulham and Brentford to save his job. You can be certain that Purslow is fighting his corner to save face. I would expect 4 points from those two games and anything less will probably be goodbye Stevie G.
Listened to the latest MOMS podcast; David Michaels was just back from a meeting with Purslow. According to Michaels, Purslow said that he hadn’t even considered Gerrard’s future and seemed totally unaware of the growing fan unhappiness with Purslow and his role in bringing Gerrard to the club. Make of that what you will.
Given the amount of media speculation, one would think that NSWE are creating smoke by gently fanning the embers of the fire under Gerrard.
Interesting – as I speculated before, I think Purslow will find other things to keep him ‘busy’ during the next week or two – and I suspect that you’re right: NSWE will be doing stuff themselves in the background to give him ‘plausible deniability’!
“Purslow said that he hadn’t even considered Gerrard’s future.”
Well he hadn’t told his face that during the Chelsea match.
Villa have made a statement rubbishing the reports of Gerrard’s sacking.
Two poor results this week and I suspect Football Insider can re-run their exclusive!
Looks like I’ll have to pack away the claret and blue bunting (at least for another couple of days).
For Purslow to be unaware of the fans backlash, he would have to be incredibly, spectacularly, preposterously ignorant, blind or just plain thick. Tick as appropriate.
Listen to the jeering, read the forums, follow the comments in the papers. Apart from a tiny minority, all fans can see how badly he’s done. The only ones in his corner are his old mates on TV, but you can even see how difficult it’s become for them to sustain this in light of his atrocious record.
GERRARD OUT OF ASTON VILLA!!!!!
I wouldn’t be surprised if we beat Fulham. It’s just the bad luck we as fans seem to endure. More Gerrard = more dull unimaginative football. I read somewhere that Pochettino is happy to sit and wait for World Cup before deciding his future. If we’re honest with ourselves, all the managers we would ideally want could get an offer from a team already involved with European football.
I know it’s if and buts, but with Wolves winning tonight, if Declan Rice wouldn’t have scored Wham’s equaliser at the weekend, we’d now be in the bottom 3.
Our bumbling attack contributed none of the 24 goals Leicester have shipped, 23 goals Forest, or 22 goals Bournemouth conceded. Moving up one leaky defence to Fulham who have let in a score – but will we against them?
I’m guessing ‘no’.
It’s Thursday lads! Game on Amazon tonight. Gerrard constantly defening the indefensible in the media, his scouse mates saying he should be given more time, Ďigne back in training so may feature, but if we fail to beat Fulham, who are doing better than us and who i don’t think have played that many of the bottom 6 side as yet, then he’s in a worse position than the lovely and talented Liz Truss.
Roll on kick off!!!!!
2-1 to Fulham tonight.
In Gerrard’s latest press conference he suggested (implied, stated?) that Villa’s poor performances were down to losing Carlos and Kamara to injury.
Isn’t that just another way of throwing the rest of the players under the bus?
Any guesses on tonight’s line up, because our guess is as good as Gerrard’s 🙂
While all eyes are turned towards Gerrard, Michael Beale has been quietly taking QPR to the top of the Championship and is now being linked with the Wolves job.
What an irony if he gets it and helps to relegate Villa!
Fulham just need to play same way as Forest and Bournemouth to suffocate our attacking threat. I think SG will bring Couthinho back tonight for Ings. It’s unbelievable to think that no matter how poor he has been this season that he still gets chances instead of the likes of Archer. Will Gerrards job be on the line if we lose tonight? The mutterings coming out of VP suggest that they are oblivious to any fan unrest. I have a gut feeling that we will draw possibly 1-1 or a typical borefest 0-0. I’m sure the hierarchy will be delighted with that.
Beale has turned down Wolves, I think that’s the third or fourth manager that has rejected them. Similar problems as at Villa?
You know you are old when:
I could fill up a long and boring list, but keeping it relevant:-
“You remember watching the player whose name is on the stand: Johnny Haynes.”
I will be revisiting where it all began for me. My first league ground was Craven Cottage in 1958. The father of my pal supported Fulham and invited me to watch them playing Villa and again in following years. We generally lost. Johnny Haynes stood out as one of those players who was so confident of his control he could look around for options when someone passed to him, instead of watching the ball on to his foot. Whereas today players are paid £1000s per kick – Johnny Haynes was the first player in Britain to be paid £100 per week.
Fulham seemed an odd club to hit that milestone since they were not one of the first division permanents. There always seemed to be 5 London clubs in the top division, frequent changes but always balancing. Arsenal & Spurs constants, Chelsea and West Ham half the time, and the 5th place shuttling between Fulham & QPR in the West, Palace and Charlton in the South. We are overdue a win in London – so here’s hoping!
Sorry OLL, i know you’ll hate me for this but any result that extends Gerrard’s stay is bad news to me. On any other day of course I’d want us to be brilliant. I never felt this way about Dean Smith though.
Just got back from the game. Worst performance of the season. No plan when we had 11 on the field, a shambles with 10.
THE ENTIRE AWAY section belted out “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” After this – he must be.