Steven Gerrard - Aston Villa Manager

[Mook]

Someone at the BBC getting carried away with themselves...

 

[Curly]

On 28/11/2021 at 18:08, Mook said:

Someone at the BBC getting carried away with themselves...

 

I’ve got a semi on off that. Repped

[Mathewbet1]

Fair beans to the lad. Decent squad/utility player for us over the years, and glad to see him cutting his teeth in the premiership as a manager, may go places. 

[TheDrowningMan]

The key for him now is to fuck Villa off for a bigger job as soon as he gets an inkling that his best days at the club are behind him, because high profile managers need to retain an aura of success to stay relevant at the top level. Once you start getting sacked and bouncing from job to job, it’s over.

[TheHowieLama]

On 20/11/2021 at 16:14, TheHowieLama said:

Stevie's next four matches

Palace away - W

City - L

Leicester - W

Liverpool away

 

You're not in Scotland anymore lid.

Good result

[3 Stacks]

We're getting cunted next week.

[VladimirIlyich]

The reason why Rodgers left Scotland has finally caught up with him.

[dockers_strike]

Very early days for Stevie at Villa but Im not surprised at the change he's made there already. I cant believe people's attitude to him, the boy has a winner's mentality. Will be interesting to see if he goes strong in the FA Cup.

[SlugTrail]

On 05/12/2021 at 19:14, TheDrowningMan said:

The key for him now is to fuck Villa off for a bigger job as soon as he gets an inkling that his best days at the club are behind him, because high profile managers need to retain an aura of success to stay relevant at the top level. Once you start getting sacked and bouncing from job to job, it’s over.

Mourinho says hi.

[SlugTrail]

20 hours ago, dockers_strike said:

Very early days for Stevie at Villa but Im not surprised at the change he's made there already. I cant believe people's attitude to him, the boy has a winner's mentality. Will be interesting to see if he goes strong in the FA Cup.

Its early days for him, this could just be a new manager bounce. I do wish him success though.

 

If he has earned a shot as the liverpool manager then I will embrace him with open arms. 

 

My first choice would be Klopp signing on for many more years, then I just want the next best, if that is Stevie and he wants it, and he will know that failure could tarnish his reputation with the fans why wouldn't we. 

 

Klopp will be a tough act to follow so maybe a Legend who is proving himself an extremely capable manager will be the next best thing after Klopp.

 

But as has been said, this could all be a moot point by then if he is being bombed out of club after club.

[TheDrowningMan]

3 hours ago, SlugTrail said:

Mourinho says hi.

Yep. Of course tactics play a part, but I don’t think many would argue Alex Ferguson was the greatest tactical mind of his generation, and I’d argue that they’re secondary to how players perceive you.

 

For some managers, that’s exclusive to one club - I’m not convinced you could slot Zidane in at Chelsea and have him win three European Cups - and others are aided further by a combination of mystique and money (Mourinho and Guardiola, who was fortunate to have inherited an incredible generation of players at Barca), but you rarely see a previously gilded manager who has been down in the dumps for years suddenly recapture his former glory.

[m0e]

36 minutes ago, TheDrowningMan said:

Yep. Of course tactics play a part, but I don’t think many would argue Alex Ferguson was the greatest tactical mind of his generation, and I’d argue that they’re secondary to how players perceive you.

Would you argue that Klopp is?

[TheDrowningMan]

2 minutes ago, m0e said:

Would you argue that Klopp is?

I honestly don’t know who I’d give that accolade to, but I do reckon if Jurgen had three or four underwhelming jobs in a row and found his statue in the game diminished ala Mourinho that players wouldn’t be nearly as willing to buy into his brand of football.

I’m sure, to reach that point, there’d have to also be diminished enthusiasm on his part and / or a severe lack of tactical evolution, but I think it would be hard to come back from.

[El Rojo]

On 06/12/2021 at 12:46, dockers_strike said:

Very early days for Stevie at Villa but Im not surprised at the change he's made there already. I cant believe people's attitude to him, the boy has a winner's mentality. Will be interesting to see if he goes strong in the FA Cup.

Great start and long may it continue for him. Still, he'll do really well to maintain the momentum that he's started. From the few pieces I've read, he seems to have made changes to the canteen/players' diet and brought in specialist coaching for different areas, so it looks like he's learnt a lot from Klopp's set up, where no small detail is left to chance and the manager isn't afraid to delegate. 

[m0e]

38 minutes ago, TheDrowningMan said:

I honestly don’t know who I’d give that accolade to, but I do reckon if Jurgen had three or four underwhelming jobs in a row and found his statue in the game diminished ala Mourinho that players wouldn’t be nearly as willing to buy into his brand of football.

I’m sure, to reach that point, there’d have to also be diminished enthusiasm on his part and / or a severe lack of tactical evolution, but I think it would be hard to come back from.

I don't know of any manager who's had sustained success at 1 club without a brilliant squad of players, a clear philosophy they've all bought into, the fans' undivided support, and the board's full backing.

 

Mourinho hasn't ever had that really, and still won a ridiculous number of trophies at various clubs.

 

The idea of 'tactical genius' is irrelevant, as most sustained success comes from possession dominance and the ability to dictate the play. You can do that a number of ways, but it's often one way per manager.

 

Guardiola, Ferguson and Klopp all have a distinct style of football.

 

I'm not sure I'm disagreeing with you, just giving it another angle.

[TheHowieLama]

12 minutes ago, m0e said:

I don't know of any manager who's had sustained success at 1 club without a brilliant squad of players, a clear philosophy they've all bought into, the fans' undivided support, and the board's full backing.

 

Has any manager other then Ferguson had that?

[TheDrowningMan]

48 minutes ago, m0e said:

I don't know of any manager who's had sustained success at 1 club without a brilliant squad of players, a clear philosophy they've all bought into, the fans' undivided support, and the board's full backing.

 

Mourinho hasn't ever had that really, and still won a ridiculous number of trophies at various clubs.

 

The idea of 'tactical genius' is irrelevant, as most sustained success comes from possession dominance and the ability to dictate the play. You can do that a number of ways, but it's often one way per manager.

 

Guardiola, Ferguson and Klopp all have a distinct style of football.

 

I'm not sure I'm disagreeing with you, just giving it another angle.

I’m not sure it’s really relevant, but one thing that perhaps speaks to a vanishingly rare quality, is a manager who’ll come in and perhaps not have immediate glory, but build something special over the course of a few years. Ferguson did it at Aberdeen and Man Utd, Klopp at Dortmund and Liverpool.

 

The role of the manager in the modern game tends to be to come in, win something by your second season or quit / get sacked. Klopp, on the other hand, won the title in his fifth (fourth full) season, which is longer than anyone has taken since Ferguson. Someone in Gerard’s position, at a reasonably ambitious club that is hugely unlikely to challenge the best, has to pick his jumping off point wisely, as to avoid becoming damaged goods.

[m0e]

2 hours ago, TheHowieLama said:

Has any manager other then Ferguson had that?

Klopp has at Dortmund and Liverpool.

 

Guardiola at both Barca and City.

 

Benitez had that at Valencia.

 

Wenger at Arsenal in the first half of his time there.

 

Shankly. Paisley.

 

Sacchi and Ancelotti at Milan.

[m0e]

1 hour ago, TheDrowningMan said:

The role of the manager in the modern game tends to be to come in, win something by your second season or quit / get sacked. Klopp, on the other hand, won the title in his fifth (fourth full) season, which is longer than anyone has taken since Ferguson. 

That's why I'm convinced he's staying.

 

There is nowhere else for him.

[aws]

9 minutes ago, m0e said:

That's why I'm convinced he's staying.

 

There is nowhere else for him.

I reckon he'll take a year off then come back for another stint with us. Or he'll take indefinite leave from the game and see if he fancies anything a year or two later.  

[m0e]

21 minutes ago, aws said:

I reckon he'll take a year off then come back for another stint with us. Or he'll take indefinite leave from the game and see if he fancies anything a year or two later.  

I can't see him taking a year out.

 

It'll be exactly like Kenny and Shakly, who almost instantly regretted resigning.

 

Daily football with his group of players... that's in his blood.

[TheHowieLama]

15 minutes ago, m0e said:

I can't see him taking a year out.

 

Agree no chance he sits on the sidelines for a year knowing he is coming back - that would be more stressful than being involved.

[TheHowieLama]

54 minutes ago, m0e said:

Klopp has at Dortmund and Liverpool.

 

Guardiola at both Barca and City.

 

Benitez had that at Valencia.

 

Wenger at Arsenal in the first half of his time there.

 

Shankly. Paisley.

 

Sacchi and Ancelotti at Milan.

Yea, I meant recently as that is the discussion. Shouldn't have referenced Ferguson.

 

Right now it is Klopp and Guardiola. Probably Simeone as well.

[Barrington Womble]

2 hours ago, TheDrowningMan said:

I’m not sure it’s really relevant, but one thing that perhaps speaks to a vanishingly rare quality, is a manager who’ll come in and perhaps not have immediate glory, but build something special over the course of a few years. Ferguson did it at Aberdeen and Man Utd, Klopp at Dortmund and Liverpool.

 

The role of the manager in the modern game tends to be to come in, win something by your second season or quit / get sacked. Klopp, on the other hand, won the title in his fifth (fourth full) season, which is longer than anyone has taken since Ferguson. Someone in Gerard’s position, at a reasonably ambitious club that is hugely unlikely to challenge the best, has to pick his jumping off point wisely, as to avoid becoming damaged goods.

On the bit in bold, this is why I struggle to see how villa helps Gerrard. I don't know what represents success and if that success is even possible. Last financial year villa were turning over less than Burnley. Frankly I think success is breaking in to the top 8, but I am not sure that will be enough to be seen as a good job. Because historically villa were a big club, there's an assumption he can somehow perform miracles and success is fighting for top 4. Most clubs measure their manager on league position, so like most teams i dont think he will prioritise domestic cups. Personally I think unless he does perform miracles, he's going to find it hard to leave there as a success - and I've no idea what his next jump should be if there's to be one before Liverpool. 

[3 Stacks]

1 hour ago, m0e said:

That's why I'm convinced he's staying.

 

There is nowhere else for him.

He's either staying, either fully or after a year rest, retiring, or will manage Germany. Can't see any other club.