PODCAST: Gerrard to Villa - instant reaction

[tlw content]

Steven Gerrard is back in the Premier League as the new manager of Aston Villa, but is this the next step on the ladder to eventually landing his dream job back at Anfield?

 

Chris Smith is joined by Ian Brown, Julian Richards and TLW Editor Dave Usher for a lively discussion as to whether this helps or hinders Gerrard in his quest to one day return to Liverpool, and the lads also go back and forth on if this is something we'd even want.

 

 

 

View full article

[dave u]

had a loss of audio on 22 mins where it sounds like i'm talking to myself, but I've fixed it now and added Brownie back in. So if you heard that, that's what happened.

[DJLJ]

Are you saying it was better before you added Brownie back in?

[KMD7]

1 minute ago, DJLJ said:

Are you saying it was better before you added Brownie back in?

That's what i seen to be getting from it. 

[KMD7]

Really enjoyed this one lads. 

[dockers_strike]

Great podcast again. Dave on a real rant. Know where's he's coming from but where's Stevie supposed to go to show his potential to be Liverpool manager?

 

He couldnt stay at Rangers. If he went straight to arsenal, spurs even united, he'd never be welcomed here as manager.

 

Understand Dave's view on Stevie, I felt the same way when Kenny took on the managership. But Stevie's put himself in the firing line by wanting to be a manager at the sharp end of elite sport. He's a big boy and knows he'll either succeed or not.

 

Look at Carragher, he sits on the sidelines and people say yeah, never tested himself as a manager. Neither has the King's reputation gone down when results in his 2nd time ended up being not good enough.

 

Brownie's spot on.

 

 

[Kevin D]

Gerrard is going to be the next manager of this football club. Stop moaning and get behind him.

[sir roger]

Hope George retires before he has to sign a contract requiring him to  play Phil Collins every third record.

[dave u]

18 hours ago, sir roger said:

Hope George retires before he has to sign a contract requiring him to  play Phil Collins every third record.

 

Disagree. In fact, that's just about the only thing that could persuade me that having Gerrard as manager might be worth the risk.

[dave u]

On 12/11/2021 at 18:41, dockers_strike said:

Great podcast again. Dave on a real rant. Know where's he's coming from but where's Stevie supposed to go to show his potential to be Liverpool manager?

 

He couldnt stay at Rangers. If he went straight to arsenal, spurs even united, he'd never be welcomed here as manager.

 

Understand Dave's view on Stevie, I felt the same way when Kenny took on the managership. But Stevie's put himself in the firing line by wanting to be a manager at the sharp end of elite sport. He's a big boy and knows he'll either succeed or not.

 

Look at Carragher, he sits on the sidelines and people say yeah, never tested himself as a manager. Neither has the King's reputation gone down when results in his 2nd time ended up being not good enough.

 

Brownie's spot on.

 

 

 

I just don't envisage any scenario where Stevie becomes as great a manager as he was a player. And that's the level we need otherwise he shouldn't be anywhere near the job. It'd be horrible if he came back and it didn't go well. I can already imagine the shite we'd see on social media from the "LFC fam" and I just don't want him being subjected to that.

[Kevin D]

Spoke a lot about Ole on the podcast, but the names Guardiola and Zidane never came up.

[dave u]

5 minutes ago, Kevin D said:

Spoke a lot about Ole on the podcast, but the names Guardiola and Zidane never came up.

 

Solskjaer is relevant to the discussion as he got the job because of who he was as a player, and now that he has the job his former team-mates in the media are compromised and can't be as objective as they would with someone else. Then you have the fans who know he's shit but can't bring themselves to admit it because of who he was as a player. I don't want that to happen with Stevie.

 

Guardiola was really good but never a top five player in the world. He's a much better coach than he was player.

 

Tempted to say Zidane wasn't either, just to wind Arnaud up, but I'll concede that he probably was. He isn't a top five manager though. Not even close.

 

Cruyff is the obvious one who was arguably just as great at both jobs.

[Kevin D]

Zidane got the job because of who he was as a player for Madrid and in 5 years as manager won 3 European cups and 2 league titles. That seems pretty relevant.

[Brownie]

Aren’t the odds of any professional footballer being a top manager, tiny?

[dockers_strike]

1 hour ago, dave u said:

 

I just don't envisage any scenario where Stevie becomes as great a manager as he was a player. And that's the level we need otherwise he shouldn't be anywhere near the job. It'd be horrible if he came back and it didn't go well. I can already imagine the shite we'd see on social media from the "LFC fam" and I just don't want him being subjected to that.

I know where you're at Dave. I was the same with the King. No one wants to see legend's reputation trashed.

 

But, Stevie's had to live with the Demba Ba song since the day. Some nobs still sing it when they play us. I cant go with Stevie shouldnt get the job in case it goes tits up for him but yes, he shouldnt be a shoe in like solskjaer just because he was a legend here.

 

Just about the only realistic criteria for manager after Jurgen leaves is whoever it is, has to be very good at working within a self sustaining club because the owners can never compete financially with chelsea, city and maybe newcastle.

 

In some ways, if we arent careful, the next manager is going to be like Jurgen said about Hendo and a lot of fans opinion about him in that Hendo's biggest problem is he isnt Steven Gerrard.

 

It'll be the same with Jurgen's successor. There's no guarantees whoever takes over and Stevie cant be excused because he might fail.

[Bjornebye]

Who else is a likely candidate though? 

[Dr Nowt]

On 14/12/2012 at 09:31, Dr Nowt said:

 

A Villa season-ticket holding mate from work got me a ticket for the Xmas period game a few years ago. Catch was it was off someone he knew and not where he sits, so I had to venture into the Holte End on my tod in the middle of a snow globe and try to fly under the radar.

 

Throughout the match the two fat slugs in front of me constantly spent long periods discussing "the best way to murder Steven Gerrard". Spiking him through the eyes and watching him writhe in agony was one he got very excited about. It was like listening to Noddy Holder read the part of Patrick Bateman. Anytime either Stevie or Torres got the ball, the cry of "kill 'im", or "really 'uuuuuuurt 'iiim" went up. Bizarre it was, they all loved it.

 

When Torres scored the winner deep into injury time directly in front of us, I've never seen so many people leave an area so quickly. Like watching the stage filling up for a festival headline gig on sped-up rewind.

Properly weird cunts about Gerrard. Never heard anything like it anywhere. Complete about turn now, no doubt.

[The Midnight Rambler]

3 hours ago, Bjornebye said:

Who else is a likely candidate though? 

Was thinking the same. Who are likely to be the top 5 managers when Klopp’s contract ends?
 

Luis Enrique 

Nagelsmann

Zidane

Diego Simeone

Rùben Amorim

 

 

[Bjornebye]

11 hours ago, The Midnight Rambler said:

Was thinking the same. Who are likely to be the top 5 managers when Klopp’s contract ends?
 

Luis Enrique 

Nagelsmann

Zidane

Diego Simeone

Rùben Amorim

 

 

None of them excite me at all, we really are spoilt with Klopp 

[Chris]

11 hours ago, The Midnight Rambler said:

Was thinking the same. Who are likely to be the top 5 managers when Klopp’s contract ends?
 

Luis Enrique 

Nagelsmann

Zidane

Diego Simeone

Rùben Amorim

 

 

I’d rather Ole than that prick Simeone. 

[Chris]

14 hours ago, Dr Nowt said:

Properly weird cunts about Gerrard. Never heard anything like it anywhere. Complete about turn now, no doubt.

I saw on the news the other night he scored more PL goals against Villa than anyone. 13 in 27 games. Few winners in there too. 

[Dr Nowt]

3 hours ago, Chris said:

I saw on the news the other night he scored more PL goals against Villa than anyone. 13 in 27 games. Few winners in there too. 

Aye. Just thinking back on a few of them now.

 

Hat-trick against them in the season we finished second under Rafa. Same day Riera got one direct from as good a goalkeeper assist as you’ll ever see from Pepe. Friedel sent off at the other end for clipping Torres as he went through, giving Stevie his second pen of the afternoon for the match ball.

 

Opening day 30 yard free-kick very late on, after they’d pegged us back to 1-1. I recall we had some tricky fixtures coming up, including in Europe, hadn’t won on the opening day for a few years and as it would have been the time of Shitcoat’s first spell at Chelsea, you could basically be out of the running by October if you didn’t get off to a Toffees-esque proverbial flyer. That goal was celebrated way more than a normal winner in a game for those reasons, I recall their support being more than unhappy about it all.

 

Be plenty more, they’re just the first which spring to mind.