Steven Gerrard - yes or no

[sickbeggar]

Yeah think you have to back him if he gets the job whatever the reservations. He'll get the Brighton game to prove me wrong. Maybe December at a push.

[kippaxvilla2]

He’s won one trophy of nine available since he went to Rangers.  If he wins one trophy with us he will be a legend.  Up there that’s a failure.

[PeterWithe]

I dont see how it would have anything to do with Liverpool.  If Terry, Mr Chelsea, can play one season and be a coach here and love us,  then why not Gerrard? If Stevie La is successful, then just imagine how under and into his skin we will become.

It's easier to name those who don't fall madly in love with us than those who do.

FWIW saw this 'theory' put forward on the Rangers site by one of its 'well-known' posters which is at least novel if a tad unbelievable.

Mate down here in Wales is an agent, spoke to him just now and he reckons it was all set up for Gerrard to go at the end of the season but Villa’s league position and Smith sacking brought it forward. Says that the owners of Villa are Liverpool fans and have a huge hard on for SG. They have visions of building a City Group style of global network of clubs and see Gerrard as being central to that. He’s now in the safest seat in the EPL, his mate is his boss and his biggest fan boys write the cheques. He doubts he’s even got it in his head now to join Liverpool, reckons Gerrard will have/get equity in the group.

It does seem beyond credible, but then so does replacing Smith with Gerrard.

[kippaxvilla2]

I don’t have anything against him by the way.  But I just don’t see on any measurement (like for like which they Scottish league is not) how he’s an upgrade on SDS.

[sickbeggar]

Well he's an upgrade in profile from Smith. Whether you should choose a manager on that criteria is another question.

[john e]

I keep seeing this 1 trophy in 9 as some sort of stick to beat him with
It’s just using a stat unfairly imo

When he first went there Rangers were in the lower reaches little kids playing with a squad as weak as piss
The first requirement was to climb the leagues they weren’t bothered about winning the league cup it was all about survival

Obviously there are big advantages with Rangers but he has done well in the three years he has been there, we always say look where Villa were when Dean Smith came and look at where we are now as some sort of massive achievement well the same can be said of Gerard we are both big clubs When in the lower leagues with the same advantages

Maybe in the last season they had a better chance of winning cups but then they stoped Celtic winning the league for the first time in 10 years so it wasn’t too bad

Anyway I think it’s a shitty stupid stat to use against him when you look at the bigger picture
So there

[Chico Hamilton III]

He’s won one trophy of nine available since he went to Rangers. 

His win rate at Rangers is currently lower than Mark Warburton’s and Ally McCoist’s. Purslow may well know something that we don’t but this looks like a massive high stakes gamble to me. I would also imagine that Gerrard will want significant funds in January? I’m quite concerned.

[Beard82]

Like I have said, I think a lot of it is they needed a new face to replace Joe

It seems to lack ambition to me, but there is a lot that makes sense, as kind of a continuity appointment, it doesn't look like he's going to rip up everything / throw the baby out of the bathwater and that's probably about right

I have no idea if he is any good - hes not done a bad job at rangers, but its a huge jump.  It does sound like his backroom staff are good so we'll see. 

Of course, ill support him, I just hope he is held to the same standards as Dean would be at doesn't get an easy ride just because he is Liverpools Stevie G, a celeb and Purslows mate.

Most people seem to think he's a coup for us - think that is probably more because of the narrative they have been feed

Apparently he'll get a big budget - not sure how I feel about that - as his success is a bit mixed from what I have read and really we should have used that money in the summer as we went in with a poorly balanced squad. 

He'll probably get a bounce from the players, and a different approach can help.  I think he'll benefit most if he gets a fully fit squad for an extended period

Think he needs 12th+ this season, 8th+  for me to think this is a success.

I don't think he seems massively likeable.  In an age when most people involved in football are twats, it was nice having Dean there. 

If this doesn't work, Purslow has to go, as I truly believe there are better coaches out there and this is driven by his commerical/vanity side. 

[WarszaVillan]

He’s won one trophy of nine available since he went to Rangers. 

His win rate at Rangers is currently lower than Mark Warburton’s and Ally McCoist’s. Purslow may well know something that we don’t but this looks like a massive high stakes gamble to me. I would also imagine that Gerrard will want significant funds in January? I’m quite concerned.

I'm also worried. But Rangers were in the lower leagues when McCoist and Warburton were managing them.

[sid1964]

I think we all need to calm down

So he has made mistakes in his life who has nt had the odd punch up in a pub this is nothing new to most of us me included

Gerrard if appointed will raise the profile of our club massively world wide and maybe that us what the owners want

I was in cyprus recently and there is a bar just outside limassol called Gerrards it must have been a sign that he will be our new manager

We gave Mcleish a chance to prove if he was good enough to be the VILLA manager we can surely give Gerrard a chance

We all don't want to see Villa relegated so we  should all want whoever the new manager is to do well

[Demitri_C]

One thing that gerrard will bring is aggression. Something our team is absolutely failing at. Too  nice and soft. I expect this to be addressed within the next few months

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

I’ve seen it mentioned a few times that he’s going to have a “big budget”. I wonder how that’s going to play out with the crop of good youngsters we’ve got coming through especially bearing in mind our big spend last summer.

[amfy]

I'm at the standing with my arms folded, sour look on my face, saying 'go on then, impress me', stage.

Whilst I also agree with Risso that I am now somewhere between 4-5 in stages of grief….

I also entirely think this is me, & I know, beyond all doubt, that the picture I now have in my head of Jane standing next to me in The Holte on the 20th is entirely accurate too! Absolutely this!

Nonetheless, as it now seems inevitable, I really hope that we will be singing happy birthday to him in a non sarcastic way come next May, because that’ll mean it’s gone very well indeed.

[Mooro]

For some reason, I genuinely can’t see him being in charge beyond the end of the season. I have a nasty feeling he will be more Billy Bingo than Ron Saunders.

[sickbeggar]

He’s won one trophy of nine available since he went to Rangers. 

His win rate at Rangers is currently lower than Mark Warburton’s and Ally McCoist’s. Purslow may well know something that we don’t but this looks like a massive high stakes gamble to me. I would also imagine that Gerrard will want significant funds in January? I’m quite concerned.

I hope he has been promised significant funds. Having Gerrard without the money to back him is a bit pointless. We've got to hope for a new manager bounce because with Brighton, City,  Leicester and Liverpool coming up it could look a bit bleak by mid-december