Gerrard In or Out?

[Risso]

What's this major philosophy change? Smith mainly played 4-3-3 and we're playing 4-3-3. All managers are different and all are going to have their own style, even if it fits within certain parameters. Who else would we have got who would have played in excactly the same style as Smith, who deprived of Grealish was leading us into a relegation battle, let's not forget.

I think what's been referred to is the plan to bring through the youth, rather than the playing style. I might be wrong but I'm sure Gerrard has come out and said wants players who are going to do it for him now. The likes of Chuck have not had a look in at all the last few games. It does seem a bit of a waste.

He had one sub appearance under Smith. Whether he should be getting more chances is another thing, but there's been no big shift in policy.

That's wrong. He started a couple of games at least under Smith and got off the bench a bit more often. The last time I remember him playing was when he came on in the 2-2 draw against Man Utd.

It was one league start against Brentford under Smith, I shouldn't have added sub in there. He's come on three times since Man U.

[Risso]

Not being in a relegation battle might be considered a success for Norwich or Fulham. Not for us.

It's still better than being in one though.

[cdbearsfan]

But.... we aren't discussing whether we should sack Smith, mate. He's already gone. Is Gerrard doing a good enough job? Clearly not, at present. Which Villa players are playing to their potential? I can only think of Martinez who is playing at a similar level to last season and Cash who has improved. Everyone else has played better at some point in their career. Isn't the manager supposed to get the best out of players?

[Clampy]

What's this major philosophy change? Smith mainly played 4-3-3 and we're playing 4-3-3. All managers are different and all are going to have their own style, even if it fits within certain parameters. Who else would we have got who would have played in excactly the same style as Smith, who deprived of Grealish was leading us into a relegation battle, let's not forget.

I think what's been referred to is the plan to bring through the youth, rather than the playing style. I might be wrong but I'm sure Gerrard has come out and said wants players who are going to do it for him now. The likes of Chuck have not had a look in at all the last few games. It does seem a bit of a waste.

He had one sub appearance under Smith. Whether he should be getting more chances is another thing, but there's been no big shift in policy.

That's wrong. He started a couple of games at least under Smith and got off the bench a bit more often. The last time I remember him playing was when he came on in the 2-2 draw against Man Utd.

It was one league start against Brentford under Smith, I shouldn't have added sub in there. He's come on three times since Man U.

It should be more though. I'd have brought him on yesterday after the second goal went in, just to change it a little.

[Scott Nielsen]

Why are people talking about shape? Is that what you think the difference was yesterday, shape? That a tactical tweak yesterday was what happened 2nd half? I'd be curious to know why. Neither manager impacted the game in a meaningful way 2nd half.

Conte didn't need to. The difference was, Son. He's world class. If he wore claret and blue, he'd have scored 6 yesterday. But he doesn't and we're absolutely his bunny. 3 shots, 3 goals, poor individual defending from our centre halves. Not shape, not closing lines or low blocs or gengenpress, just a player that has the highest chance conversion rate in the league, almost twice that of Salah. And he gets to play with Kane. While we have Danny "he's 5 years younger than me? No fucking way" Ings and Ollie "Gavin McCann hold my pint" Watkins.

Spurs didn't defend better than us, they gave up a raft of chances. The games simple and goals change games, there's a cliché that is appropriate.

Agree wholeheartedly. You'd think the managers are actually out there kicking the ball themselves the way we go on about them.

Where I do think Gerrard is deserving of critique is that he continues to play the same wasters week-in, week-out. If all the alternatives truly are worse than the fare we have to endure on the pitch, the rebuilding will take years.

[gpbarr]

And giving him a summer window could literally doom us for years. If he brings in 4/5 29/30 year old big names (who will all want big money) and it fails, the new manager will be left with a much bigger rebuild than where we are today. What has he shown, literally, other than the talk that is deserving of the owners money?

I don’t want to become a Watford (as some people have put it) which is why it was the wrong decision so early in the season to do a 180 on the Dean philosophy. Now we are reaping what we sow - it’s a complete shambles.

3 years ago we were in the Championship. Then we got promoted and survived on our first season back, then had a wonderful season to finish 11th (huge improvement). And we were developing youth and bringing young players through. That’s progression.

Compare that to now. We are sinking. We are going backwards. Purslow promised us it was all about progression.

People - Steven Gerrard is Tim Sherwood MkII. He is WAY in over his depth and the longer this drags on, the more damage it will do. I genuinely fear for us next season if this charlatan of a manager is still in place come August.

[Risso]

A wonderful season to finish 11th? We started off like a house on fire, then after that it was sure and steady decline. And here we are, in 11th still.

[dave.woodhall]

I still think it's early days, no need to panic, daft to even think of renting the Little Aston memorial rose garden for the afternoon, but there definitely has been a major policy shift. The idea of managers change but the system remains the same has been quietly dropped and whereas the previous manager's remit was to buy players who would improve, the four we signed in January will get no better. It seems to me that the club is being moulded in the shape of a manager whose ability is still unproven, and if he does turn out to be more Sherwood than Saunders - which I'm not saying for one second - we could be in deep shit for a long time.   

[chrisw1]

However good or bad we’ve been in the past few weeks it’s not Gerrard’s fault that out strikers are hopelessly out of form.  Watkins header and shot from the left were dreadful, Ings two misses worse.
Other teams are taking their chances and we’re missing ours.

Whether Gerrard is the long term answer or not, it’s Watkins and Ings to blame for yesterday not the manager. 

[Fasth56]

Really can't believe we're having this discussion, however seeing the ground empty on 66 minutes shows what the new Premier league fan is all about. McDonald's football where instant gratification is required.

[markeeeebeeee2005]

He has managed to make a group of players who have done well at other stages of their career both at Villa, other clubs and internationally look less than the sum of their parts.

Should we sack him? Don’t know.

[Nunkin1965]

I think Gerrard will get the summer window and there will be massive changes to the squad.
Who knows if its right or wrong but it looks like it will be happening.
It's definitely a new chapter in our history and we'll see what Gerrard is made of if he is massively backed by our owners.
Huge gamble and there has clearly been a shift in the clubs development and vision for the future.
Is this how we're going to compete with the top six?
Surely a huge investment is needed for us to even get close if that's the aim.
Is that what we really want or are we happy with a longer term plan of youth development?
As long as our owners are there to fund this policy of less sell on value then fine but boy its not guaranteed in the success stakes.

[Risso]

I still think it's early days, no need to panic, daft to even think of renting the Little Aston memorial rose garden for the afternoon, but there definitely has been a major policy shift. The idea of managers change but the system remains the same has been quietly dropped and whereas the previous manager's remit was to buy players who would improve, the four we signed in January will get no better. It seems to me that the club is being moulded in the shape of a manager whose ability is still unproven, and if he does turn out to be more Sherwood than Saunders - which I'm not saying for one second - we could be in deep shit for a long time.   

Ashley Young and Danny Ings are the two oldest pemanent signings we've made in a long time and they weren't made under Gerrard.

Of the January signings, only one was a permanent first team addition. Coutinho and Olsen are loans, and Chambers was a free, back up defender. There's not nearly enough evidence there to be saying that there's a major shift in emphasis.

[Ads]

And if players like Coutinho and Digne are available  why wouldn't you sign them?

The World Champions left back. Some more of that quality in midfield is absolutely what we need. Whether that's eye watering money on Phillips, I don't know. But quality generally costs a lot and the gap from the midtable to the top 8 looks wide.

[Scott Nielsen]

He has managed to make a group of players who have done well at other stages of their career both at Villa, other clubs and internationally look less than the sum of their parts.

Sans Grealish, when have this set of players suggested that what we are seeing now is less than the sum of their parts?