Gerrard In or Out?

[olaftab]

I humbly suggest that sometimes a sense of perspective is in short supply here.

Why do we need a sense of perspective? It's a football forum associated with fun and leisure activity. It's not important stuff like work or family life .

Sometimes posters do not need to be judgmental about other posters.

[gpbarr]

We are Villa fans. Perspective - nah! Disagreement and debate is good for the soul 👍

[Chris Smith]

We are Villa fans. Perspective - nah! Disagreement and debate is good for the soul 👍

Oh no it isn’t.

[gpbarr]

We are Villa fans. Perspective - nah! Disagreement and debate is good for the soul 👍

Oh no it isn’t.

😃

[Holy Trinity]

I didnt want Gerrard initially but he has shown me enough to think he can do it at this level.
I honestly think if he had been here all season we would have 6-9 points extra and be sat around 10th. I also think if we played Burnley when we were supposed to we would have won that game comfortably and possibly fighting it out for 7th this season.
Now I know its all abit if my aunty's had, but Smiths biggest downfall for me was always struggling against the small teams we should have walked over. Slippy  for the most part doesn't seem to share that same problem however his record vs the top teams isn't as good as dean's (not looked into it but seems that way from memory).
A full pre season is an absolute must for me and unless we are looking destined for the championship next season I would give him the entire of next season too. We are desperately short of a clinical finisher, a ball winning/playing  center mid and a world class centre back. I would argue providing we sign Coutinho on a permanent deal that we would have a squad capable of finishing top 6 with those additions. If we sign all of the above I think we will be in for a treat next season. A few players aren't good enough for where we need to be if they are starting week in and week out but I do think every player in this squad is capable of playing some sort of role in a successful team. A position we haven't been in for over a decade.
Did we expect instant success? No
Did we hope for a more immediate success? Yes
Do we all wish Deano had been the man to take us all the way? Yes we all do but unfortunately he just couldn't do it and if it was his own doing or if it was just a case of not being forceful enough with his transfer desires he was not the man for the job and we need to stop comparing apples with oranges.
Let just get behind the team and see where our owners are taking us because let's face it the owners are going to outlast many of the players and managers in the coming years.

[N'ZMAV]

that's a very sensible point of view.

That won't go down well

[clash city rocker]

I have watched this season and sometimes thought we are a couple of quality players away from challenging for Europe then other times I have watched us and thought we are a million miles away from european football.What next season will bring remains to be seen but hopefully a sustainable improvement will be seen.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think one of the main things for Gerrard is that he needs to be continually learning. He can't just stick rigidly to what has worked in the past for him, because Liverpool in this league as a player and Rangers in that other league as a manager are totally incomparable to what he has got himself involved with now.

Two things I would like to see more of - I'd like him to walk the walk as well as he talks the talk (example: don't just talk about big changes every week, make them) and I'd like to see him react during matches far more than he has done thus far, make changes to cope with the ebb and flow of the match. Not enough of that thus far.

What I will say is, although I hated him as a player and obviously him being involved with us is bound to change feelings, I am warming to him in how he has conducted himself around the club, much as I did with John Terry (another one I loathed as a player).

There is definitely something about 'winners' - we saw it in Terry when he came here as a player and played every match with the same intensity he did at Chelsea and then the way he was when here as a member of the coaching staff, and I think we have seen it in Gerrard too.

That's a big chunk of our problems in recent years - too much meek acceptance of mediocrity and too many people around the club just here for the journey and no thought towards glory.

[SamTheMouse]

I agree, and the signs appear to suggest that Gerrard himself is keen to surround himself with players that share exactly that winning attitude.

This summer will be interesting.

[algy]

I didnt want Gerrard initially but he has shown me enough to think he can do it at this level.
I honestly think if he had been here all season we would have 6-9 points extra and be sat around 10th. I also think if we played Burnley when we were supposed to we would have won that game comfortably and possibly fighting it out for 7th this season.
Now I know its all abit if my aunty's had, but Smiths biggest downfall for me was always struggling against the small teams we should have walked over. Slippy  for the most part doesn't seem to share that same problem however his record vs the top teams isn't as good as dean's (not looked into it but seems that way from memory).
A full pre season is an absolute must for me and unless we are looking destined for the championship next season I would give him the entire of next season too. We are desperately short of a clinical finisher, a ball winning/playing  center mid and a world class centre back. I would argue providing we sign Coutinho on a permanent deal that we would have a squad capable of finishing top 6 with those additions. If we sign all of the above I think we will be in for a treat next season. A few players aren't good enough for where we need to be if they are starting week in and week out but I do think every player in this squad is capable of playing some sort of role in a successful team. A position we haven't been in for over a decade.
Did we expect instant success? No
Did we hope for a more immediate success? Yes
Do we all wish Deano had been the man to take us all the way? Yes we all do but unfortunately he just couldn't do it and if it was his own doing or if it was just a case of not being forceful enough with his transfer desires he was not the man for the job and we need to stop comparing apples with oranges.
Let just get behind the team and see where our owners are taking us because let's face it the owners are going to outlast many of the players and managers in the coming years.

Think this is a very good point.

I'd only add that Gerrard's experience in Scotland will have left him a little short of managing a team against stronger opposition on a regular basis, and that might be partially a cause of our less-than-stellar record against those type of teams (compared to, say, Smith). I'd be happy giving Gerrard a bit more time to learn that side of things, as long as he's doing the business against the weaker ones.

[nigel]

I saw a league table of where we would be starting from Gerrard first game. We were 9th (iir)

Unless we’re in dire trouble he has to be given the full season. I don’t want us to be a Watford and start changing managers whenever there’s a blip

You only have to look at Arsenal and Arteta last season. Their fans wanted rid for the majority of the season, yet look at them now.
Further back in history Man U fans were calling for Fergies head…

[ROBBO]

What we don't need is another manager who when faced with difficulties goes defensive rather rather than make changes. I hope his name will get a couple of special players to sign up.

[Chris Smith]

I saw a league table of where we would be starting from Gerrard first game. We were 9th (iir)

Unless we’re in dire trouble he has to be given the full season. I don’t want us to be a Watford and start changing managers whenever there’s a blip

You only have to look at Arsenal and Arteta last season. Their fans wanted rid for the majority of the season, yet look at them now.
Further back in history Man U fans were calling for Fergies head…

I think for the moment sticking with Gerrard and giving him the backing and the opportunity to implement his own ideas is the right thing to do but for every example where patience has proved to be right thing there is a manager who was given too long by a dithering board.

[olaftab]

that's a very sensible point of view.

That won't go down well

We don't need to be sensible when it's football.
But it's a very good post from the pious corner.

[olaftab]

I agree, and the signs appear to suggest that Gerrard himself is keen to surround himself with players that share exactly that winning attitude.

I am not sure how he can do that on recruitment  front? How do you identify a winning attitude in an individual who has been scouted  for you by someone else? Would you say that all 25 Man City first teamers have a winning attitude? I would say that they are all high quality superb players first and  winning attitude is instilled by the Manager/coach.