Steven Gerrard has been sacked as manager of Aston Villa after just 11 months as manager.
Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino as well as former Chelsea Manager Thomas Tuchel have been linked with the position, however the likelihood of either being lured by Villa Park remains to be to be seen.
Gerrard’s demotion was announced instantly following his team’s complete 3-0 loss to Fulham in the Premier League’s Craven Cottage – Villa’s sixth loss in just eleven Premier League games.
The statement that was released following the game said: “Aston Villa Football Club is able to confirm that the club’s Steven Gerrard, the club’s head coach, has resigned from the club immediately.
“We want to express our gratitude to Steven for his dedication and dedication and wish him the best in the future.”
The following day, Villa confirmed Gary McAllister, Neil Critchley, Tom Culshaw, Jordan Milsom and Scott Mason have also left the club following the demotion of Gerrard.
Coach of the first team Aaron Danks will take charge of the team on the Sunday’s Premier League match against Brentford at Villa Park.
Former Liverpool midfielder was replaced by Dean Smith at Villa Park in November 2021. He was only in the Villa Park for less than a year prior to becoming the fourth manager in the top flight to be fired this season, after Scott Parker, Thomas Tuchel and Bruno Lage.
Gerrard acknowledged that he was in the “very difficult situation” right after Villa’s crushing defeat in the south-west of London.
Former Rangers manager was insistent that he was not going to quit his job, but was offered no choice because Villa’s board of directors acted quickly to dismiss the manager.
“I’ve been making contact with the supporters over the last couple of weeks as I feel their frustration and hurt,” said Gerrard in his press conference following the match.
“I’m an honest person. I’m sure that they’re not having fun currently – I definitely not, so we’ll have to see what happens as we move forward. However, I’m aware that I’m in a extremely challenging position at the moment.
“The performance was a long way from what I believe in and would like to represent. I can understand the anger of the fans, and the fact that it was so different from the way we viewed the weekend. The situation is here I’m there to answer the hard questions as that it’s not enough for the club.
“Those decisions are not under my control. I’ve been playing for a long period of time. I am aware of the circumstances and will not sugarcoat the situation or offer any person false lines. I’d like to be as transparent and honest as possible.
“We’ll watch what happens as we move forward. Football is part of my DNA , and quitting certain to be a bad thing, so we’ll watch what happens going forwards.”
It was a bleak game for Gerrard. A miserable performance and a disappointing result at Fulham on Craven Cottage left Aston Villa in the middle of the relegation zone based on goals made. Within 90 minutes of the whistle blew they announced their coach’s departure.
You could tell it was always a must win game for Gerrard who was already under pressure after having watched his team drop five of the first 10 games of this season.
