Steven Gerrard | Al-Ettifaq Manager

Pink Moon

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Celtic wanted to hire Eddy Howe. The ex manager of Bournemouth turned them down. Bournemouth. At least if he stayed with Rangers he'd have built some sort of reputation for being able to challenge for titles and building a title winning side. He was nailed on as next Liverpool manager, everyone bar you knows that. He'll fail at Villa and miss his chance. I'm disappointed because I was looking forward to seeing him fail at Liverpool.

Have the balls to stay at Rangers and crash out of the Europa League to Sparta Prague with dignity.
No he wasn't :lol: Liverpool are a really well run club right now. They were never going to replace Klopp with Gerrard just because he was a good player for them back in the day. They aren't Man United.

And Eddie Howe not coming to Celtic wasn't because he turned us down. He'd verbally agreed. Their were difficulties with his backroom staff which again became a problem when Newcastle approached him.
 

Glaswegian

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Laughable that Gerrard was considered to be doing a good job. The Hun hordes were near enough chucking their season books at him prior to last season, lockdown saved his skin. 1 trophy out of 9 and a calamitous season last year from Celtic, their hubris cost them 10 in a row. Huns reverting to type this season with abject performances. They'd actually be further down the table had it not been for penalties and red cards in their favour so far this season. Almost like the Huns are skint again and in desperate need of the pot of gold with automatic champions league qualification with all these dodgy decisions going their way.
 

Green_Red

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No he wasn't :lol: Liverpool are a really well run club right now. They were never going to replace Klopp with Gerrard just because he was a good player for them back in the day. They aren't Man United.

And Eddie Howe not coming to Celtic wasn't because he turned us down. He'd verbally agreed. Their were difficulties with his backroom staff which again became a problem when Newcastle approached him.
Yea, turned yous down. Like I said. There's no such thing as a well run club, either you have a good manager or you don't. Klopp has literally polished a turd, and a turd it will continue to be after he moves to another club and makes them successful.
 

tentan

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Hard to say if he'll do well there. Different expectations at Villa so he'll get time if things go wrong.
 

Gio

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Laughable that Gerrard was considered to be doing a good job. The Hun hordes were near enough chucking their season books at him prior to last season, lockdown saved his skin. 1 trophy out of 9 and a calamitous season last year from Celtic, their hubris cost them 10 in a row. Huns reverting to type this season with abject performances. They'd actually be further down the table had it not been for penalties and red cards in their favour so far this season. Almost like the Huns are skint again and in desperate need of the pot of gold with automatic champions league qualification with all these dodgy decisions going their way.
Interesting to hear what these decisions are. Clearly the referee in your last game forgot about the pro-Rangers conspiracy when Dundee weren’t awarded a stonewall penalty, and forgetful again in the previous game Livingston weren’t awarded the same with the scores at 0-0 in the 85th minute.
 

MayosNoun

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I once lived in Scotland and the paranoia that comes from Celtic fans is way beyond anything that comes out of Merseyside. Glaswegian is only touching the surface here with his true thoughts.

Never a fan of either Old Firm team. The rivalry more often than not goes way beyond football but Celtic fans are hilariously paranoid.
 

MayosNoun

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Laughable that Gerrard was considered to be doing a good job. The Hun hordes were near enough chucking their season books at him prior to last season, lockdown saved his skin. 1 trophy out of 9 and a calamitous season last year from Celtic, their hubris cost them 10 in a row. Huns reverting to type this season with abject performances. They'd actually be further down the table had it not been for penalties and red cards in their favour so far this season. Almost like the Huns are skint again and in desperate need of the pot of gold with automatic champions league qualification with all these dodgy decisions going their way.
So I just had a check and these may be wrong but I checked the league table. This highlights your paranoia as next level.

Since the start of the season:

Rangers have been awarded 3 penalties and Celtic have been awarded 2.

Rangers have faced 10 men on two occasions after an opponent was sent off. Celtic have also had this on 2 occasions.

Interestingly, Rangers have conceded 2 penalties this season, Celtic have conceded none.

Therefore going by your own logic, Celtic have benefitted more from referring decisions this season than Rangers.
 

Andersonson

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I'd say winning a league with Rangers over Celtic is more impressive than Winning in Norway.

Also Ole had since oversaw a nice relegation.

Either way our ambitions and Villa should be different.
I agree on the last part. Being relegated under Vincent Tan isn't saying much about the manager though. It says a lot more actually applying for the job and work under a guy like Tan
 

GoonerBear

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Laughable that Gerrard was considered to be doing a good job. The Hun hordes were near enough chucking their season books at him prior to last season, lockdown saved his skin. 1 trophy out of 9 and a calamitous season last year from Celtic, their hubris cost them 10 in a row. Huns reverting to type this season with abject performances. They'd actually be further down the table had it not been for penalties and red cards in their favour so far this season. Almost like the Huns are skint again and in desperate need of the pot of gold with automatic champions league qualification with all these dodgy decisions going their way.
Im just wondering, if myself or Gio came on here using the word f**ian to describe Celtic, would you deem that as sectarian?
 

Real Name

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From what I gathered on Facebook at least most of the Rangers fans dont mind him going to Villa or consider him as a villain cause he gave them good times and its a part of the parcel.

Is it just me there are lots of similarities with Rodgers leaving Celtic mid season. Rodgers was mostly considered a villain after that and still is from I understand although Celtic won the double treble twice with him and generally was pretty good if not great under him.
 

iKnowNothing

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And Eddie Howe not coming to Celtic wasn't because he turned us down. He'd verbally agreed. Their were difficulties with his backroom staff which again became a problem when Newcastle approached him.
What’s going on with Howe’s back room staff that’s creating problems for clubs?
 

dinostar77

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Allegedly gerrard turned down the Newcastle job to take the Villa job. Also has a liverpool job release clause in his contract. Looks like a few potential managers turned down the Newcastle job.
 

Bondi77

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Team is too good to be relegated but not good enough to make top six so it depends on how good a manager he is to see where he finishes in between.......Good luck to him as he will need a lot of it.
 

Skills

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Some hipster did a breakdown of his set up on Twitter and wasn't that complimentary based on a game against Leverkusen.

Expects he'll struggle in the PL unless he improves a lot, as you can't afford to give the same time & space Rangers could to poorer opponents in the SPL who didn't have the technical ability or passing ability to make use of it.
 

BluesJr

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Ideally I’d like him to do just well enough to actually get the Liverpool job and get Klopp out of there only for him to completely feck it up.
 

Gio

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Some hipster did a breakdown of his set up on Twitter and wasn't that complimentary based on a game against Leverkusen.

Expects he'll struggle in the PL unless he improves a lot, as you can't afford to give the same time & space Rangers could to poorer opponents in the SPL who didn't have the technical ability or passing ability to make use of it.
Have a look at his European record, it’s what kept him in a job when he was struggling to break down teams in the SPL in 19/20. For the most part Rangers have actually been very effective in strangling teams, sometimes more gifted opposition, through their shape and compactness.
 

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Gerrard's first interview as Aston Villa manager. Closed captions are available if you need them.

 

LDUred

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Imagine Liverpool going to Villa Park needing three points to win a title or something and then having an embarrassingly easy, walk-in-the-park win as Stevie-G looks on, stroking his chin.

Interested to see how he gets on, though. He's done a great job at Rangers but still unproven until he steps up to the crucible of the EPL.
 
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ariveded

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Why and how he got a 3.5 year contract? That's a huge risk for a unproven manager, and either Gerrard is in demand from other clubs.

Even a 8 months or 1.5 year contract should be good enough for such a manager. Gerrard has to do an immediate job, not some project. It seems corruption and free money for Gerrard.

It's such a contrast for small business and big names.
 

Oranges038

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Why and how he got a 3.5 year contract? That's a huge risk for a unproven manager, and either Gerrard is in demand from other clubs.

Even a 8 months or 1.5 year contract should be good enough for such a manager. Gerrard has to do an immediate job, not some project. It seems corruption and free money for Gerrard.

It's such a contrast for small business and big names.
He had 3 years left on his Rangers deal and Villa wanted him as manager. Why would he leave a 3 year deal at Rangers for an 8 or 18 month deal at Villa? He'd be pissing at least 5m down the drain.
 

DWelbz19

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8 month contract :lol: What manager is going to sign that?! Some of you forget that these are literally jobs!
 

lefty_jakobz

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Hopefully he gets Villa relegated and Dean Smith keeps Norwich up.

Having watched Rangers in the Europa over the last two seasons, Gerrard had them punching above their weight against teams like Porto Braga and a few other big names.
The two times he came up really short were against Leverkusen and Slavia Prague who played them off the park. Same Slavia Prague who knocked out Leicester the previous round so he has done a decent job.

As another poster said, he really struggled in his first season and then was saved (much like Ole) when the pandemic hit.

I don't know what his remit will be at Villa, hopefully for them its not winning a domestic cup as Slippy G has struggled with those while manager he’s been knocked out of all cups.

Foe the folk on here rubbishing the league in Scotland…the relegated PL teams get about 8 times more tv revenue than the entire SPL. Give the Old Firm that 150m a year and see how they over take most of the PL teams
 

Pickle85

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Allegedly gerrard turned down the Newcastle job to take the Villa job. Also has a liverpool job release clause in his contract. Looks like a few potential managers turned down the Newcastle job.
Mental if true. Imo he's lucky to get a prem job at this point - he may turn out to be a hit but no chance he gets this job without his Prem pedigree as a player. Baffling how many clubs still seem to employ managers based on past playing achievements (not an Ole dig, tough though that may be too believe...!)
 

FootballHQ

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Imagine Liverpool going to Villa Park needing three points to win a title or something and then having an embarrassingly easy, walk-in-the-park win as Stevie-G looks on, stroking his chin.

Interested to see how he gets on, though. He's done a great job at Rangers but still unproven until he steps up to the crucible of the EPL.
TBF before the 7-2 last season we've beaten Liverpool once at VP in about 15 years so would make little difference. Also no different to Steve Bruce's abysmal record down the years against Man. United (compared to him getting good results v likes of Chelsea and Liverpool regularly).

I liked his press interview today, straight down to business. Now has to back it up with points.
 

golden_blunder

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Laughable that Gerrard was considered to be doing a good job. The Hun hordes were near enough chucking their season books at him prior to last season, lockdown saved his skin. 1 trophy out of 9 and a calamitous season last year from Celtic, their hubris cost them 10 in a row. Huns reverting to type this season with abject performances. They'd actually be further down the table had it not been for penalties and red cards in their favour so far this season. Almost like the Huns are skint again and in desperate need of the pot of gold with automatic champions league qualification with all these dodgy decisions going their way.
A pint of bitter? No wait you’re already full it seems
 

James Peril

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What kind of tactic Gerrard served in Scotland is as interesting as Solskjær’s tactics at Molde. This is a professional league where all teams are capable of beating the best, this isn’t some semi serious league where you can meet up and win regardless. Wouldn’t be surprised if Gerrard’s setup is changed after a few weeks of getting absolutely destroyed by proper teams, I still feel AVFC have done a horrible job in hiring this fella and sacking Smith. The latter would have stabilized the team and gotten 10-13th in the table, with Gerrard they are in serious threat of going down. And will he stay next year if so happens? Of course not, straight to SkySports-punditry.
 

Dancfc

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What kind of tactic Gerrard served in Scotland is as interesting as Solskjær’s tactics at Molde. This is a professional league where all teams are capable of beating the best, this isn’t some semi serious league where you can meet up and win regardless. Wouldn’t be surprised if Gerrard’s setup is changed after a few weeks of getting absolutely destroyed by proper teams, I still feel AVFC have done a horrible job in hiring this fella and sacking Smith. The latter would have stabilized the team and gotten 10-13th in the table, with Gerrard they are in serious threat of going down. And will he stay next year if so happens? Of course not, straight to SkySports-punditry.
I'm pretty sure in any league you'll find the few "shock results" every season, the PL isn't unique in that regard.
 

Maluco

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I saw him linked with a few of his ex-players. It might just be the typical press guessing game you get coming up to a window, but he really would be best served avoiding what came before.

Villa were signing Bailey and Argentine internationals just before he came. He needs to be more positive and ambitious.

As an Ulsterman, I remember Lawrie Sanchez doing really well with our national team and getting the Fulham job before absolutely tanking it by bringing in his boys from the national team.

It’s a different level and one he will have to adjust to quite quickly.
 

Hastar

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For a great attacking player, who was tactically a bit short - one of the reasons why Rafa didn't fancy him at CM and used him more as RW or AM - Gerrard the manager is more defensively inclined.

By his own admission he has employed defensive tactics of organisation from Benitez and Houllier. Having McAlister alongside him is a big help.

I think he will do fine at Villa, if given the time. He definitely has more resources at Villa than at Rangers.
 

Gio

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I saw him linked with a few of his ex-players. It might just be the typical press guessing game you get coming up to a window, but he really would be best served avoiding what came before.

Villa were signing Bailey and Argentine internationals just before he came. He needs to be more positive and ambitious.

As an Ulsterman, I remember Lawrie Sanchez doing really well with our national team and getting the Fulham job before absolutely tanking it by bringing in his boys from the national team.

It’s a different level and one he will have to adjust to quite quickly.
Aye I can't see any of those links materialising to be honest. Most of them have been fuelled by Scottish ex-pro pundits filling air space over the last couple of weeks. Possibly Kamara who could be dropped into just about any team and look at home given his balance and technical comfort on the ball. Or a Kent or Aribo figure who could certainly do a job at Villa's level, but otherwise I'm only seeing sideways steps from his former players. For example there is some talk about Goldson whose contract is up in the summer, but I really don't think he improves them and is currently struggling in an error-strewn season. If Villa are to break into the top 6 or so then they'll need to invest in a different, game-changing level of player.
 

poleglass red

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I saw him linked with a few of his ex-players. It might just be the typical press guessing game you get coming up to a window, but he really would be best served avoiding what came before.

Villa were signing Bailey and Argentine internationals just before he came. He needs to be more positive and ambitious.

As an Ulsterman, I remember Lawrie Sanchez doing really well with our national team and getting the Fulham job before absolutely tanking it by bringing in his boys from the national team.

It’s a different level and one he will have to adjust to quite quickly.
most of it is probably bollicks by the press, but I could see Kent being a legit one, in that Gerrard would want him and he would want to move.
 

FootballHQ

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Aye I can't see any of those links materialising to be honest. Most of them have been fuelled by Scottish ex-pro pundits filling air space over the last couple of weeks. Possibly Kamara who could be dropped into just about any team and look at home given his balance and technical comfort on the ball. Or a Kent or Aribo figure who could certainly do a job at Villa's level, but otherwise I'm only seeing sideways steps from his former players. For example there is some talk about Goldson whose contract is up in the summer, but I really don't think he improves them and is currently struggling in an error-strewn season. If Villa are to break into the top 6 or so then they'll need to invest in a different, game-changing level of player.
We really need a new DM and saw a bit of Kamara playing for Finland in summer and thought he looked decent on the ball and certainly better than Nakamba so I'd take him as player for next 18 months.

Don't see sense in Ryan Kent as we're overflowing with wide players currently and have a couple of decent young ones coming through aswell so main task for Gerrard is coming up with a coherent front 3 post Grealish.

Same with Morelos, would cost 20m + and he isn't better than Ings or Watkins.

Would take Kamara but think most obvious move is for Patterson as we're light on full back cover.
 

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Credit where it's due. Early doors but he's already got Villa punching above their weight. City at the minute are on another level but his team last night were unlucky not to get a point. They were denied a penalty!
 

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Another win today, is he gonna be the real deal?