Aston Villa leaked fine list pre-Steven Gerrard, at least a year old – report
Aston Villa have had a list of the fines their players were subjected to before the arrival of Steven Gerrard leaked to the public.
The list was circulating online on Tuesday (26 July) and shows how strict some of the guidelines that the players had to follow were, and also highlights the strict atmosphere needed at a Premier League club.
Some of the fines included £500 for being late for training, £250 for being late for a commercial appearance and £1,000 for being late on a match day, but according to the Daily Mail is over a year old, pre-dating the current manager’s arrival.
But it was clearly something made the manager a good fit as the Daily Mail’s Andrew Prentice said: “Steven Gerrard has already built a reputation as a strong disciplinarian from his time at Rangers and the start of his Aston Villa career.
“It is this attribute that appears to be a keen draw of the club’s owners, judging by the actions of his predecessors.
“And a leaked list of fines at Villa Park, from before the 42-year-old’s arrival, shows that the ruthless approach is something the Villa chiefs take kindly to.”
Strict Disciplinarians
The leaked list paints a visual picture of what it must be like to be a professional footballer and the behaviour that is expected from Premier League players.
Some of the fines may sound extreme but in the modern-day game, with players earning as much as they are, they are expected to reach high standards.
These sorts of fines are to ensure a professional atmosphere and to guarantee that players are falling in line with their employers.
It would be unlikely that Steven Gerrard would disagree with the behaviour code that preceded him as he has established himself as a no-nonsense manager in his own right, and was a model professional during his playing days.
It is not the first time Aston Villa have been looked at for their disciplinary methods as former manager Gerard Houllier was the centre of attention in 2011 after his fining system seemingly rubbed former Villa players the wrong way.
A decade later, it seems that there are tried and tested methods at Villa Park and they do not seem like going away anytime soon.
In other Aston Villa news, Carney Chukwuemeka may leave the club to join AC Milan.