Steven Gerrard believes he is the right man to lead Aston Villa forward
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard believes he is the right man to lead the club to brighter days, as his job at the helm comes under scrutiny.
Gerrard, took over from Dean Smith last November but has failed to stamp an attractive brand of football on the Villans or a connection with the fan base.
The Boss admitted he has to win supporters over still and confessed their position in the Premier League table isn’t helping matters at the moment.
“It is a fact that I have to win over the supporters,” Gerrard said, as quoted by the Times.
“If we were stuck in the middle of the table or slightly higher now I wouldn’t be thinking I have already won them over. I would challenge myself to go even higher and better.
“I am not someone who settles for what is going on. From the first day I came here until the last day, whenever that may be, and I hope it is a long time, I’ll continue to keep trying to win these supporters over and prove I am the right man for this job.
“I don’t doubt myself because I believe in myself. You have days, periods, runs of games, whether it’s your own form or whether it’s the team’s form, when you get questioned, where noise from the outside comes — criticism, expectation. You have to accept it, you have to be aware of it and use it to get yourself back in a better place.”
Interesting.
The more Gerrard feels the need to come out and defend himself the more it seems like he’s hanging onto his job by a thread.
There’s been no news of Gerrard’s job being under threat, other than screams and shouts from fans who are tired of his dull style of football, but nothing concrete.
So what does this say? It means Gerrard is certainly feeling the pressure he’s trying to brush off and this doesn’t bode well for Villa in upcoming tough fixtures.
If anything this anxiety can trickle down into the first XI and the pressure on Gerrard’s shoulders may start to affect their performances on the pitch.
Villa needs some impressive wins under their belt, drawing with bottom-of-the-league Nottingham Forest isn’t going to cut it when you consider the investments poured into their squad this summer.
Gerrard still has time on his side, but a couple more dodgy outings could spell the end of his rein at Villa Park.
In other Aston Villa news, Jamie Carragher claims Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa resembles a former Liverpool side