O/T Gerrard to Villa

Eventhepenguins

Well-known member
As an exile living just outside Glasgow I can tell you it's meltdown here!!! On every level from a candle blowing gently in the wind, to Reactor 4 at Chernobyl šŸ˜‚
I'm not sure if it's a great move for him either, could easily end up in a scrap down at the bottom end of the table, end up with the sack in 12 months time and do a bit of a Frank Lampard and drift onto the managerial merry go round, slipping further away from any Liverpool/England ambitions he may have had.
Be interesting to see how this affects Rangers too, Celtic fans seem to be licking their lips at the thought of all that disruption.
 
Poor move. Should have stayed at least another year at Rangers in my opinion. Defended their title. Celtic seem to be on their way back this season maybe he didnā€™t fancy the challenge. Not sure heā€™ll get the same adoration or success he has had at Rangers. Time will tell...
 
The winner of the Scottish league title this year gets direct entry into the group stages of the Champions League. I would have thought that in itself was a reason to stay, the chance to manage at the highest level of club football.

Obviously the standard is much better in the EPL, but what constitutes success for Villa? A cup? Eighth place in the league?

If this was a player who had a modest playing career and wanted to get on the gravy train for financial security, I would also get it. But Gerrard must be set up for life.
 
Think it's a no brainer for Gerard. Decent Premier League jobs don't come along that easily for inexperienced managers.

His stock is high at the moment and the only way is down north of the border. He's probably looked at what someone like Brendan Rogers has done and with a bit of Grealish cash still available fancies getting them up the division. I think he will. He worked wonders at Rangers with, on paper a far inferior squad to his main rivals. It's a good move to a big club for him.
 
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I think it's a bit of a hiding to nothing for him. They've got a great chance of winning the Scottish League, plus the Cups up there, and direct entry into the champions League and all the experience that brings. Not to mention the adulation and hero status that would come with all that.
Balanced against a mid table finish at best for Villa and permanently half a dozen bad results from the sack...look at what they did to Dean Smith having got them promoted, established in the Prem and sold grealish from under him!!!
Then he'll get a bit of TV work and he's scratching around looking for work in the same pool as Lampard, Rooney, Terry et al, when he COULD be being groomed for the Liverpool job, England etc
 
Terrible move from Villa, Smith for Gerrard? No thanks, ex Ranger's managers hardly have a glowing history of success South of the border, in fact I can't think of one who had any success here?
 
Villa = big club, big challenge. A bloke like Gerrard will relish this. Did well at Rangers but Scottish football is dire and the fact it's Villa and not say a Championship club will have made it a fairly easy decision for him.

Rogers hasn't done badly moving down south
 
Terrible move from Villa, Smith for Gerrard? No thanks, ex Ranger's managers hardly have a glowing history of success South of the border, in fact I can't think of one who had any success here?

Warburton, McLeish?
 
As an exile living just outside Glasgow I can tell you it's meltdown here!!! On every level from a candle blowing gently in the wind, to Reactor 4 at Chernobyl šŸ˜‚
I'm not sure if it's a great move for him either, could easily end up in a scrap down at the bottom end of the table, end up with the sack in 12 months time and do a bit of a Frank Lampard and drift onto the managerial merry go round, slipping further away from any Liverpool/England ambitions he may have had.
Be interesting to see how this affects Rangers too, Celtic fans seem to be licking their lips at the thought of all that disruption.
He canā€™t progress any more at Rangers though can he? as winning the SPL is hardly a massive tick on his CV because itā€™s always won between two clubs and will be for decades to come.
Letā€™s see him win something similar at Villa before he lands the Liverpool job.
 
Villa = big club, big challenge. A bloke like Gerrard will relish this. Did well at Rangers but Scottish football is dire and the fact it's Villa and not say a Championship club will have made it a fairly easy decision for him.

Rogers hasn't done badly moving down south
Rodgers has never managed in Scotland, let alone Rangers.
 
Warburton has done little and Mcleish took Birmingham down before nearly taking Villa down, his PL record is terrible.
In fairness to McLeish he did win the League Cup with Birmingham, beating Wengers Arsenal in the final. Got them relegated in the same season though.
 
Terrible move from Villa, Smith for Gerrard? No thanks, ex Ranger's managers hardly have a glowing history of success South of the border, in fact I can't think of one who had any success here?
Yes Liverpool appointed Souness from Rangers who was a lot more successful than Slippy G at Rangers and he was a failure at Liverpool.
I can see the attraction for Gerard going to Villa though, he will be operating with a much bigger budget in a much better league in a lot more Ā£Ā£Ā£ and money talks at the end of the day
 
Maybe heā€™s realised that heā€™s way down the pecking order to take over at Liverpool now with Critchā€™s success here.
 
Villa's academy is supposed to be one of the best in the country, so no doubt Gerrard's experience managing Liverpool's kids was a plus for Villa.

I see that he's taking Gary McAllister (assistant) and Michael Beale (first team coach) with him.
Beale in particular is reckoned to be top notch and key to Rangers' recent success.

Managers' fortunes often rest on the quality of their staff - Ferguson's success over time varied according to the contributions of his assistants.
And of course, we had the benefit of Calderwood last season.....šŸ˜‰
 
I might be wrong but I don't think any of the Old Firm managers have ever won the league in England? Souness finished second but was a huge disappointment at the Scousers and inherited a title winning team.

(Except Dalglish but he was only Celtic managers for 3 minutes as caretaker)

Tempted to lob a tenner on Villa to go down to be honest.
 
Fair play to Gerrard for taking it on. Leaders lead and take on a challenge when it presents itself and dont play safe and hide. Hes no busted flush šŸ˜
Hes got a great job at Villa and for atmospheres when its rocking Villa Park takes some beating. After seeing the Celtic fans last weekend disrespect the silence and lets be honest with all the bigotry and hate that goes on up there Rangers fans are not much better, hes better off out of all that toxic stuff. I dont know how they get away with it up there . It must drain you having to put up with it all as an outsider.
Good luck to him at Villa, hope hes treated a bit better than Dean Smith.
Duncan Ferguson to Rangers? He would be perfect!
 
Rangers and Celtic are huge clubs if they were in the English leagues they would be seriously big hitters as they would attract huge sponsorship deals as it is there trapped in a league with dwindling finances and little room for growth.
 
Fair play to Gerrard for taking it on. Leaders lead and take on a challenge when it presents itself and dont play safe and hide. Hes no busted flush šŸ˜
Hes got a great job at Villa and for atmospheres when its rocking Villa Park takes some beating. After seeing the Celtic fans last weekend disrespect the silence and lets be honest with all the bigotry and hate that goes on up there Rangers fans are not much better, hes better off out of all that toxic stuff. I dont know how they get away with it up there . It must drain you having to put up with it all as an outsider.
Good luck to him at Villa, hope hes treated a bit better than Dean Smith.
Duncan Ferguson to Rangers? He would be perfect!
More chance of Barry, Big Dunc is Everton through and through.
 
If Gerrards ultimate goal is Liverpool / england manager / head coach whatever the title is today, and it probably is, then it makes sense to ignore (to some extent) the money on offer (for squad purchases and development) and take on a role where there is the chance to build long(ish) term, youth set up and bringing players through. Build a footballing culture, a club culture, etc. Villa have corporate owners so the priorities are different they want to turn the club into an Egyptian corps PR platform, like the Saudis at Newcastle, which will mean attracting big name players, which i think is the reason that Gerrard has been looked at, hes a world recognised player if not yet a world recognised manager.

Cant see this going anyway but three or four big name signings, a bit of an uplift for this year maybe a good start next year, general mediocrity towards the end of next season, bad start the year after and Gerrard leaves (by mutual consent) with a big payday onto a managerial merry go round.
 
Good move for The Wasp Chewer.

He know whatever he does at Rangers will always be seen as 'it's only Scottish football'.

Even a lower PL like Villa gives him a platform and the publicity which he'll need if he is to ever get the Liverpool job, which I'd be certain is on his mind.

Hope he fails mind.
 
It's a move that can go wrong for him as he'll be expected to get Villa to at least challenging for a place in Europe, but Villa is a big club. And it's not really about a comparison between Villa and Rangers, it's about a comparison between the EPL and the SPL and it's only right that he wants to challenge himself in the best league.
 
Strange one! Villa are a BIG club, but they're struggling and aren't gonna challenge for honours or top 6, or Europe imo. Rangers are a HUGE club, with guaranteed European football...even though the standard in Scotland doesn't look very good. Its gotta be the financial package he's been offered..can't be owt else! šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø
 
Strange one! Villa are a BIG club, but they're struggling and aren't gonna challenge for honours or top 6, or Europe imo. Rangers are a HUGE club, with guaranteed European football...even though the standard in Scotland doesn't look very good. Its gotta be the financial package he's been offered..can't be owt else! šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø
disagree. The longer he stays manager of Rangers and refuses jobs at good EPL teams then questions will always be asked of him about his own ambitions.
 
Last time I was in Glasgow I went to a funeral and at the wake a drunken Scotsman wanted to fight me because
I am English.I wouldnt want to live in that city.
 
Last time I was in Glasgow I went to a funeral and at the wake a drunken Scotsman wanted to fight me because
I am English.I wouldnt want to live in that city.
Nice city, Glasgow. I've always found it friendly. Yes, I've been in pubs where I've been grumbled at for being English - Paisley and Johnstone actually - but you move on from those to better places.
 
He canā€™t progress any more at Rangers though can he? as winning the SPL is hardly a massive tick on his CV because itā€™s always won between two clubs and will be for decades to come.
Letā€™s see him win something similar at Villa before he lands the Liverpool job.

The thing Rangers offers him is European football, which is virtually a pre-requisite for any of the top PL jobs, he isn't going to get that at Villa.
 
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