Pundit Simon Jordan has launched an unwavering defence of Steven Gerrard's first season at Aston Villa.
Gerrard left Rangers in November for the English Premier League off the back of the Scottish Premiership title success at Ibrox.
But despite a January overhaul including the addition of Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho, Villa have struggled to pull away from the lower reaches of the table.
Gerrard is without a win in his last five and the club are languishing in 15th spot in the league.
While a comfortable eight points clear of relegation, criticism has begun to emerge from the Villa Park stands.
However, bullish Jordan wasn't having any of the concerns coming from Birmingham, sparking a heated debate with fellow talkSPORT pundit Trevor Sinclair.
Jordan stated Gerrard had some of the attributes needed to go the very top - pointing to his spell at Rangers as evidence.
He said: "We will see if Steven Gerrard develops tactically to the level of an elite manager.
"As he is going right now, he has come out of Scotland and done a great job there, he's got the gravitas, the shoulders back and the image to present Villa on the front foot...
Sinclair retorted: "And it's not happened at the moment, has it?"
Jordan shut him down adding: "We will see how it plays out."
The former Manchester City and West Ham defender continued: "Well, you say we will see, but the money they have spent and the recruitment I think they have slightly under achieved this season."
Jordan, now getting heated: "On what basis? When you look at the Coutinho transfer he cost them two and six, that was a beautiful transfer. All the headlines are look we have Coutinho, but they paid nothing for him. £4million for an £150million footballer - what a steal."
Sinclair went on: "But you are still looking at the facts and where they are in the league. If they don't have Ollie Watkins, it's easy for teams to play against them."
Jordan pointed the finger at the Crystal Palace boss in a fiery counterpoint: "Where are they in the league? Let's rewrite the history books for a moment. Patrick Vieira - a resounding success. Look at Patrick Vieira..."
Sinclair quizzed: "But what has he had to do?"
Jordan rounded off: "What has Gerrard had to do? Pick up the reins at a declining football club at that time when Dean Smith was taking it in the wrong direction. On this one hand you have this narrative that Patrick Vieira is a roaring success, on the other hand Gerrard, not so much."
