Steven Gerrard has been sacked by Aston Villa just 11 games into the Premier League season and a little over an hour after the club’s dismal defeat to Fulham.
Villa have endured a tough start to the season and the result left the side 17th in the table following a run of one win in nine Premier League games.
As Villa slumped to a 3-0 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage, the travelling supporters turned on Gerrard, chanting “You’re getting sacked in the morning” and “You’ll never work again” to the former Liverpool captain.
And shortly after Villa’s defeat, the club confirmed in a 42-word statement that Gerrard had left the club with immediate effect. A spokesperson added: “We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
Gerrard had been defiant following the meek collapse at Fulham, which also saw Douglas Luiz sent off for violent conduct in the second half, and the former England international vowed that he would not quit his position despite Villa’s desperate form and the anger of the away supporters.
“We’ll see what happens, I’m a fighter,” Gerrard said. “I will never, ever quit anything. Quitting is not in my DNA. But the reality is that it’s not good enough for this club.”
Gerrard added: “Tonight was a tough night for me personally. We will see what happens but I understand the situation we are in.”
Gerrard moved to the Midlands last November to replace Dean Smith after an impressive spell with Rangers, which included the club’s first Scottish Premiership title in a decade and stopping what would have been the ignominy of a 10th consecutive league championship in a row for rivals Celtic.
Upon Gerrard’s appointment at Villa, the Liverpool legend was made to deny that he saw the job as a potential stepping stone to succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, insisting he was focussed on improving the club’s position in the table.
He guided Villa to 14th in the Premier League last season, steering them away from relegation worries, but ultimately produced disappointing results after spending approximately £90m over two transfer windows.
The club made former Liverpool and Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho and Sevilla defender Diego Carlos two of their marquee buys, but Carlos was ruled out for months after rupturing his Achilles’ tendon while Coutinho has struggled to produce his best form.
Gerrard was also unable to settle upon his best team and consistently rotated Villa’s attack, failing to get the best out of a talented squad, while he also made the controverial decision to strip England defender Tyrone Mings of the captaincy at Villa Park.
Ahead of the World Cup break, Villa will hope to pick up points from league matches against Brentford, Newcastle, Manchester United and Brighton, while a second match against Erik ten Hag’s men comes in the third round of the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford.
Villa have been linked with former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino in recent days, while Gerrard’s sacking comes shortly after Midlands rivals Wolves settled upon appointing interim boss Steve Davis until the new year.
Wolves had unsuccessfully approached former Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui and QPR boss Michael Beale in recent days.
