Is Villa’s Next Appointment For Domestic Success Or Global Optics – Or Could Gerrard Equal The Same Thing

I think these modern day owners are using managers as an extension of the players at times – in terms of getting the big names in that the new aged fans from all corners of the globe recognise.

Writer: danvilla2

Look at Derby County. Wayne Rooney has no right to be at a fairly big club like Derby given his relative experience. It seems like every other month I see a picture or video of him in the media not related to football, but Rooney’s name and face will drive the shirt sales and attract the TV revenue in from east Asia and trying to crack North America. Before him it was Frank Lampard, the strategy is pretty obvious to me. John Terry could be next on their list at this rate.

We’ve seen it before where smaller clubs here employed former England stars despite their managerial background, although lower down the pyramid it does make sense from a development point of view – but you still can’t discount the media attention it naturally brings.

Everyone has to start somewhere and I respect Steven Gerrard for going to a smaller league and learning his trade, rather than trying to walk into a big Premier League club relying on only his name. But it is very much a tactical decision to do that as well from him. I used to live next door to a certain Mr Strachan and look at the list of honours he has from managing Celtic, yet we’d hardly consider him a top manager – even if good entertainment.

I’m very much in the ‘not feeling it with Gerrard’ camp. The players who reach the top appear to struggle when managing teams who aren’t at the top, I don’t think they always have the temperament. How would Gerrard – as a Champions League winning player – handle Anwar El Ghazi’s first half the other night? That’s just one example given our inconsistent 2021 and why most of us wonder ‘was that our good half?’ every half time.

It’s why Roy Keane, a top, top player even if you didn’t like him, was never really that successful in management unless things were going well. It’s one thing motivating yourself during a form dip when you are on the pitch, it’s completely different to motivating a whole squad, tweaking tactics and making distanced decisions from the dug out.

I’m not feeling it with Gerrard, I don’t think he has done enough to earn such a big job over a lesser name. It seems owners think these big names will lead them to utopia like the next generation Pep Guardiola, but I don’t know if Gerrard has enough of a philosophy or imprint of style to warrant his place and drive our improvement in this league. It’s easier at Rangers, stick your best XI out and you win most weeks.

With that said, naturally I’ll support him as I would (most – remember McLeish?) incumbents if he is the chosen one.

I’m very much a ‘provide a solution not a problem’ kinda person these day but I don’t actually have one. It’s down to the board to go through the diligence with interviews and assessments, and make the right call – that information is the luxury that, we as fans, don’t have. It’ll be on their heads, not ours – we’ll just have opinions about it as most of us want a proven name we know – not a potential gamble, even if it does grow the club’s worldwide reputation.

The right man could, of course, do both but I just don’t think Gerrard would be it.