Steven Gerrard has been sacked as manager of Aston Villa.
The club made this announcement shortly after Gerrard’s side suffered a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage. It was Villa’s sixth defeat in just 11 Premier League games.
A statement released after the match read: Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect.
A club spokesman said: “We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
The former Liverpool midfielder replaced Dean Smith at Villa Park on November 11, 2021 and lasted less than a year before he became the fourth top-flight manager to lose his job so far this season, following Scott Parker, Thomas Tuchel and Bruno Lage.
Gerrard admitted he was in a “very difficult position” straight after Villa’s hefty loss in south west London.
The former Rangers manager insisted he would not quit his role. At the end he had no choice in the matter as Villa’s board acted swiftly to remove him.
Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino and ex-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel have reportedly been linked with the role.
“I’ve been sending messages to the fans for the last few weeks because I certainly share their frustration and their pain,” said Gerrard in his post-match press conference.
“I’m someone who is honest. I know that they’re not enjoying it at the moment – I’m certainly not – so we’ll see what happens moving forward. But you know and I know I’m in a very difficult position right now.
“The performance was miles away from what I want, expect and stand for. I understand the fans’ frustration and it was so far from how we looked at the weekend. We’re in this situation, I’m in it to face the tough questions because the reality is it’s not good enough.
“Those decisions are out of my control. I have been around the game a long time, I understand the situation and won’t sugar-coat the situation or give anyone false lines. I want to be as honest as I can.
“We’ll see what happens moving forwards. But football is in my DNA and quitting is certainly not, so we’ll see what happens moving forwards.”
