Aston Villa have officially announced that they’ve appointed Steven Gerrard as the club’s new manager.
It comes after the decision was taken earlier this week to part company with Dean Smith, with Villa currently on a five-game losing streak in the Premier League.
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The club’s owners subsequently decided that the time was right to end Smith’s three-year tenure at Villa Park as a result, and speculation had been rife this week over who his successor would be.
As per the club’s official statement, Gerrard has landed the job, and he arrives off the back of a successful stint with Rangers having led them to the Scottish league title last season, a campaign in which his side finished unbeaten.
Key members of Gerrard’s backroom staff are also expected to make the move south with him, and so it’s an exciting time for him and for Villa fans as we begin a new tenure with the hope that we will continue the progression that Smith oversaw during his time in charge.
Given his lack of experience coaching in the Premier League and having had a short career in management thus far, Gerrard will have his doubters and sceptics in terms of whether or not he’s ready to take on this job, particularly with where Villa are right now and where we want to be in the coming years.
In turn, it’s hoped that Gerrard is able to get off to a positive start in his first game at the helm against Brighton at home on November 20, as it will undoubtedly help relieve any early nerves or pressure to allow him to kick on and hopefully enjoy a successful time as Villa boss.
Gerrard, 41, was in charge of 192 games at Rangers, winning 124 of those while picking up 41 draws and 27 losses. It would certainly be a fruitful spell in the West Midlands if he can build on that and show that his ideas and man-management will make him an elite manager over time.
