(Football news) Aston Villa have parted ways with Steven Gerrard, just 11 months after the former Liverpool player took over after a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage. This was Villa’s sixth defeat in 11 games and the club are currently 17th in the Premier League with nine points, the same as 18th place Wolves and 16th place Leeds United. Gerrard replaced Dean Smith on November 11th 2021 and is now the fourth manager to lose his job this season after Scott Parker, Thomas Tuchel and Bruno Lage. A short statement by Aston Villa read “Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that head coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect. We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future."

After the match against Fulham, Gerrard had admitted that his side were in a “very difficult position” and was quickly let go by the Villa board with former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel being linked to the role. In the post match press conference, Gerrard said “I've been sending messages to the fans for the last few weeks because I certainly share their frustration and their pain. 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 for the club. 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."

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