“Owners get twitchy” - Former Leeds United and Tottenham star fears for ‘under pressure’ Aston Villa boss

Steven Gerrard is among several Premier League managers thought to be in a precarious position if results do not improve.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Steven Gerrard is ‘under pressure’ to turn things around at Aston Villa or risk losing his job, according to one of his former international teammates.

Ex-England goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes results have not been good enough this season or at the end of last season and that Villa Park chiefs could look to dispense with the 42-year old’s services soon.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Villa currently sit 14th in the Premier League table after eight games with just two wins so far and Gerrard is one of several top flight bosses in English football thought to be in a precarious position.

Robinson, who most notably played for Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn Rovers during his playing career, believes that the club’s owners “will get twitchy” if they are still in the bottom third of the Premier League table by Christmas time.

“Stevie did an incredible job at Rangers”, said Robinson in an interview with Football Insider.

“He is still a young manager. The problem is, he has assembled an expensive squad at Aston Villa that is not performing. That brings pressure.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The results have not been there. It was also a big decision to take the captaincy off Tyrone Mings to give it to John McGinn.

“Villa have been indifferent since the end of last season. Their standards slipped and it has not improved this season. Steven is under pressure because of this season and the end of last.

“The longer they are in the bottom third of the table, the more pressure will mount.

“The owners will get twitchy if they are near the bottom come Christmas time. They will consider rolling the dice. You do not want to put owners in that situation.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Aston Villa’s next match comes in the Monday Night Football fixture on October 10 when they head to the City Ground to face struggling Nottingham Forest.

The EFL Championship play-off winners are struggling with life as a Premier League side and currently sit bottom of the table with just one win so far.

Like Gerrard, Forest boss Steve Cooper is also thought to be under considerable pressure and a loss for either manager in the match could prove fatal.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.