Jamie Carragher has insisted that Steven Gerrard could have no complaints about being sacked as Aston Villa boss with the club hovering just above the relegation zone.
Gerrard was let go on Thursday after a dreadful defeat at newly-promoted Fulham, having only taken over 11 months ago. After keeping Villa in the top-flight last season, the current campaign quickly went bad for Gerrard, with his side winning just twice.
His relationship with the fans also turned toxic, with many loudly calling for his head after the defeat to the Cottagers. While Carragher remains close friends with Gerrard, the Sky Sports pundit pulled no punches with his assessment of Villa's decision to sack him.
"I spoke to Steven Gerrard on Monday and he was realistic about his chances of remaining Aston Villa manager. At the most he hoped he had two games to save himself. The performance against Fulham, and the reaction of Villa’s fans, made his position untenable," he told The Telegraph.
"He will be hurt and disappointed, but when the dust settles he will be the first to acknowledge that he understands why the decision was taken. Dean Smith was sacked after losing five consecutive games and it is difficult to argue against Gerrard being judged in the same way as his predecessor, even if there are mitigating circumstances for recent difficulties.
"When Stevie faced his most difficult period, he had to go back to the players he inherited and he could not get a tune out of them. On top of poor results the team did not excite enough, and once you have lost the fans you are only one more poor performance from the end.
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"Obviously, he made mistakes during his short spell at Villa Park. That cost him the time he needed. No matter how good a manager is or might become, if you do not hit the ground running and get every big decision right, bad luck is no shield."
Despite his failure at Villa Park, Carragher is confident that Gerrard will be able to return to coaching. He admitted that it could be tough to find a club at first, but insisted that Gerrard would be an asset to any team he takes charge of.
First though, Carragher believes that Gerrard needs to take a period of time out of the game to reflect on why his stint at Villa went so badly wrong. The former Reds skipper released a statement on Friday night to "personally thank" the staff and players at Villa Park for their efforts during his reign.
"I would like to thank everyone connected to Aston Villa Football Club, for the support shown to me during my time there. I would personally like to thank the board of directors, the players and all the staff for their hard work," the statement read.
"To the fans, it is regrettable that it didn’t work out in the end, but I owe you a debt of gratitude for the way you welcomed me into your club, and continued to push the team on during difficult times.
"Aston Villa is a club with a special history, I really wanted to bring back those memorable achievements, unfortunately it wasn’t to be. I wish everyone at the club all the very best for the future."
