Steven Gerrard knows that every time he loses a game, some Aston Villa fans will maintain he isn’t fully focused and has the Liverpool job on his mind.
It’s an easy stick to beat him over the head with – but I can tell you straight that’s a load of nonsense.
His priority is Aston Villa. He’s there to do that job and that’s the only thing on his mind.
It’s other people who mention Liverpool.
Gerrard is embarrassed by it because, for him, it’s Aston Villa every hour of the day.
The only progression he is interested in is being the best manager he can possibly be.
He’s got that attitude, that desire to be successful.
Those attributes are as strong now as when he was a player and look where that took him to.
When results don’t go your way of course there is going to be discontent.
He won’t be content with losing games either. It probably kills him more than it kills the fans.
That’s the type of manager you want – someone who really cares, and Steven does.
He’s high profile and the spotlight is going to be on him more than some others.
He knows that and accepts it. It just makes him more determined to be successful – just look at what he did at Rangers.
That was some challenge leaving his job coaching Liverpool’s Under-18s in order to try and end Celtic’s superiority which he did – preventing the club’s great rivals winning a 10th title in a row.
Straight away he had backed himself to come out on top and now he has taken that ethos to Villa.
They too are a big club with fine traditions, so right from the start you are in at the deep end – but Steven thrives on that sort of pressure.
He’s not thinking about the future, he’s there to do a job.
Steven had a bit of a tough time last season when results didn’t go his way, but one thing I do know about him is that he has never ducked a challenge in his life.
As far as a manager for Aston Villa goes, I believe he ticks a lot of boxes. His man management is good, he’s got a good support team around him. He’s not afraid to make difficult decisions.
Last week he changed his captain, handing the armband to John McGinn after taking it off Tyrone Mings.
He’s there to do a job – at times it means he must be ruthless.
He has had this mental fortitude to keep proving himself since he was a young player.
When he’s lost games there have been murmurs of discontent, but I went to Villa Park towards the end of the season to watch the game against Liverpool – the visitors won 2-1 – and it was as good an atmosphere as I have witnessed at Villa in a long time.
I thought they played really well and I came away thinking he has got the club moving in the right direction.
I hope that’s a good omen for this season.
The problem is that if he does lose a few games – and it’s the same now with most managers as the patience of supporters seems to be more and more in short supply – it’s ‘Oh he’s not really bothered because he’s using Villa as a stepping stone to taking over from Jurgen Klopp’. That’s utter rubbish.
Steven also proved he is very shrewd in reacting quickly to replace one of his main coaches – Michael Beale who has gone to QPR – with Neil Critchley who he knew at Anfield from Blackpool.
He always wants the right people around him. He wasted no time in persuading Critchley to leave managing a Championship club to join him.
Steven wasn’t going to take no for an answer – further proof that he wants to be a success in the Midlands.
