Former coach and one time football maestro, Steven Gerrard has vowed that he would “never quit” after his Aston Villa side had slumped to another damaging defeat and then minutes later, in a shocking turn of events, he had been sacked in a severe blow to his managerial reputation.
The former Rangers boss had also paid the painful price for just two wins in the first 11 Premier League matches of the season, with only the goal difference scores keeping Villa out of the relegation zone after the terrible 3-0 loss to Fulham on Thursday.
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The former Liverpool and England midfield great, who had come on to replace Dean Smith at Villa last November, had been tipped to be a potential long-term successor to current Reds boss Jurgen Klopp following his successful spell in Scotland.
Now Gerrard must bide his time as he waits for an opportunity to rehabilitate a reputation which had been tarnished by his 11-month spell at Villa Park.
The 42-year-old struck a defiant tone after his team slumped again, saying he would “never, ever quit anything whether it’s football or in life” but the guillotine fell moments later, signalling a rare failure in a stellar career in football.
Considered one of the greatest players in Premier League history, Gerrard made a promising start to life as a manager, guiding Rangers to their first Scottish Premiership title for a decade in 2021.
The achievement won him hero status among the Rangers fans as it denied bitter rivals Celtic a record 10th straight league title.
But Gerrard had been completely unable to build on that impressive work since moving to Villa Park, as a series of lacklustre performances have prevented him from winning over the club’s supporters.
He had only managed to reportedly woi just 13 of his 40 games in charge of the former European champions, losing 19 of those.