MANCHESTER, Oct 21: Steven Gerrard had only just finished telling interviewers he would fight on at Aston Villa when the announcement came.
“Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that head coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement Thursday. “We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.”
It felt particularly cruel that Gerrard would be thrust in front of the cameras to defend his position if, as appears, his fate had already been sealed by a 3-0 loss to Fulham minutes earlier.
Villa fans had called for him to be fired after a result that left his team just above the relegation zone.
“It’s tough,” he told Amazon Prime. “I’m a man, I accept it, I feel their frustrations, I’m frustrated. It was a tough night for me personally.
“We will see what happens. I’m a fighter, I will never, ever quit anything whether it’s football or in life.”
Fulham fans had mercilessly taunted Gerrard with chants of “Sacked in the morning.” They underestimated the speed with which Villa would act — ending his reign after less than a year in charge, amid growing speculation that Mauricio Pochettino is the dream target to replace him. (AP)
