Aston Villa needed rid of Gerrard but their next direction seems uncertain

Losing so abjectly to Fulham made Steven Gerrard’s removal inevitable, but Aston Villa now find themselves at something of a crossroads.

There are 3-0 defeats and then there are 3-0 defeats. It wasn’t just the fact that Aston Villa lost to Fulham, it was the manner in which they did so. And for all the headlines about the fate of the manager in the immediate aftermath of this loss, the players have to accept their fair share of responsibility for what went so dreadfully wrong at Craven Cottage.

For Fulham’s first goal, Harrison Reed shot through a forest of legs that consisted of every single Villa player on the pitch, but with most of them almost completely static. The second goal was a penalty kick, and the third an own goal. Douglas Ruiz chipped in with a red card for a headbutt on Alexandar Mitrovic – since rescinded – to complete a trifecta of the damned from a team that was playing as though they wanted the manager out as soon as possible.

Were that the case, they didn’t have long to wait. A terse 41-word statement from the club issued 90 minutes after the full-time whistle confirmed Steven Gerrard’s fate, with social media fixating on the detail that Gerrard would be returning to the Midlands with the team, and how uncomfortable all of that might have felt. It was, perhaps, a fitting end to an evening during which few employed by the club had covered themselves in a great deal of glory.

The loss of assistant manager Michael Beale to Queens Park Rangers during the summer seems to have hit Gerrard’s plans hard. It is true to say that performances throughout the second half of last season weren’t a great deal better with Beale there, but players have previously spoken about holding him in high regard and taking QPR to the top of the Championship is notabl achievement, considering the hurdles imposed by parachute payments – or a lack thereof – in that division.

Of course, Beale rejected the Wolves job just a couple of days before the Aston Villa job became available, and the conspiracy-minded may even be wondering whether he did so as a precursor to this one becoming available. But in rejecting the Wolves job, Beale spoke impressively about the importance of loyalty and his commitment to what’s going on at Loftus Road. It would be quite a volte face to turn around after having said all of that and accept the Aston Villa job.

Villa fans seemed to aim their targets set rather higher. ‘Tuchel or Poch’ was a repeated…