John Duggan was joined by former Republic of Ireland footballer Stephen Elliot as well as broadcaster Johnny Ward on Football Saturday this afternoon, recapping all the latest stories within the Premier League and beyond.
After falling short as Aston Villa boss and being dismissed in October after just 11 months in the position, Football Saturday today posed the question whether Stephen Gerrard may serve as a cautionary tale for managers not to take the ‘big’ job too early.
“He was on tv today and I’d say he’s probably facing an uncertain future because there are so many people wanting jobs now that the mean amount of jobs that any manager gets now is probably like 1.7 or something like that because you don’t normally get a second go at it” Johnny Ward said.
Stephen Elliot further backed up the point when he contrasted the situation to Gerrard’s former England teammate Frank Lampard, who faces increased scrutiny at the helm of an Everton on a poor run of form. While prefacing that “both of them were unbelievable footballers”, he explains how that ability doesn’t necessarily translate in a managerial capacity.
“Gerrard went up to Scotland and managed to stop the run Celtic were on and win the league with Rangers so I think he’s probably got a little bit more credibility than Frank Lampard” Elliot said.
“I think sometimes as a manager you’ve got to earn your stripes. I know Lampard went in at Derby and did okay, but he still didn’t get them promoted. At that stage Derby had a decent championship squad and were paying a lot out to their players and I think they should have went up that season.
“He went on that to the Chelsea job and brought in a few young players which probably gave him a little bit of credibility, but I think he’s just gone in and got these big jobs and personally I can’t see him sustaining this Everton job for too much longer.”
Although his case may be hindered by injuries, Elliot went on to point out that such an excuse doesn’t perhaps apply to Lampard’s squad.
“I know they’re talking about bringing better players in but sometimes you’ve got to work with what you’ve got, work on the training pitch and prepare for who you’re up against” he said.
“I just think if he wasn’t Frank Lampard would he be getting that job? I know your name will take you so far but you’ve still got to earn your stripes and for me I think it’s been handed to him a little too easy compared to other managers and with Everton I think they’re suffering because of that and I’d be surprised if he’s in the job for much longer.”
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