Speaking on The Keys and Gray Podcast, Sam Allardyce has been discussing Steven Gerrard’s departure from Aston Villa.
You never like to see anyone lose their job, but sadly, Gerrard’s position became untenable after a 3-0 defeat to Fulham this week.
There are plenty of factors surrounding this sacking, but Allardyce believes that both Gerrard and Dean Smith met their fates for the same reason.
Indeed, the ex-Bolton manager believes that Smith and Gerrard both failed at Villa because the club are missing Jack Grealish.
The Grealish factor
Allardyce claimed that both managers failed because Grealish was sold.
“I have to say this, we’re only as good as the players we manage and there is one major factor that Dean Smith suffered and now Steven Gerrard has – there’s no Jack Grealish. There is a major difference in results at Aston Villa since Jack Grealish was sold and then Dean Smith struggled and Steven has struggled eventually. That one iconic player makes such a difference for a club like Aston Villa, as is the same with Wilfried Zaha who I managed at Crystal Palace,” Allardyce said.
No excuse
Sam Allardyce is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced men in football, but even he must know that this isn’t an excuse for failure.
Grealish has been gone for over a year, Villa have spent massive money on replacing him with the likes of Emi Buendia and Philippe Coutinho, and, on paper, they’re a stronger squad than they once were.
Of course, you can excuse a small initial drop-off after Grealish’s departure, but after spending massively on basically a whole new attacking lineup, you can’t be blaming Grealish for your failures.
The reality is that Gerrard and Smith both underperformed with what is a very decent squad.
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