Villa CEOs Reassess Him during His Chelsea Clach

Ironically, Aston Villa sit in exactly the same position (16th place) as they were 11 months ago when Steven Gerrard chose to accept Christian Purslow’s lucrative offer to become the club’s new head coach.

Villa CEO was upbeat on Gerrard’s reveal to , saying: “What we expect, and what Stephen has promised to deliver, is continuous improvement in our team and I’m sure he will.

Talk is cheap of course, and Villa certainly didn’t start last year as everyone had hoped – including owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.

It is understood that Sawiris and Edens will be at Villa Park on Sunday to face Chelsea (2pm) to see for themselves whether the millions they have spent on Gerrard’s side are really in the right hands. Villa go into the Chelsea game unbeaten in four games, while a win could see them move up to the top half of the Premier League table, exactly where the owners expect their side to come in at the end of the season.

“The owners have given this club incredible support,” Gerrard said earlier this season. “The task this year is to get ahead and improve and try to finish in the top half positions and, obviously, improve the domestic cups as well. I have no problem sharing that competence. That’s what it is and that is what it is.