I’m a firm believer that fans have every right to voice frustration if their team dip below the levels expected, but I thought the reaction at the end of Aston Villa’s home defeat by West Ham on Sunday was a little bit over the top.
The Premier League season is four games old. If Villa are still performing with as little confidence as they showed against West Ham after 10 or 15 games, then I would be concerned.
Make no mistake, these are testing times for Steven Gerrard and my old club Villa. But I believe he will turn it around and the boos that rang out at Villa Park after a third defeat in four games will be a distant memory.
Look at Mikel Arteta at Arsenal last season. He lost his first three league games and fans were calling for him to go. Now, the mood at Emirates Stadium has completely changed after starting this season with four successive wins under Arteta.
Whether you are a player or a manager, you are going to go through difficult challenges at various points in your career.
It’s not helped Gerrard that Brighton and Graham Potter, who has a so-called lesser squad, have got off to a flying start. But let’s not forget that some fans booed Potter at certain stages of last season because their expectation levels have grown.
Villa fans are so passionate. Having played for the club, I know what they expect and it was always going to be tough for anyone who took the job following Dean Smith’s dismissal.
People will say “you’re going to back Gerrard and Villa because it’s your former team”. It’s nothing to do with that. I do think he is up to the task but things are not quite clicking and, as Gerrard said after his side’s latest defeat, he needs wins fast.
‘The balance is not right’
This is a big season for Gerrard. We all know what a fantastic job he did at Rangers but he has had two transfer windows now to stamp his mark since his arrival last November.
The owners have certainly backed him but when you sign players of the quality of Philippe Coutinho and bring others in with big price tags, expectation levels increase.
Does Gerrard know his best XI? That, in my opinion, is one of the problems.
Ollie Watkins didn’t have a great pre-season so he didn’t start the first game. Then Gerrard tried to put Danny Ings and Watkins together.
At this moment in time, it is not working. At times against West Ham, there was nothing in terms of width in the forward parts of the pitch. I found that strange.
Gerrard needs to get the balance of the team right. The players are capable of scoring goals and playing well, but I look at the balance and think “something is not quite right in the attacking area”.
Villa need to demonstrate who they are because at the moment they are in between two different styles. They want to have Ings and Watkins on the pitch, but it’s not working.
They need to play with one or the other, and play with some width.
‘An opportunity lost’
Since Gerrard’s first game in charge last November, Villa have won 11 and lost 15 Premier League games. It is worth pointing out they have acquired more points than Crystal Palace, Wolves, West Ham, Leeds, Southampton and Everton who have also played 31 top-flight games since Gerrard was appointed.
Yet the players are under-performing right now.
Villa’s next two games are Arsenal away and Manchester City at home. That sounds daunting when you are low on confidence but, in my opinion, these type of games are just what they need.
A good performance against one of the big teams could finally kick-start their season.
Villa Park is a difficult place when you are not doing well and, against West Ham, the home side gave their fans little to get excited about
Everything seemed laboured and too slow. It was frustrating. Villa are lacking something and Gerrard needs to find what it is as soon as possible.
If they do not get anything from Arsenal or Manchester City then the pressure is on. Villa fans are forgiving if you work hard and give 100%.
But the supporters are frustrated because they saw their team defeated at home by a West Ham side that had lost their first three league games.
Sunday was an ideal chance to get some points on the board. In the end, it was an opportunity lost.
‘Villa must strengthen before deadline’
There are a few days remaining in the transfer window before Thursday’s deadline and Villa certainly need to try to do some more business.
There is no doubt the injury to new signing Diego Carlos is a setback while Gerrard could have done without Coutinho limping off against West Ham.
The problems are mounting but knowing Gerrard, he will be doing everything in his power to put things right.
He’s an incredible man and he certainly motivated me when I played alongside him for England.
He was first in the tackle, led by example, he shouted at you if you needed shouting at, and he encouraged you if you needed encouraging. He is a fighter.
Villa have a good squad but Gerrard needs to find a way of putting the right pieces in the right places. I think he can do that.
Micah Richards was speaking to BBC Sport’s Neil Johnston.
