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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Graeme Young

Steven Gerrard warned he's given Aston Villa doubters ammo amid gloomy 'not out the woods' confession

Broadcaster Simon Jordan fears Steven Gerrard got it wrong by claiming he's still feeling the heat in the Aston Villa hotseat.

The former Crystal Palace owner remains uncertain over whether the former Rangers boss can rejuvenate the Villa, however, he believes the Liverpool icon got the tone wrong with his downbeat assessment despite going unbeaten in his side's last three English Premier League games.

And the pressure will only intensify if Villa fail to earn a result against basement boys Nottingham Forest - who backed their manager Steve Cooper with a new contract despite a worrying run of results. Speaking on talkSPORT Jordan said: "I always felt it a job of huge jeopardy for him because the reasons they brought him in was to move up through the gears and to sign players. I still think the expectation of the owners was top 10, top eight football club, not a club operating at the bottom of the division, as they did last season, and the way they've started this season.

"I don't like to hear Steven Gerrard talk about himself in the context of I'm young, I'm still to get out the woods because I think that's slightly allowing the media to gain an upper hand in the conversation. Aston Villa have got to do better, significantly better, or I don't see him to be a job this time next year."

Graeme Souness admits his fellow Liverpool legend will be under no illusions of the task facing him amid the quest to turn things around on the pitch. Souness said: "Football's not fair, Steven has been around the block many times, he knows the score. the results haven't been good enough, the pressure builds from spending money. They've spent money, the Villa supporters are a demanding lot. The pressure is on."

Gerrard pulled no punches during a recent sit down and insisted he is acutely aware of the job in front of him starting at the City ground.

He said: "There are managers under pressure, I don't think I am out of the woods. But when you take on these big projects and challenges you have to expect periods when it is tough and suffer and dig in, not listen too much to external noise and focus on what you believe in."

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