Perhaps it was inevitable that trying to accommodate Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in the same league was never going to work in the long term. Yes, a nice idea in theory, given their star quality and illustrious record at club level. But somehow their talents never quite dovetailed. It turns out that there was only ever room for one Premier League coach with a furrowed brow, vaguely defined appeals to “character” and “hard work”, and a reluctance ever to discuss their gilded midfield playing days, lest anyone doubt their job was earned on pure merit.
Gerrard’s sacking by Aston Villa on 21 October is the first real setback of a coaching career that appeared to be destined for greatness when he led Rangers to their first Scottish title in a decade in 2021. Gerrard’s success or failure as a coach has always seemed to represent something larger. For years English football has been waiting for the moment when its talented “golden generation” of the mid 2000s came of coaching age. So, how are things going?
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