Neil: Timing of Stevie G’s dismissal hard!

FORMER Villa goalkeeping coach Neil Cutler has lifted the lid on the “tough” night Steven Gerrard was sacked as head coach.

Villa had just been swept aside by newly-promoted Fulham in a shocking 3-0 defeat at Craven Cottage, their sixth loss of the season in just 11 games. The manner of the loss meant time had run out for Liverpool legend Gerrard.

Shortly after full-time, Villa released a short statement confirming his exit. Cutler, who has since left the club himself, recalled the bus journey home from London.

He said: “It was tough for Steve because he was told at the game, and we were all on the bus coming back. It wasn’t awkward it was just disappointment really. Disappointment about how the game out.

“You know the manager has lost his job and the staff will as well. Then, in the back of your mind, you’re thinking, ‘Am I going to lose my job too?’ You just don’t know.

“I thought that me and (first-team coach Aaron) Danks might have to take the team for the next game, so we were trying to get our heads round that.

“But you are thinking about Steve more than anything as you know how driven he is and how driven his staff are to succeed and to win games. It was just a horrible time.”

Cutler claims Gerrard didn’t deserve the treatment meted out by frustrated Villa fans towards the end of his reign. In the run-up to his dismissal, Gerrard was on the wrong end of some harsh words from supporters.

Cutler said: “His persona, the way he is, he’s desperate to win games and he brought that across with how he spoke to players, the meetings, how he trained, but it just didn’t click.

“There was bad luck along the way with that too, we had injuries at difficult times.

“He’s not a bad person and he’s not a bad manager, he’s a top guy with some good ideas. He didn’t deserve that (treatment from Villa supporters), but fans want results and, in the end, the results never came.”