Aston Villa: NSWE 'will be keeping close eye on fan unrest' at Villa Park

Aston Villa’s owners will ‘definitely be keeping a close eye’ on how the club’s supporters treat Steven Gerrard, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The former Rangers manager is struggling to pick up positive results at this moment in time, and the pressure from the stands and boardroom is beginning to build on his shoulders.

Football Insider have recently reported that Villa’s owners have begun to weigh up whether to relieve Gerrard of his duties following a slow start to the current campaign.

After arriving at the Midlands outfit last November, the 42-year-old tactician could only guide his side to a disappointing 14th-placed finish in the Premier League.

Gerrard was still backed in the transfer market, though, and brought in several exciting acquisitions such as Philippe Coutinho, Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos, yet Villa’s fortunes are yet to improve.

The Villans may be on a four-game unbeaten run at this moment in time, but they have only won two of their nine Premier League games in 2022/23 and are sitting just two places above the relegation zone.

And following the recent draw at Nottingham Forest, a section of the Villa fans were recorded calling for Gerrard to depart the club as tensions continue to rise.

O’Rourke believes that it is an ominous sign for a manager if the ‘fans start to turn’ on them and that the Villa hierarchy will be monitoring the situation closely.

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He told GiveMeSport: “I'm sure the owners are looking at it and seeing what is going on. And if there is a bit of unrest among the fans, it's never a good sign for a manager if the fans start to turn on you.

“So, the owners will