Robbie Fowler has no doubt Steven Gerrard will deliver the goods at Aston Villa but reckons qualifying for Europe or winning a cup will be true measure of his ‘success.’
The Liverpool legend was appointed as Dean Smith’s replacement earlier this week after walking away from Rangers.
This will be Gerrard’s first managerial job in the Premier League but he goes into the post off the back of guiding Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title last season.
The 41-year-old inherits a side 16th in the table and just two points above the relegation zone.
Fowler is confident Gerrard can turn things around though and reckons he has the potential to do what Brendan Rodgers has done at Leicester in winning the FA Cup while also enjoying European football.
‘He has the character, he has the personality, and he also has the right team around him,’ the former Reds striker told The Mirror.
‘That is vital. He’s taken a lot of his staff from Rangers, and trusts them. I know most of them, and I know they have quality.
‘That will be key. Being a truly great player doesn’t make you a great manager. It maybe gives you a head start with players, maybe gives you a tiny bit more time. But you have to deliver in the end.
‘Will he be a success at Villa? I don’t doubt it. But then you have to ask the question, what is success at Villa? Dean Smith was successful, and he was sacked.
‘They don’t have the funds to match the top six, they have lost their best player because rightly, he wanted to move on in his career. So what is success? Maybe Europe. Maybe a cup win.
‘It’s a strange one isn’t it. We all expect Steven to go there and do something dramatic, and I can understand that he absolutely had to take the job, after doing so well with Rangers.
‘But can he win the Premier League with Villa? You have to say unlikely.
‘Can he qualify for the Champions League? Again, unlikely. So perhaps success is doing what Brendan Rodgers has done at Leicester the last few seasons. Challenge for Europe, challenge in the cups. Be around the top.’
Gerrard’s first game in charge comes against Brighton on Saturday.
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