Under-fire Steven Gerrard has been engulfed in a storm in Saudi Arabia with irate pundits and punters uniting to see him out the door.
The Al-Ettifaq boss is facing mounting pressure after his side’s calamitous King’s Cup defeat to second-tier Al-Jabalain was one step too far for a fanbase on the verge of mutiny. Gerrard – suffering a similar fate to Rangers boss Philippe Clement – hasn’t won a league game since September and they now head into ‘Derby Week’ in the Saudi Pro League desperately needing to win.
And leading TV pundits have had enough of Gerrard. Big-hitter Mohammed Al-Sadaan has branded Ettifaq’s situation under the Liverpool icon’s situation as ‘sad’. And fellow analyst Nasser Al-Jedaie is not having the 43-year-old any longer. He vented: “Gerrard served Al-Ettifaq outside the field, but there are no results for the technical work. What is the project that Gerrard is leading?’
Gerrard’s downtrodden Ettifaq side will take on Al-Qadisah on Saturday with a few familiar faces set to be in attendance. Former Ibrox chief executive James Bisgrove is leading the ‘noisy’ neighbours who are above Ettifaq in the table, with Tam Courts on the coaching team.
And it’s not just the pundits, his own supporters want him out as the tide has turned. Upset @m_alayni, speaking on social media, wrote: “All teams have a coach except Al-Ettifaq, which has a player who tries to master coaching. All he does is keep up with the coaches to learn, without caring about the results of his failure, because there is no one to hold him accountable or say it is shameful. Al-Ettifaq has become a laughing stock and Gerrard has become a comedian who makes everyone who follows Al-Ettifaq matches laugh. My regards to the extra management.”
Another user on X, echoed those sentiments, said: “I have been saying for a long time that Gerrard is a failed coach. What is the condition that he succeeded as a player? He must succeed as a coach. Waste of money and disaster the day you brought it.”
And @AZ0000Z28, didn’t hold back, stating: “Where is the picture? You forgot it today. Or is it a failure?! May God make you ugly, your team Who is left to defeat us? Led by plumber Gerard?!”