Two former Premier League players have voiced their shock at the supposed fines handed out by Steven Gerrard when he was in charge at Aston Villa.
Gerrard, 44, is currently in charge of Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq, who sit 11th in the 18-team division.
After calling time on his playing career in 2016, Gerrard quickly turned his attention to coaching, first becoming a youth coach at Liverpool in 2017 before making the step up to managing a senior side with Rangers in 2018.
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He led the Scottish club to a historic ‘invincible’ Scottish Premiership season in 2020/21 before he left for Aston Villa in November 2021.
Despite penning a three-and-a-half-year contract at the Premier League side, he lasted less than a year and parted company with the club in October 2022.
Gerrard is known for his strictness as a manager, and this was discussed on an episode of the ‘That Peter Crouch Podcast’, released in October 2024.
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Former Premier League stars Peter Crouch and Steve Sidwell spoke about the topic alongside podcast host Chris Stark.
Of course, Crouch, 43, was Gerrard’s teammate during his time at Liverpool between 2005 and 2008.
But it was the ‘extortionate’ fines system Gerrard supposedly used while at Villa that shocked the former footballers, after a document purporting to show the list of punishment circulated online.
According to The Mirror, Gerrard would fine players £100 for wearing the wrong attire on match days, and if they left plates, cups or other items out at dinner time, he would fine them for each misplaced object.
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Crouch could not help but give his thoughts on Gerrard’s £200 per minute fine for players who were late for meetings.
"£200 a minute?” said a shocked Crouch.
“What if you forget and don't turn up for two hours?"
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Sidwell, 42, then chimed in with his opinion.
"I think I've seen this before, and I don't know whether it was true or not, purely because of the amounts,” exclaimed the former Chelsea midfielder.
“Because that is extortionate."
Another reported rule break that warranted a financial forfeit was if a player was sent off during a match.
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The Mirror’s report suggests the guilty member of the team would have to take the squad out for a meal within four weeks of receiving the red card.
"What happens if it's a professional foul and it saves your team?" the former Spurs forward asked.
"It might save you a point, and you still have to take them for dinner? Maybe someone could chip in like, 'You helped us out there, let me put some money into this.'"
Topics: Steven Gerrard, Aston Villa, Premier League, Saudi Pro League, Peter Crouch
Luke Alfred Davies