No helping hand over 90 minutes. And then no wise counsel from Roy Hodgson, either.
The quicksand of Premier League management is beginning to tug at his former charge for the first time. And yet? ‘Steven doesn’t need any help or advice from anybody,’ Hodgson said. True, these are hardly times of crisis at Aston Villa — few at Watford will pity Steven Gerrard while Villa sit five points from the top half.
But after this defeat, secured with a late header by Emmanuel Dennis, unrest is beginning to bubble at Villa Park.