"Cherry on the cake"

More spectacularly poor man and squad management from Steven Gerrard.

Just when you thought he may have turned a corner in his approach, such is Gerrard's distaste for Frédéric Guilbert that the dependable right back - already removed from the squad, placed in the bomb squad and training with the under 21s (or what is left of them) - has been removed from the Villa website.

With just one right back in the club currently injured and his replacement being - an effective but aged - 37 year old, it's almost a blessing Villa are unlikely to play again until October.

UPDATE 14 September 2022: Guilbert is named in Villa's allotted Premier League spaces for the rest of the season. But there's still no space for him on the Villa website or in first team training.

Also featuring in the 24 places of the 25 available - Villa of course do not have enough players to fill the requirement - are Morgan Sanson and Marvelous Nakamba.

The same Frédéric, Morgan and Marvelous about whom Gerrard said this:

“Nothing can change as of now, the window’s shut so there should be a hunger and a will to want to perform and do the best they can. They are contracted here and I’ll certainly get a feel of all those players of where they are at with their thinking, with what they tell me and the feedback I get and we'll go from there.”

Other highlights from the squad for Friday night's game - our only truly available right back injured, our new 'defender' unable to play against his parent club, and our new midfielder has a sore throat.

Thank God we can call on the talented youth squad at Villa.... except they're all out on loan.

The mismanagement of the squad under Gerrard just gets more ridiculous.