Aston Villa staff profiles

SPORTING DIRECTOR

Johan Lange

Nationality: Danish

Appointed in July 2020, replacing Spaniard Jesus Garcia Pitarch. Had been Technical Director at FC Copenhagen since 2014, during which time they won three league titles and gained a formidable reputation for developing young talent.

HEAD COACH

Steven Gerrard

Nationality: English

Legendary player for Liverpool and England who is also making a name for himself in coaching. Led Liverpool's U18s in 2017/18 before joining Rangers, whom he took to their first league title in 10 years - and they were unbeaten in the process. Appointed by Villa in November 2021.

ASSISTANT

Gary McAllister

Nationality: Scottish

Played alongside Gerrard at Liverpool and became his assistant at Rangers, when he was looking for experience alongside him. Managed Coventry and Leeds United.

ASSISTANT

Michael Beale

Nationality: English

Was Head of Coaching for the Foundation Phase at Liverpool when Gerrard took him to Rangers to become his assistant. Previously assistant at Sao Paulo in Brazil and an Academy coach at Chelsea. Appeared on Episode #27 of the TGG Podcast.

GOALKEEPER COACH

Neil Cutler

Nationality: English

Born in Wolverhampton and played for Villa (as cover for David James) during a 15-year playing career. Recruited from nearby West Brom in November 2018 when Dean Smith was manager.

TECHNICAL COACH

Tom Culshaw

Nationality: English

Was an Academy player at Liverpool alongside Gerrard but ultimately failed to make the grade. Moved into coaching and assisted his friend with the U18s before moving with him to Rangers. Gerrard has said: “When I started out full-time as an apprentice, Tommy was a year above me so I know everything about him and he knows everything about me. I thought he was the perfect partner to go into it.”

SET PIECES COACH

Austin MacPhee

Nationality: Scottish

Globetrotter as a player, turning out for teams in the United States, Romania and Japan. Moved into coaching in his late twenties and has been assistant with St Mirren, Hearts, Mexico, Northern Ireland and FC Midtjylland. Appointed as Villa's first set pieces coach in August 2021.

FIRST-TEAM COACH

Aaron Danks

Nationality: English

Joined in September 2021, having been Vincent Kompany's assistant at Anderlecht for three months. Worked for the Football Association for five years, going on to become Head of Specialist Coaching. Prior to that worked for West Brom's Academy for seven years.

HEAD OF FITNESS & CONDITIONING

Jordan Milsom

Nationality: English

Was a rehab fitness coach at Liverpool's Academy for eight years, which is how he knows Gerrard (the player and coach). Moved with him to Rangers and now Villa.

PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR

Jeremy Oliver

Nationality: Australian

Bit of a mystery man. You won't find him on social media and there are no public interviews with him, nor any photos. Even Villa's staff were left drawing blanks when they tried to research him after his arrival. Was appointed at the end of last season and oversees the whole medical/ performance department. Had previously worked in his homeland of Australia.

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE SCIENTIST

Aman Singh Shergill

Nationality: English

Appointed in November 2019 following four and a half years at near rivals Birmingham City. Works alongside Sharkey and gathers/ analyses performance data.

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH

Oli Stevenson

Nationality: English

Youth player at Villa before taking a sports science degree at Loughborough University and taking a different path. Started as an S&C with the Academy before being promoted to the first team.

PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE COACH

Patrick Moore

Nationality: English

Joined the club as a Strength and Conditioning Coach in January 2019 from Brentford, where he had worked for three-and-a-half years. Title changed to Physical Performance Coach in May 2021.

HEAD OF NUTRITION

Marcus Hannon

Nationality: English

Performance nutritionist with Everton's Academy, for three years, and with Northampton Saints rugby, before joining Villa in January 2020.

PSYCHOLOGIST

Martin Littlewood

Nationality: English

Has been the Principal Lecturer in Sport Psychology & Development at Liverpool John Moores University since September 2003. Started with Gerrard at Villa in December 2021, having previously worked with him at Rangers. Has also worked in football with Bolton, Everton and Leicester.

HEAD OF SPORT MEDICINE AND SCIENCE

Ricky Shamji

Nationality: English

Moved into football in 2008, having previously worked as a GP. Joined Villa in 2015.

LEAD PHYSIO

Alan Smith

Nationality: English

Club stalwart who joined in July 2000.

PHYSIO

Steven Polley

Nationality: English

Promoted from the Academy following the departure of John Hartley to Derby County in December 2020.

PHYSIO

Rob Marshall

Nationality: New Zealand

Worked for Hearts and Sheffield Wednesday before joining Villa in 2015.

LEAD ANALYST

Scott Mason

Nationality: English

Worked at Liverpool as a performance analyst for almost seven years, which is how he knows Gerrard. Moved with him to Rangers and then Villa.

HEAD OF PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

David Stewart

Nationality: English

Joined from QPR in 2016.

PERFORMANCE ANALYST

Scott Adey-Linforth

Nationality: English

Was the first analyst to work with Villa Ladies. Promoted to Academy and then first team.

PERFORMANCE ANALYST

Joseph Ure

Nationality: English

Hired from Tottenham in April 2019.

HEAD OF RESEARCH

Frederik Leth

Nationality: Danish

Joined from FC Copenhagen in February 2021, having been Lange's short-lived replacement there as Technical Director. Responsible for ensuring an evidence-based approach across the club.

LEAD DATA SCIENTIST & ENGINEER

Arjav Trivedi

Nationality: English

Worked for Arsenal for three years as a Data Scientist and Engineer before a brief spell with Fifa. Joined Villa in October 2021 and responsible for using “cutting-edge techniques to derive insights from data”.

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Matt Bennett

Nationality: English

Arrived at the club in October 2019 from Minnesota United. Responsible for all first-team operations, including team travel and player logistics.

PLAYER CARE MANAGER

Phil Roscoe

Nationality: English

Joined from Liverpool, where he had worked for seven years, in May 2022. Worked with Gerrard during his time with the Reds. Role at Anfield was Academy Player Care Manager.