Well, Aaron Danks, your message was heard loud and clear.
Aston Villa’s head of transience has called on the club to “meet” before kick-off after a dismal week in which former manager Steven Gerrard was sacked.
It turns out that Danks’ words sneaked up the terraces of Villa Park to the dressing room, because the club nevertheless looked united.
The first 14 breathless minutes saw the hosts score 3 goals, the same amount scored in Gerrard’s last six deplorable games.
It is also the first time that a team leads by 3 goals in the first game of a coach in rhythm in the Prem.
Leon Bailey, Danny Ings with a goal and a penalty, and Ollie Watkins were on course to give the club a valuable respite from the relegation zone.
Fans who had claimed the blood of former England and Liverpool legend Gerrard in the dismal 3-0 loss to Fulham in the last match, were now making a song “Aaron Danks’ Claret and Blue Army”.
Gerrard’s formula had already been put aside before kick-off, with Danks boldly abandoning Captain John McGinn and hero Jacob Ramsey.
He also sidelined Jan Bednarek as he refreshed the team with Matty Cash, Leander Dendoncker and Emiliano Buendía entering the fray.
It was the first game Bailey, Buendía and Ings had started for Villa since their arrival totalling £83 million (plus add-ons) in the summer of 2021.
Their combined time on the pitch together, before the Brentford game, was negligible.
Bailey missed much of last season, however, Danks has shown that they can truly play together.
After the 5-1 thrashing at Newcastle just a fortnight ago, Thomas Frank promised Brentford enthusiasts that never in a hundred YEARS would this “abnormal” result happen again.
Well, history repeated itself temporarily when Bailey turned on the hosts for one minute and three seconds.
Douglas Luiz played a short corner and re-entered the game for Bailey to pass to David Raya.
There was a brief VAR check when Tyrone Mings was in an offside position against Raya, but the Villa defender didn’t block the goalkeeper’s view and ran.
Just seven minutes later, visitors continued to cut the bees, whose tusk was in the tent.
Ashley Young teamed up with Bailey, who faced Ings, whose movement was timed to perfection to get home.
Villa then introduced another dizzying counterattack from a Brentford corner and a squeaky shot from Watkins brought down for a corner of his own.
In the box, Kristoffer Ajer dumbly donned the Mings blouse and Darren England pointed to the spot.
Ings stepped in and went home and it was the first time he hit a double in a game since May 11, 2021, 531 days ago.
He celebrated by hitting his head as if to symbolize that throwing him into Villa games long-term is simply a no-brainer.
The whole statement had Ivan Toney licking his lips at the prospect of colliding with Villa’s fragile defence and appearing in front of his predecessor Watkins.
The Bees star pretended to be in his glory, squandering confidence in the goals of the 8 Prem and in the back of a call up in England.
But he looked like a mouse compared to Watkins, whose confidence was reinvigorated after scoring just one goal all season before yesterday.
It was his turn to shine for 59 minutes.
Amid a desperate stampede in the area, Young’s centre discovered Watkins who had a stopped shot, turned to the post before the striker brought in the rebound from close range.
A minute later, Bryan Mbeumo missed a goalkeeper in front of goal and boss Frank had noticed enough.
He kidnapped the Frenchman who went mad on the sidelines out of frustration at including the club’s afternoon.
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