Aaron Danks Supremacy

Well.

What was all that about?

Frank's blanks battered by Dank's tanks

Watch it back. Listen closely.

If you're keen of hearing, or have access to a living room Dolby set-up, you can actually hear Thomas Frank mutter the pre-agreed safeword to Aaron Danks at around the 20-minute mark.

Feels good doesn't it? Brentford - A Good Team - didn't want it at all today. There's another universe where they roll the Villa over. We don't live in that one though, because in this one Brentford got punched in the mouth. Over and over. To quote Frank, 'all they felt was pain.'

The players? The ones that 'failed' Steven Gerrard? They were dynamite. Almost to a man.

Emi Buendia doggedly personified the game. Villa's creative outlet struck into tackles like a thundering giant - despite his teeny-tiny size. Douglas Luiz decided to put Frank's lot under siege by cyberpunking into Austin McPhee's brain and hitting them with unorthodox corner routine after unorthodox corner routine. Villa scored from one, and almost directly from another.

Leon Bailey had a career day, and so did 'pointless signing' Danny Ings. Ashley Young continues to embarrass other full-backs by being a free transfer, and closer to 40 than 30. Leander Dendoncker - very much a forgotten man ALREADY - claimed the first spot in midfield with a standout display of menace.

I could speak about the whole team, including Ollie Watkins, Tyrone Mings et al - but the men who need mentioning were in the dugout.

Three men who have backed up Villa's last two managers strode into the dugout, put Aaron Danks 'in charge' and did their jobs. They did it damn well. Villa looked a different team, and startlingly so. The time came calling for Austin McPhee, Danks and Neil Cutler and they stood tall and hit a home run. They couldn't have hit the fucker any harder than they did.

Under Gerrard, you could almost feel the crushing weight of 'discipline' and 'instructions'. He didn't have the nous - yet-  to act the Louis Van Gaal with that shite. In ten minutes without him, Villa played their best football in around a year.

After taking Stevie's leash off, Villa ran free and they ran wild.

It's actually stupidly unfair that Villa were able to do that, right? An over-paid team full of 'stupids' who couldn't turn up to save Gerrard's managerial career. Dickheads right?

Even without Gerrard, the fact that Villa slapped Brentford around something chronic this afternoon doesn't prove how good Villa are, or how bad the Bees were. In fact it only proves one thing - and that's this question.

What on earth was Gerrard doing?

I look back at pictures of Gerrard's arrival. He arrives with a full backroom staff. He didn't need Villa's men, did he? He didn't need the outrageously talented McPhee or Danks, at least. He had Mick Beale, he had his own analysts, he had Gary McAllister. He had his people.

Villa had their own people though. People who were brought in to be part of the club, regardless. Villa scored their first from a devastating corner. McPhee was met with celebrations from the bench and players.

What on earth was Gerrard doing? Mayhaps he was trusting his own lieutenants than the clubs sentinels. I laugh at the image of McPhee drawing up a play, only for McAllister to bin it because he can't understand it.

I laugh, but maybe there's some odd sort of truth in that. Villa didn't use routines like that, did they? Villa didn't let Emi Martinez do much at all either? Villa didn't trust players.

Danks trusted his attackers and their talent. He trusted Neil Cutler with Emi Martinez. He trusted McPhee with set-plays.

I wonder why that didn't happen under Gerrard. I'm struggling to understand it, because you've got three people who are proven masters in their areas.

It's no surprise that a day like today happened when you look at Danks' background, and what he said post-game. He's an U20 World Cup winning coach. Villa played with the freedom of a team you often see in those tournaments. You saw a team play the game for the sake of playing it. You saw a team united to play sport.

You saw a team that had belief restored, a team that didn't really give a shit if Brentford showed up or not. A team that played their own simple symphony to a beautiful execution.

Danks has it easy. Every caretaker manager does. He's not bogged down with the same rubbish they are. Every single player wants to bounce back for the sake of their own career. He's in dreamland.

We can only wait and see, but what if? What if Villa don't really need an arsehole 'manager' to come in and disrupt, fail to listen, and fall away? What if they simply need a 'head coach'?

It'd be bold to suggest that. It'd also be bold to suggest Villa - a team without purpose and intent - could twat one of the Premier League's bright sparks in a game that left their manager speechless and awestruck.

Only time will tell, but Villa can't make the same mistake they did with Gerrard. And anyway, if the next ego comes in and cocks it up, then there are three Villa men who will come in and sort it out.