Aaron Danks has admitted that he has 'a lot of respect' for what Newcastle United are doing as Aston Villa's interim boss paid tribute to the Magpies following his side's 4-0 defeat.
Villa set out to frustrate Newcastle at St James' Park on Saturday and, to be fair to the visitors, they did just that in the opening stages. Danks' side broke the game up and unnerved Newcastle players, staff and supporters alike.
Ten minutes of stoppage time were ultimately added on at the end of the first half, after Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia both received treatment, and Newcastle broke the deadlock deep into added time after Callum Wilson put the hosts 1-0 up from the spot. Newcastle then blew Villa away after the break and Wilson, Joelinton and Miguel Almiron scored three goals within 11 breathless minutes.
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It could and should have been even more - Newcastle also hit the woodwork twice - on an afternoon where Villa failed to even have a shot on target or win a corner kick. Clearly, new Villa manager Unai Emery has a job on his hands, but Danks felt the visitors could take inspiration from Newcastle's turnaround in the last year in his final game as caretaker.
"Listen, I look at this club with a lot of respect for what they are doing," he told reporters after the game. "I walk around the building and I see lots of good people working here that are all pushing and striving to get Newcastle where they want to be.
"We're no different to that. We want that. We want to turn that corner and be spoken about in that way as well."
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