4-0

“Obviously my first thoughts and my initial response is disappointment. I’m really disappointed for the staff that have left and lost their jobs. I worked closely with them for a long time. My thoughts are with them.

“Obviously, things move really really quickly. We haven’t got too much time to dwell on it. We’ve got to move quickly to the task in hand and that’s Brentford on Sunday.

“I got a call late last night wanting me to return to the training ground to just inform me to step forward and lead the team across the next couple of days. After that, there’s been no other dialogue. It’s just straight into the preparation and our thoughts move on.

“With regards to the players today, it’s about positivity. I’m looking for a response. We know performances and the results haven’t been to the level we have wanted.

“The players know that more than anybody. The message now is that we have to move quickly, reset our goals, focus and get this club moving in the direction we want it to. We have to move forward.

“I think it’s the one thing that everybody’s feeling at the moment, we want to do this for the fans, the crowd. I’m a local lad, I know the area well. I’ll have friends and family in all four corners of the stadium, so they’ll be huge for us, absolutely massive for us, and hopefully we can put something on the pitch for them to get behind and be proud of.”

Aaron Danks, pre match.

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“Really happy. I thought the boys from the opening five minutes they played with intensity and sustained that.

“I am really, really pleased with the game and performance.

“To see the fans and players at the end it was a nice feeling.

“I thought the frontline was magnificent.

“The players behind them and serving them were also very good.

“We’ve got some top players at this club and we knew the goals would come.

“It was a really worked set piece off the training ground for the first goal so credit to the staff for that and the players for executing it.

“I had to pinch myself.

“We asked for energy, we asked for lots of endeavour and work rate and the boys brought that.

“The game-plan was a lot of phycological stuff as well, about our attitude and application and togetherness.

“I’m a career coach. I’ve coached for a long time.

“I want players to express themselves and to enjoy themselves. I want to get the best out of people I work with.

“It was about devising a simple game plan and the players did that.

“We were clinical and ruthless and today is the result you get from that.

“For me, it wasn’t about dropping anybody, it was about a three-game week and energy, and holding players back to bring players on to impact the game.

“Everybody did that whether they started or those that came on. John McGinn’s professionalism was outstanding.”

Aaron Danks, post match

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“We owed the fans that performance and result. It was a good reaction from the boys.

“Naturally you always see a reaction from a team when something happens like it has this week with the gaffer leaving.

“For what we have in the dressing room it was quite simply not good enough and hasn’t been for a long period of time.

“Extremely special. It is so hard to pick someone out from today’s performance. The crowd really helped us today. You could see everyone coming together at the end and there is no better feeling than that.”

Danny Ings, post match, opens up.

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“Today was just brilliant how we played as a team.

“We were there for each other.

“Just as we went back into the dressing room we were shown a clip of the 89th minute. We had a corner and they countered and the whole team was sprinting behind the ball and, for us, that showed we’re a good team. Hopefully this can be the mentality moving forward.

“The formation we played today with two wide wingers stretched their backline. Emi (Buendia) had a lot more room to turn and to play through his passes. It was enjoyable for us. Everybody felt comfortable, playing with freedom and making quality passes.”

Leon Bailey, post match doubles down.