New Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard says he's taken a risk by swapping Rangers for the Premier League strugglers.
The former Liverpool captain has dipped his toes in English managerial waters for the first time by replacing Dean Smith at Villa Park.
Gerrard was appointed on Thursday, barely 24 hours - he's claimed - after first being approached by Villa.
"It was crazy and it was very quick," he told his first press conference, "I was first aware of Aston Villa’s interest on Wednesday.
"I had a call off my representation and when the phone call sunk in, I wanted this to happen very quickly because first and foremost, the opportunity was too big and from there, it happened really, really quick.
"I mean, credit to Aston Villa, the speed that they got things done, not just for me but the staff that I am bringing with me as well and I must also pay my respects to Rangers who were very professional in the dealings as well.
"Very crazy, very quick but when you’re in that situation, that’s what you want to happen, the last thing you want is for it to drag out because you want to get in as quick as you can and start working as fast as you can."
Villa find themselves just two-points and two places above the Premier League's relegation zone following the five-game losing streak that earned Smith the sack.
Gerrard believes the international break has given him time to settle into his new surrounds, and assess the players available to him for the remaining three-quarters of the season.
But the 41-year old says it won't be until he has a full squad in front of him that he can truly gauge the size of the task at hand.
"Well I think everyone knows I’ve obviously got the job for a reason," said Gerrard, "I think the form of late has dipped and for me, it’s very much a case of getting involved and analysing the squad up close and personal.
"I think everyone knows there’s a lot of talent in the squad and the names and the volume's there but it will take a bit of time to analyse everyone in depth, analyse and reanalyse and point to where we need improvement moving forward but we’ve got a block of six weeks now where we have to focus very much on what’s in the building, try and stamp our identity and our philosophy and how we want to play moving forward.
"And that will start from Monday and we haven’t got much time so it’s very important that the players listen and they’re focussed and they take the information onboard."
Gerrard's first game in charge will come at home to Brighton on Saturday.
He told the Birmingham media he wants to improve the structure of the Villa squad with football that's "entertaining and attractive on the eye".
However, he admits there will be nerves as he takes on his first gig south of Hadrian's Wall.
Gerrard revealed, "I’ve been excited since Wednesday, and my stomach has been turning over, doing somersaults, the excitement levels are very high, that’s the priority. And the main thing that everyone should focus on is the Brighton game.
"We’ve got very little time to prepare in terms of having the full group, thankfully we’ve got some players on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday that we can try and get a head start with and start getting some information over to those players but Brighton will be a tough game, they’re going well.
"They’ve got an exciting young manager and they’re probably really satisfied with where they are right now and it’s a game we’ll go into and be aggressive and we’ll be looking to take maximum points for sure."
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