Steven Gerrard was always a player who could change the game. He is doing the same thing as Villa's manager.
Sunday's win overLeicester was the third in his first four matches at Villa, following a narrow defeat by Manchester City on Wednesday. I am not surprised that he has made an amazing start to life as a manager.
I told him when he got the job that he would be a success because of the job he did at Rangers. He put his own stamp on the club when he was at Ibrox, and he is doing the same at Villa.
I know why he's made an immediate impact and it's partly because of the effect he has on people around him. I think it will be the same playing under him as it was for me, because he brings passion and demands respect.
He is a legend who is not long retired and he is part of the same era as most of his squad and what he achieved as a player is still relevant. They want to play for him. Who wouldn't?
I thought he would make an impression on the Villa squad because of his inspiring character, but there is more to him than that, and they have already responded to him.
He is very strong as he shows us. One thing to have a plan is another thing to get your players to execute it.
He was able to tell his players exactly what they needed to do in the second half after they were behind.
He got his message across, even though he gave out some rollickings at half-time. At the start of the second half, Villa were brilliant, they won everything, and then used the ball really well.
We were outstanding in the second half.
The fans at Villa Park like the energy that the team plays with. They love a tackle and they like to see a bit of tidy play.
Villa are playing with their brains at the moment, but they are seeing plenty of both. The game-management that got them another three points was achieved when the full-backs stopped bombing forward.
He has time to grow.
The likes of John McGinn and Marvelous Nakamba are playing so well that they are almost undroppable. It's great to see, but I like the balance that has been found with the whole Villa team.
They had lost five games in a row before he arrived, but he still wants them to carry a threat because they have so many good attacking players.
He has stuck with Villa's young people.
Dean Smith was the one who brought Jacob Ramsey through, but it would have been easy for him to go with more established names.
Instead, he's mixed the experience of people like Young with the experience of people like Ramsey and Chukwuemeka, who came on in the last minute against the Foxes.
Steven Gerrard and John McGinn were at the game.
Smith should have been given more time to turn things around, but sometimes a team just needs to hit the reset button, and that's exactly what he has done.
The Villa job was a good one for him because they have a lot of quality in their squad.
At a big club that is very ambitious, he will get more time to implement his ideas than he would at a side who expect to win a trophy in their first season.
It means he has time to grow and I am looking forward to watching him progress, not that things will get any easier for him from here.
He will have money to spend in January or next summer, but once he signs players he will be judged in a different way.
The next challenge for him is to get that part right so that he can keep moving in the right direction and keep the Villa fans happy.
Next up? A return to the stadium.
The job of the Villars is not a stepping stone to the Reds.
After beating the Foxes, Steven said he was going to try to win.
I wouldn't expect him to say anything less. He will relish the chance to take on a better team than his own.
He has already beaten Brendan Rodgers, his former manager, and he will be looking to do the same against the man he replaced.
He will get a great reception from the home fans, but he will not be thinking about it next weekend.
I think he wants to be known as the manager, not as the player.
He wants to show everyone how good he is by doing that job.
Richards was talking to Chris Bevan.
