A 1-1 home draw wasn’t exactly the rip-roaring start Villa fans desired, but it’s not so easy to recover a sinking ship.

Aston Villa owner Tony Xia has used his official Twitter account to plead with supporters to remain patient under new boss Steve Bruce.

Much of the negativity synonymous with Villa in recent years has been slowly replaced by cautious optimism from large sections of the club’s put-upon fanbase following the appointment of the genial Geordie, who lead Hull and Midlands rivals Birmingham to two promotions apiece (below).

However, a disappointing performance in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to local neighbours Wolves appears to have cut short the honeymoon period in the eyes of some Villa fans, proving that Bruce has much work to do before they can contemplate chasing down last season’s other relegated sides, Norwich and Newcastle.

The optimism that encompassed Jonathan Kodjia’s 15th minute penalty quickly dissipated when Helder Costa netted from the spot shortly after, before Wolves created a number of clear cut opportunities in the closing stages.

Bruce himself admitted post-match that vast improvements are required as Villa slipped to 20th, an opinion shared by the club’s outspoken owner, who admits that stability is key to discovering a winning formula.

This content could not be loaded Right. Stability is very important as we saw everything needs time2gel. Repeat again: We changed the manager so quickly not becoz impatience https://t.co/WPxmXVaqVP — Dr. Tony Xia (@Dr_TonyXia) October 16, 2016

This content could not be loaded We got the passion, and luck, back. Need time to gel and find a winning formula.#UTV https://t.co/a46t3zwjWa — Dr. Tony Xia (@Dr_TonyXia) October 16, 2016

This content could not be loaded It’s not good for the club you truly love if u feel everything negatively…We have to solve problems not creating problems. https://t.co/Tv2gz0KUTs — Dr. Tony Xia (@Dr_TonyXia) October 16, 2016

With Tuesday’s trip to Reading on the horizon, Bruce has only one day to get his players prepared and inspire a much more cohesive team performance.

In other news, ‘Stay with us’: Director tells £27m star to reject Tottenham move