da bwin： Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier is trying to stay positive during his side’s battle to avoid relegation.Houllier’s men are in 14th place in the English Premier League, but just one point clear of the drop zone with eight games to play.
Although they secured the services of prolific striker Darren Bent from Sunderland in January, Villa’s fortunes have continued to wane, and the Midlands club have won only one of their past six league games.
That run reached a head a fortnight ago with a 1-0 loss at home against rivals Wolves, prompting supporters to voice their displeasure at Houllier.
But Houllier said he can understand the frustration of the fans, and is not shying away from the task of keeping Villa up as they head to Goodison Park to play Everton on Saturday.
“We have eight games ahead of us now and never mind what has happened in the past,” Houllier said.
“We know exactly where we stand and the difficulty of our task.”
“You have to remain positive. You can’t spend your time reflecting on what happened.”
“This is our league and the eight games ahead are vital for our future. Everybody is concerned because we are not dreamers.”
Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel echoed similar sentiments about his side’s survival cause.
“I can’t believe that we are in the position that we are but the reality is that we are,” Friedel said.
“We have more than enough talent in the changing room to get a good run together and I think we have more than enough talent to get ourselves out of this position, but we do have to get the points on the board.”