Gerard Houllier positive ahead of Chelsea clash.
From
Pravda:
Gerard Houllier insists it's not time to hit the panic button as he calls for judgement on his side to be made next month.
Villa boss Houllier believes February would be a fairer time to assess matters with previously injured senior players now returning to action after lengthy lay-offs.
With these star names getting their full fitness and sharpness back, he believes Villa will see an upturn in fortunes.
Asked when his side should be judged, he said: "Well I didn't expect to go this far down the table. But at the same time I think it's an exciting challenge.
"What I need is to get some players fighting together to get some results and see where we are in February.
"Players are gradually coming out of injury and starting to play. They are not at their top-level yet but it takes time to get to your highest level of match fitness. That will come. The good news is the treatment rooms are nearly empty.
"We are aware we are going through a difficult period - a bad spell - but I am convinced we will turn things around.
"We are on 20 points and we should have more points than that.
"We knew the Manchester City and Tottenham games would be difficult for us but we are short of at least five to six points overall.
"I think at some point we will probably regain them in the second part of the season.
"It's very interesting. You win two games and you're near Europe again but you lose two games and you're in the battle for relegation. I think 10 to 12 teams are in the same position as we are."
Houllier has called on Villa to fight hard as they look to pull away from the lower reaches of the top-flight table.
The boss wants Villa to focus on the future and not the past.
He continued: "There's no point looking back, what we need to do is look forward.
"Some experienced players are coming back. I think the unity will come from the fight.
"We need to fight for our lives because we are going through a difficult period."
In spite of the tough spell currently being encountered, boss Houllier has taken comfort from the support of club owner Randy Lerner.
He added: "I know that at some stage you go through difficult times.
"In difficult times you see the people around you - and they have been top class.
"The chairman knows we are going through a difficult period."
