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Villa have made progress but more to be done - Paul Lambert

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Paul Lambert today insisted Villa have made progress this season - but admits they remain a long way short of where he wants them to be.

With six games remaining, the claret and blues sit 13th in the Premier League table but are just two points better off than they were at the same stage last season.

And a run of three straight defeats – including last weekend's home defeat to bottom club Fulham – has prompted supporters to question whether the club has moved forward this term.

Lambert, in his second season in charge at Villa Park, says he shares fans frustration, but says turning around the club's fortunes was never going to happen overnight.

"There's a lot of stuff that people don't see," he said.

"Am I happy where we are? No.

"Did I come to Aston Villa to do this? No.

"This club should be higher, there's no two ways about it. It's got a great tradition and a great pedigree.

"I knew the first few years here would be really hard because of what we had to do. I knew that myself.

"But we have to get this club up there. I'm certainly not sitting here thinking this is good.

"No, we need to progress.

"There is definitely progress being made. There is a good nucleus of younger players there. That's definitely an area of major progress.

"But ultimately you need to win games."

Lambert was appointed Villa boss in the summer of 2012 after the club had narrowly avoided relegation under Alex McLeish and the team struggled for much of his first season.

But a late surge, which saw them retain Premier League status, meant supporters approached this season with renewed optimism.

Lambert, who has had to contend with a reduced playing budget, has compared his task to turning round an oil tanker.

"I think I've said that (it is like turning around an oil tanker)," he said. "This is a long, long term project.

"In this league you have to compete. You've seen that yourself.

"Look at the team on Saturday. A lot of our Academy players played – it just shows you. You've got to have that (higher) level against an experienced Fulham side."

Villa were missing Christian Benteke last weekend along with Gabby Agbonlahor, Fabian Delph and Karim El Ahmadi through injury. Libor Kozak and Jores Okore have been long-term absentees.

Lambert agreed the depth of the squad had been exposed, adding: "Yeah, if you lose six players who would certainly have been in and around your team, that's a big, big chunk.

When asked where the club should be, he went on: "I always think you earn the right to be where you are. What you've got here is a club that's traditionally a European Cup winner, a club who have won the title before, albeit all those years ago.

"So the history and expectancy levels are there. But there's got to be that realism of: 'Right, this is where we are at this minute.'

"You respect the past and embrace it because that's what it is. We have got to do everything we can to get this club up the ladder."