Blog: Villa must avoid seventh hell at Hammers
It is pretty hard to be an Aston Villa fan today and it might not get any easier over the weekend, writes blogger Matthew Turvey.
After six losses in row, many will be turning their thoughts to the away game at West Ham United's Boleyn Ground, though many are less than hopeful.
Why? After losing to then bottom of the table Queens Park Rangers, Villa fans are struggling to know where the next goal will come from, never mind the next win.
Yes, Andreas Weimann scored against Tottenham Hotspur, but what does it say when the only positive Villa can take in recent times is being able to score a goal, even though they failed to win.
Make no doubt about it, Villa fans are upset. Some, perhaps understandably, are wondering why manager Paul Lambert got given a four-year contract after early results put the club in second position.
The truth is that these kinds of deals are far longer in the making, but the reality is that Villa have struggled for a long while and fans are wondering why Lambert has stayed in charge.
In the abstract, these fans have a point - Villa are enduring a horrendous run of form that would be enough for many chairmen to hit eject.
However, the question is who exactly ownwe Randy Lerner could entice to Villa given the club's general tendency to avoid risk in recent times.
The fact is that Lerner remains a man with stringent controls on who he does - and doesn't - put in post.
Looking at the candidates available, Villa may well be looking at someone like Tony Pulis.
His arrival could well be the cause of much upset among fans, some of whom are interested in a more continental approach.
But the truth is that Lerner tends to go with what what he knows - and what he knows are proven Premier League managers.
The cynic may well say that what Lerner knows hasn't worked, given that every manager he has employed has struggled in one way or another.
That's from Gerard Houllier, who had to be bailed out with a £24million striker in Darren Bent, through Alex McLeish and then to Lambert.
In Lambert's defence, he has tried to kick on, and the arrival of Tom Cleverley clearly shows a view that shows that he isn't solely going for the "young and hungry" method.
However, in football, patience is not something that occurs, as we saw at Manchester United.
A team who lauded themselves as a veritable paragon of virtue when it comes to "sticking with your man", sacked David Moyes after less than a season in charge.
Louis van Gaal, while far from at risk, has achieved even less in his first 10 games as manager.
Where Villa find themselves now is a choice of stick or twist. Lambert is understandably under pressure, and the team must bounce back this weekend.
But there comes a time where enough is enough. For the sake of Villa - and the fans - many will be hoping it can seventh time lucky.
You can follow Matt Turvey's regular opinions at his own site, www.astonvillalife.com, via the site's Twitter account @astonvillalife, or via his own Twitter account @mturvey_star.
