Paul Lambert pleads for Villa fans' backing
Boss Paul Lambert today admitted he is facing the biggest test of his career and pleaded with fans to stick with him.
The claret and blues chief has called for more patience after supporters turned on him following Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
It was their fourth straight defeat and left them just four points above the Premier League relegation zone.
Fans chanted 'you don't know what you're doing' at the final whistle, after Jason Puncheon's goal won it for Palace, as their dissent grew.
But Lambert urged them to stay with him and the team to ensure they finally secure survival.
"They are vital, absolutely vital to this football club. They need to roar us from now on in to get over that line. All I can do is my best and hope they like it," he said.
"I understand in football you can be good one minute and not so good the next. That's football and that's the way it is. It is something that's always there, it won't go away that feeling for football fans.
"Since I have been here the Villa fans have been excellent with me. They have seen some results that never went for us and they still stuck with us."
Villa are 14th in the table with the same amount of points as this time last season.
And Lambert conceded he has taken on a monumental challenge to revive struggling Villa.
He said: "Yes. This is huge. It is a huge football club. That's the reality of it. It's a massive football club," he said.
"I think every football job is hard. Football is a hard game, really tough. I knew what had happened before and everything like that. It is a fabulous club and we just have to get over that line.
"Anyone in football who knows me knows what kind of manager I am. I haven't been a manager too long, I have won some things but I have also had some bad patches. The lads that are here give you everything. I don't waver one minute that they won't give me everything."
