Home woes make painful viewing for Aston Villa fans - match analysis

If he was at home, Lerner would have watched a live feed so at least he would have been able to hide behind the sofa.

As his team floundered to their 10th home defeat of the season thousands of fans poured out of the exits.

It was a message. One which Villa should receive loud and clear.

Paul Lambert's insistence Lerner has attended games in secret creates imagines of the American arriving in a false moustache and glasses, poking holes in a newspaper to spy on the side.

That takes it to the extreme but the issue has been made bigger than it is because the secrecy in which the chairman is shrouded.

He, of course, has a right to privacy – but as a Premier League chairman the club should expect questions over his whereabouts on occasion.

He is the head of a public entity, one which almost 40,000 fans flock to see, and if you are prepared to take the Premier League buck you must accept the scrutiny.

And the spotlight is what the team and Lambert deserve after another home no-show.

The chairman's whereabouts was a sub-plot leading into a game which almost went under the radar in terms of its magnitude.

Defeat hauled Villa back and reminded them they are far from out of the relegation scrap which affects half of the league.

Their previous placing of 10th masked the tame nature of their performances during the season, even if 2014 has been kinder.

The fall back defence of the league position is a moot point. It flattered Villa – it still does – and Saturday underlined there is much work to be done.

That must start at Cardiff tomorrow and the claret and blues must prove they deserve such loyal support with 36,261 turning out to see them on Saturday.

The back-to-back games represented a chance for Villa to take a giant leap to safety and put serious distance between themselves and the chasing pack.

Mid-table – or at least an improvement on last season – is what Villa want and it would satisfy the club's hierarchy.

Villa are still six points better off than this time last season and that represents some kind of progress.

Their faith in Lambert is unwavering with talk of the manager's new contract highlighting the working relationship.

It is unfortunate the news comes on the backdrop of another defeat, hardly a ringing endorsement for extended, improved terms.

While Villa might feel their points tally and league position is progress, performances do not offer much comfort.

Insipid and toothless, Saturday's showing was symptomatic of the displays the claret and blues have produced at home.

Marc Albrighton was the lone bright spot. The substitute was a menace and gave the hosts brief hope they could mount an unlikely recovery.

The 24-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and Lambert has confirmed he will hold talks with the winger although the immediate future should see Albrighton start at Cardiff.

Albrighton offers a connection with the fans, a player who has come through the ranks and knows what the club means.

He is also someone who can make a difference and, as Aleksandar Tonev and Antonio Luna fail to make the squad, Albrighton's performances highlight the failings of some of last summer's signings.

He conjured chances for Christian Benteke – the striker hitting the bar with one – and rattled the woodwork himself.

Up until then West Ham were poor, Villa were worse.

For the majority of the first half the hosts' insistence of playing a high line allowed the Hammers to get behind, although Matt Jarvis wasted their two best chances.

Stewart Downing also missed his kick in front of goal before Kevin Nolan's quickfire double immediately after the break ended the contest.

First, he flicked in Downing's centre after Villa failed to deal with a long ball just 18 seconds into the second half. Then he robbed Fabian Delph on the edge of the box and rolled past the exposed Brad Guzan.

Villa, at least, mounted a response led by Albrighton as he smashed the post from distance and crossed for Benteke to nod against the bar. But it wasn't enough.

Wherever you were, whoever you were, it wasn't pleasant viewing.