Aston Villa 0-1 Stoke
by Simon Williams
at Villa Park

“I WOULDN’T say time is running out but the clock is certainly ticking.”

Those were the words of Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood after he saw his side slip to their sixth defeat in eight games following a 1-0 loss to Stoke City.

Marko Arnautovic scored the only goal of the game 10 minutes into the second half, leaving Villa in the relegation zone going into the international break.

And after being greeted by a chorus of boos from the Villa Park crowd at full-time, Sherwood said he “absolutely 100 per cent understands their frustration.”

“When your team’s not winning and you’re not performing to the level they expect then you are going to be very disappointed and I understand that.”

But despite having picked up just one point in their last seven Premier League games, drawing one and losing six, Sherwood believes he can change the fortunes of his struggling side.

“I’m the manager and I take responsibility for the performance,” he said. “But it’s the same Tim Sherwood that they (the fans) were singing the name of last season and I’m not working any less harder than I was. But I can turn it around. I know I can and I will.”

And with his new-look team still finding their feet in the top flight after a summer of change at the club, the Villa boss knows his new boys must adjust quickly to the demands of the Premier League.

“I’d rather be in the bottom three now with eight games gone and with a new squad than with eight games to go,” he said.

“But you will be in the bottom three with eight games to go if you don’t pick up points now. That’s why the clock is ticking.”