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Aston Villa remain totally supportive of manager Paul Lambert, despite their recent poor run of results.

Villa slipped into the relegation zone following a 1-0 home defeat by fellow strugglers Southampton on Saturday.

But the 43-year-old is considered an outstanding manager of the future by the club's owners and there is no question of his job being under threat.

Lambert guided Norwich City from League One to the Premier League before leaving to join Villa last summer.

Recent results for the Midlands club have included an 8-0 thrashing at the hands of Chelsea and a 3-1 loss to League Two Bradford City in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.

Yet there have also been signs of progress this season - the Chelsea defeat followed a 3-1 win at Liverpool while their League Cup run included a 4-2 victory at Manchester City.

A change of manager is not something club owner Randy Lerner has considered.

Villa now face four key games in 11 days, starting on Saturday in the Premier League against West Brom, then Millwall in the FA Cup, followed by the second leg against Bradford, and ending with a home league game against Newcastle.

Those four games will define the rest of Villa's season but Lambert will continue working with Lerner and Villa's chief executive Paul Faulkner in the January transfer window, dispelling any doubts about his future.