HOULLIER

Gerard Houllier has said that he is still confident that the team can come back from their bad run of form. Villa boss Gerard Houllier remained upbeat despite the defeat leaving his side hovering dangerously four points above the relegation zone.

"I think it is a poor result, but not a poor performance," the Frenchman told BBC Sport.

"The mistake was made was conceding a second goal, after that we knew it was difficult. We got a goal and probably deserved an equaliser which we didn't get. "

Gerard Houllier has praised the Aston Villa fans for providing plenty of support against West Brom. The under-fire manager was given a surprisingly warm reception from the Holte End as Stewart Downing and Stephen Ireland grabbed the goals that sunk their Midlands rivals.

Houllier had angered some fans after his comments following Aston Villa's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool on Monday but the home crowd were with the Frenchman and his team as they ended their four-match losing streak.