Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor has admitted that his job is on the line if he fails to arrest the club’s current decline.

Taylor watched his side go down 1-0 to Southampton last night, a sixth defeat in 10 games for Villa and a result whichsees the club lying just two points above the relegation zone.

Sections of Villa’s smallest crowd of the season were heard chanting: ‘We Want Taylor out’ on a miserable night at Villa Park.

‘The pressure builds on everybody if you’ve had the start that we’ve had,’ admitted Taylor.

‘It was our sixth defeat so the pressure does build. People will apply pressure on you and a lot depends on how much pressure you can control yourself but people will put pressure on you in a number of ways.

‘There are some very disappointed people – and I can understand that. I don’t like it but I can understand it because the results aren’t there. I am a manager responsible for results and I’ve never ducked that in 30 years of management, That’s my responsibility and if the results aren’t there, I expect to be criticised.

‘The reaction I got from the fans is what you would expect in the position we are in. You are going to get that in this day age. It’s as simple as that.

‘When you suffer your sixth defeat and lose 1-0 at home to a side in mid-table near yourselves, the people have got to take it out on somebody and the manager is invariably the person who will suffer in that way.

‘We are not scoring goals. We had chances again but whatever chances came our way we seem to be snatching at them.’