Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert admits the club should be higher up the table.
The Scot has seen his side win just 30 of the 99 games in charge with Villa loitering towards the bottom of the Premier League in each of his three seasons.
And ahead of the clash with Southampton this evening he said: "We need to do a lot better. It's too big a club and too good a club to keep doing what it's been doing.
"It needs to be up there. But we need to earn the right to get there. You need to work your backside off to get there.
"We want this place to be really vibrant all the time - every single week home and away. We want to compete. It does not matter if it's the top six.
"Teams and clubs always have to come through difficult spells. They all have ropey things they come through.
"Every football management job is hard. Success is like a bubble and only appears now and then.
"I've loved it - it's been hard times but there is an incredible expectation level. It's a brilliant club, it's had its hard times but we've got through it. It makes you stronger.
"You always come through things."
