Former Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders feels his former club is bigger than the likes of Premier League regulars Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.
Saunders argues that Villa have more trophies and a big enough fan base, but they have struggled because of the way they have been run recently.
The Midlands club currently find themselves 15th in the second tier of English football.
"Villa are bigger than Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Everton," Saunders told BBC Sport.
"Compare them to Tottenham, who were trying to break into the Champions League at the same time as (Martin) O'Neill was in charge, or Everton, who are trying to do it now - there is no difference in the size of those clubs.
"Villa are actually bigger than both of them.
"The difference is the way they have been run. That is the reason Villa have gone in the opposite direction.
"So instead of doing a Spurs, they have done a Sunderland - they were hanging on and just avoiding relegation for the past four or five years, but it was inevitable it was going to happen."
