Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood tried to stay positive after their defeat at Newcastle United.

For Sherwood, there were positives to take from a seventh successive league defeat as he prepares for next week's double header against derby rivals West Brom.

He said: "That [the performance] is a consolation, yes, but it's still no points, so I want a really poor performance on Tuesday night and three points, please.

"But listen, two wins this week and we will bounce into the next game. We need a shot of confidence here. There's not a lack of desire in that dressing room. The boys really care, they really do care - they are low in there.

"A lot of managers try to take the pressure off you - I think Paul Lambert has probably been trying to do that to the guys all season. I'm going to try the other way, I am going to put in on them, 'We're under pressure, boys, we are under pressure, this is a massive football club with a lot of good people involved in it and the fans are magnificent'.

"The pressure valve is up already; let's put pressure on ourselves to try to get points in these last few games."