Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier held talks with his backroom colleagues this week to find a solution to Aston Villa's recent slump in form. Villa have lost four consecutive matches and pressure began to mount on Houllier following the last of those, a 3-0 defeat at Liverpool on Monday night.
The Frenchman discussed his team's slide with assistant manager Gary McAllister, coaches Gordon Cowans, Robert Duverne and Rafa Gonzalez to try iron out the recent rough spell.
Houllier takes his team into Saturday's clash against West Brom just two points above the relegation zone.
He said: "We are a team, we are five - myself, Macca, Gordon, Rafa and Robert. The day after the game against Liverpool we met practically all day.
"We talked about a few things, analysed a few things, questioned a few things.
"That's exactly the right process. We were supposed to go to France to see (scout) a player but we cancelled that."
Houllier took over at Villa Park with expectations high among the club's supporters following Martin O'Neill's successful spell in charge.
But the Frenchman is refusing to be unnerved by his team's plight, and insists they can turn their fortunes around.
He said: "The players are fine, they will be all right. Sometimes it's good to have a big slap in the face like we probably had against Liverpool.
"You need to bounce back and show character. It's not ideal to have a derby, but we'll take it how it is.
"I'm not panicking at all. I know we'll get there. We know where we're going, we know our philosophy, we know exactly what we want to achieve.
"I know personally that this club at some stage will achieve and bounce back. But my aim is long term. This is very important, this is my philosophy."
