Former Aston Villa defender Micah Richards is confident manager Steven Gerrard will snap their early season slump.

Villa were beaten by West Ham United on Sunday.

Richards wrote for BBC Sport: "I'm a firm believer that fans have every right to voice frustration if their team dip below the levels expected, but I thought the reaction at the end of Aston Villa's home defeat by West Ham on Sunday was a little bit over the top.

"The Premier League season is four games old. If Villa are still performing with as little confidence as they showed against West Ham after 10 or 15 games, then I would be concerned.

"Make no mistake, these are testing times for Steven Gerrard and my old club Villa. But I believe he will turn it around and the boos that rang out at Villa Park after a third defeat in four games will be a distant memory.

"Villa fans are so passionate. Having played for the club, I know what they expect and it was always going to be tough for anyone who took the job following Dean Smith's dismissal.

"People will say 'you're going to back Gerrard and Villa because it's your former team'. It's nothing to do with that. I do think he is up to the task but things are not quite clicking and, as Gerrard said after his side's latest defeat, he needs wins fast."