Saturday 26 December 2015 19:32, UK
Remi Garde was left frustrated after his Aston Villa side failed to convert an improved display into victory in Saturday's 1-1 draw with West Ham.
The Villans, who earned a point thanks to Jordan Ayew's second-half penalty, have now gone 17 Premier League games without picking up three points, a run which stretches back to the opening day of the season.
And Garde, while praising his side's enhanced performance, was left with a tinge of disappointment, which he feels will also be felt by Villa fans.
"It was a great collective performance, we played very well," he told Sky Sports.
"We should have won this game to be fair in terms of the way we played, the intensity we put in and the chances we created.
"It is a little bit frustrating and I'm very sad for the players because they should have got the three points but, in another way, when you see your team playing like that you can think we will get three points in the next game.
"The spirit my players showed - not just the ones playing but the 18 in the dressing room - I was happy with, hopefully the fans are happy with what they saw too.
"But, like us, the fans want to win and they want points and so they are probably a little frustrated."
The draw leaves Villa stranded at the bottom of the Premier League table, nine points from safety, and no club in their current position has ever avoided relegation.
Such is the severity of their situation, Garde believes the club must win one of their next two games, away to either Norwich or Sunderland, if they are to keep their slim survival hopes alive.
"We definitely have to win one of our next two games," he added.
"If we renew this kind of performance hopefully we can win, but we have two away games so it may be different.
"It will be difficult because we will be fighting against teams who are not in a good [league] positions as well."
