Petrov - Villa must earn respect

Stiliyan Petrov insists Aston Villa must find some consistency if they want to be 'recognised and respected' in the Premier League.

Skipper calls for consistency from Midlanders

Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov insists the Midlanders must find some consistency if they want to be 'recognised and respected' in the Premier League. Villa sprung a surprise 3-1 upset at Chelsea on New Year's Eve, producing a commanding display at Stamford Bridge. But only two days later Alex McLeish's men suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Swansea, marking the promoted side's first Premier League away success. Bulgarian midfielder Petrov admits Villa's performance against the Swans was "poor" and insists they must find a cure for their irregular form. The skipper told the Daily Mirror: "It was really poor, we know that after the way we performed in the previous game. "I said after the Chelsea match that it wouldn't mean anything if we didn't win against Swansea. They scored early and we tried, but ran out of ideas. "We need the consistency, that is how you get up the table. We don't have that at the moment."

Worry

Villa's form on their own turf is a worry to Petrov, with his side having lost their last four encounters at Villa Park, with just three home wins overall this term. He added: "If you want to be recognised and respected, you need to win home and away. "It is halfway in the season now and we need to start putting it right. When you win games away you get further up the table. But you need to win home games to get yourself a platform. "We had a great chance to climb the table against Swansea, but didn't use it."