Dean Richards knows only too well how the weight of fans' expectations can hang heavy on players' shoulders. After all, the centre-back spent more than four seasons with perennial under-achievers Wolves. It means the Southampton defender is full of sympathy for Aston Villa's assortment of big-money buys as their supporters start to voice their displeasure at their side's slide down the FA Carling Premiership.

They have not won in the league since a single-goal success put paid to Bradford on September 18 - six games ago. Disgruntled supporters on a far-from-full Holte End even directed chants of ``You don't know what you're doing'' at Villa boss John Gregory when he substituted Paul Merson on 80 minutes.

After spending £37million during his 20 months in charge and recouping less than half that, Gregory is running out of time to deliver - especially with chairman `Deadly' Doug Ellis not known for his patience with managers who fail to come up with the goods.

Villa were booed off at half-time and at the end. But Richards, who scored the only goal of the game with six minutes left after getting on the end of Claus Lundekvam's flick-on from a Hassan Kachloul corner, said: ``I thought their fans were a bit harsh.``It's always hard at home when your own fans are hostile.

I was at Wolves for four years, and the crowd got quite frustrated in the time I was there. ``It's always difficult to play at home when that happens. Your confidence is never as high as it should be when your own crowd turns on you. ``I felt Villa started quite well, but we weathered the storm in the first 20 minutes.

We crept into the game; we got stronger as the game went on, and you could see their confidence was dropping.'' Gregory, who admitted he was ``very alarmed'' after losing to Southampton, insists he still has Ellis' full backing despite their poor run. In recent years Ron Atkinson and Brian Little have turned Villa into one of the best sides in the country - both steering their club to League Cup glory - only to be axed when the going got tough.

Former Wycombe boss Gregory's CV is less impressive, and Ellis is known to be concerned at the way his manager has apparently wasted money on the likes of Steve Watson and George Boateng.

Villa were top of the table at the start of 1999 but since then they have won just nine and lost 16 of their 32 league games - picking up 34 points in the process. Were that form to be repeated over one season, the midlanders would be deep in relegation trouble - but Gregory is adamant his job is safe.

``Doug Ellis wasn't happy when Villa were 15th in the Premiership two years ago,'' he said. ``He wasn't happy when we slipped out of the top three last season, which meant we didn't qualify for the Champions League and ultimately we didn't qualify for the UEFA Cup. ``But he's a football fan and the chairman of this club - and he wants the best for the club. ``We're the same with each other now as we have been all along. This season he's been tremendously supportive.

He's been around all the time, and we meet on regular occasions. We had a bit of a fall-out a couple of months ago, but everything was sorted out with a quick chat. ``I'm just cracking on with it to the best of my ability. Without doubt we've got two or three faces that aren't there, but that's the whole point of a squad system. I won't hide behind any excuses. I'm just getting my head down and getting on with it. There will be no complaints from me.''