Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 4 reaction: Eric Black urges players to win back support of disgruntled Villa Park

Suppporters displayed placards reading 'Proud History What Future?' throughout the match

Aston Villa supporters display a protest banner during the defeat to Chelsea (Getty)

Aston Villa caretaker manager Eric Black conceded his players have a lot of work on their hands if they wish to win back the affection of their fans.

A poor performance from his players coupled with a ruthless Chelsea side saw the fans turn against the hosts at Villa Park, with placards reading "Proud History What Future?" held up throughout the match, and large sections of the crowd walking out before the final whistle.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, debutant Alexandre Pato and a brace from Pedro gave the visitors a 4-0 win while Alan Hutton was sent off late on for Villa in their first match since the departure of Remi Garde.

Black, who before the match had called for the players to restore some respect in the shirt, conceded after the game that he could have few complaints with the way things had gone.

He told BT Sport 1: "When the team is bottom of the league and has lost seven in a row and you've won only two all season, I can understand the disconnect with the supporters.

"That's something we have to live with. We have to ensure we give the supporters something, it's not the other way around. Something has to come back to the supporters because it's been a hard season for them."

The club has been shrouded in off-field issues this season, and Black admitted the club needed to rebuild.

He said: "What we have to do is stay strong as a club because the fans need to see some sort of effort. There was a certain amount of that but the quality lets us down.

"The club have to rebuild. The club has to come back and come to the stage where the only focus for the players is to play for Aston Villa, and from above then getting the club back to where it should be."

PA