Tim Sherwood has acknowledged that his job as the new Aston Villa boss will be a "work in progress".
Villa took the lead over Stoke City earlier today thanks to a Scott Sinclair goal, but Stoke hit back to win with goals from Mame Biram Diouf and a stoppage time penalty from Victor Moses.
"I am bitterly disappointed," Sherwood told BBC Sport. "I didn't think we deserved to lose the game but we didn't do enough to win it. We have to go and do a job and forget any anxiety.
"It will be a work in progress, there is a lot of work to be done and I've told the lads that. We have to brave and get on the ball. There is no point in me getting a big stick out and banging them on the head with it. It is about me getting the best out of them for the remaining games.
"We will improve. It is a very short amount of time to get instructions into them but we will get better and we need to keep this great club in the Premier League. We are not thinking about going down."
Villa are currently second bottom in the league and travel to Newcastle United next Saturday.
