Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood believes that six victories will be enough to save the club from relegation.

The former Tottenham Hotspur boss oversaw a 2-1 defeat to Stoke City in his first game in charge of Villa last weekend.

The club are currently second from bottom in the Premier League table with 12 games remaining.

"The reality has to kick in that we're in a dogfight here and we need points as soon as possible," Sherwood said in this afternoon's press conference.

"It's a work in progress now and I'm trying to identify the strengths and weaknesses as quickly as possible and try to put that jigsaw together.

"It was a big challenge anyway, they've won five games of football all season and we need to win six to stay in the division with not many games left."

This weekend, Villa will take on Newcastle United at St James' Park.