Houllier has come under fire from some supporters after replacing Martin O’Neill, who quit five days before the start of the new campaign.

But Faulkner, Villa owner Randy Lerner’s right-hand man, is adamant the belief in Houllier has not wavered.

Faulkner said: “I believe in what we are doing. This is a great club.

“We know we are going to have periods of adversity when things don’t go our way.

“But, if you are well run, you will come through those and emerge better and stronger.

“We are in it for the long term. With what happened in the summer (O’Neill’s resignation), we knew it was going to be hard because there were events we weren’t expecting.

“But we believe in the manager and the long-term plans we have.

“We want to go into the summer working with Gerard to develop the club with changes to the culture.

“You must put everything in place to create and environment where you can win.”