Alex Neil is not losing any sleep over those predicting Norwich City's Premier League decline is terminal.

The Canaries' slipped into the bottom three after a fifth straight top flight defeat at Aston Villa, a result which prompted a predictably negative response from sections of Norwich's support who will remember the pain of relegation in 2014.

Norwich face fellow strugglers Swansea City, Newcastle United and Sunderland over the run-in and Neil is under no illusions the Canaries must respond, starting with this weekend's Carrow Road test against West Ham.

The Scot is backing his men to prove their mettle and survive.

'People can write us off,' he said. 'That is the case in football. The bottom line is results. I have no problems with it if people think that (we are gone). People can say what they like. What we have to do is make sure we have enough character and we have enough bottle as a group to react and respond and make sure we put up a good fist of it and fight right until the end. That should be enough.'

City had only previously dropped into the relegation zone once this season, but swiftly hauled themselves out with a memorable 2-1 win at Manchester United prior to Christmas and Neil is convinced history can repeat itself.

'Yes of course that is the aim again. To be honest we have been quite fortunate in the last few weeks when we have been relying on other teams to lose because we have not won our games,' he said. 'The responsibility is on us. We have got to do enough. If you don't win games at this level you are going to find yourself in the bottom three.

'It is not a wake-up call for us. If somebody needs a wake-up call now we have real problems. It is not as if we have been miles away from the bottom three most of the season.

'There is nothing else for it other than to roll our sleeves up and fight tooth and nail and try to do the very best you can to get yourself up the league.'