Don't tell Steven Whittaker that individual errors cost Norwich City – it misses the entire point of where they find themselves.

Eastern Daily Press: At least spirits were a little higher before kick-off, as Norwich City's players took in Villa Park before their clash with the Villans. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus ImagesAt least spirits were a little higher before kick-off, as Norwich City's players took in Villa Park before their clash with the Villans. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images (Image: �Focus Images Limited www.focus-images.co.uk +447814 482222)

The Canaries' defeat offered little different to a lot of their away-day failures this term: blunt in attack and unreliable at the back.

It's a story that has left everyone of a yellow and green persuasion biting their lips in frustration, as hopes of a swift Premier League return ebbed away with every dropped point.

'We need to look at it collectively – it's not just one error that loses you the game,' said Whittaker. 'We go out on the pitch together, we win or lose together.

'Whoever scores the goal might get the headlines in the paper, but everyone has done their bit on the pitch and if we lose, we have all done it together. It is not individual errors.

'We gave the ball away in comfortable possession so we were open. We couldn't recover. The second one is a long hoof up the park from the goalkeeper that we never dealt with.

'So they're two disappointing things we'll need to work on for the match. But I think there are a lot more positives than negatives. Yes, you want the result to go with the performance but it just wasn't quite there.

'It is intensely frustrating. Things like this will happen – it's just how you react.

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'We need to keep staying positive and every game we go into, we need to believe that we're going to take three points.

'There's no point in turning up and not giving it your all. You'll go away with a lot of regrets then.'

Such things can be easier said than done, and there's no doubting patience is being sorely tested at the moment.

'We know we shouldn't be where we are in the league,' added Whittaker.

'We've underachieved a little bit this year and the results haven't quite been there.

'We continue to keep working hard on the training field and try to sort that out, and get as many wins as we can from now until the end of the season.

'You can't knock the boys' attitude when they go out there on a Saturday.

'Al (Irvine) has demanded that we work hard on the training field and we feel like we're taking that into the matches. It's just a pity we've not got the result to match that here.'

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