Aston Villa suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Stoke on Sunday. Their rivals up the M6 outclassed them in every department and now is the time for the Villains to accept that they must buy quality and spend the money they need to, to elevate them into a classy outfit once more.

The West Midlands based club won't get relegated this season but the insistence from Paul Lambert that he has a young side which needs to develop is a line which sounds like a broken record every time the Scot says it.

Aston Villa need to buy some experience players who can give everyone a lift and in the process give the young players the side has some respite from the constant burdens that are placed on them at Villa.

Here are three reasons why Villa simply can't keep ignoring the issue and must spend big in the summer transfer window.

1. Aston Villa simply struggle for consistency. They may have beaten Chelsea but their squad depth is exposed in games against teams around them.

2. There are not enough leaders in the Villa dressing room and as a result they can't show enough fight or desire every week.

3. The supporters will become dissatisfied with Paul Lambert and his efforts to develop a young and exciting team will be wasted.