Villa's caretaker boss acknowledges that this season has been a disappointment after three successive top six finishes in the Premier League. But McAllister is confident the midlands club can look forward with optimism once manager Gerard Houllier - currently recuperating from a heart problem - has had time to stamp his mark on the club. McAllister, who will again be in charge for Saturday's home clash with Wigan, said: "We should be looking at the European positions and that goes without saying. "Everything is here and set up for that. That has got to be the target. "You can't necessarily jump from sixth, seventh, eighth right up to those top four places. "Everyone has got to hold their hands up and say those top four spots are very hard to obtain these days. "There are loads of factors coming into play to get this club to that level. "But that next group of teams is where Aston Villa have got to be targeting themselves without a shadow of a doubt. "Everything is here, it's equipped to do that, players, stadia, training facilities." Villa could lose the services of Ashley Young - believed to be a potential target for Manchester United - and out of contract Nigel Reo-Coker this summer. But McAllister does not believe Villa require a radical overhaul of the current squad. He said: "There has got to be time given to Gerard Houllier to get his philosophy into the club. "To get that philosophy into the club, you've got to get a certain type of player. "We've got good players here and it is not major surgery needed here, just a little tickle here and there. "You might think at the moment we are miles away but I don't think that is the case." In the short term, McAllister is targeting Villa finishing the campaign as the leading midlands club. But he is aware Villa will have to combat a Wigan side fighting for top flight survival. He said: "That is a target. Sitting on top of the midlands pile is good for the fans as well. "The players are not accustomed to being where we are at the moment so it's been tough for them and they've responded to get us out of that immediate danger. "It has been hard for everyone but we will become better for it. "We know Wigan are fighting for their lives but they are very committed to a certain style of play. "The manager wants them to get the ball down and play and that, in itself, is showing a bit of bravery as far as I am concerned. "They try to play through the areas of the pitch, they try to build from the back. We are aware of their strengths. "But also we've got to be more concerned about what we do rather than looking at the opposition. "We are looking to finish the season on a high." Striker Emile Heskey is available after missing the 2-1 defeat at West Brom last weekend with a knee problem. But midfielder Jean Makoun has still not fully recovered from a dead leg and will not be considered against the Latics.
