Now I don’t know about you, but I thought that was a much better game than the tedium that it seems I’ve been moaning about for weeks.
It had a bit of everything, from chances at both ends to plenty of incidents and what I thought was going to be imminent fisticuffs.
All good stuff, that actually made me feel entertained for once.
As for our actual performance, I think I might be a bit contrary here, but I thought we did better than of late.
Not that I thought we were great, just better.
Mind you, I’m not sure how much of that was down to us and how much was down to Sunderland being really poor. One of the commentators said that Sunderland weren’t the worse side and I’m minded to agree. But they do look totally toothless up front.
They were also apparently without three central defenders today and it showed.
Gabby took his goal well after some terrible defending from Cattermole, who got subbed at half time. We seemed to at least be creating chances and Gabby’s pace caused them plenty of problems. For me he was man of the match, but I found it a bit strange that he was getting involved in many of the incidents, as that’s not normally like him.
Then again, I blame the referee for that.
I don’t often mention the ref, but on this occasion I thought he was poor in that he didn’t take a tight enough grip of the players.
I thought the defence looked a bit more solid too. Vlaar seems to make a big difference and it was bit annoying that he had to go off, with what looks like a recurrence of his previous injury.
It was always a risk rushing him back, but I don’t really see what else Lambert could do.
This time I’m not blaming him.
And just to give a bit of credit where it’s due, while at the time I thought bringing Albrighton on to replace Vlaar was crazy, it did seem to work. It stopped Sunderland upping the pressure and allowed us to take it to them a bit more.
Which we did.
For once, I would agree with Lambert if he said we went for it.
Mind you it’s no more than we should have done.
There was a string of play halfway through the second half where we looked like Barcelona.
How nice was that to see?
Not that we were that good. It just demonstrated how poor Sunderland were, in my opinion.
Two final points.
The commentators accused us of timewasting as early as an hour into the game and it was mentioned later on. While I wasn’t convinced that we were much worse than we normally are at being slow, it did cross my mind that they might be right.
If so and it’s being used as a tactic, I’ll come straight out and say that’s a disgrace and I don’t want our club to be involved in any of that. It’s akin to cheating or at least not playing the game in the spirit it’s meant to be.
The commentator also mentioned that Bolton have posted accounts that show they have debts of £160 million, due to them not being in the Premier league for two successive seasons. And Lerner thinks we’re in trouble?
Take note Randy. How can you afford not to invest?
Any news on vlaar’s injury? sounds like it’s the calf playing up again.i hope it’s not back to square one again,another month or so out.
Off topic but did anyone see MOTD and note their Man U bias? Young gets a a shot away and the Spuds keeper clatters him after and amazingly Webb don’t give a pen, they (the panel) then go on and on about it till I’m puking into my beer glass.
Next game Liverpool, Sterling gets the shot away and as he does the defender takes him clean out, what do our much loved pundits say about? Jack shit that’s what.
You have to love their impartiality.
Fast forward to the Villa game, probably the best bit of football Villa have played for months stringing a fair few passes together leading to Allbrighton being put through on the right but no sign of that on MOTD, now if that had have been Man Ure /Arsenal/Chelsea they’d have been wanking lyrical about it for the next 10 minutes.
Motd is so bias to sky 4 it’s scary. Having said that on this occasion it was a penalty but they’ve had so much go their way in the past with refs giving into fergie they deserve it. Howard Webb who has been utds twelfth man over the years will probably be transferred in the jan window as for once he didn’t play ball. As for moyes whinging about the ref etc he sounded just like fergie was pulling his strings. I suppose they will get big decisions go their way now that utd gave started whinging as the refs all want to ref at OT and Webb needs to be replaced.
BWS, I had that same thought, people moaned about scousers being on the panel so what do they do, put two f,.’king Man City on the panel, when it comes to a midland team they get slated, as for refs they are getting worse with decisions, yesterday I countered 3 pens, two sending offs, no wonder he games going tits up.
Happy new year Bill.
Thought we played ok yesterday I see Oohah as a bee in his bonnet and yes the possession stats weren’t the best but who cares?
we played some decent footy at times and could have won that by a more comfortable margin. With regards to the stats when we won the European Cup what were they that night? Bayern battered us statistically but what do the history books say? 1-0 to the mighty Aston Villa.
True but that was against the west Germany World Cup winning team when we had less possession but even then we had better possession than we did away to Sunderland Ffs.
We’re just over halfway through the season and we’re midtable.
I’d like to hope that we could catch Hull & Saints, time will tell.
The amount of negativity on this site is amazing, and the hypocrisy baffling.
Southampton were the perfect model until not being able to win in nine games.
We’re getting clean sheets, and that’s a great place to start. There is room for improvement, but think back to this time last year, and are we better ?
Happy Villa New Year all.
Vaze, you only come on here when we win and then have a pop at everybody for being negative. Where were you after the Stoke, Palace results?
In fact, thats aimed at most of you on here. We’ve won 1 in 6 and you were all slagging Lamberk off and now all of a sudden everything is hunky-doorey again.
There’s only Oohaah thay shows any consistancy.
Fickle? You better believe it.
Lamberk OUT.
“Oohaah thay shows any consistancy” Lol, If whining and whinging were an Olympic Sport old Ohaah would be a quadruple Gold medal winner!
What utter crap.
I haven’t been on over Christmas as I went away, but I tend to put in my two penneth win, lose or draw.
Nobody can be excited about the dross being played, but there are only a couple of teams above us that I’d hope to finish above at the start of the season.
Screaming for Lambert out and Lerner to pump in massive amounts of money (again) are child like.
We are keeping clean sheets, we need to bring in some more players, and BUILD the squad over time and on solid foundations.
The idiots that scream we should be bringing in Barry on £75k per week or whatever Everton are paying of his salary are deluded. He’s over the hill and may help us finish eighth rather than thirteenth.
Better off blooding our own Academy graduates or give Westwood time for me.
You be a dreamy optimist that someone else will come in and make us world beaters. I’m afraid I take a more pragmatic approach to life.
The difference is saints have now played all the top teams in last ( weeks where we have so called winnable games that we didn’t win. That was the perfect time to close the gap on saints but we didn’t because we are shit. Yes we did ok yesterday v a very poor Sunderland team that will more than likely go down but a team like us shouldn’t be having a wank fest winning against such a poor team.
I agree oohah, it makes much more sense to participate in a wank fest at the thought of seeing Shawcross strutting his stuff in the Villa kit.
I think iv gone of the shawcross idea he hasn’t been half as good this season. Having said he isn’t injury prone and better than Clark and baker put together. Shawcross and a fully fit vlaar would be very formidable IMO.
Yes we are mid table, but the tactics have been awful. We also need investment through the spine of the team and a winger, and they need to be ready now, I don’t think Lambert is the right man anymore and I would like to be proven wrong, but in all honesty I don’t think I will be. Happy New year Vaze
I cannot get over excited about narrowly beating a team rooted to the bottom of the table, we did throw the ball around nicely for ten minutes, but come on lets be realistic, Sunderland are awful. We should be hammering these types of teams, but as the saying goes ‘you can’t polish a turd’.
Completely agree. If it weren’t for the gifted error, we’d be sharpening the pitchforks and tearing off the bedsheets because of a draw against the shit of the league. I still need to see better basics; passing, filling gaps, first touches, poise on the ball.
Why can’t we enjoy a win without being labelled anything? I don’t think anyone is claiming we are world beaters or that all is rosy.
Yes oohah is one of the few consistent commenters but so what? it’s not a competition as far as I am aware, unless I’m missing the point.
We only beat Sunderland for fuck sakes and only because of a mistake on there part we have the big boys next brown trousers time I cant relax or enjoy anything at villa atm even yesterday win was like meh thats how bad it is give the team and lambert praise when we play a team off the park and win 5 in a row not just because we beat the worst team in the prem by a mistake so fickle some fans
Don’t forget they had a decent goal disallowed
yes we only beat Sunderland. Then again I wasn’t on here saying we were fantastic when we beat City or Arsenal. Nether did I say that this time. How is that fickle?
Bottom line is we narrowly beat a truly awful team who will go down without their 2 best defenders. If we get 17 more points then lambert has hit his target again and it means him being here next season with the same restrictions imposed on him by Lerner. It will be the same next season and every season until Lerner makes his money and goes. It took years for browns to get rid and their team is much better for it.
Whoopeeeeeee, we narrowly beat the bottom of the league side with a gifted goal, were battered possession wise and were fortunate – 1.They couldn’t hit a barn door 2.They had a makeshift defence.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Baggies & Everton next 4 league games – I’d take a point out of 12, against Baggies, thats it though!!!
True they had brown and o Shea out and would of got at least a draw with those two
So what? Swansea are second best in possession in the Premiership. Last time I looked they weren’t second in the league. Sunderland are so shit they beat Chelsea and were unbeaten in 5. Fortunate? Your opinion. Let’s see you defend us when we lose because we are without Vlaar and Okore, and Benteke is injured.
The team won a game. They showed some improvement. Why not take some pleasure in that? doesn’t make it a wankfest. That’s my point.
So the goal weren’t fortunate? Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic we won and that we strung more than 2 passes together once they were knackered, but I’m also realistic…..
To say that we played well get on my tits, we didn’t, we were better than we have been recently against a team who yes, undefeated in 5, are the worst team in this league by a mile!!
They beat Chelsea yes, hell we beat City and Arsenal – Sometimes you get lucky, us more than most!!!!!
I didn’t say we played well. the goal was the result of a mistake, like a lot of the ones we have conceded this season were. I’m not sure Sunderland are the worst team by a mile BTW, but they are one of them. I just can’t really see that as a lucky victory really, I can see that we are one of the worst teams at the moment, certainly in terms of our playing style. I’m hoping that that will improve. I would love us to put in some decent performances in the games coming up. I’m not confident we will but will continue to hope until they let me down again!
Even we beat arsenal and flucked a win v city. Means fuck all. Even Cardiff beat city they have been awful away this season. Sunderland are bottom 3 team that we played at the right time they are shit and will more than likely go down. We are a bottom 6-8 team going nowhere fast. Even though Swansea arnt in the top 4 they at least play entertaining football and will still finish above us.
3 points means 3 points however you get it so it means a lot more than fuck all. Swansea may finish above us, and I like their style of football. Time will tell on that one but I’m hopeful we might be there or thereabouts (with Swansea that is). Going nowhere fast? I prefer to think we will get somewhere slowly but that’s just a point of view thing.
Not exactly Villa related anymore and maybe it has already been mentioned, but OGS was appointed manager of Cardiff City. I for one am eager to see how he does and hopefully it puts the ‘what if’ questions we’ve had to rest.
Kozak has broken his leg so those that thought he was a crap player can relax safe in the knowledge he’s out for a while.
Didn’t no he broke leg. Tbf he played as if if he had one leg anyway so prob couldn’t tell the difference 🙂
Thought he took his chances well.
Sad news when any Villa player suffers a serious injury.
Terrible news! A bit frustrating too, because this means Lambert will now be forced to allocate even more funds to finding proper coverage up front. Funds that should be used for experienced replacements at LB and AMC.
With Benteke nursing injuries and Weimann still out of form – finishing form – I really do worry about our options now. Gabby is pretty much our only alternative. Both Bowery and Helenius haven’t had a proper run in so far this season and I can only imagine the expectations will do them no favors if either Benteke or Gabby fall to serious injury.
Dont worry lads…the Fonz is back 🙂
Haha – oh lord that is frightful. Then again, I think Carew has a better chance of starting a game than Fonz.
Vaze…where did you get the Kozak news? There’s nothing on the OS
That’s bad news about Kozak, but wasn’t he on the bench yesterday?
Gutted to hear about Kozac I honestly think he is a good player and his goals scored already just proves he can score plenty if given time and games to prove it. He is miles better than bowery and weimann so were quite fucked up front unless tekkers starts scoring again.
I ask again! Where has the Kozak news come from? I cant find anything on the net!
Some sick rumour then?
Langford it ain’t some more bollox from that twat ITK mate?sounds just like it.
Hi Giddy…dont know mate, but I have trawled the net and cant find anything. Surely it would have been on the OS if true. Why would they conceal that?
I see Heitinga has turned down West Ham, could he be Villa bound?
I thought the very same this morning mate,ive heard the barcodes may have poached him but you never know.we could certainly do with at the back with vlaar dodgy.fingers crossed eh.
Yeah… He has got loads of experience plus he is Dutch like Vlaar…time will tell mate
I really hope Heitinga is villa bound would be a secure, solid center back.
http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~3601737,00.html
Sorry for late reply, play football on a Thursday night and just came on here at lunch in the Ashes.