It’s almost no surprise that Aston Villa under the management of Paul Lambert have yet again slumped out of a cup against a lower league team. Leyton Orient fans join the growing ranks of Bradford City, Sheffield United and Millwall fans who can take the mickey out of Villans when they see them. Thanks Lambert!
The way the latest debacle happened is worrying. Aston Villa managed just one solitary shot on target during the game. In Darren Bent and Joe Cole, Villa had two ex-England internationals in their forward line. Actually, make that three, since Kieran Richardson made eight appearances for England. They should have done better. Much better.
This was a team that also boasted an ex-Irish international regular in Shay Given and also the current international trio of Sanchez, Hutton and Senderos. So this was no weak line-up.
Players have off days and shocks happen, but that single shot is the latest stat in a very, VERY worrying trend.
In the last game against Newcastle, Villa actually failed to manage a single shot on target at all. So that’s one shot on target in the last 180 minutes at Villa Park.
Despite Villa’s away win at Stoke being the first away win in 10 games away from home, Villa’s counter-attacking ability is still praised. Wrongly so though. Against Stoke, Villa scored their only shot on target.
So, for the season so far, Villa have had two shots on target in the last 270 minutes.
In the last game of last season in the 3-0 defeat against Spurs, Villa again managed only one shot on target during the game. A few days before that, in the 4-0 loss against Manchester City, Villa failed to hit the target at all. So that’s three shots on target in the last five games. Three shots on target in the space of over 450 minutes.
It’s a disgrace and explains why there has only been one Villa goal in their last five games.
With little spark going forward Lambert is certainly under pressure to bring someone in to hopefully provide invention for when Villa’s potential savior Christian Benteke returns, hopefully sooner rather than later. UTV
lambert is just worse he should bring in experience players
I don’t take much notice of last seasons stats as we are a different side now and the games were spurs and man city away which we knew were going to be difficult.
However, 2 shots on target in 3 matches, 2 of which were at home is unacceptable. Our one last night was a pass back from Joe Cole. Our attack without Benteke is impotent. Anyone calling for Bent to be given a chance instead of Gabby were shown up last night. So short on confidence.
We had so much possession but every cross was poor. I couldn’t believe no other subs were made other than Joe Cole for Weimann as Cole isn’t fit. Bent should have scored and so should have Baker but Orient should have scored a few more themselves. The warnings were there but Lambert ignored them. We need a creative player especially as we don’t have a fit target man.
I was reading another report from last night and people were commenting they didn’t care because we can concentrate on the league. If finishing on 40 points is our only target I despair
I am thinking the dear old Villa are becoming very,VERY boring to watch.
I dont know wether its the mid field not being able to pick a pass but Gabbi and Weimo just dont seem to have the necessary to be a threat on a consistent basis No shots on goal,no near misses and we re getting nothin down the flanks either.
One thing I reckon is that we let our most creative player go to Leicester.
Nzzzzzzzzzogbia looks like he s the same headless chook as ever.
As for DB and Cole,nuff said.
Desperately need Benteke back.
Other wise this season looks its going to be hard……Hard to watch!
Still laughing about “Joe Cole and Darren Bent should have done better”. Lucky Cole made it thru warmup without breaking something and Bent was washed up at Fulham. Hope Lambert learned Richardson and Cole cannot play in the same team, though again caveat on Cole getting on to the pitch in one piece.
We lost last night to supposed lesser opposition, in the mickey mouse cup. Pride is wounded, papers are having a field day, big deal. We couldn’t buy clean sheets in the league last season, know which one I would rather have. Clutching a cup won’t help you stay in the Premier League. In fact there’s an argument that it can be detrimental to a struggling side. And we will struggle, we still haven’t met opposition with real pace up front, and our own attacking players end up isolated when we do break. Figure we’ll just about be safe again, don’t need other distractions, although admittedly I will be more disappointed when we drop out of the FA Cup.
It only seems to be the ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’ when we lose in it. I regard the 1994 semi-final against Tranmere Rovers and the final against United as two of my favourite Villa memories and best Villa games I’ve seen. If they’re not worth anything, then I think we’re all wasting our time following this team.
100K in prize money, and a Europa League place is the reward for the League Cup winners. 2M£ is the reward for the FA Cup, so on a financial basis it certainly is “mickey mouse”. We do not have a squad that can play midweek consistently as Europe demands, and 100K won’t help that. The semi final loss to Bradford was much more galling than dropping out early this season.
And you really feel like you’re wasting your time following the team? Wow, wouldn’t have known that given the amount of time you put into the website. Shame really.
Each finalist gets 45% of gate receipts & TV money on top, so that’s over a million pound for starters. Obviously you get a full-house in the semi-final too, so there’s another wedge of cash & TV money again. So it is worth a few million, if it’s money that is important.
A mix of 1st team & squad players should be good enough to get past Orient & Sheff United, who we would have played in the next round. Players are fitter than ever (and paid loads), but they seem to be unable to play as many games as they used to. It’s a joke
I SAID, if the cups aren’t worth anything, then it’s a waste of time. A club like Villa should be able to be in with a shout of winning them. It’s a sport, the point of which at this level is to win things.
Under Lambert with the Bradford semi-final and easy draws to the semi-finals in the FA Cup, if we’d not been knocked out, Villa could have had a couple of Wembley trips under Lambert without much effort if he could set a team up to win against lower league teams! It’s a big shame and a missed opportunity.
It’s good to have positive memories , but not when they are so strong that they prevent seeing the reality that is the present time ! Of course it would be great for Villa to have another cup win or even just a trip to Wembly , but most supporters before the match were happy with the team that was put out . . But at least we only were defeated by a solitary late goal unlike our frequent cup match nemesis who suffered a 4 goal thrashing by Donkey
I don’t think my positive memories prevent me seeing the ‘reality that is the present time’!
well soni & teri amazing how nothing changes inthe critism stakes .As for 80% possession where oh were do the experts come up with such figuresas possession might be 9 tenths of the law but means little if the team with the ball can do nowt with it !
What the statistics show is that either the strikers are consistently missing the target or real opportunities are not being created from midfield…… or actually both of those. Equally disturbing is the statistic that we conceded seven goals in those two games last season and with better finishing from Newcastle and Orient could well have conceded another seven with the supposedly revamped defence in the last two! We appear to have only one plan (another statistic!) – give the opposition 80% possession and when the opposition over-press we break fast on them. When, as with Newcastle, the opposition are prepared to maintain their shape and build patiently they get 60% possession, plenty of chances and we don’t get a kick in the penalty area! In reality it is not a bad squad – but where, Mr Lambert, is the organization, the teamwork and togetherness and what is plan B?
amazing how many experts there are who can equate one set of statistics to 2 different seasons & come up with the explanation that the 4 points Villa have secured this season mean nothing
amazing thing statistics but other than to show what the article says what do they proove ?
And if they are so usefull do they show why Villa aint scoring ?
It proves Villa aren’t too hot going forward and are unlikely to win many games if the trend continues!
Really ! So we have less of a presence in the oppositions box ? —But having watched both of this seasons league matches that’s clearly not true . And that is a vast improvement on last season when except from set pieces it was rare to see Villa any where near the opositions box . But what the stats seem not to show is that Villa are failing to capitalise on the vastly improved number of scoring opportunities they are creating compared to last season . But yes goals win matches and Villa need to start turning opportunities into goals without Benteke & Kozak . But there’s still a couple of days untill it’s deadline day so perhaps we may yet get a creative midfield player in . Alternatively perhaps it’s time for Robinson to get another chance to bag a brace or 2 for the seniors as he does for the U21’s