Here’s a new grim reaper stat for you…Villa have now failed to score in 11 of their 20 games this season (21 if you count the League Cup game) A run that includes four of the last five games, and in 39 of Paul Lambert’s 96 league games at the helm, a 40% failure rate to hit the onion bag that is the worst in the Premier League in that period.
13 teams have scored at least twice the amount of goals Villa have this season, while five teams have scored at least triple the amount of goals Villa have.
It’s makes for pretty depressing reading, but here’s five reasons to be cheerful as Aston Villa fans…
1. Defensive Steel
Outside the current Top four no team has conceded less goals than Villa. It was always a problem under Lambert in his first two seasons, but all seems solid now. This is especially encouraging when factoring the amount of injuries and line-up changes it’s endured at centre-back.
Certainly having stronger defensively-minded full backs in Hutton and Cissokho has helped a great deal, as has the emergence of Carlos Sanchez as a proper defensive midfielder.
The Villa defence has been vital though, as it’s been the only thing keeping the club from being rock bottom in the league. Considering with 11, we’ve scored six less goals than the next lowest scorer in the league Burnley, it’s been certain relegation form the other end of the field.
It’s interesting to compare Villa’s situation with Southampton, the Saints have managed to concede seven less goals than Villa and managed to score over triple the amount of Villa’s goals.
2. Carlos Sanchez
I’ve given him a couple of shout outs before in Five Reasons and he remains perhaps the only player outside the defence that is doing a decent job.
The stats also back this up. Sanchez was villa’s leading passer with 100 successful passes from 117 attempts.
Following him was Bacuna with 79 out of 94. Okore was third with 62 successful from 66. Tom Cleverley was fourth with 46 successful from 53.
The most worrying statistic though was Sanchez was also No.1 for attacking third passes with 14 successful from 21 attempts in total. He’s a defensive midfielder, so what exactly are the rest of the midfield doing?
3. 2015 Records
Villa are unbeaten in 2015 and no team has scored past them in the New Year also.
4. Lambert Spin
As Lambert pointed out in his Palace post-match interview, Villa have now only lost two games in their last 10. Not bad…but what he didn’t say is they have only won two games in their last 16, which is pretty shocking stuff.
5. Villa Daughter does Late Father Proud
As you would have read by now, 16-year-old Emily Jones and her 71-year-old dad Brian both attended the Aston Villa vs Sunderland game on 28th December, but minutes after the game finished, her father suffered a major cardiac arrest after getting into his car, parked off Aston Hall Road.
Emily then organised a 71st minute applause at the following Villa game against Palace which went off very successfully.
Some fans say the minute’s applause is over-used. Nonsense. For such tributes, it stands as a shining demonstration of solidarity and a sense of community amongst supporters at Villa Park. It’s increasingly rare to see people come together like this in the real world, so it should be encouraged.
As someone who also used to make the pilgrimage from Lincoln to Villa Park when I was Emily’s age, I’d like to wish her all the best for the future and also give a shout out to Villa supporter Gary Birch, who came to her assistance when her father had his cardiac arrest.
*The club have invited Emily and her family to be their guests at the weekend’s FA Cup tie. Nice touch.
UTV
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does c gale ever go to matches to see the crap football.get your head out your bum mate,wake up
Hunty along with a lot of hot air . do you get your stats from out your arse ? certainly sounds like that as the only Stat that matter are when the Fat Lady sings at end of season and all the whingers go into hiding !
Teri I don’t think you’d recogised a constructive comment even if it slapped you round the lug holes 10 times or more but then I would expect nothing different from one who is only good @ name calling !
Teri why don’t you just give in and call yourself Cheif whinger ? you know you would not be happy with out reason to moan !
Naw you can’t be a real fan they support their club through the good & the bad times ! Your like all the plastic supporters of top 4 clubs who live in & around Brum and only want the glory of supporting a top club . As for where I live it’s currently up North surrounded by real fans of the Northern clubs , and no Ive never lived in Small Heath , but I was born many years ago in Brum in the home of a Villa supporter ( my grandfather )
You deserve obuse kranky. How dare you paint such a rosy picture. How you call PL a poor manager. If fact how you call him a manager at all?. I dont bother going now after being a regular since 1957. Im not sure my heart would take all the fantastic entertainment! I wont go until hes gone. But unfortunately that wont be until we are in the championship.
I think the Championship pill might have to be swallowed before the board would ever act…and even then, it’s not guaranteed.
yes there does seem to be a few fans who relish the idea of a visiting the championship as a means of attaining a change of ownership , but then some of those did not want an owner with total control of the club
Sorry mate 🙁
That apaology was aimed at jinksy by the way.
Can’t even spell after seeing the Blackpool game. “apology”
Thought you claimed to be older than me Teri ,or are you just trying to claim not to be the forgetfull old dodderer you seem to be ? As for them who claim to be a footie team playing on Coucil rubbish tip in Smal Heath are you sure it’s not you who are a nose ? You seem to snivell enough to be one !
Lambert must be the luckiest manager in football.
Managers far better than him have been sacked for far less.
We all know, even Mcleish has a better record. Proves how bad he really is.
R.I.P. Brian Jones, and condolences to the family. And may tributes such as that at the ground continue.
I’m growing weary of having to be negative about our results, I just want to be able to type glowing reports on games, and praise players, and manager.
It’s not to be is it. Even with the much heralded “new style of play” by PL, there’s still a failure to achieve the ultimate objective in football, score goals, and win games, apart from the entertainment of course (pause to sigh). Can’t give him time, he’s had two and a half seasons to sort things out, this is on par with his much trumpeted “project” which quietly disappeared without a word.
The win rate under PL at Villa, is a miserable 29.63%, that says it all, and our scoring achievement, if you can call it that, is astoundingly dire.
The man is in the comfort zone, with a long contract, and the full backing of an owner who now has a Fox in charge at the club. He is a failure. Nothing more than that. UTV
My deepest condolences to Mr B Joneses family,having
Just returned from mass etc,RIP
There is no reason to be cheerful as long as Lambert
and Lerner remain , the 29,000 gate proves why thousands
Of fans want these changes. So stay away and force them
Out its the only way to break their destructive failure. If you
Want change Bycott
No the drop in attendance figures just proves how bad public transport can be as there were many tweets from fans pre match stating that they could not get to the match because of cancelled rail services
As ever C.Gale appears as an apologist for the dire stuff on view at VP.
So, why was there only 28,336 vs Hull.
Why was there only 25,311 vs Saints.
Why was there only 27,692 vs Leicester.
And, why is the average attendance this season so far just 30,947?
Take the blinkers off, open your eyes man, and realise fans are sick of the football and the results under this poor manager!
I await a barrage of abuse and biased views.
Just as it’s easy to invent statistics to propve a point one does not have to look far to find explanations for most things including low attendance figures . And of course when funds are tight, as they are for many ,going to matches especially when performances are poor & the vocal few who take delight in whinging & whining at the slightest of excuses make it even less of a good experience,many will stay away
Invent stats? Check mine, but I see your latest invented stat is lack of funds. I think lack of decent management at VP.
I’ve often wanted to go back to the late sixties. Sometimes, I’ve even wanted to revisit the early eighties. What I’ve never wanted to do was utterly recreate the 2011-12 season. But that’s exactly what Prof McLeishbert and his imaginary assistant Marty McFly seem to want to do. WTFJH.
Lambert is actually out-McLeishing McLeish at the moment!