Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: MarkM on January 06, 2012, 10:23:19 AM
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As we are just over half way through the season, and with all the discussions around the manager and direction of the club, I thought it might be worthwhile having a midseason review.
This will only relate to the League games played thus far.
Games Played: 20
Won: 5
Drawn: 8
Lost: 7
Points: 23
Points won at home: 11
Average points per home game: 1.1
Points won away: 12
Average points per away game: 1.2
Average points won per game home and away: 1.15
Goals scored at home: 11 average of 1.1 per game
Goals conceded at home: 13 average of 1.3 per game
Goals scored away: 11 average of 1.1 per game
Goals conceded away: 13 average of 1.3 per game
A question that needs to be asked is: are we improving?
Points for the first 10 games: 12
Points for the last 10 games: 11
Points for the last 5 games: 4
Points for the last 5 home games: 3 [none in the last four]
Points for the last 5 away games: 8
If things continue in the second half as they have in first half of the season, [the evidence does not show that there will be much of a change] then we can expect to finish on about 44 points.
This points total should [emphasising’ should’] keep us up. However as we know the clubs at the bottom can be expected to be scrapping for their lives, and we have to ask ourselves does AVFC under the current leadership have the fight and desire to fight as hard?
Please feel free to correct any of my maths!!
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The last 5 games thing is a bit misleading considering who we've played in that run.
Other than that, it's pretty much as you'd expect. A samll improvement could see us comfortably in the top half and a small dip in form could see us dangerously close to the relegation places. Thus is the lot in life of a mid table side.
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Your maths is good, it's your politics I'm concerned about :)
As it is, I think our results will be better over the second half of the season than the first, and we'll finish on over 50 points.
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Started solidly enough which I can understand as AM couldn't afford to lose many.
However, we don't create anywhere near enough chances and thus don't score enough goals.
We don't seem to know what our best team is or what is our best system is for that team, whatever it is. It's said that 'Good teams pick themselves' so I suppose that says it all.
We cannot seem to defend routine set pieces and our early season defensive improvments have largely reverted back to the good old days under GH. This is the most surprising aspect of our play under AM.
On the plus side AM has got Gabby playing in a far better position for us and I think Ireland is starting to look like he's interested at last. We show flashes of having something that can be built on if we iron out the defensive frailties buy buying another Centre Back - one of real quality.
My worry is if we get dragged into a real relegation battle we'll struggle to survive as we have few natural leaders and a Manager that has a track record of failing to get out of them.
Also, we cannot afford to sell Darren Bent.
Overall a C - from me.
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What will be worrying is if we get some injuries all at once. Take our defence early March last season. Bolton away: Walker, Young, Clark & Baker. Then Wolves at home: Walker, Cuellar, Herd & Baker.
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Pretty nasty first half of the season - for the me the least enjoyable since 2005/06. However the green shoots of recovery can be seen (if you look hard). Think we will improve marginally in the second half but will not make 50 points. 12th - 15th place awaits.
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No better or worse than I was expecting.
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Could do better.
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That pretty much covers it.
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As expected, underwhelming.
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Started solidly enough which I can understand as AM couldn't afford to lose many.
However, we don't create anywhere near enough chances and thus don't score enough goals.
We don't seem to know what our best team is or what is our best system is for that team, whatever it is. It's said that 'Good teams pick themselves' so I suppose that says it all.
We cannot seem to defend routine set pieces and our early season defensive improvments have largely reverted back to the good old days under GH. This is the most surprising aspect of our play under AM.
On the plus side AM has got Gabby playing in a far better position for us and I think Ireland is starting to look like he's interested at last. We show flashes of having something that can be built on if we iron out the defensive frailties buy buying another Centre Back - one of real quality.
My worry is if we get dragged into a real relegation battle we'll struggle to survive as we have few natural leaders and a Manager that has a track record of failing to get out of them.
Also, we cannot afford to sell Darren Bent.
Overall a C - from me.
Agree with all of that. Another plus I'd add is Shay Given, who I think was a great signing, and to be fair Brad Guzan, who hasn't done a lot wrong while filling in for him.
Hopes for the second half of the season
- Clark stays in the team.
- We sell at least one of Dunne or Collins.
- Cuellar signs a new contract and is given a decent run in the team in his proper position.
- Enda Stevens turns out to be a gem and displaces Warnock who disappears never to be seen again.
- The end of Heskey as a Villa player.
- We find a way to accomodate both Gabby and Bent.
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Very uninspiring, limited direction, very inconsistant, lack of flair. 5/10
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Yep, exactly as expected.
Dull and uninspiring for the majority.
On occasions atrocious, other occasions good.
The Swansea game aside, there have been some promising points of recent. The recent excellent form of Stephen Ireland being the most important of these.
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Lots of room for improvement.
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Yep, exactly as expected.
Dull and uninspiring for the majority.
On occasions atrocious, other occasions good.
My thoughts too.
The way we picked up in the 2nd half of last season we should not be in the position we are now but as stated above, exactly as expected.
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C-
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We've won only five from twenty, beating only Blackburn, Wigan and Norwich at home, Bolton and Chelsea away (spot the freak result in that lot!).
We've drawn eight from twenty, largely those teams we'd be expecting to be around about us in terms of league position and would normally expect to, and usually do, beat.
We've lost seven from twenty, including some abject performances home and away where we didn't even turn up!
I would argue that we've only had one really good result in twenty, plus four wins that should be 'routine'.
It's not a case of 'could do better' because that statement merely papers over the cracks of what is season long relegation form!
The saddest part of all the above is that most of us expected no better from a manager with proven relegation 'credentials' and a board with no ambition or balls!
Thankfully there are at least five teams beneath us who thus far have been worse than we have, and who have between them provided us with almost half of our 23 points. We have an identical record so far to Fulham, who have played about 15 games more than us in Europe!
Something needs to change, something needs to be pulled from a hat. Sadly I don't believe that McLeish has the abilty OR that the board has the desire.
I just hope that those five teams continue to be poorer than us, because I can't see us getting any better! :(
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We've won only five from twenty, beating only Blackburn, Wigan and Norwich at home, Bolton and Chelsea away (spot the freak result in that lot!).
Yes, we never beat Wigan at home.
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MarkM:
Some clever dick worked out for Talksport that because of the way the Premiership is, the safety mark of about 41points normally, a team will need something like 43/44 pts this time.
That puts us right in the mix doesn't it.
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So at least 3 of the bottom 5 are going to dramatically increase their points to game ratio in the next 18 games? Can't see it myself, all 3 relegated clubs will be sub 40 points in my opinion.
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The one worry I have is that the 2nd half of the season looks harder than the 1st. We also have to play the bottom teams away from home and these will be crucial matches that we must get points from.
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The one worry I have is that the 2nd half of the season looks harder than the 1st. We also have to play the bottom teams away from home and these will be crucial matches that we must get points from.
Agree, and Villa often stumble in the 2nd ( at least that's how it feels) and pick up towards the end, I really wouldn't want to chance AM with a last minute rescue.
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We've won only five from twenty, beating only Blackburn, Wigan and Norwich at home, Bolton and Chelsea away (spot the freak result in that lot!).
Yes, we never beat Wigan at home.
Good for you! If the highlight of the year is beating Wigan at home, and if that's the only thing about my post that you could disagree with, that says it all really! Should we not be aspiring to more than that?
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The one worry I have is that the 2nd half of the season looks harder than the 1st. We also have to play the bottom teams away from home and these will be crucial matches that we must get points from.
Agree, and Villa often stumble in the 2nd ( at least that's how it feels) and pick up towards the end, I really wouldn't want to chance AM with a last minute rescue.
He won't be able to turn it round, he's proven that twice already.
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The one worry I have is that the 2nd half of the season looks harder than the 1st. We also have to play the bottom teams away from home and these will be crucial matches that we must get points from.
Agree, and Villa often stumble in the 2nd ( at least that's how it feels) and pick up towards the end, I really wouldn't want to chance AM with a last minute rescue.
He won't be able to turn it round, he's proven that twice already.
Exaccerly!
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just we could pass to each other, like other teams do
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A bit of perspective If that lot had of got beaten by us in the LC QF they might have stayed up and we might have gone down.
The 3 games proceeding the Swansea game looked like he had worked out how to get the best out of the resources we have and then Warnock gives the game away.
Then the idiot thinks its a good idea to take on Robbie Keane.
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emabarrasing. Losing at home to Albion and Swansea - nuff said. Delighted with a 0-0 draw against Stoke? Yeah right.
the Chelsea win - remeniscent of the 2-0 against Inter in 1990, which was the only highlight of a similarly abysmal season.
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The one worry I have is that the 2nd half of the season looks harder than the 1st.
How is the 2nd half of the season going to be more difficult?? Are Barcelona being drafted in to replace Bolton? Bayern Munich for Blackburn??
This was never going to be an easy year. 5 full or part time managers in a year, the loss of our starting wide men, disquiet among the fans, belt tightening by the money man...
It's not been pretty for the most part, I think I've probably enjoyed watching 3 games this season.
The last few games we seem to have started to find some shape, the return of Albrighton and the emergence of Ireland from his self imposed exile up his arsehole have given us an extra edge.
We need to find a way of getting Gabby and Bent to function as a forward line who can work with those 2 and N'zogbia, the attacking frustration of the season for me.
I live in hope. As usual.
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emabarrasing. Losing at home to Albion and Swansea - nuff said. Delighted with a 0-0 draw against Stoke? Yeah right.
the Chelsea win - remeniscent of the 2-0 against Inter in 1990, which was the only highlight of a similarly abysmal season.I think every one saw that the performances from the Arsenal game onwards was a huge improvement on what had gone on before, then we fuck up at home to Swansea and want robbie Keane
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Sort of... mmm... yeah. Alright. Meh. Blurg. Sums up my opinions.
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Could go either way i reckon and i'm pretty sure no-one knows if we'll finish mid-table or in the shit.. We've looked abysmal at times, promising occasionally and desperately average for the majority. Thing is outside the top7 desperately average could mean 8th or relegation. I've no idea where we'll finish frankly.
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It looked like he had found the right blance with Gabby up top, Allbrighton an Zog wide, Clark, Petrov Ireland in the centre.
More importantly the attitude and style of play was working.
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The one worry I have is that the 2nd half of the season looks harder than the 1st.
How is the 2nd half of the season going to be more difficult?? Are Barcelona being drafted in to replace Bolton? Bayern Munich for Blackburn??
I have said it before, there are more than enough worse teams than us to see us safe. My worry is that it will be closer than it should have been, particulary as the fixtures look harder in the 2nd half of the season.
So you think things are going to be easier in the 2nd half of the season. You have listed some reasons other than the fixtures that you think made the 1st half of the season difficult. I could list others that could make the 2nd half far more difficult. Granted, the replacements for Young and Downing have taken time to bed in.
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Top six is given, as Newcastle are running out of steam. Everton will probably climb to seventh in time.
It seems that there is starting to form a gap between the distinctly average and the distinctly shit - the latter group consisting of the bottom five. Norwich or Swansea might drop down the table and make it a bottom six. I think we're sadly among the worst teams in the distinctly average group and stick with my opinion that we'll finish 14th. However, the difference in quality between the teams are so small that injuries/other random factors can play a part.
If we sell Bent, which would surprise me, we could drop into a relegation scrap, though.
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A distinctly average start with three good performances later only one of which we got any points from and several terrible performances where we also got no joy.
These "must win" games seem to be every week now (apart from the ones against "giants" which we expect to lose).
Must do better. D+
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If I saw the table at the beginning of the season , I would not be suprised . Its been dull , frustrating , negative but so expected . A couple of good games but we deserve more than that .
C-
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I'm disappointed with the first half of the season but I hope we get better in the second half we can't get any worse.
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Crap. The football has been dire to watch largely.
Plus points are that the players seem to like McLeish. Frankly I'd rather they hated him and played a lot better. Also Alby, Zog and Ireland are hitting form.
If we lose Bent, it could be a blessing in disguise. Our team isn't set up to get the best of him, and we've actually played better with Gabby up top on his own.
We won't go down...hopefully. Of course we could sell Bent and the impact could be more than I and some think, especially as Gabby's hit a dry spell. But a decent Yak/Ba type of signing to get us goals and it'll be okay.
For me though we can't carry Bent if he's only gonna have 100 touches all season. He might grab 10-15 goals, but we need more from him, and so do his teammates.
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Hated pretty much all of it apart from the wins v the relegation fodder and Chelsea away and Norwich home which was actually a decent watch.
I expect more of the same in the second half of the season with some FA cup heartbreak.
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We went from "Works well when cornered like a rat", to "fails to achieve the abysmal standards they set themselves" and are now "Aim low, avoid disappointment and achieve your goals".
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D.
Must do better. Alex has a poor record in comparison with his peers. He thinks he is as good as them but his reports to not support his confidence.
Alex is a nice young man who wants to succeed. However, hard work is not enough and until Alex studies modern methods he will continue to fail.
Alex, you have come from a deprived background but we are positive that you will succeed if you study current teaching very, very hard. And aim much higher.
Otherwise we will have to hold you back a year and drop you into the lower class. For your own good. We feel it is where you belong. Don't let your Family down. It is up to you young man.
On probation. D