Five Year Flashback: Down And Out In Donny

[eamonn]

Well, five years and five days + five days.

A reminder that even in our recent past things were, er, a bit worse.
Strangely, I don't think there's much difference in quality in today's side (even with current injuries) to five years ago. Dolly really fucked-up in his last year.
Most worryingly of all though, if we lost to Doncaster 3-0 right now would it be that surprising?

Doncaster 3-0 Aston Villa
    

Doncaster deservedly reached the Carling Cup quarter-finals after dumping Villa out of the competition.
Man-of-the-match Michael McIndoe gave Doncaster a first-half lead with a calmly taken penalty following Liam Ridgewell's handball.

Early in the second-half Paul Heffernan added another, sidefooting in after he picked up Lewis Guy's pass.

Sean Thornton heaped further misery on a lacklustre Villa, his deflected shot rippling into the top corner.

Doncaster had knocked out Manchester City in the second round, though they had needed penalties to do so.

Such was the quality of Doncaster's play against Villa that scenario was never on the cards.

Indeed so assured were Dave Penney's side they looked more like a Premier League side than their embarrassed visitors.

Villa's chief tormentor was left-winger McIndoe, whose jinking runs and crossing ability constantly troubled their defence.

It was a McIndoe pass that freed Dave Mulligan, his low cross drawing the game's first save as Thomas Sorensen clutched the ball.

   
  I don't think there's a Villa fan alive who is not totally embarrassed by that shambles 
From BR
Have Your Say on 606


McIndoe then had a shot of his own - an effort that went narrowly wide - after he was released by Heffernan's astute pass.

Fittingly given his impressive start it was McIndoe who gave Doncaster the lead after Ridgewell was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area following a James Coppinger's cross.

McIndoe held his nerve to slot the ball into the corner of the net as Sorensen dived the wrong way.

Just past the hour McIndoe's wonderful shot - hit with the outside of boot - narrowly went wide as the Doncaster winger continued to bewitch the Villa defence.

If Villa were left chasing McIndoe's shadow they also never really got to grips with Heffernan's partnership with Guy in attack.

On 53 minutes that partnership bore fruit as Lewis and Heffernan linked superbly.

Lewis delicately touched a Mulligan pass into Heffernan's path and this time the Doncaster striker made no mistake, sidefooting past Sorensen.

Thornton was another prodigious influence for Doncaster in midfield and he capped a fine performance by scoring their third goal.

With 12 minutes to go the former Sunderland midfielder skipped over a couple of Villa tackles, before his powerful shot took a deflection off the hapless Ridgewell to arc over Sorensen.

If Villa's defending left something to be desired, their attack was even less effective, so much so that Dino Seremet did not have a save to make in the game.

After Doncaster's first goal Gareth Barry went close for the visitors with a backward header and a driven shot.

Mulligan almost diverted that Barry shot into his own net as he tried to clear and he was mightily relieved when the ball was gathered up by Seremet.

Just before the interval James Milner went desperately close for Villa when his curling shot almost found the top corner of the net.

Milan Baros claimed a penalty after he was upended by Steve Foster, but the Czech Republic's plea was ignored.


Doncaster manager Dave Penney:

"It was a great goal for Sean and he is looking much brighter and sharper these days and long may that continue.
"It is fantastic for us to get into the last eight."

"It doesn't get anywhere near when we got back in the Football League but it is up there.

"We caused them a lot of problems, we stopped them playing and we passed it well and to keep a clean sheet against a Premiership side is excellent."


Aston Villa manager David O'Leary:

"I thought big decisions went for them which influenced the game.
"The second goal was a poor goal on our behalf and an important goal - it was important for us to get the next goal after the interval.

"Good luck to Doncaster, they're a good footballing side and try to play football. They've beaten Manchester City and ourselves.

"In the second half they were better than us. We came here not with a patched up side but to win and do well. We've got to move on and start climbing the league."

Doncaster: Seremet, Fenton, Stephen Roberts, Foster, Mulligan, Coppinger, Thornton, Ravenhill, McIndoe, Guy (Green 87), Heffernan.
Subs Not Used: Budtz, Fortune-West, Oji, Neil Roberts.

Goals: McIndoe 20 pen, Heffernan 53, Thornton 79.

Aston Villa: Sorensen, Hughes, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Samuel (Phillips 59), Milner, McCann, Davis, Barry, Angel, Baros.
Subs Not Used: Hendrie, Taylor, De la Cruz, Moore.

Booked: Samuel.

Att: 10,590.

Ref: M Dean (Cheshire).

[ozzjim]

With the injuries or without, that side is not bad in comparison. Worrying when you think of how much mad mart spent - we have shockingly stood very still.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

With the injuries or without, that side is not bad in comparison. Worrying when you think of how much mad mart spent - we have shockingly stood very still.

6th place for 3 seasons is very still, shockingly so when you look at how we had consistently finished better than that before MON came in...oh, hang on, we didn't. We were shit. For many years.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Bit harsh to compare this side to that. Would the side 5 years ago have outplayed Man Utd, for example?

[Marlon's Hairy Wood]

Went there as an optimistic 15/16 year old

My friend had too many cans and was sick on the island outside the ground, little britain style

a sad night all round

[PeterWithe]

The worst thing about it was that on the way up none of us expected to win, against frigging Doncaster.

[darren woolley]

There's no way we are that bad we will get through this mini blip we are on.

[cdward]

There's no way we are that bad we will get through this mini blip we are on.

 Monday night against Liverpool and last weeks first half against the Arse, tells me different.

[eamonn]

With the injuries or without, that side is not bad in comparison. Worrying when you think of how much mad mart spent - we have shockingly stood very still.

6th place for 3 seasons is very still, shockingly so when you look at how we had consistently finished better than that before MON came in...oh, hang on, we didn't. We were shit. For many years.

Except when we weren't in O'Dreary's first two seasons and Gregory's time and...

O'Neill did consistently well, three years running,  but the revisionism to suggest he brought us to unparalleled heights in our recent history doesn't ring true.

[PeterWithesShin]

The result and performance I am most ashamed of in 35 years of following Villa. 3-0 flattered us.

And yes, I would be shocked if we lost 3-0 to a slightly above Division 3 side right now. Our reserves shouldn't lose 3-0 to a slightly above average Division 3 side.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I was in the car park after watching the players get back on the coach, then OLeary came out and was signing autographs for a few donny fans still there.
In a completely non confrontational manner I calmly said to him "Excuse Mr OLeary, could you please give me any reason why I have just watched the worst display by an Aston Villa team in 40 years? ". He looked up at me, paused for a moment, then turned round and walked off.
 

[curiousorange]

I was in a rehearsal room learning a bunch of covers for a band I was in. At the time I was the kind of fan that would break out in a seat if forced to miss injury time in a 0-0 borefest. I distinctly remember putting down my guitar, picking up my mobile, checking the latest score, tutting and picking up my guitar again.

[*shellac*]

I was in a rehearsal room learning a bunch of covers for a band I was in. At the time I was the kind of fan that would break out in a seat if forced to miss injury time in a 0-0 borefest. I distinctly remember putting down my guitar, picking up my mobile, checking the latest score, tutting and picking up my guitar again.

You didn't smashed your guitar?

[curiousorange]

I was in a rehearsal room learning a bunch of covers for a band I was in. At the time I was the kind of fan that would break out in a seat if forced to miss injury time in a 0-0 borefest. I distinctly remember putting down my guitar, picking up my mobile, checking the latest score, tutting and picking up my guitar again.

You didn't smashed your guitar?

Nah, no point. I knew then we were about as shit as we've probably ever been.

[gervilla]

I was doing a computer course that night so had to record the game on Sky. When the course was over and I was walking home to watch the game I turned my phone back on. It went mental. I must have had about 20 text messages. I knew that was a bad sign. I decided to leave them unread and watched the game when I got home. Shouldn't have bothered.