Sunderland v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[exiled on the wirral!]

I followed the game via the match thread (the first time I've done that in absolute ages) and from the impression I got was we were absolute shite. Then I read and listen to a few reports and I find out that actually we played quite well in stages and should have won by more.
Who cares anyway. A win is a win is a win.

Totally agree..i followed the game on here whilst having sky and Five Live on. On here it was another shambolic performance..Ian Dowie at the game was saying we were the better team and looked like scoring at any time and the BBC reporter said we could have won by 3-4 goals. Yet despite this some people just keep on banging on about possesion stats!!

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Definitely an improvement. Gabby was a real leader today and Vlaar made a difference. Just happy to take the points but PL now realises we need some experience and composure. A LB and no 10 and another solid CH and we can finish mid table without all the pressure of last season ......

[ciggiesnbeer]

I followed the game via the match thread (the first time I've done that in absolute ages) and from the impression I got was we were absolute shite. Then I read and listen to a few reports and I find out that actually we played quite well in stages and should have won by more.
Who cares anyway. A win is a win is a win.

The match thread is a really unrepresentative barometer of the way we are playing. I've noticed that several times.

Not so much because people are overly dramatic or owt, but because frequently the posts are of five or six words in length, so it's hard to read much subtlety into what people say. It can be easy to get a more dismal view of how we are playing from that thread.

Some of us also get carried away during a game. I admit to being something of a bedwetter during match threads. I revert to my smug, self satisfied, happy clapper demeanor after the final whistle blows.

[KevinGage]

Much better today.

Not faultless by any means, but we looked so much calmer at the back with Vlaar returning.  That gave us the platform for the win.  Slumberland -for all their possession- didn't look much of a threat.

Any prospective players looking at us as an option in the transfer window will (hopefully) see us as comfortably mid-table. 

[SoccerHQ]

Deserved win. Good win aswell, I know Sunderland are bottom but they've become tricky to beat at SOL and I still have a feeling they'll stay up.

Gabby should really be the first name on our teamsheet away from home, just essential to how we play on the road. Great to have Vlaar back aswell, we just look so much more composed at the back with less panicky clearences for a start.

If Sunderland had scored in the last few minutes, I'd have told Albrighton to make his own way back to Birmingham. Terrible miss from what was a really good passing move from us of about I think 15 passes all around the pitch.

And what was with the 5 minutes extra at the end? There were no goals in the second half and only 3 subs made so surely it wasn't the case of a home team losing so the ref just adds on 4-5 minutes to keep the locals happy?! The mug even added an extra minute on top of the 5!

[rob_bridge]

So I'm watching Match of the Day tonight.  Shplendid.

Me too. Does Des Lynham still present it?

Jimmy Hill I think

It's midweek so Sportsnight with Coleman tonight!

Are you sure Harry Carpenter hasn't got this week's slot?

[eastie]

Emotions will always run high on the match thread - I would say 0-3 wouldn't have flattered us today , as benteke, Delph and albrighton all missed good chances besides others, away from home you would expect to have less possession and sunderland created little .

We didn't play particularly well but we did what we had to do and got a very important win .

[Toronto Villa]

most of their shots were a mile over or either side of the bar. If we settle for giving the opposition those for the rest of the season and improve our own quality of finishing we'll be fine. Yes, once in a while those go in (see Gayle v Palace) but again the stats can be deceiving if you consider they had 18 shots, but 17 were decent to completely shit.

[SoccerHQ]

Amazed at the negativity on the first few pages. Yes I know this season has turned a bit shite but today we scored a goal, didn't concede and I'm thinking of Benteke chance off the line, Albrighton's sitter and a couple of decent Mannone saves as more to add to the scoreline.

Sunderland had 1 shot on target so very much like us at home for most of this season and no one is claiming the home results have been harsh on us as they haven't.

Sunderland have been tricky to play recently at SOL. Beat Man .City a few weeks back and only lost by one goal to Spurs and Chelsea, they were leading in both games.

Any away win in the premier league is a good one even if you have to battle for it. 4 away wins now so us away from home doesn't concern me in the slightest, even the standard of football.

What concerns me is how horrid we are to watch at Villa Park and the stats of two home wins reflects that so that needs to be urgently fixed.

[Monty]

Definitely the best thing from today was how almost completely unworried we were in defence. Even when Vlaar went off they had nothing.

[abc123cox]

Vlaar was huge for us today, he adds the steel to our defence, even when he went off his influence was still showing. Hope his calf heels quickly he'll be massive against Gunners.

[Ron Manager]

For a large part of the 84th minute we played as I want to see us to play.

Forget Albrightons miss. He is doing alright.

[SoccerHQ]

Definitely the best thing from today was how almost completely unworried we were in defence. Even when Vlaar went off they had nothing.

And yet they scored 3 against Chelsea a few weeks back and should've scored a few at VP. In fairness we are a bit of a bogey side for them, think we've now won on 4 of our last 6 visits to SOL so hope they stay up!

[l_mckay]

3 very important points that's all that matters.

[Dave Clark Five]

Vlaar played a captain's game. He supported our players when in trouble with the ref but did it in a decent way instead of the Man Utd way. When we saw him outside Villa Park several weeks ago, all the other players had gone. Ron was last in the car park but still walked over to talk to some kids. I hope he gets through his tendency to pick up injuries and continues to play for us for a long time.