Sunderland vs Aston Villa Match Thread

[Toronto Villa]

QPR equalize versus Derby

[XXVilla]

Just one goal Barnsley

[Villa in Denmark]

qpr have equalised against Derby.

[SoccerHQ]

5 minutes added on at Cardiff.

Hopefully Barnsley will get a corner or something.

Would be a big boost for Cardiff to drop points before their hard run of games start.

[German James]

Oooh!

[Villa in Denmark]

Another  good  break from Grealish

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I don't think we are going to equalise.
It's just not our night. 

[Villafirst]

Only 7 points behind Wolves......They'll lose at Leeds tomorrow night and again on Saturday. So we'll only be 4 points behind them come Saturday night....

[manic-road]

Get in roll on the weekend.

[Villafirst]

Monk out!!

[jwarry]

Lost count how many times Hourihane has given the ball away tonight

[Boz]

Only 7 points behind Wolves......They'll lose at Leeds tomorrow night and again on Saturday. So we'll only be 4 points behind them come Saturday night....

If they are being investigated for financial irregularities, they could lose some points if found guilty of wrong doing

[themossman]

Look at the stats in the Cardiff game. 40% possession at home against Barnsley. I know the league doesn’t lie and all that but they really aren’t a good team.

We're hardly possesion kings ourselves, 43% tonight according to the site I'm looking at.

Not saying we are and struck me as I typed it that they are Bruce style stats and he would get a panning for them.

Possession stats in the offensive half is the one that matters, possession in your own half doesn't mean much. Shots on target are a better indicator IMO

Agree to a point although Barcelona, say, would be relatively inefficient in terms of shots on target vs possession.

In reality stats can mask the reality of who carries the biggest threat in a game. And on that point I’d add that every time I’ve watched  Cardiff play this season they've made my eyes bleed.

[paul_e]

Look at the stats in the Cardiff game. 40% possession at home against Barnsley. I know the league doesn’t lie and all that but they really aren’t a good team.

We're hardly possesion kings ourselves, 43% tonight according to the site I'm looking at.

Not saying we are and struck me as I typed it that they are Bruce style stats and he would get a panning for them.

Possession stats in the offensive half is the one that matters, possession in your own half doesn't mean much. Shots on target are a better indicator IMO

Agree to a point although Barcelona, say, would be relatively inefficient in terms of shots on target vs possession.

In reality stats can mask the reality of who carries the biggest threat in a game. And on that point I’d add that every time I’ve watched  Cardiff play this season they've made my eyes bleed.

Lower possession with a plan of how to use pace on the counter, etc is fine.  When Bruce was getting criticism we were getting ~40% and not really offering a threat either.  I don't think shots on target is all that useful a stat either though, for me it's all about efficiency when you get into the final 3rd.  If that ratio is good you'll win a lot more often.

On Barca, their possession is actually a defensive tactic just as much as the way they close the ball is.  Most of their chances come from someone breaking out of the possession pattern, it's almost as if they're playing counter-attack whilst dominating the ball.

[SashasGrandad]

We now have enough points to be certain of avoiding relegation!

And being caught by Small Heath!