MISSING: Nationwide search now on – Has anyone seen Aston Villa’s confidence?

March 5, 2009 by Martin Banks
Filed under: Aston Villa, Match Reports 
missing

If found please return to the 11 men in Aston with their heads down

For a team built on danger, last night we didn’t even look capable of scaring my cat (my cat is a great big fanny btw, a proper little chicken s**t). We spent the majority of the first hour whaling the ball upfield like a Sunday morning pub team, and almost everytime it was won by a blue head anyway.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t encourage the long ball game, but if it will help us through a few games and get us wins when we are having  a rocky period then OK, I’ll take it. So surely this is a big part of why we bought Heskey; to win the header and bring it down for someone like Gabby to run onto. Did he do that even once last night? I can’t think of an occasion. So we ended up playing ‘poor long ball football’, one of the ugliest styles of football there is!

So with our back up plan failing and our usual game stifled, Villa looked seriously low on confidence pretty soon into the game. The goal reinforced our dropped heads and for the next 45 minutes we played very bluntly. We didn’t cave and let City in all that much, to our credit, but we also didn’t look sharp or likely to score. A lot of the game took part in the middle of the park, with us giving the ball away cheaply far too much.

When we reached the hour mark, our midfield perked up, beginning to pass the ball (and actually reach the intended target at last) taking control of the game, and for the last half hour we dominated the game. But for all that domination, we never really looked like we were going to score unless a chunk of luck came our way.

Our defence looked pretty shaky, particularly on the counter and we relied on Brad Friedel a few times, then when Milner went to right back I feared the worst, but the midfield mostly held the ball away from the defence (excepting the second goal of course).

Yet again Ashley Young was wasting surges with crosses that went to no-one, Aggy was very inneffective and Heskey did very little of beneficial consequence. Carew came on in the second half for Curtis Davies which helped to pluck us up and, if we had the fabled-goal-poacher I keep harping on about, we could’ve at very least got a draw last night. But no-one on the pitch seemed all that likely to put the ball over the line.

Another disappointing result in a very poor few weeks for Villa. We all knew a rocky patch was going to come, but we all hoped it wouldn’t last this long, or come right before a tough string of fixtures. Both have happened. Should we panic now?


Comments

5 Comments on MISSING: Nationwide search now on – Has anyone seen Aston Villa’s confidence?

  1. Na-Sei on Thu, 5th Mar 2009 10:50

    2. Aston Villa Are Sooooooo Crap! Ur game has been Sussed out. Now u have to break teams down & show how good u are. Hitting it long dwn to agbonlahor and young is a obvious tactic now, that long ball is NOT working, MON tactically is garbage. Heskey that big donkey must be bumming MON because he always plays but can’t ever score, what a shame!
    No win 6 and I can see that becoming no win in 10! U thought 4th spot was sewn up! Remember it’s a Marathon not a SPRINT! u guys are running out of steam, watch us over take u and open up a gap on u guys!! With Walcott, rosicky, fabregas, adebayor and eduardo back for us in the next 2 weeks then I can’t see how we won’t finish top 4. The big 4 will stay the big 4. U should have been happy with UEFA Cup but that jumping fool MON wanted to go toe to toe with wenger, the nerve of the guy!!! Enjoy finishing 6th!!

  2. jammin18 on Thu, 5th Mar 2009 11:16

    3. I’m not actually that worried. While we are having a bad patch.. the Arsenal have been in a bad patch all season. I mean come on the first time they manage to score in 4 games and its against the bottom team in the league! Bet you wished that you had worked out our game before we come a totally dicapitated you at the emerates stadium and did they tbeat us at our place….. big fat no on that one. We have got some tough fixtures coming up but so have the Arsenal and with their inability to score goals I can see it going right down to the wire. Arsenal are still scared and we are still in front. You just need to look at the last 3 games of the season to see how close it is going to be:-

    Villa:

    Fulham (a)
    Middlesbourough (a)
    Newcastle (H)

    compared to Arsenal:

    Chelsea (H)
    Man Utd (A)
    Stoke (H)

    Arsenal will not beat Utd and I doubt they will beat Chelsea and with Stoke probably battling for their lives on the final day of the season I can see Stoke getting something from this just like they did at Villa.

    So all you Arsenal Fans thinking you are going to walk it…. think on, far from it.

  3. mb on Thu, 5th Mar 2009 13:28

    4. Na-Sei (or ‘RUDE BOY’ judging by your poor ability at spelling and gramatical correctness) – I agree we are hitting a bad patch and look short on ideas, but if we don’t finish fourth it will be because we lost it, not because Arsenal suddenly pulled it out of the bag (though if Arsenal do finish fourth you can expect the Voyeur to make out that it was all part of his master plan and that he had fourth in the bag the whole time). We may not stay in fourth, but we’ve been here for most of the season with your sorry lot lagging behind, so don’t make out that suddenly Voyeur, cry baby Gallas and the bunch of jolly foreigners are the business, your season proves you are simply a top half of mid table team….aiiiiight.

  4. Shaun on Fri, 6th Mar 2009 7:39

    5. I doubt we (the Arse) will walk it, and AV have been exceptional in keeping their run going the whole season. It will surely be a close end to the season.

    I am sure we can all agree though that the next 4 games will define how the end of the season goes. You have a tough run of fixtures coming up…. the spuds, Manshitster and the liverpudlians all in a row whereas we have a far easier few weeks. In saying that, with our new Patrick Vieira – Alexandre Song – I am sure we will coast those games… or maybe not.

    Either way, I think Wenger has lost the plot this season, some of his decisions and irrefutable stubborness borders on a genius gone mad. So even if we do steal 4th back from you, I am a bit worried about next season (i refer back to our triumvate of world beaters, Song, Bendtner and Eboue who are all apparently beyond being dropped).

    I digress, good lot to you chaps in the run in, but I am backing the Arse to steal back 4th. Just one thing, MB, “your season proves you are simply a top half of mid table team”….. while belittling your own team by saying that, perhaps you should refrain from saying that until we are out of the CL. A strong run in the CL will surely prove that we do have a team somewhere in that squad of players who on their day with their right attitude CAN beat anyone. After all, we have beaten Man UTD, Chelsea and drew with Liverpool this season. Of course this cues a loss to Roma next week and us being knocked out of the CL. d’oh.

  5. Jordan on Fri, 6th Mar 2009 16:27

    6. If we can manage to stay 3 points clear of Arsenal (and it won’t be easy) by the time we get Bouma and Laursen back then we still have a pretty good chance. That’s IF we can get Gabby back on form and somehow make O’Neill see that Carew is better than Heskey.
    But i’m not critisising the manager that has made us believe again. At the start of the season we’d have killed to be in this position (with maybe a better run in the cups).
    Still all to play for though but at the minute, after the last 6 games, it’s hard to muster up some opptimism…but muster i shall!!!! COME ON THE VILLA!!!

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