Sixer’s Sevens: SAFC 0 Aston Villa 1 – the goal drought continues

by
Jake gives Sixer star billing

M Salut’s mercy dash to be at the side of our ailing team has left me, John Mac, looking after the shop again, so Pete Sixsmith’s full-time text had to wend its way over the Pennines for the second time to bring you the seven words which summarise an afternoon full of hope, anticipation and apprehension.

Jake knows it will be a long winter

Nov 3 2012 SAFC 0 (0) Aston Villa 1 (0) Another abject performance. A long winter looms

Oct 30 2012 Capital One Cup Fourth Round: SAFC 0 (0) Middlesbrough 1 (1) Plan B even worse than plan A

Oct 27 2012 Stoke City (0) 0 SAFC (0) 0 Don’t bother with MoTD: a real stinker

Oct 21 2012 SAFC (0) 1 Newcastle United (1) 1 Got out of jail. Just about deserved

Oct 6 2012 Manchester City (1) 3 SAFC (0) 0 Never gave up but City simply better.

Sept 29 2012 SAFC (0) 1 Wigan Athletic (0) 0 Scrappy performance but a win’s a win

Sept 25 2012 Capital One Cup 3rd Round: MK Dons (0) 0 SAFC (0) 2 Second goal settles nerves for comfortable win

Sept 22 2012 West Ham United (0) 1 SAFC (1) 1 Need to be more positive when ahead

Sept 15 2012 SAFC (1) Liverpool (0) 1 More than happy to take a point

Sept 1 2012 Swansea City (1) 2 SAFC (2) 2 *Lack of ambition against 10 cost points

Aug 28 2012 Capital One Cup Round 2: SAFC (1) 2 Morecambe (0) 0 Shrimps potted as we stroll to victory

Aug 18 2012 Arsenal (0) 0 SAFC (0) 0 Gritty, determined and a well earned point

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11 thoughts on “Sixer’s Sevens: SAFC 0 Aston Villa 1 – the goal drought continues”

  1. Like your optimism ifos and wish I could share it. We never consistently threatened a side below us in the league. The next three games are against teams who score on a regular basis. I see more doom and gloom coming along. Hope I am very, very wrong.

    • Like ifos I thought yesterday was better in that we threatened more, played the game in the opposition half much more than we had in previous games. I thought Sess and Johnson put in a better performance but….there is still not enough movement off the ball and it is worrying that Fletcher feels he needs to drift out wide so often. That in itself isn’t a bad thing but it is when no-one is taking up the space he vacates. Had the game come on the back of a couple of victories I think people would be more positive. The fact that it has come after a string of matches in which we have never looked like scoring is the worry. By the time the next home game comes around we could be in the dogfight around the relegation spots.

  2. Normally I agree with Pete’s view of the match, but in this case I think he’s a mile out. We most certainly did create issues for the Villa defence and had more chances than the rest of the season put together. I thought Sess looked more like his old self, Johnson actually managed to create some space and we actually forced their keeper into some saves. I thought we were the better side for much of the game, and without Benteke. Villa would have been penned in for the entire 90 minutes.
    Cold comfort possibly, but I walked away feeling more positive than after the derby, a match in which we manged to paper over cracks through an own goal. This time their were fewer cracks to paper over.

    • I agree with ifos … at least we had a go at them on Saturday and it was an improvement on previous games. I hope confidence doesn’t slide else the team will with it…

  3. Agreed Ian.What has happened to the energy and busyness that were such features of the side when Martin O’Neill first took over?

  4. One word: frustrating.
    This was a game that I was expecting to win.
    We lack that elusive quality: confidence. Where has it gone, and why?
    I was hoping to see Rose on and getting down the left. And more creativity to get Fletcher in, but no. We need more energy to take a chance and get in and around the box. But I think our players are a little defensive minded so they don’t take that chance because they know they’ll have to get back to their defensive positions quickly if the opposition break.

  6. John, we were very poor. No pace, no creativity and your defence was never put under any real pressure. I would much rather be Paul Lambert (young team, plenty of energy and a midfield that moves) than Martin O’Neill, who really has to sit down and think about how he can change things.
    If there is one thing in football I know lots about, it is a relegation team – and that looked like one.

  7. Villa fan here – I don’t think that you lot were as bad as the final whistle boos let on. There was some great play down the left wing, and you truly looked dangerous for a while. Fletcher just needs a decent striker/AMC to play alongside to bring it all together. If I was a Sunderland fan, the sight of our striker putting in crosses would concern me. He should be on the end of them, not delivering them.

    Martin O’Neill is a fantastic man manager, and did very well for us while he was here. True, he made some diabolical decisions in the transfer market, but he still gave us three top six finishes, so don’t write him off just yet!

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