Aston Villa’s Carling Cup defeat at home to Bolton was horrid. Villa were at home. Bolton had been playing particularly poorly as of late. Bolton made numerous changes from their last league game.
Villa played arguably its strongest available XI when form and fitness were taken into account. Still Villa could not muster a shot on target until the 87th minute, and that shot was a header from James Collins on a corner kick.
If I was at Villa Park I am not sure I would have joined in with the rest of the fans in booing the lads off the field, but I can’t really find fault with those who did.
The positive minded sect of the club’s support, of whom I would consider myself a member, are pointing to the fact that this was the club’s first loss of the season. While that is true, the club has only won one game as well.
Race car driver Richard Petty was once asked what his secret was to winning a race. His response was that he had no control over whether or not he won or not. There are so many things that can happen during a race over which the driver has no control. The only thing he said was within his control was putting himself in a position to win as many races as possible. He knew that if he gave himself a chance to win more often than the other drivers, he would win more than his share of races. Aston Villa Football Club has not been putting itself in position to win matches nearly enough.
The opening match away at Fulham, Villa created little, Shay Given made a few fine saves, and they left with a share of the points. The match felt like two prizefighters feeling each other out in the first round of a 12 round fight. Although not a great performance, it was not the worst start of a season.
What followed was the only performance of the season that we can all agree was a fine effort, when the club comfortably defeated Blackburn at home. The performance in the derby with Wolves was reminiscent of Tuesday’s debacle. If Wolves weren’t content themselves to settle for a point and equally as uninspired on the day they easily could have taken all three points.
Away to Everton the club was horrible in the first half. Ken McNaught was ripping them on the AVTV commentary. They were fortunate that Petrov scored his screamer from 35 yards out, and that Gabby converted one of the few chances the club actually created.
This past weekend at home to Newcastle as soon as the magpies equalized it never felt like Villa would retake the lead. As for Bolton on Tuesday, Villa was so poor even Jack Woodward was criticizing the performance.
So far this season the club has delivered exactly one performance where they won, deserved to win, and it felt like they were going to win at any point during the match. Yes, the club could be in a worse position, and some of these results taken individually are not bad, and the club is still unbeaten in the league.
As Alex McLeish himself has stated, wins are what propel any football club up the table. Draws are better than nothing. Managers and players use them all the time to cover their rear ends with cliches like “We got something from the game” or “we’ll take the point away from home.”
But in the big picture, draws are like a starving man eating dirt. Dirt, in and of itself, cannot sustain life, but it does have enough nutrients to prolong life. In other words you starve more slowly. If this club does not start winning matches the decent down the table will begin.
The fact remains this club has not been in position to win matches nearly enough. This is just fuel to the fire for Alex McLeish’s critics. After Tuesday we can all agree the honeymoon is over if it ever existed.
Last week I thought the club needed more creativity, and the addition of Bannan and Albrighton did not help at all against Bolton.
The one positive I can see is that the club have a number of established players who have not performed whom given fitness should be expected to revert to their previous form. After all, Darren Bent and Charles N’Zogbia can’t be this bad forever.
The door is wide open for Jermaine Jenas to come into the team given this run of uninspired performances, perhaps he can make a difference. Whatever changes are made this football club has to remember how to get back on the front foot again or this could perhaps be a long season of awful uninspired football.
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