So we just about manage to finish yet another game with 11 men. When was the last time we kept a clean sheet away?
last year we left with no points and conceeded 6 goals. This year we left with a point and a clean sheet. We had chances, but we are improving as a team. Stoke was far more disappointing
Dreadful second half of football. We scrapped the whole idea of keeping the ball and passing it on the deck from the very off. Fletch Isolated against two center backs. We offered nowt but the crossbar chance. Villa shocking too. Always happy with an away point even if the performance let me down. Clean sheet a plus.
we should have nicked i, really. giacc grew into the game, deence was v solid altho dossena wasflagging 2nd half. if i can criticise, there was limited chemistry up front/final third which needs sorting if we're going to be a real threat in matches....but hopefully that will start clicking sooner than later
Diego Poyet ‏@diegopoyet7 12m Good day at Villa park. Enjoyed sitting in the away end amongst the Sunderland fans �� pic.twitter.com/J6broba2UG Guess hes on his way!
Surprised Altidore didnt get a run out. Fletch still doesnt look back to his best and Altidore is a better all round player imo. I guess Poyet wants to keep some of lads refreshed for the upcoming christmas period deluge of games.
Don't think he got any service, at all, came short for everything. Was a right handfull in the first half, dissapointed like everyone in the second. Would have like d to have seen Jozy on myself but he'd only had been isolated and excluded.
Very surprised by such a negative reaction on here. Although we didn't create enough clear chances, we kept the ball well and were comfortably the better team, particularly in the 1st half. The new style of play is also great to watch, after years of hopeful punts we now pass and pass until we can move up the field together. Fletch is a little isolated but he's excellent with his back to goal so when we add a better attacking LB and maybe one or two others this system will be great.
But it went out the window completely in the second half. That really disappointed me. Chuffed with the point, not chuffed with the hit and hope second half where fletch was isolated and outnumbered
I know what you mean Bri but I think that's inaccurate. Villa had to make an adjustment at HT to preven manone passing to Brown/Ki as easily so more so than in the 1st half we had to go slit tale more direct. Don't think they were hit and hope balls though. Think they were long passes into fletch rather than chipped balls into areas like we've seen under our last 4/5 managers. Have a little more patience, they are still working on a very significant change in tactics. I enjoyed it so much I'm even going to west ham ;-)
Think you're getting me wrong mate. I'm happy, and I'm not being impatient. I've been one of the posters pushing for this style play when MoN was in charge. Just saying how I saw the dreadful second half (for both teams). I'm not going to say they've played well that half when they didn't and that doesn't mean I've lost faith or ran out of patience with the new philosophy. Away point and a Clean Sheet. I'm happy.
