Jump to content

Goals (or lack of)


ermie123

Recommended Posts

Certainly we look likely to avoid conceding 60+ goals as we have in each of Lambert's last two seasons, but - getting back on topic - unless we start scoring a lot more goals, we are heading for our worst season for a long time.

 

At our current rate of scoring we would scrape around 20 goals this season, far lower than McLeish's 37 or Last season's 39.

Edited by briny_ear
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We don't score because we don't move.  The players ahead of the ball stay ahead of the ball and those behind the ball stay behind the ball.  Even in the periods of good possession (of which there are few) we are static like a shop window display.  Predictable players being found in predictable positions doing pretty much what you would expect them to do with the ball is not a recipe for breaking a team down.  For me this is absolutely a coaching issue, there is no good reason why the player in possession should not have a couple of options to make a pass. Also with a 3 in midfield once a while one of them should be found ahead of the strikers.

What really confuses me is that we have had this problem for years and under many different coaches.  It isn't even as though we can say we don't have players capable of passing and moving as the main bit that is wrong is the moving.  I don't care how technically limited the current lot are, they can all move (honorable exception for Darren Bent).  They would all look better players if they did move, as they would have more high completion % passes on and would lose the ball less. 

Are they frozen by fear, are they coached to pass and stand still, has the footballing philosophy of the club changed?  I've no idea, and as I said earlier there is no good reason for the static nature of the team, but it has been a consistent problem pretty much since the end of the MON era, which covers a decent turn over in managers, coaching staff and players. 

All I know is that it makes us pretty desperate to watch.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure what I've said wrong.

Goal scoring is an issue and our current rate would see us finish with 21 goals.

It should pick up now benteke is back but I think its a valid concern.

 

We'll score more than 21 goals in the league this season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure what I've said wrong.

Goal scoring is an issue and our current rate would see us finish with 21 goals.

It should pick up now benteke is back but I think its a valid concern.

We'll score more than 21 goals in the league this season.

We probably will but that's what we're on course for.

We'll have to start scoring much more if we don't want a record low for us. If anythings gonna keep us in a relegation battle it will be lack of goals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just had a look at the lowest amount scored and survive in the prem and the amount is 29 goals.

If benteke scores 1 in 2 for the rest of the year and doesn't miss a game that would take us to 20 goals.

Have we got another 9 in the team? I'd say maybe just.

Edited by DCJonah
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Of the teams who escaped relegation despite scoring very few goals Leeds United top the list with just 28 goals scored in 96/97.  They actually finished 11th that year. 

 

Man City in 06/07 (14th) and Sunderland in 01/02 (17th) both survived with 29 goals.

 

It looks to me like we have a really good shot at adding to our Premier League best/worst stats by breaking the record of fewest goals scored whilst not getting relegated.  Whilst it pains me to think of us failing to score 17+ goals in the next 19 games the evidence of the first 19 games is pretty powerful. 

 

Other Prem fun Villa stats are:

 

Most draws in a season (38 games): 17 in 06/07 AND 11/12

Most total draws: 256 (possibly more after this weekend)

Most penalties conceded: 47 (home), 93 (away)

 

Disclaimer: I know that there was football before the Prem started, but I really can't be arsed to search beyond a quick google.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of the teams who escaped relegation despite scoring very few goals Leeds United top the list with just 28 goals scored in 96/97.  They actually finished 11th that year. 

 

Man City in 06/07 (14th) and Sunderland in 01/02 (17th) both survived with 29 goals.

 

It looks to me like we have a really good shot at adding to our Premier League best/worst stats by breaking the record of fewest goals scored whilst not getting relegated.  Whilst it pains me to think of us failing to score 17+ goals in the next 19 games the evidence of the first 19 games is pretty powerful. 

 

Other Prem fun Villa stats are:

 

Most draws in a season (38 games): 17 in 06/07 AND 11/12

Most total draws: 256 (possibly more after this weekend)

Most penalties conceded: 47 (home), 93 (away)

 

Disclaimer: I know that there was football before the Prem started, but I really can't be arsed to search beyond a quick google.

As I have previously alluded to, no Premiership team has ever stayed up scoring fewer than 28 goals in a season and only on 3 out of the 19 Premiership seasons since 38 games became the norm have teams survived scoring less than 32 goals in a season.

 

Even if we are to achieve the lofty heights of scoring the absolute previous lowest of 28 we have to score another 17 goals in the next 19 games and up our scoring rate from just over 0.57 goals per game to just over 0.89 goals per game for the remainder of the season.

 

Either that or hardly ever concede a goal and hope to scrape some 0-0 draws and 1-0 wins along the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think we look less like scoring now, then when Guzan used to boot the ball down the pitch - sad but true.  Im certainly not paying £750 a year to watch the ball being passed sideways at walking pace - has someone told Lambert this is a good idea ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think we look less like scoring now, then when Guzan used to boot the ball down the pitch - sad but true.  Im certainly not paying £750 a year to watch the ball being passed sideways at walking pace - has someone told Lambert this is a good idea ?

But don't you think the defence has improved???? :D

Edited by foreveryoung
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When Lambert was at Norwich they played really expansive football and scored goals for fun. They also conceded way too many. 

 

Hughton took over and tried to make them more solid, but then they struggled creatively and he ultimately paid the price.

 

It is a difficult balance and in some respects I have sympathy with Lambert. He knows it isn't right at the moment - but he has very few options at his disposal.

 

Hopefully Benteke being back will add a goal threat and then if he can bring in the likes of Joe Cole for the odd cameo role here and there, we might have a bit more guile. As it is, we have lots of energy in midfield but it is all sideways and backways. Confidence clearly plays a part too.

This really puzzles me, i loved to watch Norwich play back in those days and was really excited when Paul Lambert had agreed to join us. For whatever reason he just hasn't carried on in the same vein. I still want to back him and keeping thinking it will all turn around soon and we'll become this free flowing outfit that Norwich once were. Maybe he's under orders just not to be relegated and therefore cannot play the same type of football that Norwich did, i suppose after all when Norwich get relegated it's not the same shock wave as if it happened to us? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We don't score because we don't move.  The players ahead of the ball stay ahead of the ball and those behind the ball stay behind the ball.  Even in the periods of good possession (of which there are few) we are static like a shop window display.  Predictable players being found in predictable positions doing pretty much what you would expect them to do with the ball is not a recipe for breaking a team down.  For me this is absolutely a coaching issue, there is no good reason why the player in possession should not have a couple of options to make a pass. Also with a 3 in midfield once a while one of them should be found ahead of the strikers.

What really confuses me is that we have had this problem for years and under many different coaches.  It isn't even as though we can say we don't have players capable of passing and moving as the main bit that is wrong is the moving.  I don't care how technically limited the current lot are, they can all move (honorable exception for Darren Bent).  They would all look better players if they did move, as they would have more high completion % passes on and would lose the ball less. 

Are they frozen by fear, are they coached to pass and stand still, has the footballing philosophy of the club changed?  I've no idea, and as I said earlier there is no good reason for the static nature of the team, but it has been a consistent problem pretty much since the end of the MON era, which covers a decent turn over in managers, coaching staff and players. 

All I know is that it makes us pretty desperate to watch.

Amen.

 

I think it's Lambert, 

I watch all the Villa games and I'll use Hutton as an example, sometimes he bombs forward and supports the wide man but in some games he stays back, rarely getting involved further up the pitch and making sure he's back to defend, even when we have good possession, then suddenly he'll play the rest of the game pushing on and trying to help the attack.

 

I have noted this happening in the 40th minute, 55th minute, around the 60's and as late as the 75th so surely it's part of a plan. As a pretty professional player I'd imagine he's the type of listen to the manger, you'd hope that rings true throughout the team, but if he's detailed to go forward at X,Y and Z times it surely has to be Lambert playing negatively, or safely, and hoping for a counter goal....I don't mind counter but I do wonder if it needs a bit more quality/dynamism to work....

 

The players following the pass thing is baffling to me, you can see Cleverley does it (clearly a Utd trait) but guys like Gabby think a pass is job done and on too many occasions wander around instead of supporting/drawing a player out of position.

Edited by itdoesntmatterwhatthissay
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

. He knows it isn't right at the moment - 

 

 

 

You don't pay someone a million pound a year to know the same as us.....you pay them that sum to come up with the solutions.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...
Â