Points When Awful Are Key

It's that slow a news day today, even MON has resorted to answering these types of questions.

I'm actually sorry I'm going to ruin what looks like quite an informative frontpage today with this. But I can't find anything else and I've been umming and arrhhing for a good few hours about what to do. JF gets the whip out if I don't do something you see, and whilst that's generally enjoyable, it can sting when it's this cold.

Anyway, that's my attempt at providing comment on the interview carried on the official site, and it also serves to pad this out a bit. Yes I'm that desperate.

Martin O'Neill has announced in response to probably the daftest question of the year, that the key to Villa's league progression this season and for the future is to win games when we are not on top form.

Further, O'Neill points out that the top sides in the Premiership generally come out of poor performance matches with all 3 points, and it's this type of 'ruthless streak' we need to develop if we are serious about mounting a top four challenge.

I'm amazed I even managed to get that bit to span 3 paragraphs. I'm doing well here.

The Boss said:

'I think we have a very good team and we work exceptionally hard to get results.

'But we have to learn to develop this consistency and learn to win games when we aren't playing well.

'We have done it once this season - at Villa Park against Blackburn.

'Those other teams - the ones we are chasing and the ones we are trying to catch in every aspect - have got that in abundance.

'They can win games if they are not in great positions - they can afford to have a 10 or 15 minute period where things aren't going great for them - and still win.

'I think they are capable of doing that. We have to learn that.'

So there you go. Obvious isn't it really, not like we as fans have bemoaned for years the times we walk out for kick off looking like a team that has already lost, and never mentioned ourselves it's about time we killed games off - which to our credit we have started to do.

I'd have actually liked to have heard how O'Neill was going to teach this ruthless streak. Maybe the players would have 30 minutes of 'killing a frozen chicken' before a tactics lesson?

An hour of 'you can't move from your position, work out how to score', obviously to make it harder the opposition can move.

That would've interested me. As it is, given the complete lack of news I've seen anywhere today I don't blame MON nor who asked the questions.

Think of the pressure I'm under to create an article on a slow day, must be far worse for them.

Yes you all can complain to Fear, I won't take it personally.

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