Patrick Kinmartin has looked at goals and Shay Given today. So if we score first against Man U (some chance) we could get something (only joking of course).

OPENING DELAYS

James Collins’ 18th-minute header on Monday night gave Aston Villa the first shot on goal of the 1-1 draw. In the last six games that the team has posted the match’s first shot on goal, Villa has lost only once and scored first three times.

But lately there has been significant fading in the fight to land that first punch, so to speak. In the last 10 matches, opponents are getting the first shot on goal at an average of six minutes quicker. Below is a full look at how the team is drifting further away from its match opposition in the quest for drawing first fire.

Average Time Of First SOG
2011-2012 Season

Matches 1-11
Aston Villa: 25th minute
Opposition: 23rd minute

Matches 12-22
Aston Villa: 19th minute
Opposition: 20th minute

Matches 23-33
Aston Villa: 26th minute
Opposition: 20th minute

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GIVEN TAKE

By looking at the Premier League’s “acrobat” saves category (saves which are pushed wide, blocked, parried, punched, tipped over or stopped with feet), the way Shay Given has been protected relatively well in front of the net this season is apparent.

In the list below, each percentage shows what portion of the keeper’s total saves have been non-acrobat saves. Given, for instance, has made 76 total saves this year — 50 of which don’t fall into the acrobat category. That means 65 percent of his saves haven’t been pushed wide, blocked, parried, punched, tipped over or stopped with feet.

That figure is ninth among the league’s top 10 rates, which are all shown in this graphic.

Percent Of Non-Acrobat Saves
75.0 Mark Schwarzer, Fulham
72.3 Asmir Begovic, Stoke City
72.0 Pepe Reina, Liverpool
70.6 John Ruddy, Norwich
70.1 Ben Foster, West Brom
67.5 Peter Cech, Chelsea
67.3 Tim Krul, Newcastle
66.0 Wayne Hennessey, Wolverhampton
65.7 Shay Given, ASTON VILLA
63.8 Wojciech Szczesny, Arsenal

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STATES MAN

Below is a quick update on how Robbie Keane has fared for the Los Angeles Galaxy in the U.S. since leaving Villa when his loan term expired.

Keane has been productive as usual for the Galaxy, which as a team has encountered surprising struggles against squads regarded as much lighter in stature (one win and meanwhile losses to Salt Lake, New England and Kansas City, dropping L.A. into last place in Major League Soccer’s West Division.)

Here are a few of Keane’s measures in the most integral categories, including the overall player contribution index scored by Castrol, followed in parenthesis by his rank among all players in MLS….

Category (MLS Rank)
Goals Scored: 3 (5th)

Shots on Goal: 9 (6th)

Total Shots: 18 (5th)

Castrol Index: 917 (4th)

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