FM09: Official Aston Villa F.C. Thread

[Tweaked]

Time for the end of 2009 update. December 31st:

So far my squad is looking good. Had a few injuries but because of much improved depth its not been too much of a problem. Hulk is currently my star player with 18 goals and 7 assists in 19 games, with an average rating of 7.43. For average ratings my other best players are Guilherme at left back with 7.25, Steven Defour with 7.16, Miguel Veloso with 7.12 and Alexis Sanchez with 7.16. Marquinhos hasnt really impressed as of yet, and with at £22.5Million im a little disapointed. But now he has been at the club for 4-5months im hoping he will settle more and start improving. He hasnt been a bad player, fairly consistant performances actually, but just hasnt really stood out with only 1 goal and 5 assists. As for my other summer signings ive been quite pleased considering they are young players i signed. Jack Collison has done really well but went down with a broken leg for 6 months. Henri Lansbury has done well in the games he has played, as has Jack Wilshere, both look like they will do well for me in the future. Mamadou Sakho has been a little inconsistent but im hoping he will improve over the season. Joe Mattock has been really impressive as well with an average rating of 7.13 from 7 starts at left back.

As for the competitions im progressing well. I havent played an FA Cup game yet but ive got Portsmouth in the third round. Ive beaten off Hull, Southend and Cardiff to get to the semi-finals of the League Cup, a pretty easy road there but ive got Tottenham in the semi's. I was doing really well in the Premier League, leading it at one stage and always only 3 points between me and the top spot, but a recent poor run has dropped me to 4th, 6 points behind the leaders Chelsea. A perticular highlight was my 2-0 win against Arsenal. However my last 3 games were a 2-1 loss at home to Liverpool, a 1-0 loss away to Manchester United, and a 1-0 loss away to West Brom. Im hoping to get back on track soon though. I also lost to Chelsea in the Community Shield and European Super Cup.

[VV145]

You have offside trap on but are defending so deep??

Yeah, I was still new to the game & trying things out. It didn't seem to cause many problems though. Like many things on FM it's one that is counter-intuitive, but seems to work for a bit.

I moved from the 532 to 442 & variations of for a while, but have gone back to it now (without the deep defence & offside trap) & am doing much better - the 3x CB are solid defensively & lethal from corners with 2 of them going up to challenge (Davies getting a hat-trick from corners in one game the particular highlight). Also again certain players are much better WBs tha FBs.

[Ryan-CelticTalk.org]

I am about to start a Villa file with 9.3.0 update

Can someone give me a good tactic to use and any help on players to sign would be nice

[Tweaked]

If youre looking at starting with Villa i recommend selling Barry. On that patch Man City general approach, you can squeeze anywhere from £30Million to £40Million out of them, and that should set you up nicely to bring in some big players. I recommend bringing in Santon and Mattock as prospect replacements for Young and Shorey. I would then recommend a new goalkeeper because Friedel isnt quite up to the standards you would want for a top 4 challenging team. Centre midfield is a key area and I personally think the midfield is the most important part of any team. To replace Barry i would suggest making a big money signing like Moutinho or Defour. I have both in my team and they are simply sensational. Young is a high assisting winger so keep hold of him no matter what, and Milner may not be the most talented player, but he works harder than any other player ive seen and the pay off is very visable. As for strikers i would recommend brining in a new one. Hulk would be the best option as he is amazing for me, although he isnt normally available until January. For me he got 11 goals in 20 games season 1, and is so far on 18 goals in 20 games for me season 2.

[IlikeJellybeans]

Just about to start a career with Villa, looks good

[Tweaked]

Good to hear, keep us updated on your progress.

[Bigshow1985]

Following my previous thread in here that i signed Steven Gerrard for Villa and hen Fernando Torres, i can glady announce that i have won the English Premiership in my 2nd season, beating my 4th position finish in my 1st season. Along with that i am in an FA Cup Final against Chelski and a Champions League Final against either Chelski or Bayern.

Im more glad of these achievments becuase my club could go bankrupt if i hadnt done so well in my 2nd season, just because i done 90% of my transfers over months instead of paying upfront and it was crippling my club(dont really recommend doin this unless ur sure u will succeed with ur squad really quickly!).

Here is my squad:

GK- Akinfeev

RB- Rafael

LB- Zhirkov

CB- Agger

CB- Cuellar

RM- Young

LM- Ben Arfa

MC- Gerrard©

MC- Hamsik

FC- Torres

FC- Vagner love

Subs:

Friedel

Davies

Witsel

Veloso

Gardner

Palombo

Agbonlahor

My Club are currently 52M in the RED and if i hadny done so well this season i think my team will have went bust and had to sell the star players to raise cash. I very much doubt i will go to the extent of spending that i have done in this game next time i start a game, as it was worrying during the transfer window that my board might accept average offers for my players. Also my chairman lening the club 30M helped out with the running costs and cut it down slightly!

And this was acheived using the 9.3 database with no edits whatsoever and i will be more than happy to post screenies if someone instructs me how to do so.

I will inform u all after to let u know how i got on in my 2 finals.

P.s i do not cheat at this game and i have no time for anyone who does, as there would be no point in playing the game if u wer gonna cheat.

Well i completed my season with Villa and just failed to complete a historic treble.

Lost out in the FA Cup final against chelsea(1-2) after taking the lead through Steven Gerrard.

But on a more positive note i managed to win the Champions League against Bayern Munich(1-0) with Fernando Torres getting the goal. History repeating itself when Villa beat Bayern in the 1982 Final.

Will prob have to sell Cuellar and possibily Veloso(both being hunted by Real Madrid) in summer to raise funds for 2 new players(new CB + FC)

[JohnCarewsJockstrap]

I've just started my second season with Villa. Had a strange January transfer window though. Curtis Davies to Chelsea for 18m, Reo-Coker to Chelsea for 9m, and Petrov to Lyon for 8.5m to name a few.

Managed to finish 3rd in the Premiership, lost out in the semi's of the UEFA cup on PENALTIES to Man City, 18-17 the final count. Lost to Liverpool in the quarters of the League Cup, and Man City again in the semi's of the FA Cup. Managed to do some wheeling and dealing in July/August and have myself a squad capable of great things again this season.

--------------------Asenjo--------------------------

Santon----Cáceres (10m)--Zapata--Aurélio (2.5m)

----------Barry-----Veloso------Kacar (9m)------

Edú (free)----------------------------------Young

-------------------Owen (free)--------------------

Bench:

GK: Foster (free)

DL: Razvan Rat

DR: Barragán (2m)

DC: Carlos Cuellar

MC: Gardner

MC: Noble (2.5m)

AMRC: Milner

AMCRL: Nakamura (free)

FC: Podolski (9m)

FC: Gabby

[Tweaked]

Just a quick update now ive finished January 2010. Saw lots of attempts to sign my players, 3 major ones, but my valuations werent met. Juventus and Manchester United offered £8Million for Curtis Davies, but i wont let him go for any less than £15Million, and thats only because he is unhappy and wants to move on. Its a similar situation for Miguel Veloso and Alexis Sanchez. Both want to leave but ive put a price tag of £30Million of Miguel Veloso, and £20Million on Alexis Sanchez.

I made 4 signings in January, a couple of which may be over priced but overall im happy with them:

James Vaughan - £11.5Million from Everton - 3 goals in 2 games already.

Stephane Mbia - £14Million from Stade Rennais. Hasnt played yet as he was involved in the African Cup of nations.

Jack Rodwell - £2.5Million from Everton.

Jody Viviani - £1.8Million from AS Saint-Etienne. Good backup for Asenjo.

I was on a poor run of form coming into January with 3 losses in a row against Liverpool, Manchester United and West Brom. Things have picked up again now with a 1-1 draw against Portsmouth, a 2-0 win at Newcastle, a 1-0 win against Stoke, a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates (even though i was fielding a largely youth side because of injuries), and a 3-1 win against Bolton. I also beat Portsmouth in the FA Cup 3rd round, but lost at home to Liverpool in the 4th round. Ive managed to get to the League Cup final with a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane, and a 2-1 win at home in the second leg. Got a hard run ahead of me now with a Premier League games against Chelsea, Everton and Manchester City, and in between that i have 2 EURO Cup legs to play against Ajax, and the League Cup Final against Chelsea. However, after those games i have a bit of an easier run with games against Ipswich, Sunderland, Reading, Cardiff, Blackburn and Hull City. I should also mention that i am currently 3rd in the Premier League, 5 points behind Chelsea, and on level points with Liverpool with a game in hand.

[hitemfrank]

espite being on these pages for a while now ive never given an update of my progress......so here goes

currently in 2015/2016 and my team is pretty much made up of regens. i joined villa in 2009/2010 aftr having a good season with blackburn - i had started unemployed

of the players who were at villa when i joined only 2 are left - curtis davis and nigel de jong

my three world class regens i have at the moment;

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/1272/24060059.png (cost me £24 million)

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/2598/97755565.png (got on a free from genoa)

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/7686/58435888.png (cost me £6 million)

currently have £180 million in the bank so im hoping for a new stadium soon - 55000 just isn't enough

made most of my money from winning the premiership and champions league for the past 3 years - selling adriano for £18 million to inter two years after buying him for £3 million from inter was a nice help

ive somehow managed to spend £186 million in the 7 years ive been at villa. i have managed to get back £197 million so im quids in overall...

[Bigshow1985]

Following my previous thread in here that i signed Steven Gerrard for Villa and hen Fernando Torres, i can glady announce that i have won the English Premiership in my 2nd season, beating my 4th position finish in my 1st season. Along with that i am in an FA Cup Final against Chelski and a Champions League Final against either Chelski or Bayern.

Im more glad of these achievments becuase my club could go bankrupt if i hadnt done so well in my 2nd season, just because i done 90% of my transfers over months instead of paying upfront and it was crippling my club(dont really recommend doin this unless ur sure u will succeed with ur squad really quickly!).

Here is my squad:

GK- Akinfeev

RB- Rafael

LB- Zhirkov

CB- Agger

CB- Cuellar

RM- Young

LM- Ben Arfa

MC- Gerrard©

MC- Hamsik

FC- Torres

FC- Vagner love

Subs:

Friedel

Davies

Witsel

Veloso

Gardner

Palombo

Agbonlahor

My Club are currently 52M in the RED and if i hadny done so well this season i think my team will have went bust and had to sell the star players to raise cash. I very much doubt i will go to the extent of spending that i have done in this game next time i start a game, as it was worrying during the transfer window that my board might accept average offers for my players. Also my chairman lening the club 30M helped out with the running costs and cut it down slightly!

And this was acheived using the 9.3 database with no edits whatsoever and i will be more than happy to post screenies if someone instructs me how to do so.

I will inform u all after to let u know how i got on in my 2 finals.

P.s i do not cheat at this game and i have no time for anyone who does, as there would be no point in playing the game if u wer gonna cheat.

Well i completed my season with Villa and just failed to complete a historic treble.

Lost out in the FA Cup final against chelsea(1-2) after taking the lead through Steven Gerrard.

But on a more positive note i managed to win the Champions League against Bayern Munich(1-0) with Fernando Torres getting the goal. History repeating itself when Villa beat Bayern in the 1982 Final.

Will prob have to sell Cuellar and possibily Veloso(both being hunted by Real Madrid) in summer to raise funds for 2 new players(new CB + FC)

Well following the close season i have manged to bring in 2 world class players to replace the ''average'' remains in my squad. I decided to sell the following players to raise funds:

Craig Gardner to Sunderland (£6m)

Alex Witsel to wolves (£12m)

Martin Laursen to Everton (£2.5m)

Gabriel Agbonlahor to Sunderland (£9.5m)

Raising a total of £30m from the sale of these players and put together with the money my board gave me for transfers in the summer i went out and purchased Daniel Alves from Barcelona for £35m and to my total surprise Lionel Messi, who had a minimum fee of £39m.

I also brought in Gabriel Heinze(£1.2m) and Van Nistelrooy(£900k) for back up and a bit of experiance for the forthcoming season.

So for my new season my squad looks like this:

------------------------------AKINFEEV-----------------------------

DANI ALVES--------CUELLAR---------------AGGER-----------ZHIRKOV

--------------------GERRARD©----PALOMBO----------------------

YOUNG------------------------------------------------------MESSI

--------------------F.TORRES------V.LOVE------------------------

SUBS:

GUZAN

DAVIES

RAFAEL

BEN ARFA

VELOSO

HEINZE

VAN NISTELROOY

HAMSIK

BECKHAM

i will let u all know how my new squad get on in the new season but will have alot to live up to the previous season.

[tottivillarossi]

That team is depressing

Here's my team, 6th season:

Asenjo/Vercoutre

De Silvestri/Gunter

Jagielka

Davis/Coloccini

Mattock/Lescott

Milner/Alex Teixeira

Meireles/Owen (Regen)

Zucilini/Barry

Young/Buonaneotte

Balotelli/Delfouneso

Berbatov/Guilherme/Fleck

Inter didn't want Balotelli, so I got him for £6million, and Berbatov only cost me £3million. Brilliant coups if I say so myself.

Buonanotte cost me £20million though!

[Tweaked]

Well following the close season i have manged to bring in 2 world class players to replace the ''average'' remains in my squad. I decided to sell the following players to raise funds:

Craig Gardner to Sunderland (£6m)

Alex Witsel to wolves (£12m)

Martin Laursen to Everton (£2.5m)

Gabriel Agbonlahor to Sunderland (£9.5m)

Raising a total of £30m from the sale of these players and put together with the money my board gave me for transfers in the summer i went out and purchased Daniel Alves from Barcelona for £35m and to my total surprise Lionel Messi, who had a minimum fee of £39m.

I also brought in Gabriel Heinze(£1.2m) and Van Nistelrooy(£900k) for back up and a bit of experiance for the forthcoming season.

So for my new season my squad looks like this:

------------------------------AKINFEEV-----------------------------

DANI ALVES--------CUELLAR---------------AGGER-----------ZHIRKOV

--------------------GERRARD©----PALOMBO----------------------

YOUNG------------------------------------------------------MESSI

--------------------F.TORRES------V.LOVE------------------------

SUBS:

GUZAN

DAVIES

RAFAEL

BEN ARFA

VELOSO

HEINZE

VAN NISTELROOY

HAMSIK

BECKHAM

i will let u all know how my new squad get on in the new season but will have alot to live up to the previous season.

As much as you say it isnt so, and you shouldnt care what i think... but i personally believe you cheated with that team. I could accept 1 or maybe 2 big players signing.. but Alves, Gerrard, Torres, and MESSI! Im sorry but i personally think you cheated. I dont know what other people think, and it doesnt really matter what i think.. but im just explaining why i havent really achknowledged any of your posts.

[Tweaked]

Tottivillarossi nice team there and some great deals with Balotelli and Berbatov. How has Alex Teixeira been as ive been tracking him for a while now?

[Bigshow1985]

As much as you say it isnt so, and you shouldnt care what i think... but i personally believe you cheated with that team. I could accept 1 or maybe 2 big players signing.. but Alves, Gerrard, Torres, and MESSI! Im sorry but i personally think you cheated. I dont know what other people think, and it doesnt really matter what i think.. but im just explaining why i havent really achknowledged any of your posts.

well mate i will put ur oppinion to the side and ask u to play me online and i will show u that the team i have CAN be assembled by selling ur squad for big bucks, eg gareth barry to man city for 30m. then u can go out buy steven gerrard for 7.5m upfront and 40m over 24 months, plus 40m after 50 league goals. then try get a couple of players u can sign for chaep then sell them for more maybe a year later.

and also with my club currently in 65m debt, goes to show i aint cheating.

WHEN U PAY OVER MONTHS U ONLY GET A SMALL AMMOUNT TAKEN FROM UR TRANSFER BUGET

ALLOWING U TO SIGN MORE PLAYERS.

anyway the challenge is there, play me online and i will show u. cant say fairer than that.

[Welshace]

i think the actual issue isnt that you can afford it for me....

its that you can get gerrard and co to actually join villa....

i couldnt get gerrard to be interested in joing me until 4th season if i remember correctly... nevermind torres and co....

my verdict: edited

[Tweaked]

i think the actual issue isnt that you can afford it for me....

its that you can get gerrard and co to actually join villa....

i couldnt get gerrard to be interested in joing me until 4th season if i remember correctly... nevermind torres and co....

my verdict: edited

Yeh, thats more what i was refering to. Not the fact that you could afford them, moreso that you could get them to sign a contract.

[Bigshow1985]

Yeh, thats more what i was refering to. Not the fact that you could afford them, moreso that you could get them to sign a contract.

I firstly got an offer accepted for him, which he then rejected. which then came up with the headin ''gerrard underlines determination to stay put''. he then becomes unhappy because his club have accepted a bid and it says on his general happiness that hes ''considering his options''.

THEN i go back in for him and he still didnt want to come to my club. BUT..... after signing VAGNER LOVE which my board considered a big player signing, he seemed to want to discuss a contract. which he then accepted.

IF YOU DONT BELEIVE ME PLEASE DO AS I HAVE SAID AND TRY IT OUT ON A NEW SAVE.

then come back and appologise to me.

[Tweaked]

Im not going to create a new save just to see whether you have cheated, because i dont care if you did or not. I was merely stating that the reason behind me not responding to any of your posts was because i THINK you have cheated. I also THOUGHT that Manchester United would win the FA Cup in RL... but the damn Everton scum beat us lol. Back on topic... like i said, i dont really care whether you cheated or not, and that is why im not going to create a new save and do it myself.

But i will say, if you didnt cheat... well done, youve done what no one else thought possible. Especially me. Your team looks very strong although i think your next move would be to replace Agger.. when you get out of debt that is.

[Bigshow1985]

Im not going to create a new save just to see whether you have cheated, because i dont care if you did or not. I was merely stating that the reason behind me not responding to any of your posts was because i THINK you have cheated. I also THOUGHT that Manchester United would win the FA Cup in RL... but the damn Everton scum beat us lol. Back on topic... like i said, i dont really care whether you cheated or not, and that is why im not going to create a new save and do it myself.

But i will say, if you didnt cheat... well done, youve done what no one else thought possible. Especially me. Your team looks very strong although i think your next move would be to replace Agger.. when you get out of debt that is.

im unfortunately prob not gonna be able to buy anyone for the next couple of seasons as i have given out far too much over 24 month payments, plus my debt rocketed tonight as i payed liverpool £30m as Gerrard played 50 league games. I def wouldnt endorse doin what i did for every player, never mind to the extent i did as i now fear loosing key members of my squad for lower fee's accepted by my board.

[ballinisahabit]

You would of been better of bein City if you wanted unlimited funds to build a wonder team.

[Tweaked]

So season 2 has come to an end. And this is how it finished:

Premier League:

After a long faught battle between ASTON VILLA, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool I have finished 3rd on goal difference. Manchester United won the league easily, and i finished on the same points as second place Chelsea, but lost out because of 1 goal. Although this was slightly upsetting, im still pleased with the progress my team has made, and extremely happy at gaining a Champions League spot for next season. Manchester City finished 4th, 12 points behind me, with Arsenal 5th and Liverpool 6th. Blackburn, Cardiff and Ipswich were relegated.

FA Cup:

Crashed out in the 4th round after losing to Liverpool.

League Cup:

Wins against Hull City, Southend United, Cardiff City and Tottenham Hotspurs put me into the final where i faced Chelsea. My team put in a great performance with Hulk scoring twice to sink Chelski 3-1.

EURO Cup:

Qualified top of my group that i shared with Lazio, Aris and Banik Ostrava. Faced last years foes Ajax in the first knockout round an went through 4-2 on aggregate. Faced Sampdoria in the second knockout round and went through 3-1 on aggregate. Quater Finals i had Benfica and scraped through 2-1 on aggregate. Beat Villarreal in the semi's, 4-2 on aggregate, all thanks to a 2-0 win away. Faced off against Real Madrid in the final, and what a game it was. 2-0 down at half time and rallied the troops for a big push. In the second half we came out strong and Hulk scored twice to even it up. In thw 89th minute Pepe recieved a second yellow and was sent from the pitch. During Extra Time Agbonlahor and Sanchez both missed 1 on 1's with Casillas and we were made to pay when Sergio Ramos scored a 117th minute winner that he headed in from a Van Der Vaart freekick.

Overall:

Overall i am very pleased with the progress the team made. Although i would have loved to retain the EURO Cup it was simply not to be. However, the blow isnt too bad as i have a Champions League place for next season. The team as a whole is only £640K in the black so im not sure how i will do as far as transfers will go next season. Veloso, Davies and Sanchez all expressed a want to leave in January 2010, but my price tags were not met. If the £30Million for Veloso, £20Million for Sanchez or £15Million for Davies are met they will be sold, and this will make way for extra money. I dont really want to sell Veloso or Sanchez but if they want to leave there isnt much i can do. Next season i am hoping to challenge for the Premier League title, although more realistically i will settle for second place. I hoping to pick up another throphy, League Cup or FA Cup i dont find, and a Champions League Quater Final spot would be nice as well.

Players:

Just a quick summary on how a few of the players did.

Hulk - had a massively impressive season, scoring 39 goals in 39 games, which landed him the Player of the Year award, as well as the golden boot.

Ashley Young - continued to be a power house with 26 assists and 5 goals for me this season. A little down on last seasons total but impressive nonetheless.

Steven Defour - had an amazing season with 14 goals and 13 assists from the centre midfield position, i think Joao Moutinho could have done better than Defour, but he was hampered by two 6 week spells on the injury list.

Marquinhos - At £22.5Million i was expecting a little better, but he is only 20 and is still settling in so 8 goals and 10 assists is just fine for now.

Davide Santon - Had a couple of injuries but was impressive throughout the season, turning out to be an amazing buy and part of the Premier Leagues best 11.

Phil Jageilka - My captain and leader was inspirational this season and was a consistant powerhouse in the back 4.

Mamadou Sakho - Really struggled at the start of the season but i started choosing him over Davies after Curtis said he wanted to go. Second half of the season he came good and i cant wait to see him in action next season.

[tottivillarossi]

Tottivillarossi nice team there and some great deals with Balotelli and Berbatov. How has Alex Teixeira been as ive been tracking him for a while now?

This is his second season with me, and he's attracted likes of Roma, Utd, Valencia and Arsenal so he must be doing something right. I tend to use him on the right wing though instead of up front or in the centre midfield, and atm he's got an average rating of about 7.07, he gets in to the box a lot and chips in with a few goals, but his crossing isn't great - he doesn't get anywhere near as many assists as Young.

Tweaked - you have an awesome team there! How do you get the best out of Young though? He's never got anymore than 15 assists a season for me. Do you play him on the left or the right? Do you give him much freedom, and do you have an over-lapping full back?

[Tweaked]

Well i play a formation with a flat 4 in defense, with the full backs (Mattock, Guilherme, Santon and Gassama) pushing up. They do overlap with Young quite a lot but its not that where Young gets his assists. I have 1 defensive midfielder with 2 centre midfielders, 2 wingers and a striker. I play Young on the left as it is his natural position and i didnt want to take him out of it, especially when i have Marquinhos on the right. Ive set Young's mentality to attacking, but only 3/4 along the bar. His creative freedom is in the same position. His passing style is short and he makes forward runs, and runs with the ball often. But what i think gets his assists is the next two settings. I have only told him to cross ball mixed, as aposed to often, and ive set my teams width to narrow. This means that rather than just crossing straight away, he cuts inside and runs at goal, then slips the ball to a player on the edge of the 6 yard.. who just happens to be Hulk most of the time, and he rarely misses. Another reason Young has so many assists is because of corners, him and Hulk are amazing on corners. Young will put it on the front post and Hulk is amazing in the air, and just powers them into the net. Young must have picked up atleast 7-8 assists from doing this.

[Bigshow1985]

You would of been better of bein City if you wanted unlimited funds to build a wonder team.

isnt creating a wonder team the whole point in playing the game? i preffered doin this with Aston Villa coz it was more of a challenge, with having to sell players to get the cash. Goin Man City would be too easy with all that money.

[Tweaked]

isnt creating a wonder team the whole point in playing the game? i preffered doin this with Aston Villa coz it was more of a challenge, with having to sell players to get the cash. Goin Man City would be too easy with all that money.

Well i dont think he means a wonder team. More of a dream team to be honest, because that is what you are close to doing. Just buying in the best players in the world to effectively BUY the Premier League. I cant really talk because in two seasons i have spent £185Million on players, and recieved only £117Million. However, im slightly different as i dont bring in players that are already established as world leaders. My big signings have been players like Hulk, Moutinho, Veloso, Defour, Asenjo, Sakho and Marquinhos. All of those players are young guys who havent really been recognised as part of the top 10 in their position. Whereas Torres, Gerrard, Messi and Alves are all well known as some of the best players in the world... Messi argueably being THE best player in the world in my opinion, and im a Manchester United fan. (I just hate Ronaldo lol)

As for my season, currently at the World Cup stage trying to spot some talent, but Randy Lerner has just loaned the team £30Million so im doubting what kind of spending power i will have come July. I think i will have to go through this season without making any buys, just work to make the team some money for my 4th season. That is unless i sell someone.. which although i dont want to, probably will happen.

But like i was saying, everyone has their own styles. I personally like bringing in youngsters like Wilshere, Rodwell, Marquinhos etc and developing them, whereas you obviously like signing big players for big money and not having to develop them.

EDIT - Well my fears have gone now, ive been given a £54Million transfer budget, and a £1.2Million wage budget to get the team into Europe again.

[LordOfTheDance]

My Aston Villa Squad

My Transfers

Just passed the January transfer window, what's your opinion on the team? I know I need a new left back, anything else that needs to be improved?

Also, yes, I did sell Barry (and for less than I hoped slightly) but Nigel Reo-Coker has made it much easier for me with a solid season and vukivic in CM has settled in very quickly to a new league and position. Vagner Love took some time to get going, and has had a few injuries, the 10 in 18 starts is mis-leading of how his season has gone, due to the fact that he has scored 5 in his last 2.

[Tweaked]

Nice team there Lordofthedance. You seem to have gone down a very similar route to me. Replace Love for Hulk, Vukcevic for Moutinho, Zapata for Jageilka and you have my team in season 1. Like you said, you definetly need a new left back, i recommend Mattock for that position, although he wont be ready until season 2. As good as Reo-Coker is i would personally replace him with someone like Defour or Moutinho. Milner is a solid Right Winger but if you are using the wingers to cut inside i suggest signing someone with better finishing, technique, dribbling, flair and pace. I signed Marquinhos and he is a menace for any defense. Otherwise i would just say bring in some youth players like Wilshere, Lansbury, Rodwell etc. Prospects for the future who can also act as backup for now. Remember you need atleast 4 players that have been at Villa for 4 years between 16 and 21 years old to get into Europe, as well as 8? players who have been trained in the UK.

[Tweaked]

Quick update... i just turned down a £50,000 4 year deal with Valencia. They promised me £40Million as a transfer budget, and this is a team with one of my favorite players (Silva) in their squad. But ive become so attached to my Villa side i just couldnt do it.

[LordOfTheDance]

Alexis Sanchez should take over from Milner in the next few seasons, currently re-training him to be a right winger. Although to be fair, Milner has had a corker of a season so far, even AC Milan are after him, but I rejected their offer of £13 Million. Never signed Mattock before, is he Europa League quality from 2nd season onwards? Because I could sign someone more developed since it's pretty much the only position that needs significant strengthening in my squad I think. Reo-Coker is probably good enough to carry my team for the second season, and I might as well save up for a real quality replacement by 3rd season, e.g. Hamsik

[Tweaked]

Yeh it might be a good idea as Reo-Coker is pretty decent in my experience. Ive also been training Sanchez as a winger, but opposite side as rotation with Young being first choice. Im not sure if Mattock is Europa quality in season 2. He is certainly capable.. but whether he is good enough to win you it, or get you close, probably not until season 3. I have Guilherme as my number one left back, he cost me £10.5Million back in season 1. A bit pricey, could probably be had cheaper but i think he was worth it for me. Mattock however is only £2.5Million.. so a much cheaper option there.

[tottivillarossi]

Alexis Sanchez should take over from Milner in the next few seasons, currently re-training him to be a right winger. Although to be fair, Milner has had a corker of a season so far, even AC Milan are after him, but I rejected their offer of £13 Million. Never signed Mattock before, is he Europa League quality from 2nd season onwards? Because I could sign someone more developed since it's pretty much the only position that needs significant strengthening in my squad I think. Reo-Coker is probably good enough to carry my team for the second season, and I might as well save up for a real quality replacement by 3rd season, e.g. Hamsik

Alexis Sanchez becomes fantastic, the perfect winger. Determined, fast, agile, stamina, great technique and crossing, dribbling, flair and work rate.

I brought Mattock in season 1, and he was pretty average, but by season 2 he kept Shorey out of the team and has been my first choice left back ever since. AND, he's now classed as one of MY HG players! He usually racks himself up a few assists too.

As for Milner, for his average stats he actually gets quite a lot of assists and goals.

[Tweaked]

Yeh at the moment Guilherme is my No 1 left back, but if it wasnt for him Mattock would definetly be first choice. Sanchez shows glimpses of his potential talent quite a lot. He really liked to run defenders and works well in my formation cutting inside. I agree, Milner is amazing for a player with such average stats. In my first season he got me 8 goals and 16 assists, but at the start of season 2 i sold him to Liverpool because Marquinhos was replacing him. Although Marquinhos hasnt had a great first season, he is still only 20 and he is definetly one of those players who can easily pull something out of his arse and change the game in your favour.

[tottivillarossi]

Yeh at the moment Guilherme is my No 1 left back, but if it wasnt for him Mattock would definetly be first choice. Sanchez shows glimpses of his potential talent quite a lot. He really liked to run defenders and works well in my formation cutting inside. I agree, Milner is amazing for a player with such average stats. In my first season he got me 8 goals and 16 assists, but at the start of season 2 i sold him to Liverpool because Marquinhos was replacing him. Although Marquinhos hasnt had a great first season, he is still only 20 and he is definetly one of those players who can easily pull something out of his arse and change the game in your favour.

I had Marquinhos in a previous Villa save (as soon as I installed the .0.3 patch ALL my save games corrupted?) and he was immense. He scored about 15 goals a season, and set up another 20. But the goals he did score were never simple, they were always amazing.

[Tweaked]

I had Marquinhos in a previous Villa save (as soon as I installed the .0.3 patch ALL my save games corrupted?) and he was immense. He scored about 15 goals a season, and set up another 20. But the goals he did score were never simple, they were always amazing.

Yeh he has looked amazing for me, but because im playing him as a right winger i doubt he will score that many. 10-15 a season max i imagine.

[LordOfTheDance]

Update:

Just a month to go with my first season and I thought Id give you an update on how Im doing.

Premier League: A poor start left me with just 24 points after 18 games and down in 12th place, but since then my team has been on fire, with 9 wins, 2 draws and just the 1 heavy loss to a very strong Chelsea side. Now just 8 points off Arsenal in 3rd with 2 games in hand, but am still only 8th. Vagner Love is my top scorer with 11, with Vukivic and Reo-Coker on 6 and 5 respectively. Ashley Young and Craig Gardner get a mention for their fantastic form as well.

Uefa Cup: Ive had a staggering run in the UEFA cup, topped my group with 4 wins, and beat Shalke and AC Milan (!!) on my way to the imminent Semi-Final with Bayern Munich. Scored a simply outstanding 37 goals on current count on the way to this stage, averaging just over 3 goals a game. Curtis Davies has scored 10 so far, and Reo-Coker is on 7 as well.

FA Cup : Had a good run here, beating Cardiff then two rivals in the form of WBA and Wolves, before dispatching off Portsmouth at the Quarters 3-2, after a 1-1 at Fratton Park. Now face the daunting task of Man Utd in the semis, and even though I dont hold much hope of beating them.

Miscellaneous: Curtis Davies came 2nd in the European Defender of the year awards

[LordOfTheDance]

Another Update:

Premier League: Managed to finish 7th eventually, just missing out on 5th as Tottenham and Everton both score in the last 10 mins of their game to deny me. Doesn't make a difference in the end though as Man Utd and Arsenal win the League and FA cups resepctively.

UEFA Cup: Shocked that I managed to win the competition, causing 3 successive upsets on the way, beat Bayern 2-2 on aggregate (away goals) while I came from behind with 5 mins to go against Valencia in the final with goals from Beckham (a stunning 30 yard volley) and Alexis Sanchez.

I also managed to sign Andres Guadardo for an initial £5M and another £3.5M over 12 months after Deportivo got relegated. Surprised he choose Aston Villa over Inter, AC Milan, Real and Barca though!

Also, 2 of my players made the team of the season for the premier league, Curtis Davies and Craig Gardner, the latter rather impressively due to the fact that my assistant doesn't rate him and he was only involved in 23 games.

Currently searching for a left back but having to fend off interest from the prem top 4 for most of my good players. Got a massive budget of £52 Million to play with though. I also let Steven Taylor go on a bosman and got Ben Foster in instead as a bosman as well.

[GimmeTheBall]

I took over at Villa during January 2014 after they sacked O'Neil as he took them towards the relegation zone. I steadied the ship and signed a young English regen goalkeeper called Grant McAuley and played him regularly for him to gain some Premiership experience. We finished 17th after a average 2nd half to the season. In the summer I changed large parts of the squad.

Transfer in

John Fleck - £3.6m

Rob Parkes - £2.2m, a young Man Utd striker who has a great future, in the reserves for now.

Warren Swan - £1.5m, a young midfielder who is decent backup.

Daniel Leroy - £2.2m, a young French center-back, in the reserves for now.

Manuel Almunia - Free, backup for McAuley and his experience is useful for tutoring others.

Micky Canavan - Free, midfielder/striker who's a decent squad player and can still improve as he's just 21.

Ekaitz Catalan - £3m, 20 year old center-back who's in the reserves for now.

Enrique Sanchez - £2m, a defensive midfielder who could be the best player in the would in 5-10 years as he's just 16 at the moment.

Antonin Devaux - Free, a young striker who can be backup for now but can definitely improve.

Pablo - £170k, 17 year-old center back who's got a great future.

Mikael Goransson - £5.5m, a technically fantastic Swedish right-back and at the age of just 22 can get even better.

Walter - £14m, signed to be the goalscorer of the team.

Transfers out

Steven Fletcher - £5m

Florent Sinama-Pongolle - £10m

Mathieu Coutadeur - £2.5m

Gonzalo Casto - £2.5m

Juanfran - £4.5m

Steve Sidwell - Free

So in my first full season I had now assembled my team so I could have no complaints if we had a disaster. We played really well throughout the season, the defense let in a few too many goals for my liking but the attackers made up for it. I also signed Fernando Hernandez a Mexican central midfielder who looks an excellent prospect. We performed poorly in cup competitions but in my first full season the league was most important.

League position: 7th

FA Cup: 4th round

League Cup: Quarter Finals

Gareth Barry also broke the highest league games played for the club which I thought was pretty good going as he was 34 when he broke it and he now hasn't got much left in the tank.

I didn't want to change the squad much as I felt the squad had potential to build on last season so only 2 players departed who were Nigel Reo-Coker for £2.5m and Manuel Almunia. I then signed Havard Nordtveit, Jamie Ashdown (to replace Almunia) and Nicolas Millan. I signed a few youngsters as well.

Looking forward to the new season.

Fernando Hernandez

He has 17 for Corners and 18 for Work Rate.

[LordOfTheDance]

Could I see a screenshot of the 16 year old you say could be world class?

Enrique Sanchez - £2m, a defensive midfielder who could be the best player in the would in 5-10 years as he's just 16 at the moment.

[GimmeTheBall]

He has 14 technique and 16 work rate.

[Tweaked]

Ok guys i need some advice. Ive got a point now when my team is way too large, as far as prospects go anyway. Ive got too many prospects for certain positions and i cant decide which ones to offload. Here are the options:

I only have 1 striker position available in my formation. This is Hulk's position, i only really want 1 good backup striker, and 2 prospects for that position, but i have Hulk, Agbonlahor, Vaughan, Fleck, Saivet and Delfouneso. Delfouneso is safe because he counts as a Home Grown player for Europe.. but who do i offload out of Agbonlahor, Vaughan, Fleck and Saivet?

Another position is centre midfield. I have Moutinho and Defour as my starting 2. But i also have Wilshere, Collison, Martinez, Lansbury and Reo-Coker. I was retraining Lansbury as a right winger, but now ive got Ljajic from Manchester United i will most likely offload him. But who else do i sell? Wilshere, Collison or Reo-Coker?

[GimmeTheBall]

Ok guys i need some advice. Ive got a point now when my team is way too large, as far as prospects go anyway. Ive got too many prospects for certain positions and i cant decide which ones to offload. Here are the options:

I only have 1 striker position available in my formation. This is Hulk's position, i only really want 1 good backup striker, and 2 prospects for that position, but i have Hulk, Agbonlahor, Vaughan, Fleck, Saivet and Delfouneso. Delfouneso is safe because he counts as a Home Grown player for Europe.. but who do i offload out of Agbonlahor, Vaughan, Fleck and Saivet?

Another position is centre midfield. I have Moutinho and Defour as my starting 2. But i also have Wilshere, Collison, Martinez, Lansbury and Reo-Coker. I was retraining Lansbury as a right winger, but now ive got Ljajic from Manchester United i will most likely offload him. But who else do i sell? Wilshere, Collison or Reo-Coker?

I'd offload Agbonglahor, he's quick yes but he's poor technically, Saivet is a definite keep. Then it'd be between Vaughan and Fleck, Vaughan just edges Fleck for me as he's a yard quicker and a better finisher.

Reo-Coker is decent but he's not outstanding so he'd be the first to go for me. Wilshere is a must-keep. I don't have any experience with Collison so can't pass judgment on him.

[Tweaked]

See im not so sure about the Vaughan, Fleck deal. As far as stats go they are very similar. Vaughan has heading,work rate and pace on his side, but Fleck has dribbling on his side, and he also has the same finishing as Vaughan stats wise. Fleck is also 4 years younger than Vaughan.

EDIT:

Evem when looking at the stats of Saivet, Fleck is superior in every way except technique and acceleration.

[GimmeTheBall]

See im not so sure about the Vaughan, Fleck deal. As far as stats go they are very similar. Vaughan has heading,work rate and pace on his side, but Fleck has dribbling on his side, and he also has the same finishing as Vaughan stats wise. Fleck is also 4 years younger than Vaughan.

EDIT:

Evem when looking at the stats of Saivet, Fleck is superior in every way except technique and acceleration.

What season are you in? Saivet needs longer to develop, he's just thumped a hatrick past me in 10 minutes playing for Arsenal.

[Tweaked]

Im about to start season 3. So both players are still young and no where near full development, but Fleck is younger, yet his stats are better, surely that means his potential is greater.

[GimmeTheBall]

Im about to start season 3. So both players are still young and no where near full development, but Fleck is younger, yet his stats are better, surely that means his potential is greater.

Not always. Fleck is doing decently for me in 2015 but I wouldn't say he's outstanding although Barcelona did offer me £6m for him recently which I turned down. You could hold on to both for a little while longer and see how they develop before deciding who to offload.

[DANNY1000000]

Well i dont think he means a wonder team. More of a dream team to be honest, because that is what you are close to doing. Just buying in the best players in the world to effectively BUY the Premier League. I cant really talk because in two seasons i have spent £185Million on players, and recieved only £117Million. However, im slightly different as i dont bring in players that are already established as world leaders. My big signings have been players like Hulk, Moutinho, Veloso, Defour, Asenjo, Sakho and Marquinhos. All of those players are young guys who havent really been recognised as part of the top 10 in their position. Whereas Torres, Gerrard, Messi and Alves are all well known as some of the best players in the world... Messi argueably being THE best player in the world in my opinion, and im a Manchester United fan. (I just hate Ronaldo lol)

As for my season, currently at the World Cup stage trying to spot some talent, but Randy Lerner has just loaned the team £30Million so im doubting what kind of spending power i will have come July. I think i will have to go through this season without making any buys, just work to make the team some money for my 4th season. That is unless i sell someone.. which although i dont want to, probably will happen.

But like i was saying, everyone has their own styles. I personally like bringing in youngsters like Wilshere, Rodwell, Marquinhos etc and developing them, whereas you obviously like signing big players for big money and not having to develop them.

EDIT - Well my fears have gone now, ive been given a £54Million transfer budget, and a £1.2Million wage budget to get the team into Europe again.

To be fair tho, you are buying these players because you know that in 2 years they will be some of the best in the game world. So theres not much difference except the fact that the other guy is paying more for stars and you are signing stars to be (Fact) for much cheaper.

[LordOfTheDance]

Just an update on how things are going at my Villa side.

Transfers:

In:

Andres Guardado 8.5m

Ben Foster Free

Federico Fazio 18m

3 potentially world class regens for a comined 9m

Capdevilla 6m

Out:

Moustapha Salifou - Rostock Free

Steve Sidwell - Napoli 5m

Stuart Taylor - FC Twente Free

Franco Zucilini - West Ham Loan

Wilfred Bouma - AZ 1m

John Carew - Middlesborough 2.5m

Nathan Delfouneso - Nott Forest Loan

Isaiah Osbourne - Nott Forest 2.5m

Also have a few offers that I need to consider.

Veloso wants to leave after 6 months at the club () I brought him for £13m but now have an offer from Man Utd for £20m. Also had an offer for Vagner Love of £32m (£15.75 1 season ago) from Man U again, but I feel like rejecting both tbh. While I also have an offer for Zapata of £22m (original about £12m). Im not sure about any of these transfers and would like to know wether anyone would want to give me some advice about if I should sell any of the players?

Also, just had an offer for an unsettled Ashley Young of £30 Million in cash from Liverpool, the most tempting offer so far.

[tottivillarossi]

See im not so sure about the Vaughan, Fleck deal. As far as stats go they are very similar. Vaughan has heading,work rate and pace on his side, but Fleck has dribbling on his side, and he also has the same finishing as Vaughan stats wise. Fleck is also 4 years younger than Vaughan.

EDIT:

Evem when looking at the stats of Saivet, Fleck is superior in every way except technique and acceleration.

This is Saivet in my game:

[Tweaked]

Just an update on how things are going at my Villa side.

Transfers:

In:

Andres Guardado 8.5m

Ben Foster Free

Federico Fazio 18m

3 potentially world class regens for a comined 9m

Capdevilla 6m

Out:

Moustapha Salifou - Rostock Free

Steve Sidwell - Napoli 5m

Stuart Taylor - FC Twente Free

Franco Zucilini - West Ham Loan

Wilfred Bouma - AZ 1m

John Carew - Middlesborough 2.5m

Nathan Delfouneso - Nott Forest Loan

Isaiah Osbourne - Nott Forest 2.5m

Also have a few offers that I need to consider.

Veloso wants to leave after 6 months at the club () I brought him for £13m but now have an offer from Man Utd for £20m. Also had an offer for Vagner Love of £32m (£15.75 1 season ago) from Man U again, but I feel like rejecting both tbh. While I also have an offer for Zapata of £22m (original about £12m). Im not sure about any of these transfers and would like to know wether anyone would want to give me some advice about if I should sell any of the players?

Also, just had an offer for an unsettled Ashley Young of £30 Million in cash from Liverpool, the most tempting offer so far.

I imagine Vagner Love is your star striker. He is simply amazing and i wouldnt sell him for anywhere near that amount. The same goes for Veloso. I got him at the start of season 1 for £13Million also, and recieved offers ranging from £15Million to £25Million, but i decided that i wouldnt sell for any less than £30Million. Veloso and Davies both wanted to leave, but once i finished 3rd in season 2, they both settled down and are now happy to stay. I personally wouldnt sell any of them. Love, Veloso and Zapata are all key players in your team, and Young although that is a good price, is a very very good winger who would be hard to replace. Liverpool are also a main rival for position with Villa so i wouldnt sell to them.