FM13 Aston Villa - You can't do worse than McLeish, right?

Welcome to my Aston Villa team guide for FM13. So, why choose to manage Villa? Well, they have a big stadium, big fanabse, great facilities, and a successful history, yet they still present a significant challenege. This is because they have a squad of questionable quality yet a huge wage bill, and chairman Randy Lerner has decided to stop pumping money into the club. The club only narrowly avoided relegation last season, can you revive the fortunes of historically one of the Premier League's biggest clubs?

Club History

The Glorious Early Days

Aston Villa Football Club was formed in March 1874, Villa soon established themselves as one of the best teams in the Midlands, winning their first honour, the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1880, the club then won its first FA Cup in 1887. Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in the inaugural Football League in 1888 with one of the club's directors, William McGregor being the league's founder. Aston Villa emerged as the most successful English club of the Victorian era, winning no fewer than five League titles and three FA Cups by the end of Queen Victoria's reign, they moved into Villa Park in 1897.Aston Villa won their sixth FA Cup in 1920, soon after though the club began a slow decline that led to Villa, at the time one of the most famous and successful clubs in world football, being relegated in 1936 for the first time to the Second Division.

The Mixed Middle Ages

Aston Villa's first trophy for 37 years came in the 1956–57 season when they lifted a then record 7th FA Cup. By 1970 however, Villa had sunk to a new low beign relegated to the Third Division for the first time. However, Villa gradually began to recover under the management of former club captain Vic Crowe. In the 1971-72 season they returned to the Second Division as Champions with a record 70 points. In 1974 Ron Saunders was appointed manager. His brand of no-nonsense man-management proved effective, with the club winning the League Cup the following season and, at the end of season 1974–75, he had taken them back into the First Division and into Europe.

Villa's Finest Hour

Villa were back among the elite as Saunders continued to mould a winning team. This culminated in a seventh top-flight league title in 1980-81. To the surprise of commentators and fans, Saunders quit halfway through the 1981-82 season, after falling out with the chairman, with Villa in the quarter final of the European Cup. He was replaced by his softly-spoken assistant manager Tony Barton who guided the club to a 1–0 victory over Bayern Munich in the European Cup Final in Rotterdam courtesy of a Peter Withe goal. The following season Villa were crowned European Super Cup winners, beating Barcelona in the final. This marked a pinnacle though and Villa's fortunes declined sharply for most of the 1980s, culminating in relegation in 1987.

The Medicore Premier League Years.

Villa were one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992, and finished runners-up to Manchester United in the inaugural season. For the rest of the Nineties however Villa went through three different managers and their league positions were inconsistent, although they did win two League Cups and regularly achieved UEFA Cup qualification. Villa reached the FA Cup final in 2000 but lost 1–0 to Chelsea in the last game to be played at the old Wembley Stadium. After 23 years as chairman and single biggest shareholder (approximately 38%), Doug Ellis finally decided to sell his stake in Aston Villa due to ill-health. After much speculation it was announced the club was to be bought by American businessman Randy Lerner, owner of NFL franchise the Celeveland Browns.The arrival of a new owner and of manager Martin O'Neill marked the start of a new period of optimism at Villa Park and sweeping changes occurred throughout the club including a new badge, a new kit sponsor and team changes in the summer of 2007. The first Cup final of the Lerner era came in 2010 when Villa were beaten 2–1 in the League Cup Final. Villa made a second trip to Wembley in that season losing 3–0 to Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinal. Just five days before the opening day of the 2010-11 Season, O'Neill resigned as manager with immediate effect. Reserve Team manager Kevin MacDonald took over as caretaker manager, before the club appointed Gerard Houllier as permanent manager in September 2010. Houllier stepped down on 1 June 2011, and was replaced by Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish, despite numerous protests from fans against his appointment. This was the first time that a manager had moved directly from Birmingham to Villa. McLeish only lasted eleven months in charge, his contract was terminated at the end of the 2011–12 season, that saw Villa finish in 16th place, only just above the relegation zone.

The club has a strong fan base refelcted by the fact that there are currently over 22,000 season ticket holders, and chairman Randy Lerner doesn't seem like he is going anywhere soon, so you are likely to have a bit of stability on that front, its just a shame he has stopped funding hefty transfer budgets lately. The Media Prediction of 9th is generous given the poor squad and limited resources with which you have to work, but it reflects the fact that expectations are always going to be relatively high at Villa Park, speaking of Villa Park.....

Thanks to Mr Lerner's investment the club has excellent facilities, some of the best training and youth facilities money can buy, and Villa Park is pretty big even by Premier League standards. It is just on the pitch that the club has been lacking, and thats where you come in.

You are expected to finish around 10th, in otherwords last seasons flirtation with relegation is not to happen again, Lerner got his first taste of angry brummies last year as much of the fan's disappointment was aimed at him, and he doesn't fancy any more. This aim represents how the club has moved backwards in recent years, as it was only a few years ago that they achieved three consecutive 6th place finishes under Martin O'Neill and were being talked about as top four contenders.

Oh and you will get not a penny to help you along the way.

The club does have some saleable assets, and overpaid players duds that can be moved on if you want to bring in some of your own players however.

The Squad.

Here is the important part; what you have to work with on the pitch. The squad is hardly bereft of talent, and has some really promising youngsters in it, the problem is that for every promising youngster the squad boasts there is at least one over paid has been, or more likely never has been.

GK

Shay Given: The most capped Irish international of all time, Given is a reliable goalkeeper, his wealth of experience perhaps gives him the edge over the up and coming Guzan, but to be honest there isn't much to choose between them, as Given isn't what he used to be. He is on a rather high 52k per week, and on top of that is contracted until after his 40th birthday.

Brad Guzan: The American is paid less than a third as much as his rival for the No.1 jersey, but in terms of ability is more or less equal. He returned to the club in the summer after initially being released at the end of last season. At 27 years old and with 20 international caps under his belt he is hardly inexperienced either.

Benjamin Siegrist: The Swiss youngster has been at the club since he was 16, and could one day make an able No.2 one day, but he is unlikely to ever be good enough to be a serious first teamer. He would perhaps benefit from a loan deal. If you end up having to see his name on your team sheet this season you could be in trouble, he is not yet anywhere near up to scratch.

Overview: You have a tough call to make here in terms of who should be your first choice, note that in real life Paul Lambert seems to have opted for Guzan. Seeing as there is not much difference between Given and Guzan, and Given is on high wages selling Given should be a serious consideration. You should get some takers if you offer him out for about 500k, and getting him off the wage bill will offer you more flexiblity in the transfer market, there are certainly areas of the team which need reinforcements. The only problem with this is that Siegrist is a risky deputy, as I said if you end up having to through him into action you could be in trouble. Criag Gordon is available on a free and could be a viable option as back up if you do sell Given.

RB

Alan Hutton: Hutton was a McLeish signing last summer from Spurs. He is average at best, and you would expect more for 45k per week. His poor positioning and marking make him a liabilty defensively, though he is relatively strong going forward.

Matthew Lowton: Plucked out of League One obscurity this summer by Paul Lambert, Lowton is certainly outstanding for a League One player, trouble is he is now a Premier League player. He is slightly more defensively sound than Hutton, but a little less of threat going forward. At least he is on sensible wages, and has some potential to expand into

Eric Lichaj: He is not Premier League standard and never will be, get what you can for him in the transfer market.

Overview: You have two acceptable Premier League players and nothing more, the best that you can hope from either Lowton or Hutton is that they don't let you down too much. I would play Lowton purely on the basis that he may improve with games. If Hutton isn't going to be first choice the logical thing to do is to sell him due to his high wages. Though you will find it difficult, selling Hutton is possible, just don't expect much of a fee. Similarly to the GK situation, if you do sell Hutton you will have to bring in cover as Lichaj is not up to it. Carles Planas from Barcelona should be available for around 400k and is a promising youngster, if you decide to bring in a new first choice player, Dinamo's Sime Vrsaljko is always a good option, or for a homegrown option try Chris Solly of Charlton or Kieran Trippier of Burnley.

LB

Stephen Warnock: A similar story to Hutton at RB, Warnock is an average player earning more than he should. He has been at the club for 3 years now and has had a mixed time, he went from being in the 2010 England World Cup squad, to playing in the reserves under Gerard Houllier. In real life he has been sent out on loan to Championship side Bolton, not sure why but the game doesn't seem to recognise this

Joe Bennett: Another Lambert summer signing, Bennett is not ready for Premier League football, though he does have to potential to one day get there. Would be ideal for a loan spell in the Championship if he wasn't the second best LB at the club.

Edna Stevens: He was signed from Shamrock Rovers last January, but already looks unlikely to ever make the grade. You could give him a chance as back up, but there is little doubt he is more suited to Championship level football.

Overview: Perhaps the weakest area of the squad, Warnock is OK, but ideally should be moved on due to being overpaid. If you do opt to sell Warnock, you should be able to get about £2m for him, which can be reinvested in someone like Andy Cresswell, who is of a similar standard, will improve, and will command about a third of Warncok's wage packet. Both Clark and Baker could deputise at LB if needed.

CB

Ron Vlaar: Vlaar is a Lambert signing, and possibly his best. The Dutch international is a good all round CB without an obvious weakness, he is excellent in the air and comfertable with the ball at his feet. He is also one the outstanding candidates for the vacant captincy, despite his recent arrival at the club.

Richard Dunne: Own goal machine Dunne is 32, injured at the start of the game, and one of the clubs top earners on 55k per week. But he is also pretty good, and could potentially form a solid partnership with Vlaar, though his lack of pace is a serious concern. If the captincy doesn't go to Vlaar it may well go to Dunne.

Ciaran Clark: The 22 year old youth academy product is developing into a solid Premier League player, his versatility is a real bonus, he can play at LB or in midfield, but is most comfertable at CB. Given enough playing time he could turn into a real asset.

Nathan Baker: Baker is another academy product and could develop into a decent Premier League player, though he is not ready yet he may suffice as back up.

Overview: At CB you have 3 players capable of doing well for you, though Dunne is another candidate for the chop, due to his wages, age, Clark's need for first team football if he is to develop, and the fact that he is in the last year of his contract and seemingly reluctant to agree to a wage cut. You should be able to get around £2m for him should you choose to sell him, this could be spent on Jores Okore, who has a £1.3m minimum release fee, and is a very promising centre half.

CM

Karim El Ahmadi: Another good signing that Lambert has made during the summer, the Morrocan international is throughly dependable in a deep lying playmaker role. He is very good technically, but his tackling can let him down, so don't rely on him defensively too much.

Stephen Ireland: Ireland can be a very good footballer, if he wants to be. He is another of the club's top earners, but if you can get the best out of him he may well prove to be worth the money. His excellent off the ball, composure, and anticipation stats mean that he is potentially a serious goal threat if played behind a lone striker, he is also pretty decent technically. Essentially if you get the rest of the squad right and are playing well he will be worth having, but if you are struggling and having to scrap for points he may well be a liability. Just don't expect much in the way of effort from him.

Fabian Delph: At 22 years of age Delph is now in danger of not fulling his significant potential. If you can get them best out of him and help him grow into that potential you could have a real asset on your hands in the centre of midfield. Delph's problem is that he is a bit light weight for the centre of midfield at this level, and you could have trouble fitting him into your team, but he really needs games at this stage of his career, so if you don't plan oin playing him much it may be best to let him go. He could make a decent deep lying playmaker, though he isn't a good enough passer for my liking and pace is his best asset, so I would try to develop him into a box-to-box player.

Barry Bannan: A very similar story to Delph, Bannan is an academy product, with the potential to be a decent player at the top level. If its possible Bannan is even more light weight than Delph, and so, although he is naturally a central midfield player, I think he has more of a future on the left wing. He is technically quite good, he can cross and dribble, and is fairly quick, on top of that you need some cover on the wings at the start of the game.

Gary Gardner: Craig's brother is another academy product with the potential to become a first team player. He is a bit of a blank canvas in the sense that he is fairly well rounded with plenty of potential to grow into, so you should be able to shape him into whatever kind of midfielder you want, and he could be rather good.

Chris Herd: The Aussie is yet another one from the academy, he has great mental stats and is pretty versatile, so he could be decent as back up, though he just doesn't have the technical ability to ever really establish himself in the top league.

Ashley Westwood: Not one of Lambert's better signings from this summer's window, Westwood is better suited to Championship football, and is unlikely to have much of a role in your team.

Overview: The midfield is decent enough, but lacks a bit of bite, or in otherwords you don't have any midfielders who can tackle for toffee. You need to go out and buy a combative defensive minded midfielder as a priority. Nigel Reo-Coker is available on a free, and you could offer him a return to Villa Park, if you are not so inclined Tomas Rincon is a decent option and should be available for around £2m, another option would be ex-Gunner Havard Nordtveit for around £3m

AMR/L

Brett Holman: Alex McLeish's final contribution to the club was the signing Aussie Holman on a free transfer. He is a workhorse of a player, and will put in a shift if nothing else. Technically he is far from excellent, but he should do as a stop gap, you can look to replace him in the medium term.

Charles N'Zogbia: McLesih spent around £10m on the Frenchman last summer and he has been somewhat of a flop, he is undoubtedly talented but equally undoubtedly unreliable. If you can get the best out of him he is a potential asset, but that may well prove to be a big if, on top of that he is another of those players who is most probably overpaid, you should easily get around £6m for him if you sell, so that should be a consideration.

Mark Albrighton: Another academy product with decent potential. Albrighton should thrive if you play with a target man as he is a good crosser of the ball. He is also a hard worker, though he lacks the yard of pace neccesary to become a real top winger.

Overview: Barry Bannan could swell the ranks on the wings if you decide to play him here, but you will probably still need to go out and get yourself another player if you intend to use wingers, especially as Albrighton begins the game injured. This is obviously paticularly true if you do opt to sell N'Zogbia. My main target in the transfer market would be Blackpool youngster Thomas Ince, who you should be able to pick up for around £6m, and has the potential to be a future star.

ST

Darren Bent: Bent is your highest paid player, he is also, suitably, one of your best. Given the right service Bent should score goals for you, his high Anticipation and Off the Ball stats make him a real threat in the box. However if you are struggling he is unlikely to help much, he won't create many goals for himself or others.

Gabby Agbonlahor: Clinical he is not, if you are using Gabby as your many goal threat prepare to be frustrated, he will miss plenty of one on ones. He can be deadly though, he is strong, and very very quick, if you plan to play counter attacking football, he should be the first name on the team sheet. Despite the fact that he isn't the best finisher in the league Agbonlahor can easily score 20+ goals if you play to his strenghts

Christian Benteke: The last of Lambert's summer signings, the Belgian international has all the ingredients needed to develop into a quality target man, if you intend on using a target man he is going to be a real asset. Even if you don't intend on using a target man he is still plenty of use, he is a decent finisher and can score plenty of goals in a poacher role as well.

Andreas Wiemann: The Austrian is potentially a decent poacher type striker, but he will need game time to develop so a loan move may well be advisable as he is unlikely to force his way into your team in the first season.

Overview: You also have Nathan Delfouneso who is on loan at Blackpool and has decent potential. So overall this may be the team's strongest department, and your attention in the transfer market should probably be elsewhere for now. A possible option if you want a real transfer budget at the start is to sell Bent. You could get around £20m for him due to his repuation, and if you only intend on playing one up front the other three strikers could be sufficient, it is a risky strategy though, as he is your best goalscorer.

Possible Tactical Approaches:

Counter attacking football should be a real consideration, paticularly against big teams and away from home since you have a number of pacy forwards. The now unfashionable 442 should also be a consideration since Benteke could potentially combine very well with either Bent or Agbonlahor up front. It is possible to play possestion based football with Villa since they have some decent passers of the ball in their ranks, and both Clark and Vlaar can make capable ball playing centre backs. Getting the best out of Ireland, really requires him to play in an attacking midfield role, and if you are going to use an anchorman in midfield it would be advisable to sign one as El Ahmadi is not paticularly suited to it.

Anyway, good luck at Villa Park

Excellent OP mate, going to start with Villa now, looks like a tough ask this year.

Thanks mate. yeah I've found they have been getting tougher over the last few versions, they represent a decent challenge now, good luck

Tell me about it, I've been shocked at Villa's real life and FM descent into mediocrity.

Well, I've taken a lot of your ideas on board and got rid of Given, Hutton and Warnock. I would get rid of Dunne but he's injured so can't. Maybe January.

In their place I got Gordon, Cresswell (who's been ace in friendlies so far), Zambrotta (got to be good for a season on a free) and Babacar. Tried to get Reo-Coker but he went to Wolves instead.

I went with the old 442, and Benteke is loving it. He's not scoring loads at the moment but he's getting his head on plenty of crosses and I think it must only be a matter of time.

I won the little friendly cup beating Dortmund on pens and Sevilla outright which I'm pretty pleased with. All the other friendlies being a lot more comfortable.

P.S I do plan to try and mainly get a domestic squad, but the lack of cash makes that a bit unfeasible at this early stage.

Dunne's injury is annoying but he should just about recover by deadline day so you can offload him, I managed to sell him to Wigan for 2 mil on deadline day even though he had only returned to light training. Cresswell has been quality for me as well, seems like you are poised for a decent season anyway.

Good op, I have struggled the last couple of Fm games to get into a save but with Villa being where they are I will be back at Villa Park and then will do an Oxford save on classic in case I get bored.

Great post!

Started my game with villa working a 4-2-3-1 Narrow formation with attacking full backs.. Due to the transfer budget i have mostly bought free transfers such as fabio grosso, Reo-Coker and managed to buy creswell from ipswich.

P7 W4 D1 L2 and 4th in the league.

Quality start mate, and nice job persuading Reo-Coker to come back, it is not easily done but he has great stats for a defensive mid, especially as he is free

Just been sacked after finishing 16th in first season. Some advice though if your looking to stregthen the middle of the park I got Jenas on loan and he did fantastic for me

Was hoping mid table would be possible but by the sounds of that it's not :/

Ive started a save with Villa, signed Hargreaves on a free and Anderson on a season long loan.

Benteke[TM] Bent[P]

N'Zogbia[W] Hargreaves[bWM] Ireland[AP] Holman[W]

Warnock[FB] Clark[bPD] Vlaar[D] Lowton[FB]

Given[G]

Seems to be working so far, mid table scoring plenty but conceeding too many. Tactics still need tweeking in places and afew new players will be signed when i get some sort of budget.

Bad luck Jim, you could always have another crack. I just finished my first season in 10th place, it was a real tough one though. I managed 49 points, with 13 wins 10 draws and 15 losses, but a goal difference of -17, which reflects the fact that when we lost we were often well beaten, a 4-0 loss at home to West Ham on the opening day a paticular lowlight, but when we won it was usually because we scraped a one goal win.

I roatated quite a bit and it took me a while to find my best team, but my first 11 was broadly as follows.

GK: Brad Guzan; apps 32 av 6.84. Brad was Ok, but hardly error free, anyway Newcastle went down somehow on my game so I brought in Krul for £9m in the summer and shipped out Guzan to Fulham for a hefty £7.5m, leaving my £1.5m poorer but with a much better stopper.

RB: Matt Lowton; apps 37 av 6.99. He was actually pretty decent which broke my expectations for him, I did have a mind to replace him in the summer initially but he has convinced me to give him at least another season as first choice.

LB: Aaron Cresswell; apps 38 av 6.83. Solid if unspectacular, he gets another season but if I progress at the rate I hope to he may not be a first teamer for too much longer. Cost me £2.8m

CB: Ron Vlaar; apps 38 av 6.89. He was my captain and pretty solid, not much else to say

CB: Ciaran Clark; apps 36 av 6.89. Was in no way outshone by his more experienced partner, and he has progressed. He also filled in at DM and was highly competent.

DM(Anchor Man): Havard Nordtveit; apps 35 av 6.97. A £3.4m signing from Gladbach in Germany he did pretty well for me, an all round decent midfielder who is quick, a strong tackler and has a high work rate. At 22 he has a bit of potential still to grow into as well.

CM(Deep Lying Playmaker): Ole Kristian Salnaes; apps 37 av 7.15. I signed him from Rosenborg for £1.4m mainly because at 18 he looked to have plenty of potential, I didn't plan on playing him that much. But it didn't take him long to oust El Ahmadi from the team, and he ended up being our best player, not bad for an 18 year old, he comes highly recommended.

CM(Box to Box): Fabian Delph; apps 25 av 6.80. He struggled a lot in the first half of the season and lost his place in the team, but once he regained it he was much improved and finished the season strongly.

RW: Mark Albrighton; apps 32 av 6.82. He did alright, but was pretty inconsistent, I think he was hampered by his intial injury, hopefully he will stay fit for the whole season this year and improve.

LW: Barry Bannan; apps 33 av 7.06. Bannan was a suprise star man for us on the wing, he got 5 goals and 7 assists, which by our standards does make him a star. I would definitely recommend playing him out wide rather than through the middle.

ST(Poacher): Christian Benteke; apps 30 goals 12 av 6.91 or Gabby Agbonlahor apps 33 goals 10 av 6.73. Both were OK but not great. Benteke had quite a few less starts so his goal record is actually significantly better. Essentially Benteke is much better in front of goal, but Gabby's pace means he get plenty more chances.

I sold a lot of the old guard, including Bent for £22m to Chelsea, which may have been a mistake since I did struggle for goals, but it allowed me to bring some players in, such as Thomas Ince for £6m, but he was largely disapointing. The real news in the 2013 summer window was with Makoun, his loan deal with Rennes includes a £2.3m purchase clause, which they activated, however he wanted us to agree to keep paying him around 10k a week for him to agree to the move. I pondered over this but eventually decided I'd take a chance on someone else buying him and so turned the proposal down. That, it turns out, was an excellent decision, when he returned I offered him out insanely high, as I always do with players just for the hell of it, and for some reason Montpellier decided to bid £12.75m for him. Safe to say I accpeted that, and now have a rather substantial transfer kitty.

Does anyone else find Ince and Zaha both want high wages for their ages?

its a negotiation jojo... you'll need to talk their prices/ wages down..

and tbh, both are pretty much on top of their game currently so wont really want to move unless for big money

I got Ince on 25k a week, which is high for a relatively unproven youngster, but it is also a 5 year contract, so if he improves as much as I hope in a couple of seasons his contract will look like very good value

Good thread. Villa seem like a good challenge, though if I do a save i'll start with transfers off!

Bent to Chelsea £22m....

After an absolutely appalling display by all of my strikers (Bent getting only 2 in 20 games) I got sacked.

Going to start again selling a lot of players off and replacing with young English players.

I've not even completed my season with Villa, sacked in Jan.

I'm shocked at just how poor the players are on FM.

I know our side is poor IRL but the stats on some of the players surely need improving?

I've not even completed my season with Villa, sacked in Jan.

I'm shocked at just how poor the players are on FM.

I know our side is poor IRL but the stats on some of the players surely need improving?

The data issues thread for Aston Villa would be the place to discuss possible issues. But, before you do, read the OP.

The data issues thread for Aston Villa would be the place to discuss possible issues. But, before you do, read the OP.

Its an opinion pal, not a complaint & has nothing to do with the OP (which I have read ty).

Its an opinion pal, not a complaint & has nothing to do with the OP (which I have read ty).

Yes, and even so. Opinion's still have to be backed by proof.

wyer.. what NF is really badly trying to say, is that to get any change in players stats (which i think everyone would like) you should post in the data issues thread .. as the more people who have something to say in there , the more likely it will get changed.

As much as I love Villa, I don't really think they have under valued the team stats wise.

We are adrift in a sea of mediocrity at the moment, but you do get the suggestion that you can develop some real stars in both FM and real life.

1 of the main problems I find with Villa in the strength in depth.

Yeah we can add to it the squad but in doing so we're adding yet more new players to go with the all ready high amount of new players.

So we're left with a large pool of players trying to gel, trying to learn new tactics and and at the same time us as a manager, trying to get the best of the poor players we have.

This years FM clearly shows everyone else what all Villa fans have IRL, a bleak outlook lol.

I started up yet another game, brought in some real coups of signings and I can stop the rot.

Might be time to go play something else until this old timer can get hold of a good tactic that works with Villa.

I've decided to try and play for a hopefully positive second season and just try and weather the storm through the first.

Sold Bent, Warnock, Hutton, Given and loaned out a few youngsters.

Bought, Danny Graham (stats are amazing, scout report mediocre), Cresswell, Adam Smith and got Reo-Coker and Craig Gordon on free transfers.

Hopefully offload Dunne and get another DC before the window closes.

Going to try out a few different tactics in the first season, but most importantly develop my new players and the existing youngsters for a good second term.

Let's just hope I get passed January this time xD

Decided to start as Villa due to the challenge that they pose to start off with. I'll update fully on my pre-season once it's complete, but Charles N'Zogbia, who I've never been keen on has just rejected a £10m move to Reading due to the salary they were offering .

Decided to start as Villa due to the challenge that they pose to start off with. I'll update fully on my pre-season once it's complete, but Charles N'Zogbia, who I've never been keen on has just rejected a £10m move to Reading due to the salary they were offering .

Bent is really poor or has been on my saves, I decided to cash in on him straight away with out the poor form.

I managed to get shot of Bent, N'Zog, Warnock and loaned Gabby to Liverpool for £500k a month (thats right a MONTH).

Looking at the kid from Sao Paulo might be an option, I got a WP for him but I missed the deadline. Super stats for a kid.

Nottingham Forest, keep us posted on you progress with Villa please.

I've already sold Bent. He only went for £11.25m. That was with me offering him out for £25m. I've made my first few signings of the summer already. I managed to get Lerner to increase my wage budget by £80k and increase my transfer percent revenue to 90%.

I got Tottenham and Chelsea both offering 22m for Bent, I'm happy to report he's been awful for them in his first few games!

Also offloaded Dunne to Southhampton and replaced him with Curtis Davis - I always did wish we kept him after his loan spell.

Weimann has been my most outstanding player so far though, 3 goals out of 3 games so far. Danny Graham seems worth it too, 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 games.

Unfortunately I've been completely unable to keep hold of a lead and haven't recording an EPL win yet.

I got Tottenham and Chelsea both offering 22m for Bent, I'm happy to report he's been awful for them in his first few games!

Also offloaded Dunne to Southhampton and replaced him with Curtis Davis - I always did wish we kept him after his loan spell.

Weimann has been my most outstanding player so far though, 3 goals out of 3 games so far. Danny Graham seems worth it too, 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 games.

We bought Davis for around 8 mil after that loan spell.

I rated him very highly but Mon didn't and if he had of played 1 more league game, we would of had to pay them over 1 mil.

We bought Davis for around 8 mil after that loan spell.

I rated him very highly but Mon didn't and if he had of played 1 more league game, we would of had to pay them over 1 mil.

Ha, I tend to remember football through FM, I think that must have been the year I didn't buy it!

My team tends to get a bit anxious half way through the 2nd half of most matches, any ideas on how to combat that?

Bent got 26 goals in 37 (5) games for me in the first season. 2nd season he's got 20 in 33(5) games. I'm playing him as a poacher in a flat 442.

Lowton has been good for me. Clark too. 2pts ahead of City with 4 games to go.

My team now is

GK: Krul (Guzan)

RB: Lowton (Montoya)

LB: Angel (Ruben)

CB: Vlaar, Caceres

CB: Clark, Bocchetti

MR: Weiss (Albrighton)

ML: Nem (Bannan)

MC: Poli (Adryan)

MC Benat, loan (Delph)

SC: Bent (Benteke)

SC: Cardozo (Sturridge)

Agbonlahor did okay as an attacking winger for me, but I can't get him to play well upfront. Tried to sell him in the 2nd season, but there was no interest.

Just brought in the one and only Juan Pablo Angel, Thomas Hitzlsperger, John Carew and Reo-Coker all for old times sake and because they are free.

That's the forward thinking type of management Villa need jojo!

Really enjoying the thread, fantastic overview of my beloved club. Will start my villa game tonight, first job - sell Bent as he frustrates me IRL and i need the funds for a rebuild. One question has anyone decided to get a new Assistant manager in?? If so who did you go for? All the ones i try have no interest ATM!! Will update as i go!

I went for Taylor Twellman but only because he was one of my favorite players.

Just started a game up with Villa. Can't believe I got no transfer money. Going to sell Bent, Warnock, Hutton, Dunne, Ireland and N'Zogbia.

Selling Given and going with Guzan worked out well for me. Not much between them and it frees up some transfer money.

I sold Given, Dunne, Ireland, Hutton, Warnock in the first season which, not counting the transfer money, gives you around £13m more to spend.

Do you start off with no money to spend at the start?

This is my 2nd save with Villa, 1st i was sacked in Feb for being 19th, so i quit and started a new save now 15 games in im 7th and Bent & Benteke are awesome, both cant stop scoring. I made my own tactic from scratch using the best of what ive got.

I wouldn't say the stats need changing, the team is fine, the problem with FM13 is tactics, you cant just download and bolt on a tactic which worked for one, You've got to make a tactic for the players you have.

Anyone recommend me an Attacking Midfielder? I have about £5mil to spend.

Thanks

Wellington Nem if Swansea havent already.

Villa look like a good challenge his year, some extremely poor players, plenty of high earners. Could be a good one gonna pick up the game in the week when i get time despite vowing not too! In the demo the transfer market was extremely frustrating so i never really got into it is the full game the same?

Another new save, plenty of time invested in rebuilding the squad but same bloody result.

I'm either that stupid I can't get a working tactic or Villa are mission impos.

First season is a challenge im sure but i expect to survive narrowly and then kick on from there.

I'm hoping I've just turned the corner, was about to be sacked and beat Reading 3-1 at VP.

Norwich up next....

Really enjoying the thread, fantastic overview of my beloved club. Will start my villa game tonight, first job - sell Bent as he frustrates me IRL and i need the funds for a rebuild. One question has anyone decided to get a new Assistant manager in?? If so who did you go for? All the ones i try have no interest ATM!! Will update as i go!

Cheers mate, as far as the Ass Man goes I appointed Joe McLaughlin, who is a scout at Bolton at the start, so its a bit of a step up for him but he has all the right stats. Andy Crosby at Southampton is another decent and viable candidate.

For those who are struggling I encourage you to persist, whilst most certainly tough the job isn't immpossible. I was 19th after about 12 games in my first season, but I brought it back from what I think was one loss away from the sack to finish 10th, now at the start of my second season I have the wage bill down to about 450k a week, £30m in the bank, a very promising young team;

GK: Tim Krul / Ben Siegrist

RB: Matt Lowton / Adam Smith

LB: Aaron Cresswell / Carles Planas

CB: Ciaran Clark / Jores Okore

CB: Carlos Labrin / Matthias Ginter

DM: Havard Nordtveit / Matthias Ginter

CM: Kristain Ole Selnaes / Gary Gardner

CM: Fabian Delph / Adryan

RW: Mark Albrighton / Fede Vico

LW: Tom Ince / Barry Bannan

FC: Christian Benteke / Gabby Agbonlahor / Andreas Cornelius

Like Mark Albrighton says above getting through the first season without losing your job should be the hard part, but from there the only way is up

EDIT: On deadline day I sent Gabby out on loan to Celtic for a very tasty 550k a month, apparently there is more money in Scottish football than I thought, they are only paying a third of his wages though. I brought in Ademilson from Sao Paulo to replace him for £5.25m, which means I should make profit on the switch, especially since Ademilson is on less than a third of Gabby's wages. Hopefully he will solve our finishing problems as well.

My problem is, no matter how many times I've started a new game its the same problem.

I just can't get my team cooking : /

Managed to get 7 points from 3 games which saved my job but now its 3 defeats on the run again lol