Cracking the Top Four: An Aston Villa Dynasty (FM 2010)

[GoldenEagle]

Readers,

This will be my documentation of attempting to crack the top four of the English Premier League with Aston Villa. For those of you who do not keep up with the EPL, it is dominated by four sides at the moment: Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal. A top four finish gains entry into the prestigious UEFA Champions League. Villa came close last season, but fell apart down the stretch.

Why Aston Villa? They are the team that I have chosen to support. There are several reasons for this. They are a good size club but are not one of the big four. Supporting one of the big four is the equivalent of following the Yankees or Red Sox. The club is owned by an American and has three Americans on the first team. Finally, instead of choosing to make money off of a jersey sponsor, Villa donates the space to a children’s hospital. The claret/sky blue combo also makes for a sharp kit.

I am a sucker for realism. The current manager of the club, Martin O’Neil, is highly regarded. There is little chance of him being fired. Instead, I decided to retire Sir Alex Ferguson and make O’Neil the manager of Manchester Untied. I am represented in the game as a thirty-five year old American with England as a second nationality. I am a former Villa player and an American international that recently finished his playing career.

I begin every game of FM with an evaluation of my players. I make a spreadsheet and type in the various ratings for each player. It takes me awhile to do this, but is worth it in the long run when I go to put together tactical formations. I will be posting my thoughts on each positional group.

Up Next: Goalkeeper Evaluations

[aran]

This will mostly be a mechanics-heavy dynasty instead of a roleplay-heavy one?

I'm asking because I love reading about how people actually play deep games like FM and what their reasoning is for making decisions, from a mechanics perspective instead of from a storytelling/character perspective...

[GoldenEagle]

Yes, this will be a mechanic style dynasty. I will not be doing any story-telling or role-playing.

[GoldenEagle]

Goalkeeper Evaluations



Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan, both Americans, are the top options. Friedel has had a lengthy career in the Premier League and was signed from Blackburn before the 2008-09 season. Guzan was also signed around the same time from Chivas USA. Both are very similar. My plan is to play both in the preseason, but probably start the veteran Friedel for one more season.

I am thinking about loaning out Guzan, but the third option off the bench does not look like Premier League quality. Andy Marshall was signed by O'Neil this season, coming from Coventry. He has been a career backup for the most part. I am not even sure if I would start him over some of the younger options.

Elliot Parrish looks to be the most promising youngster. He was transferred listed to start the game, but I pull him off the list. The others look to have an issue with work ethic that is going to hamper their potential.

[GoldenEagle]

Left Back Evaluations



There are four solid options here, which is the result of Villa spending quite a bit of money over the last few seasons attempting to establish a solid option. Warnock, recently bought from Blackburn, is the player I like the most. A combination of Bouma and Young will serve as backup.

We do have $6.6 million a year of contracts tied up in the left back position. Shorey may be the odd man out. He is valued at around $6 mil and I would consider myself fortunate to get that for him. Then again, behind Warnock he is the second best attacking option but I am not sure if that is enough not to sell him if I get a good offer.

Nathan Baker, who also plays in the middle, is an intriguing prospect a 6'3. O'Halloran may be able to get some early round Cup time, although that is doubtful with all of the Senior team options.

[GoldenEagle]

Center Back Evaluations



I like my center backs to be physically imposing players who can win anything in the air. Apparently, O'Neil did too. I have four options on the first team. Dunne and Cuellar will likely be the starters. However if we are playing a team with two target strikers, I may go with Dunne and Collins. Alternatively, if we are playing a team with two quick strikers, Cuellar and Davies would get the call.

Depth is limited though. O'Halloran and Lowry are ready for early round cup duty, but are not capable of performing adequately in the Premier League. We are going to need to find another option or we may be forced into playing the same two guys if any injuries occur. Once I get cover, I will try to loan out O'Halloran/Lowry/Clark. That will leave a combination of Simmonds/Roome/Baker to fill roles on the reserve team.

From the youngsters, Baker and Ward look the most promising.

[GoldenEagle]

Is anyone having problems with the spreadsheets being blown way out? It just dawned that it might be causing problems for readers with smaller screens. I could try to resize the images, but they will probably be more difficult to read.

[GoldenEagle]

Right Back Evaluations



I am not blown away by any of the right back options, but it is a solid core that has depth and should not require any further strengthening. I want my right back to be able to get forward in the attack and provide an overlapping option for the right midfielder (especially if I am able to sign my top target, but more on that later).

Luke Young and Craig Gardner seem to fit that role well. Gardner has the better offensive skills and has more speed, but Young provides more bulk and better defensive awareness. Reo-Coker and Cuellar could slide into the spot if needed. Beye is a veteran who I will keep around for depth.

Lichaj is an American, for those who do not know. It will be interesting to see how he develops. Hogg is a candidate to go out on loan. I may attempt to sign another youngster to fill out the reserves.

[GoldenEagle]

Left Midfielder Evaluations



The previous management decided to splash nearly $20mil on Stewart Downing. He is not a bad player when you can keep him on the pitch. It remains to see if it was a worthwhile investment. Currently, he is out 2-3 months with an injury. Young and Milner are solid and can also play on the right side.

I want my left winger to be able to get in and create havoc. Young and Downing can both drift in and score or stay wide and ping it crosses. I would really like for a winger to be good in the air, but that is asking a bit too much from these guys. Once Downing is match fit, he will most likely start with Young playing on the right or up-top.

Bannan looks like a solid prospect. I will keep him on the reserves this season with maybe a cup appearance if I can find a suitable match. My general rule is not to loan out any players who start the season under 20 and this will be no exception.

Take a look at Grocott. He has the technical skills to be a regular in the Championship at 17. But his physical abilities are going to hamper advancement. He might could work as a deep-lying playmaker from the left wing, but not at this level.

Edit: Ryan Simmonds does not score a 110 technical rating, although that would be quite impressive.

[fpres]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Is anyone having problems with the spreadsheets being blown way out? It just dawned that it might be causing problems for readers with smaller screens. I could try to resize the images, but they will probably be more difficult to read.

I'm not having any problems with the spreadsheets myself. Very well done, BTW.

I've always liked the more mechanics style of dynasty, so I'm definitely following this one.

[GoldenEagle]

Center Midfielder Evaluations


I generally prefer a diamond shaped midfield, with one player sitting back protecting the back four and sucking up any loose balls that ping around the midfield. I have several options at my disposal for selection. Reo-Coker, Pertrov, and Sidwell fit that bill. Warnock could fill-in as well, on as needed basis.

The attacking player will be deployed differently. He will primarily be supporting the attack, proving an outlet and link between the wingers and the strikers. It is no secret that our offense will be focused down the wings, so I don't need the player to be a flashy playmaker. Sidwell and Petrov could play this role as well, with the added bonus of both being decent in the air. Gardner is another option.

The reserves have plenty of options as well. Delph is highly touted prospect who will get some limited time with the first team. Osbourne and Salifou provide cheap depth options and will be kept for this year.
Gary Gardner might develop into a decent prospect. Grocott might fit better into a center midfielder role. I will be interested to see how he does with the U18s.

[GoldenEagle]

Right Midfielder Evaluations



Young and Milner are the top options here and one of them will occupy the flank opposite of Downing once he returns from injury. Young will be the first choice, but Milner is a quality player as well. Reo-Coker is really not much of a winger, but I suppose he could play it in a pinch.

Bannan continues to show his versatility, as he is capable of playing all three channels in the midfield. Albrighton is also a regarded as a player with a future . Those two will get the majority of the minutes on the reserve team.

Johnson looks the like the most promising prospect from the youngster group.

[GoldenEagle]

Striker Evaluations



I play with a target striker in charge of getting the ball and holding on to it. He also needs to be able to get his head to crosses that we pump in. I have two solid options in Heskey and Carew. Carew is stronger and is better at finishing and cracking long shots, but Heskey works harder and is capable of getting the ball back if we lose it.

The other striker hangs off the shoulder of the last defender and waits. He uses his pace to get by defender. Agbonlahor was made for this position. He will excel in this role. Young can slide in here when he is not in the midfield.

I may list Harewood, but I am bit concerned about depth if Agbonlahor picks up a knock. If I bring in cover, I may see if I can unload him.

Delfouneso is a great prospect who will be playing with the reserves on a regular basis. Collins looks like he might have the makings of a serviceable player as well. There is not a lot of depth here, so I will add some players.

I don't see anything that jumps out at me with the youngsters, though I suppose Berry and Taylor might have some potential.

[GoldenEagle]

Depth Chart

Here is my initial thinking on the depth chart, as well as some thoughts below:



I believe that depth is imperative to reaching our goal of cracking the top four. Last season, O'Neil never gave his starters a rest. As a result, the team was gassed down the stretch and never recovered. We are going to be involved in several competitions other than the Premier League, including the inaugural Eupora League, Carling Cup, and FA Cup. I would like to make a deep run into each of these competitions.

But that will require depth and the ability to shuffle players in and out with trust. We need to add several players with a very limited transfer budget and not much room in player wages. It will be a challenge that will require creative thinking.

I would like to address the following areas before the start of the season:

-Veteran center back
-Reserve right back
-Winger capable of playing both positions
-Young ball winning defensive midfielder
-Young creative attacking midfielder
-Striker capable of being both a target man and a poacher

[kingfc22]

Will be following

[DaddyTorgo]

cool beans

[GoldenEagle]

Summer Transfer Window Targets

After evaluating my squad and setting a depth chart, I search for transfer targets. Below is the list of players I am going to attempt to sign. Obviously, I will not be able to sign everyone but my goal is to add a decent amount of depth to the squad.

This is a good time to mention that I am running all leagues that came with the game out of the box. I also loaded up players from every country, so I should not have any problem spanning the globe looking for players.

The board has given me a transfer kitty of $5.59 million and about $13.75M more to spend on wages. I am listing these players blindly without looking at any of their demands.

Defenders

Jorge Andrade (31 years old, Portuguese, No Club)
The former Juventus defender demanded a $14.25M transfer from Deportivo in 2007. Unfortunately for Juve, he was a bust only appearing in four matches in two seasons. He has a bit of rust to shake off but could provide some depth for our backline. We are going to have some competition for his signature, including Blackburn, Portsmouth, and Newcastle.

Elliot Omozusi (20 years old, English, No Club)
He is a decent young right back who we can get for free. He was formerly on the books at Fulham and spent the last season on loan at Norwich. We should have no problem bringing him into the fold, as only lower level English sides are showing interest.

Sol Campbell (34 years old, English, No Club)
Yes, he has lost any sort of pace. But I need some depth on the backline and he still has the skills to help out. He played for Portsmouth the last three season, averaging 32 appearances a season. He was a part of the Untouchables, the Arsenal squad that did not drop a match. We will have plenty of competition to sign him, but we appear to be the most prestigious club in pursuit.

Sergiy Kryvstov (18 years old, Ukrainian, Metalurg Zp, $900k)
He has the looks of a tremendous prospect, even though I am not able to view many of his attributes. He comes recommended through a contact (the SI good defender thread) and we should be able to sign him for cheap. The only problem is Dinamo Kiev is also interested in him.

Midfielders

German Villa (36 years old, Mexican, No Club)
He is old as hell but has all the attributes of a quality defensive midfielder. His work rate and stamina are amazing. I am very surprised that his attributes are still this good for someone his age. He played one season in Europe, spending the 1998-99 campaign with Espanyol. The rest of his career has been spent in Mexico.

Stephen Appiah (28 years old, Ghanaian, No Club)
He is not quite as good of a destroyer as Villa, but is still a quality player in his own right. He can play a little further up the pitch and should have no problem sliding into the midfield. He does not do one thing phenomenally well, but is instead a very balanced player. He last played with Fenerbahce, spending three years with the Turkish club. Blackburn are also interested.

David Beckham (34 years old, English, LA Galaxy)
You have to understand what kind of player you are going to get with Beckham before you can decide if he can help your team. He is never going to be a winger. He has to be deployed as a deep-lying playmaker from the wing. If you give him space in the midfield and some targets up-field, he will burn you. But he has to sit back or you will get counters on the right flank.

Landon Donovan (27 years old, American, LA Galaxy)
To be honest, I don't think he was rated fairly. He is not going to be a regular starter in the EPL for a team with top four ambitions, but he can come off the bench as a late game sub due to his acceleration, pace, and versatility. He will be available for a free in January. Several clubs are expressing interest.

Stuart Holden (23 years old, American, Houston Dynamo)
He is another guy who can play in all three channels in the midfield. He has more of a chance of being a regular in the EPL than Donovan does. We can get him on a free in January and he does not require a work permit due to his dual nationality. Several smaller England clubs are interested but I should be able to snap him up.

Angel Di Maria (21 years old, Argentinean, Benfica)
He is an excellent youngster who can play on the left or in the center. He can play as a true winger but needs to improve his stamina a bit. He can also be deployed in the hole as a playmaker. He is listed for $3.8M and may take up the majority of our initial transfer budget. Several clubs are interested, including Everton.

Rafael van der Vaart (26 years old, Dutch, Real Madrid)
He is listed for $14.25M but Madrid would like to get rid of him. The initial price might be too steep, but we are going to try to work a loan to buy deal. He has played for Ajax and HSV, before Real Madrid paid $21.5M for him. He would be the attacking midfielder that our side needs. Everton are interested and HSV are going to try to get him back as well.

Jari Litmanen (38 years old, Finnish, FC Lahti)
Another ageless wonder, Litmanen is a Finnish legend. He plays in the middle park and is amazing with the ball at his feet. He is not going to be able to play every game and is slow as dirt, but would be a good option in cup matches and Europa league games. He has played for Liverpool and was on the books of Fulham for a short time.

Strikers

Ebi Smolarek (28 years old, Polish, No Club)
The Poland international spent part of last season with Bolton where he failed to make an impression. If we sign him, he will come in as a back-up to Agbonlahor. He does not have the speed or strength of Marlon Harewood, but is a better finisher and can create his own shot through dribbling. His best season was the 2005-06 season, where he scored 13 goals with Dortmund.

Vratislav Lokvenc (35 years old, Czech Republican, No Club)
He is a target striker who is solid in the air with good finishing skills. He is very strong and hard to knock off the ball. He played last season in the 2 Bundesliga for Ingolstadt, scoring six goals. He has scored 142 career goals. A couple of small German clubs are also expressing interest.

Mario Balotelli (18 years old, Italian, Inter Milan)
This is going to be hard to pull off, but I would like to loan Balotelli for the season for minimal costs. Super Mario is a tremendous talent. He would not start over Agbonlahor, but I would feel comfortable putting him into an EPL game. He scored eight goals last season for Inter.

Carlton Cole (25 years old, England, West Ham)
He is got the potential to be a full England international, meaning he needs to be at a better club than West Ham. He will only be signed if some of the other options don't pan out and I raise some money to buy him. He can serve as a back-up in both striker roles and scored ten goals last season. He has also played for Villa before, scoring three goals during the 2004-05 season while on loan from Chelsea.

Mark Viduka (33 years old, Australian, No club)
The man was a goal-scoring machine back during his Leeds days. He still has the ability to finish and win the ball in the air, but his wheels fell off quite some time ago (all those pies did not help). He played for Newcastle last season, helping the club get relegated.

Javier Portillo (27 years old, Spanish, Osauna)
This signing is based on potential alone. He is available for cheap at $1.3M. He showed flashes of brilliance in the early days of his career with Real Madrid. While his last quality season was in 2006-07 when scored 11 goals for Gimnastic, he may be worth taking a cheap flyer on.

[GoldenEagle]

Tuesday July 7th, 2009

-My first order of business is to offer the LA Galaxy $600k for David Beckham. I am not crazy about spending 20% of my available transfer budget on a 34 year old with an expiring contract. But if the Galaxy play hard ball, I will probably comply.

Wednesday July 8th, 2009

-The Galaxy swiftly reject my offer of $600k. I respond with an offer of $900k.

-I offer a trial to 25 year old England goalkeeper Scott Tynan. I am going to bring him in for a look and see if he is an improvement over Andy Marshall.

-I offer free agent contracts to the following players:

-Jorge Andrade (2 years/$875k a year/$300k signing bonus)
-Elliot Omozusi (2 years/$155k a year/$50k signing bonus)
-Sol Campbell (2 years/$450k a year/$100k signing bonus)
-German Villa (1 year/$300k a year/$50k signing bonus)
-Stephen Appiah (2 years/$800k a year/$450k signing bonus)
-Ebi Smolarek (2 years/$850k a year/$300k signing bonus)
-Vratislav Lokvenc (1 year/$350k a year/$35k signing bonus)

-I also offer deals to Landon Donovan (4 years/$2.3M a year/$230k signing bonus) and Stuart Holden (3 years/$500k a year/$50k signing bonus)

-I submit transfer offers for Sergiv Kryvstov ($900k), Javier Portillo ($1M), Angel Di Maria ($1.2M in a loan to buy deal), Rafael van der Vaart ($2.1M in a loan to buy deal), and Jari Litmanen ($50k).

Thursday July 9th, 2009

-Real Madrid have rejected my offer for van der Vaart. The holdup is the future fee. We offered $5M which they have rejected and asked for $12M. We respond with a $10M offer.

-The Galaxy respond that they want $1.2M for Beckham. I accept the demands.

-Benfica reject the Di Maria bid, citing a future fee being too low. I say screw it and just try to get the player outright for a $3.8M transfer fee. I don't where the money is going to come from if they accept.

-FC Lahti play hardball and want $100k for Jari Litmanen. Whatever, I accept the deal.

-Metalurg Zp, the club that owns Kryvstov's rights, reject the $900k deal. I am going to put this one on hold for the time being, but I would still like to sign him before the end of the window.

-Osasuna want the full $1.3M for Portillo. I counter with a $1.1M offer. I am trying to drag this out a bit to see where the funds are in a couple of days.

Friday July 10th, 2009

-The Galaxy have accepted the offer for Beckham. I offer a 2 year deal worth $4M a season and a signing bonus of $200k.

-I offer Jari Litmanen a $300k one year deal with a signing bonus of $20k. Litmanen played for FC Lahti in the Europa league game during the week, thus making him cup-tied for the remainder of the cup.

-Real Madrid still want a $12M future fee for van der Vaart. I agree the $12M future fee but cut the initial price down to $1.5M. I also offer to pay 60% of the players salary.

Saturday July 11th, 2009

-I am still unsuccessful in getting Real Madrid to budge on the up-front fee. van der Vaart is a player I really want, but we have not gotten any interest on Shorey and I am concerned about transfer fees. I decide to go ahead and submit what Real Madrid wants. I will figure the money out later.

-Ashley Young injured himself in the weight room and will be out for two weeks. At least he was pushing himself.

-Osasuna have accepted the $1.2M offer for Portillo. We open with a 4 year deal worth $1.1M a season and a $400k signing bonus.

-We finish signing a bunch of scouts. The club limits me to nine or would I sign more.