Villa Fanzine: Heroes and Villains

[Nocky]

Off the back of a successful season where we claimed the club's first league title we're delighted to relaunch our club fanzine - Heroes and Villains!

Over the off season, we'll have a look back at the title winning season and keep an eye on all activity at Villa Park as we prepare for the defence of our crown!

[Nocky]

The Villains on Top! A look back at the Title Triumph of Season 22!

Chapter 1: Preparing for a Marathon!

Season 21 had just ended with the Villa finishing in a creditable 3rd place when preparations started for the new season. Why so early? because, after just 22 match campaigns being the norm, FMFA was expanding to an 18 team league meaning a marathon league season of 34 games! A squad that had been fighting for the title had come up short with clearly some depth needed if they were to be anywhere near capable of a sustained challenge this time round.

However, it was weakened in the first bit of senior business done with Matthews, Nisic and Sam Lammers all allowed to go in that first transfer as £117.5m of much needed funds were needed. We also added a couple of senior heads in return though and, looking back now, a deal that seemed a gamble at the time looks a relative masterstroke as Marin Pongracic became our defensive player of the year whilst Guus Til - although mainly used off the bench - contributed vital goals!. Karamoko Dembele also came in and he is earmarked as very much one for the future.

There were actually surprisingly few senior changes., Yusuf Bidik was promoted to the senior squad but that just allowed Ben Chilwell to leave. And finally the big bit of business - Anthony Gordon was brought in from auction for a fee of £153.5m. This was the news the club had been waiting for - after the departure of the previous season's top scorer in Lammers and with the side having struggled for goals already this one was a must. Fans were hoping that he could fire up a partnership with Fati to get the goals to push for glory! With Suarez and Ronaldo the only backups, the team were always going to be reliant on these 2!

And with that the season was upon us! Not the big changes the fans would have liked but a squad full of ability on and off the ball. Liverpool and Man Utd were going to be tough to catch but nobody knew how this new season would play out...

[Nocky]

The Villains on Top! A look back at the Title Triumph of Season 22!

Chapter 2: Off to a Flier!

An away game at Bournemouth was almost as tough a start as we could have asked for so a 1-2 away win was a great result with goals from Svante Ingelsson and Ansu Fati seeing us take the early 3 points. This was backed up by home wins over QPR and local rivals West Brom sandwiching another 2-1 away win at Leeds. The only side to take 12 points from the opening 4 games we topped the fledgling table but it was apparent this was setting up to be a high scoring season with 4 other teams taking 9 or 10 points from those games.

The season then had its first hiccup with back to back defeats - a surprisingly convincing 3-0 turnover at Stamford Bridge was followed by a 0-2 home defeat to Man Utd which felt massive in the title race (and very nearly was). Sitting in 5th after that game, little did we know this would be the lowest we dropped all season and our only spell out of the top 4.

We recovered strongly from the setback with back to back away wins at Brentford and Brighton before a 3-1 home victory over Newcastle was followed up by our first one pointer of the season taken at Derby. David Nascimiento had given us a late lead only for them to equalise and it felt like 2 points dropped. But it was an even game and, as it happened, a vital one earned!!! A home win against Wolves and an away one at Man City extended the unbeaten run to 6 games and, just like that, over a third of the season was gone!

We had managed to climb back into the top 3 but, at this stage, were scrapping to make the top 2 in what was already turning out to be a classic battle!

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Pl   Team                      P    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1    Liverpool                12   10   0   2    39   12   27    30
2    Manchester_United        12    9   2   1    30   10   20    29
3    Aston_Villa              12    9   1   2    23   14    9    28
4    Everton                  12    8   1   3    23   14    9    25

[Nocky]

The Villains on Top! A look back at the Title Triumph of Season 22!

Chapter3: The run goes on but we can't shake the pack!

A home win over Leicester saw us break into the top 2 before the biggest win of the season saw Ingelsson, Fati and Gordon all grab braces in a 7-0 away win over Spurs! After a slow start, Gordon was now showing why we spent all that money on him. This was followed with a crucial 2 match spell where we came out 5-0 winners over Everton and 1-0 over Liverpool - massive wins over title rivals both at Villa Park. A win at Arsenal completed the first half of the season with us now top of the table and on an 8 match winning streak in the league with 12 unbeaten. At this stage we had 14 wins from 17 games and had opened up a four point gap at the top.

We started the second half of the campaign with wins, completing the double over Bournemouth, QPR and Leeds before gaining the revenge win over Chelsea - 2-0 at Villa Park. At this stage we had won 12 on the bounce and had an eight point gap at the top. But it all came down with a bang as we slipped up 1-0 in the Derby at West Brom and then lost again to man Utd at Old Trafford. All of a sudden our eight point cushion was just two with eleven games to play. When we drew at home to Brentford, we lost top spot for the first time in 9 matches and it started to feel like we had blown it with 10 to go. But, by now we were out of all cups and this was our full focus allow our players some rest time. We came back well with a 5-0 over Brighton and, in round 26 we won 3-0 at Newcastle which, coupled with a 0-0 draw for United at QPR saw us reclaim the summit. With eight games to go this title race was well and truly on...

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Pl   Team                      P    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
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1    Aston_Villa              26   20   2   4    57   21   36    62
2    Manchester_United        26   18   6   2    59   25   34    60
3    Liverpool                26   18   1   7    72   26   46    55

[Nocky]

The Villains on Top! A look back at the Title Triumph of Season 22!

Chapter 4: Taking it to the wire!

When United had taken us over at the top, it had been on goal difference so the 5-0 and 3-0 wins had really helped in that respect. Liverpool's GD was unassailable but they were a few back and it was becoming apparent that that GD was key. We helped our cause in rounds 27 and 28 with another 5-0 at home to derby and a 4-1 away at Wolves - but Man Utd kept winning too. We then had a nightmare at home to Man City with them scoring with their only two shots of the game to turn us over 2-1 at home. Another Man Utd win saw us drop to second and Liverpool keeping the pressure on in third.

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Pl   Team                      P    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
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1    Manchester_United        29   21   6   2    68   27   41    69
2    Aston_Villa              29   22   2   5    67   24   43    68
3    Liverpool                29   20   2   7    77   27   50    62

Round 30 was a crucial one as we came back with a 3-0 win at leicester whilst the other two of the top 3 faced off at old Trafford with Liverpool winning 4-2. This put us back on top but also saw the Reds close the gap between them and the top 2 and keep them interested. All three sides won in round 31 with us completing the double over Spurs with a 3-0 win. But we came unstuck against our bogey team Everton with a 2-0 defeat at Goodison in round 32. Going in we thought we had blown it but no - Will had done us a massive favour beating Man Utd 1-0 at Old Trafford. With Liverpool winning this was now very much a 3 horse race again with us heading to Anfield next.

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Pl   Team                      P    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
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1    Aston_Villa              32   24   2   6    73   26   47    74
2    Manchester_United        32   22   6   4    72   33   39    72
3    Liverpool                32   23   2   7    86   30   56    71

As we headed to the Reds we knew a loss could see us drop to third so we went unusually defensively. It's a game we should have lost but somehow didn't as it ended 0-0 for our only goalless draw of the league campaign. A United win left the sides level on points but now we had the superior goal difference. It meant we knew a win in our final match would almost certainly clinch it whilst other results would be reliant on others. We could even finish third!

As it happened, on that final day, nothing less than a win would have done with the other two comfortably winning their games. For us it looked bleak with Bissek opening the scoring. But Anthony Gordon, who had looked like a flop for much of the early season, came to the rescue with goals either side of half time. When full time came the fans did have a little check on their phones but Man utd would have needed another 6 goals to take it from us so the celebrations truly began!

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Pl   Team                      P    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
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1    Aston_Villa              34   25   3   6    75   27   48    78
2    Manchester_United        34   24   6   4    77   35   42    78
3    Liverpool                34   24   3   7    90   30   60    75

So, at the end of a mammoth season we had done it but what an effort it took! Almost 2.4 points per game needed and a huge effort to maintain that positive goal difference!

This represented the culmination of a massive project at Villa Park! My 11th season in charge we were promoted via the playoffs that first season and then have been up and down the Prem ever since. We came second twice and thirs twice in those subsequent seasons but were never able to step over the line - until now!

And, no sooner had the celebrations died down and we were back thinking about season 23. The league reverts to a 22 game season and our rivals are stronger than ever. We know we will have to be even better if we are to defend it.

It's been 9 seasons since a club successfully defended the title and it's only been done three times ever - by Liverpool and Man Utd! How we would love to join that elite group! Preperation starts here!

[Nocky]

Pre season Prep - the biggest deal in Villa history?

There have been a lot of transfers in and out of Villa over the last 11 seasons but surely nothing bigger than this one. A deal was struck with Southampton to see four players leave in return for just two back!

The Outgoings:

Guus Til - the Dutch midfielder had been used off the bench in the main last year but had worked hard over the off season to convert to a central defender. And it is in this role that he moves on to the Saints (he's also changed his name for a complete fresh start)

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W_Fofana      25 fre  1 22 15  3 22 300 469 235  38

Yusuf Bildik - the defender is one of the successes of Villa's premier youth academy having signed for the club in season 14 for £13m. He broke into the first team squad last year and was one of a number of defenders that helped to keep the goals against down which was key to the title triumph

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Y_Bildik      22 tur  1 21 15  2 24 300 797 556 947

Alfie Davine - one of the not so great tales of the Villa academy - bought as a top prospect for over £70m in season 21 he was sold on to Brentford for a £10m+ loss the very next season. He returned briefly this year in a swap deal but moves on without playing a game for the club. Surely that is the end of his chances as a Villa player - but that midified is just too competitive

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A_Devine      22 eng  1 12 21 12 28 300  31 832 681

David Kinsombi - a real heartbreak for the fans to see the German go. He didn't come cheap - brought to Villa by our scouts for £171m back in season 18 but he has had 5 seasons as a mainstay in the midfield where his versatility has made him crucial to the club playing centrally or as an AM or DM. A proper servant and delighted he was able to pick up that league winners medal before he goes

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D_Kinsombi    27 ger  1 14 22 14 25 300 317 433 308

Coming in:

Some of those outgoings will upset the fans but the ones coming in are top quality and can hopefully take us to the next level!

Josko Gvardiol - one of the best defenders in FMFA today and a real coup for Villa to pull off his signature. The passing ability means he can fit in with our styles whilst his tackling ability is a level we just haven't had before. After the impact Pongracic made last season we're hoping this signing can elevate us again! At just 23yo as well he has a long career at Villa ahead of him!

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J_Gvardiol    23 cro  1 23 14  8 30 300 946 766 365

Bruno Guimaraes - the gap that Kinsombi leaves in midfield - not to mention Til as an AM - has been filled instantly by the Brazilian superstar. He comes in as a better passer of the ball than both and as good a shot as Til with the same defensive capability as Kinsombi. When he became available he was one we had to have and the partnership he will form with Leemans and Ingelsson next season is mouth watering!

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B_Guimaraes   27 bra  1 14 23 15 31 300 760 476  77

Tim Iroegbunam - whilst not part of the transfer the deal was only possible thanks to Tim's graduation from the academy! He joined us for £64m as an 18yo back in season 19 and has done 3.5 seasons learning the ropes. Now is the time for him to step up as he signs his first senior professional contract with us. Despite the nostalgia with Kinsombi, Iro is as good a passer and better both defensively and going forwards and will join fellow youth graduates Butterworth and Nascimiento in the midfield next season. Indeed, with Garofani in goal as number 1 and Bbey likely to be kwy in the defence, nearly half the Villa starting side will have come through the U23s come next season - what a credit to the youth setup!



The players going out were good but these signings feel they can take us on to the next level! Hopefully they bed in fast and help us to compete on all fronts in season 23

[Nocky]

Pre season Prep - who are the auction targets?

With the TDE annual auction now upon us, fans are asking where that money is going to be spent. We'll cast our eye over the squad and see what we think.

To begin with, it's worth noting that almost any player on the list would be in or around the first team squad. This makes it interesting as there is almost a no lose situation here. Any player we sign will at least fit in comfortably on the bench. Villa go in with a £233m budget but maybe there is the prospect of a bargain to be had based on what we just highlighted. How shrewd has the manager tried to be on this one?

Goalkeepers:

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G_Garofani    21 ita 26  1  1  1 20 847 300 300 300
R_Sanchez     26 spa 23  3  2  1 25 305 320 300 300
J_Keranovic   25 aus 16  2  1  1 25 896 300 300 300

We will rule this area out straight away. Giovanni Garofani did so well on his loan at Brentford last season that he is the undisputed number one likely for years to come and has even seen Christensen sold. Sanchez is good enough to be understudy whilst Keranovic is there in an absolute crisis although youth keeper Lewis would be called up before that happened as well


Defenders:

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J_Gvardiol    23 cro  1 23 14  8 30 300 946 766 365
M_Pongracic   26 cro  1 22 14  3 25 300 820 670 551
N_Abbey       22 eng  1 22 15  4 28 300 300 300 300
K_Guessoum    26 fra  1 21 15  2 31 300 824 273 511
Jetro_Willems 29 ned  1 21 14  4 25 300 958 698 596
D_Maresic     23 aus  1 21 16  2 24 300 733 342 658

The manager likes to have seven on the books so we are one light here. Gvardiol, Pongracic and Abbey are the stand out three and will likely start when fit whilst we'll be hoping the others rate up soon but may well rotate. Maresic also played a fair bit at DM last season. We only used 5 defenders twice last year but the manager likes to have the option and, with us having at least five defs but up to seven in every match day squad adding here is possible.

If we do, Calafiori and Bradley would be obvious candidates with Lewis Hall another strong runner. Ian Maatsen could be the left field choice if the manager wants to pick up a bargain.

Midfielders:

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C_Leemans     28 ned  1 14 23 15 32 300 237 886 268
S_Ingelsson   26 swe  1 14 23 14 29 300 495 284 482
B_Guimaraes   27 bra  1 14 23 15 31 300 760 476  77 
Z_Butterworth 22 sco  1 15 22 15 23 300 165 158 227
T_Iroegbunam  21 eng  1 15 22 15 25 300  58 322 291
D_Nascimento  22 por  1 15 21 14 26 300 542 514 367

The boss tends to keep six in the squad - especially if they are all rounders - and we have this in buckets here! Any one of these could play DM, MF or AM on any given day! Nascimiento is the weakest but he is likely to captain the side again this year and become the number one DM choice once again. Whilst Gravenberch and Jones maybe tempters we can't see the club wanting or needing to add to this outstanding midfield unit!

Forwards:

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A_Gordon      24 eng  1 10 16 25 26 300 476  59 517
A_Fati        22 spa  1  6 14 25 21 300 370 897  71
L_Suarez      35 uru  2  2 14 21 46 483 584 200 700
C_Ronaldo     39 por  1  1 10 20 24 300 614 339 856

This is the most obvious area for us to go. The front two are quality but, whilst Suarez was incredible off the bench last season, he is running out of gas and is noticably dropping off in ability now. And Costello would get a call up from the U23s before Ronaldo gets a game. So, with 3 FWs in every match day squad - and Gordon sometimes used as an AM - the smart money would be on a FW.

It would be the fourth successive season (and 5th out of six) that Villa have signed a forward with Gordon last year following Fati from the year before with Felix and Ronaldo coming before that. But with such an obvious hole in the squad, surely this is a good bet.

Isak, Marmoush and Cunha would be first choice whilst Delap would be a guaranteed starter. But and striker would be a shoe in for the bench at the very least. With 8 available, this means the gaffer could try and grab a bargain with a safety net of the second round. But that's a gamble and he may go all in for a guaranteed first teamer!


In conclusion it's defender or striker for us to target this year. It'll be interesting to see the results and if we took the bargain play or went big. The beauty of this auction is, whoever we sign, the squad, if not the best XI, will be stronger for it. But, with numbers light, we have to get someone - so we're watching with nerves and excitement for the big reveal!

[Nocky]

Pre season Prep - Brazilian Internationl Striker signed!

In an auction move that was predicted in this fanzine, the club went all in for a FW this season with the targets, in order being Matheus Cunha, Alexander Isak and Omar Mahmoush.

The latter two bids would not have take the player if they had been needed as the 2 went for £200m and £187m respectively - twice what Villa offered. But that doesn't matter as Cunha - an 11 cap Brazilian international - has signed on the dotted line for the club. And looking at those two sales, the fee of just £94,000,000 would appear to be a relative bargain in the current market.

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M_Cunha       25 bra  1  7 16 25 23 300 300 300 700

It is understood that Villa fought off bids from Southampton - with their manager a long term admirer of Cunha - to get their man and manager Alex Nock was understandably delighted to get his top target. Speaking to Sky Sports News, Nock had the following to say:

As a club we work hard to make sure we identify the right targets and then do what is needed to get them here. When the available list came out there was quite rightly speculation around us going for Alex or Omar and rightly so because of the finishing ability of the pair. But the distribution on the ball that Matheus brings to the team was the deciding factor that made him our number one target. We feel he will fit very nicely into our system and the partnership he could strike up with our other strikers is mouth watering.

We also are aware that we have made a few new signings recently and Matty know Bruno (Guimaraes) from Brazil meetups. Hopefully this will allow them both to settle in more easily and hit the ground running.

Cunha has arrived at Villa Park within the last hour to sign his paperwork and put the finishing touches to the move as well as inevitably pose with a shirt. But first he stopped off to talk to the gathered press:

It is a dream come true to sign for a club such as Villa. I'm joining the Champions of England and have a chance to feature alongside some great players! This is a club that wants to win trophies and I am here to help them do so. The gaffer presented the project to me and I have to say, I was impressed. He's not happy with one Premiership title and the fact that the club went out of the continental cup in the first round last season - he wants to win it all! As an ambitious footballer myself, that's something I buy into and I can't wait to get started and try to make that happen

However, it's not all roses for Villa fans as stories are breaking that Ansu Fati maybe unnerved by the signing and be considering options elsewhere. Certainly the Spaniard may well have slipped to third place in the pecking order now and, with a gap still to fill in defence, he could well be the one deemed surplus to requirements. It is understood that Arsenal and Bournemouth are "monitoring the situation"

If that is the case then we have no doubt the manager will do what is best for the club. As it is we have a top class FW added to the ranks and the feeling is that something special continues to grow here.

[Nocky]

Pre season Prep - Another huge deal as some club legends depart!

No sooner was the auction over then rumours had begun circling around Ansu Fati. The FW reportedly unhappy about being moved down the pecking order when he wants to be a number 1. Arsenal were alerted to the situation and contact was made with the discussions helped by the fact that the Gunners held a player that Villa have been tracking for a long time.

In an unusual twist negotiations progressed quickly and both sides were able to come to an agreement for a mutual benefit. It will be bittersweet for the Villa fans as some absolute heroes have left the club but what we're getting will no doubt be of long term benefit as we trust the manager to upgrade. Here we take a look at the deal in detail:

Outgoing:

Kelyan Guessoum - signed from Liverpool in the off season before season 19 in a deal that saw Ruben Dias go the other way, Kaylan arrived with Militao and Schick. Definitely the success from that deal, Guessoum has been an absolute key figure at Villa Park for a few seasons but has recently dropped down the pecking order and didn't get as many starts last season. With the arrival of Gvardiol this season alongside the improvement in Abbey, game time was going to be more infrequent for the Frenchman and so he moves on with the appreciation and respect of the fans

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K_Guessoum    26 fra  1 21 15  2 31 300 824 273 511

Zack Butterworth - a real bitter pill to swallow for the club this one. Zack joined the club as an 18year old for just £12m as an 18 year old back in season 14 and played for the U23s and seniors for a total of nine seasons. The U23s won promotion during his first season and then went on to lift the U23 Premier trophy with him in the midfield in season 17. He was also a three time U23 cup winner with the hattrick coming in just four seasons. Promoted to the first team in season 20, Zack grew into a prominent role and had a second and third place triumph to his resume before helping to lift the title this last season. He was also a winner in the Intercontinental trophy and the FMFA cup. So after 9 seasons, 8 trophies and being one of the biggest successes from our academy, he has been allowed to move on to the Gunners. No doubt he will be in for a huge reception on any return to Villa Park and the door is always open for a potential return!

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Z_Butterworth 22 sco  1 15 22 15 23 300 165 158 227

Ansu Fati - A £145.25m auction signing back in season 21, Fati forged a great partnership with Luis Suarez to take us to third that season. But it was this year he really blossomed as he helped Gordon through his early struggles and the two built a great understanding that took us to the title. Sadly and ironically, it is this season's auction that has spelled the end for his Villa career but few players have had such a big impact after arriving at a club.

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A_Fati        22 spa  1  6 14 25 21 300 370 897  71

So this is a big hit to our squad. Let's learn about what we're getting the other way:

Incoming:

Mark Guehi - at the age of 24, the Englishman is still ma hot prospect for the future. He is the key to this deal as the club have been working really hard to improve the defence this year and this will undoubtedly be a great addition. Not as good a passer as Guessoum but much stronger defensively, Guehi and Gvardiol could be a fearsome duo across the back 4 or 5 this season

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M_Guehi       24 ENG  1 23 14  7 28 300 568 259 598

Rodrigo Bentancur - an intriguing one this one as it's a slight step away from the all round ability the manager normally looks for. A brilliant passer of the ball but not as strong either defensively or going forward as the rest of the midfield. We expect the Uruguayan (who joins a growin South American influence at the club) to play very centrally this season and maybe be used in the backup role that was taken by Gil for much of last season - albeit deeper. Having said that, that passing ability also gives him the potential to start and it feels like he brings strength to that areas

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R_Bentancur   27 uru  1 12 23 13 29 300 673  35 675

Julian Alvarez - another South American, this time Argentinian, Alvarez comes in knowing he will likely be featuring off the bench in the main this season. And yet still he is a top 25 FW in his own right! Effectively a big upgrade on Suarez who played the backup role last year, Alvarez will get chances to have a run out in the starting side. Similar passing ability to Fati makes him a solid replacement for the outgoing Spaniard

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J_Alvarez     25 arg  1  9 14 23 21 300 577 985 535

We are also picking up £53m in the deal which we understand gives the manager a healthy kitty with which to sign the final defender he wants to complete the squad for the season. We wait with interest to see who that will bring.