2013-07-17 19:42#120457Justice :
Congrats on 100k views! If there was a story worthy of such a milestone, it would be your's! Ever since that very first post you made in February, this story has been fantastic and has captured the attention of every visitor on this site. Your story is the Barcelona of FM stories, and one that sets the bar very high for everybody else, although we all enjoy a challenge Keep on marching, maybe you'll eventually hit 1,000,000 views
The Barcelona of FM stories! I'll take that
Thanks mate Your Vauxhall story would be like Manchester United then
2013-07-17 19:42#120457Justice :
Congrats on 100k views! If there was a story worthy of such a milestone, it would be your's! Ever since that very first post you made in February, this story has been fantastic and has captured the attention of every visitor on this site. Your story is the Barcelona of FM stories, and one that sets the bar very high for everybody else, although we all enjoy a challenge Keep on marching, maybe you'll eventually hit 1,000,000 views
The Barcelona of FM stories! I'll take that
Thanks mate Your Vauxhall story would be like Manchester United then
2013-07-17 19:42#120457Justice :
Congrats on 100k views! If there was a story worthy of such a milestone, it would be your's! Ever since that very first post you made in February, this story has been fantastic and has captured the attention of every visitor on this site. Your story is the Barcelona of FM stories, and one that sets the bar very high for everybody else, although we all enjoy a challenge Keep on marching, maybe you'll eventually hit 1,000,000 views
The Barcelona of FM stories! I'll take that
Thanks mate Your Vauxhall story would be like Manchester United then
To commemorate 100,000 views, I will be having a 'Where Are They Now' update soon for the Aston Villa Best Eleven of 2012/13 AND the treble-winning Best Eleven of 2016/17
It was not a great two months for England as they lost a friendly match against Greece. However, the Three Lions enjoyed a fantastic start to their World Cup campaign, beating longtime rivals Scotland as well as crushing Austria to rise to the top of their group.
Friendlies
Greece 2 - 0 England
World Cup Qualifiers
Scotland 0 - 3 England Maddison Jones Zaha
England 5 - 0 Austria Wilshere Wilshere Romeo Chamberlain Zaha
Featured Player
Wilfried Zaha has made a remarkable restart to his England career, scoring in both the matches against Scotland and Austria to take his tally to 3 international goals and 6 caps. The Everton forward has also kick-started his footballing career again after his miserable four-year spell at Arsenal. The Toffees' summer signing has been in good form of late and if he keeps it up for both club and country, Zaha will certainly be a very valuable asset in the present and the future.
Little will forget David Beckham's first season in charge of Aston Villa.
The Villans finished 12th, a slight improvement from recent seasons, and fell out of the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup at the Quarter Final and the Fourth Round respectively.
Beckham made many signings - some of whom are now well-known names in the footballing world, and also developed plenty.
Now, Beckham finds himself in Germany, managing the world-acclaimed Bayern Munich. He has forged a very successful managerial career, and his management can only get better with time.
But what of his starting eleven that first season? Seven years on from Beckham's debut season as a manager, we take a look at his Best Eleven for 2012/13, and how they've split up.
Goalkeepers
Aston Villa didn't have much quality in the goalkeeping section in 2012/13, but to be fair, Shay Given was decent backup. Brad Guzan wasn't, according to Beckham at least, and he was sent packing a few years later.
But instead of taking this off-topic, let's take a look at where Guzan and Given are now.
Brad Guzan - West Ham, Player
After two seasons playing under David Beckham, Brad Guzan was deemed incompetent to continue playing in the first team and he was shipped off to West Ham for 2.5 million. It was a great deal for the Hammers as they got plenty out of the American keeper, and after 6 years at the Boleyn Ground and 202 league appearances, Guzan remains first-choice between the sticks, as well as being captain of the club. Although now 36, he remains a vital player for West Ham and an inspirational veteran in the dressing room.
Shay Given - England Under-19s, Coach
A year after Beckham's debut season, Shay Given retired from professional football at the age of 38, after failing repeatedly to challenge for a first-team spot. However, he remained in the game, getting signed on as a goalkeeping coach for Villa, with Beckham keen on allowing him to stay, working in another role. The departure of Beckham to Bayern Munich saw Given leaving Aston Villa as well, and he was unemployed for awhile. Announced as the new England manager a year later, Beckham quickly approached the Irishman to join the England Under-19s set-up, where Given has been ever since.
Defenders
David Beckham had a good pick of defenders, and the pairing of Ciaran Clark and Ron Vlaar that season was an instrumental one that helped them concede as little goals as possible. Joe Bennett on the left, and Mattia Cassani on the right. But where are they now?
Mattia Cassani - Lumezzane, Manager
Cassani is currently a manager in his native Italy, being in charge of lower league club Lumezzane, a position he has held for two years. After his successful loan spell at Aston Villa in 2012/13, Cassani went back to Fiorentina. However, after only 30 appearances in Serie A over two years, he moved to Lazio, where he enjoyed a first-team spot, making 65 appearances before finally retiring another two years later at the age of 34. He was back in the game by the next season, taking charge of Lumezzane.
Matthew Lowton - Celtic, Player
A decent backup in 2012/13, Lowton earned himself a spot in the first-team after Cassani returned to Fiorentina the next season. However, his spell at Aston Villa was short-lived as he soon made the move to Scotland, linking up with Scottish Premier League champions Celtic, where he has stayed for a good 6 years. So far, Lowton has made 191 appearances for the Bhoys but with Celtic having far better and younger options in the side this season, the 31-year-old is expected to leave sometime in the near future.
Ciaran Clark - Aston Villa, Player
Since breaking into the first team under David Beckham in 2012/13, Ciaran Clark has been a revelation at Villa Park and is currently a club legend, club captain, as well as the owner of 315 league appearances. The 30-year-old has been through all the highs and lows, and has become Aston Villa's first ever captain to lift the treble. He also plays like a boss. What is not legendary about this guy? Nothing...? Exactly!
Ron Vlaar - Bayern Munich Under-19s, Manager
Ron Vlaar continued playing under David Beckham after 2012/13, and was a key player for rotation, and later on, a very reliable backup. He was also Beckham's first ever appointed captain, and later, vice-captain when Clark took over the captaincy. He conceded the vice-captaincy to Fabian Delph in 2017 and eventually hung up his boots after making 125 appearances for the Villans, in 2018. However, he wasn't forgotten by his former manager, who approached him to join Bayern as youth team manager immediately after his retirement.
Nathan Baker - Leicester City, Player
After a rather decent first season, Baker fell out of favor and went on loan to Bristol City and Rangers before linking up with Leicester City after being released from Villa. He has been an important player for Leicester ever since, making 163 league appearances for the Foxes. Baker's loyalty to Leicester has also been recognized, overseeing two relegations, yet continuing to stay to boost Leicester's chances of promotion. Unfortunately, the club continue to sit in League Two, having been relegated from League One two years ago.
Joe Bennett - Newcastle, Player
After making only 39 league appearances in 2012/13 and 2013/14, Joe Bennett was then shipped off to Southampton, with David Beckham unable to guarantee him a first-team spot. He was a great player for the Saints, making 105 appearances and later joined Newcastle after 4 years at St. Mary's. His two years and counting at Newcastle has been decent so far, and although there have been no real achievements in the 30-year-old's footballing career despite his experience with Premier League clubs, Bennett will still be rather content with how his career has so far turned out.
Midfielders
Aston Villa's midfielders were probably better than the rest of the positions in the team, boasting the likes of Craig Gardner and Fabian Delph. The midfield had a great season and new signings like Wellington Nem got a chance to showcase their skills. But how exactly has that promising midfield split up? Let's take a look.
Fabian Delph - Free Agent
Delph was a fantastic rotation player in 2012/13 and gained recognition for this, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award as well as the Aston Villa Fans' Player of the Year. His impressive and consistent performances under David Beckham led to a total of 158 Premier League appearances for the Villans, and he was even awarded the vice-captaincy for his loyalty in 2017, replacing Ron Vlaar. He also won the Footballer of the Year award in 2016 and in that same year, was also named in the Premier League Team of the Season. However, Beckham's departure in 2017 spelt an end to his Villa career, with new manager Malky Mackay not favoring him in the team, and after his debut season as vice-captain was spent sitting on the bench, Delph was sent packing to Southampton. He hardly impressed with the Saints and was released after the expiry of his contract, making only 12 appearances over 2 years.
Craig Gardner - Shamrock Rovers, Player
Although his loan spell at Aston Villa was rather successful, Gardner failed to really lift his career after returning to Sunderland. He spent one more season with the Black Cats before moving to Burnley, and made 33 appearances in the club's debut season in the Premier League to help them stray away from relegation. Unfortunately, as the years progressed, his involvement with the first team got lesser and lesser, and after 50 appearances in 4 years, Gardner moved to Doncaster on loan. Despite playing well, there was no more positions for him in the first team and he was released. Shamrock Rovers signed him up, and he now plies his trade in the League of Ireland.
Karim El Ahmadi - Unemployed
El Ahmadi never made much of an impact at Aston Villa. Despite his impressive first season, El Ahmadi was merely a backup in his second, and was then sold to Norwich after only two years at Villa Park. He proved to be an uninspirational signing and after only 9 appearances in two seasons, made the move to Wigan, where he also flopped. After a loan spell at Crystal Palace and a one-year involvement with Huddersfield, El Ahmadi decided to hang up his boots.
Mattheus - Manchester United, Player
Only a backup and a youth prospect in his first season, Mattheus quickly evolved throughout the years and was finally a fully-fledged first-team player by 2016. But he was soon gone, joining David Beckham at Bayern Munich, where he made 49 appearances in the Bundesliga. However, with an array of new signings, the Brazilian returned to England, where he joined Premier League giants Manchester United.
Brett Holman - Unemployed
Little more than a reliable backup, Brett Holman quickly departed Aston Villa after being signed in 2012, as he joined Genoa in 2014. The Australian was no massive hit in Serie A, but instead played a role as backup, being called upon whenever any first-team player was injured or suspended. Holman joined Eredivisie side NEC in 2017, but failed to make a single first-team appearance for the club. With his career on the wane, Holman decided to retire in 2018, and is currently unemployed.
Wellington Nem - Aston Villa, Player
Wellington Nem dazzled both Aston Villa players, fans, and opposition alike as he took the Premier League by storm in his debut season. Now an Aston Villa club legend and second vice-captain, Wellington Nem has made 262 league appearances for the club. He is also one of the only two out of this entire squad to still remain with Aston Villa, and this year will be his 10th season as a Villa player. Although Beckham has expressed interest in bringing him to Bayern Munich, it doesn't seem as if Nem will be leaving anytime soon.
Forwards
In the 2012/13 season, Aston Villa's forward line was packed with talent, but where exactly are these talents now?
Darren Bent - Blackburn, Coach
Darren Bent was Aston Villa's star player of the season, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances to push the club up the table. He remained a key player for the next year, scoring 24 goals in his second season. However, his form quickly dipped, and Bent was sold to Blackburn to make way for new signing Carlos Fierro. Bent showed that he hadn't lost his touch with 19 goals in 36 appearances in his first season with Blackburn, and was an instrumental player after the club were relegated to the Championship, with his goals leading the club's challenge for promotion, something they succeeded in doing on their first attempt. Bent made only 2 appearances the following season, retiring at the end of it. He stayed with Blackburn, but this time, in a coaching role. Regarded as an Aston Villa icon, Darren Bent will always be welcomed back to Villa Park.
Christian Benteke - Galatasaray, Player
Christian Benteke never really managed to reach his potential at Aston Villa. In 2015, Benteke moved to the Netherlands, joining up with FC Twente, and later, Galatasaray in Turkey. He never succeeded in finding his goal-scoring touch though, and the Belgian will be regarded in the history of football as nothing more but simply a former youngster with loads of potential, and failing to live up to the talk.
Gabby Agbonlahor - Celtic, Player
The 33-year-old veteran was unable to find a place in the first team under David Beckham, and left in 2013, prompting a protest from many fans. He then spent 7 successful years in Celtic, winning trophies like the Scottish title and the Scottish Cup. However, with his usefulness almost coming to an end with his aging, Agbonlahor is expected to retire sometime in the near future.
Andi Weimann - Everton, Player
Like Agbonlahor, Andi Weimann also made the move to Celtic in 2013, with Aston Villa inserting a buy-back clause in his contract. That was never activated, as the Austrian departed for Chelsea after 3 very successful years with Celtic, where he was reveled as the club's best player and the Scottish league's most exciting young player. He failed to continue his form with the Blues though, and Chelsea quickly sold him to Everton after two years. Weimann has been at Goodison Park ever since, although rarely managing to even make the first team squad.
Keep on marching, maybe you'll eventually hit 1,000,000 views
Your Vauxhall story would be like Manchester United then 
Maddison
I really enjoyed reading it
