Power Pros Forum

July 2, 2015
BREAKING NEWS: FORMER ASTON VILLA LEGEND APPOINTED AS MANAGER

Kenton Clemens was a legendary defender at Aston Villa, spending each of his 12 senior seasons at the club (2000-2012). Kenton Clemons was known for his physical style of defending, intimidating all who came near him on the pitch. Clemons also scored a total of 55 goals, with a majority of the goals coming from headers. Clemons will inherit a very difficult situation at Villa, as the team has recently lost star player Christian Benteke to Liverpool, as well as Fabian Delph to Manchester City. This leaves Aston Villa with a very difficult situation, as the team lacks a prominent goal scorer. As a result of this, Villa will have to be much more defensive. Expect many 0-0, 1-0, or 2-1 results from The Lions, as the defense will have to be strong in order for Villa to escape relegation for a second straight season. Here's what the new gaffer had to say:


Villa will take part in the European Continental Shield in Portugal in the preseason. Their group consists of FL Championship side Queens Park Rangers (who were relegated last season), Spartak Moscow, and V. Guimaraes. We will see how Kenton Clemons saves the Lions from their impending doom.

Aston Villa will run a 5-3-2 formation under Kenton Clemons, allowing Villa to run a very defensive style of play.

July 5, 2015
The day is here, my first big test as manager of my favorite club. I told the boys to relax, that it was the first baby step in a long journey to success. They seemed to listen intently.

Aston Villa vs. Spartak Moscow
MATCH FACTS:
11': Spartak Moscow: Dmitri Kombarov YELLOW card
34': Spartak Moscow: Illya Kutepov YELLOW card
55': Spartak Moscow substitution: Zotov-Shirokov
60': Aston Villa GOAL: Gabriel Agbonlahor
61': Spartak Moscow substitution: Davydov-Luis
74': Aston Villa substitution: Gestede-Ayew, Veretout-Sinclair
74': Spartak Moscow substitution: Kombarov-Tasci
81': Spartak Moscow substitution: Yakovlev-Obukhov

FINAL:
Aston Villa 1
Spartak Moscow 0

"Great match, lads! That was superb! Each and every man played better than expected up them. Spartak Moscow are the best side in Russia, and we handed it to them today! You've all taken your first steps into a much larger world. Now let's get back to training tomorrow and build up the momentun in this tournament," I told the lads after the match.

July 8, 2015
We took on host side Guimarães, trying to continue our momentum from our first victory.

Aston Villa vs. Guimarães
Match Facts:
33': Aston Villa GOAL: Gabriel Agbonlahor
45': Aston Villa Substitution: Veretout-Gueye, Gil-Sinclair
67': Guimarães Substitution: Joao Pedro-Toze
84': Guimarães Substitution: Correia-Josue

Final:
Aston Villa 1
Guimarães 0

"Another excellent job, lads! We controlled possesion 80-20%! That is unheard of! Each man is over-performing at the moment! Keep it up!

NOTE: As we get into the regular season, I'll add stats and player ratings to the updates, as well as storylines.

July 12, 2015
We took on fellow English side QPR in the final group match. We were already guaranteed to advance to the semifinals, but a win would mean that we won the group.

Aston Villa vs. Queens Park Rangers
Match Facts:
53': QPR Substitution: Sandro-Fer
54': Aston Villa Substitution: Veretout-Richardson, Gil-Gueye
64': QPR Substitution: Grego Cox-Austin
80': QPR: Leroy Fer YELLOW card
86': Aston Villa GOAL: Rudy Gestede

FINAL:
Aston Villa 1
QPR 0

"Lads, we've done it. We've won all three matches, and will face RSC Anderlecht in the European Shield semifinals. I am proud of every single one of you, so let's take this trophy!

0 - 6 Lets gooooooooooooooooo

July 15, 2015: European Shield Semifinal
We took on Belgian side RSC Anderlecht with a chance to advance to the European Shiled final. I told the boys to keep on keeping on, and to not stary away from our style of play.

Aston Villa vs. RSC Anderlecht
Match Facts:
60': RSC Anderlecht Substitution: Ezekiel-Suarez, Leya Iseka-Okaka Chuka
62': Aston Villa Substitution: Gil-Sinclair, Veretout-Richardson
'87: RSC Anderlecht GOAL: Stefano Okaka Chuka

FINAL:
Aston Villa 0
RSC Anderlecht 1

"Well lads... Congratulations on a fantastic run in the tournament. We fell short this afternoon, but that does not take away from the rest of the matches we played. I believe we are ready to shock the world in the Premier League this season.

ASTON VILLA MAKE TWO NEW SIGNINGS
Aston Villa have made new two signings, centre backs Guillermo Rodriguez and Santiago Gentiletti. Both will be able to make an immediate impact in the Villa rotation, replacing Clark and Amavi in the team sheet.

August 8, 2015: The Start of a New Era
On the drive to the grounds, many things raced through my mind. For one, I had high expectations after our impressive performance in the European Shield preseason tournament. But that was the preseason, and we lost to a decent side in the semifinal. However, this was the Premier League. Teams would be giving us their best performances, and their best squads to attack us. The best we could do would be to park the bus and defend the shite out of our opposition.

Aston Villa vs. AFC Bournemouth
Match Events:
21': Bournemouth: Charlie Daniels YELLOW card
33': Bournemouth: Steve Cook YELLOW card
69': Bournemouth Substitution: Kermogant-Rantie
69': Aston Villa Substitutions: Gestede-Ayew, Veretout-Sinclair
90': Bournemouth Substitution: Wilson-O'Hanlon

FINAL:
Aston Villa 0
Bournemouth 0

Aston Villa Player Ratings
GK Guzan: 7.9
LB Westwood: 6.1
CB Gentiletti 6.5
CB Rodriguez: 7.2
CB Richards: 7.0
RB Bacuna: 6.9
LM Sinclair: 6.5
RM Gil: 6.0
CAM N'Zogbia: 6.7
ST Agbonlahor: 6.1
ST Ayew: 5.4
ST Gestede: 6.1
LM Veretout: 6.3

Stats:
Shots: Bournemouth-5, Aston Villa-6
Shots on Target: Bournemouth-1, Aston Villa-3
Possession %: Bournemouth-40, Aston Villa-60
Pass Accuracy: Bournemouth-83%, Aston Villa-88%

A boring match from us as we tried to get familiar with Premier League style of play. We failed to create many chances, and did not allow many chances. Overall, an average start. We take on EPL giants Manchester United Friday night.

August 14, 2015: David vs. Goliath
We took on Manchester United at home in our first huge test of the campaign. United have a very strong attack, so our backline will have to be very strong in order to sneak away with a victory.

Manchester United (1-0-0) @ Aston Villa (0-1-0)
Match Events:
45': Manchester United GOAL: Wayne Rooney
45': Manchester United Substitution: Powell-Herrera
60': Manchester United GOAL: Daley Blind
73': Aston Villa Substitutions: Agbonlahor-Ayew, Gil-Kozak, Gestede-Richardson
78': Manchester United GOAL: Memphis Depay

FINAL:
Aston Villa 0
Manchester United 3

Aston Villa Player Ratings:
GK Guzan: 6.8
LB Westwood: 5.7
CB Gentiletti: 5.5
CB Rodriguez: 6.2
CB Richards: 5.2
RB Bacuna: 5.5
LM Veretout: 5.0
RM Richardson: 4.7
CAM N'Zogbia: 4.9
ST Ayew 5.9
ST Kozak 5.8
ST Agbonlahor 6.3
LM Gil 4.6
ST Gestede 5.9

Stats:
Shots: Aston Villa-2, Manchester United-8
Shots on Target: Aston Villa-2, Manchester United-7
Possession %: Aston Villa-54, Manchester United-46
Pass Accuracy: Aston Villa-98%, Manchester United-91%

It was just like I expected, a blowout. It looked to be going as planned in the first half, but we allowed a penalty, and Wayne Rooney made it 1-0. From there it fell apart. We had more issues creating chances, and failed to score a single goal once again. We face Crystal Palace next, hoping to finally score.

August 22, 2015
We faced Crystal Palace, desperately trying to score a goal. We would still be parking the bus, but we would have to create more chances in order to win the match.

Aston Villa (0-1-1) @ Crystal Palace (0-1-1)
Match Events:
66': Crystal Palace Substitution: Ledley-Cabaye
79': Crystal Palace Substitution: Sako-Zaha
79': Aston Villa Substitutions: Gil-Sinclair, Veretout-Richardson
84': Crystal Palace Substitution: Murray-Campbell

FINAL:
Aston Villa 0
Crystal Palace 0

Aston Villa Player Ratings:
GK Guzan: 6.9
LB Westwood: 6.0
CB Gentiletti: 6.9
CB Rodriguez: 6.4
CB Richards: 6.5
RB Bacuna: 6.6
CAM N'Zogbia: 5.9
ST Agbonlahor: 5.4
ST Gestede: 6.0
LM Gil: 5.6
RM Veretout: 6.8

Stats:
Shots: Crystal Palace-5, Aston Villa-2
Shots on Target: Crystal Palace-1, Aston Villa-1
Possession %: Crystal Palace-49, Aston Villa-51
Pass Accuracy %: Crystal Palace-91, Aston Villa-89

Ugh. Another boring 0-0 draw. It seems as if our strikers sit back while our defenders perform all of the hard work. So far, we are the only Premier League side that hasn't scored a goal yet this season. Next week, we face the surging Sunderland, who are playing surprisingly well.

August 29, 2015
Sunderland traveled to our house as we still tried to score our first goal.

Sunderland (2-0-1) @ Aston Villa (0-2-1)
Match eventsL:
9': Sunderland: Patrick van Aanholt YELLOW card
35': Aston Villa: Brad Guzan YELLOW card
37': Sunderland GOAL: Steven Fletcher
48': Aston Villa: Micah Richards YELLOW card
58': Sunderland Substitution: Fletcher-Defoe
70': Sunderland Substitution: Bridcutt-Rodwell
'72: Aston Villa GOAL: Gabriel Agbonlahor
'75: Aston Villa Substitutions: Gestede-Kozak, Gil-Sinclair
'90: Sunderland GOAL: Adam Johnson

FINAL:
Aston Villa 1
Sunderland 2

Aston Villa Player Ratings:
GK Guzan: 5.4
LB Westwood: 5.8
CB Gentiletti: 5.5
CB Rodriguez: 5.7
CB Richards: 5.2
RB Bacuna: 5.7
LM Veretout: 6.0
RM Sinclair: 4.0
CAM N'Zogbia: 5.9
ST Agbonlahor: 7.4
ST Kozak: 5.9
ST Gestede: 6.4
LM: Gil: 5.8

Stats:
Shots: Aston Villa-2, Sunderland-7
Shots on Target: Aston Villa-2, Sunderland-5
Possesion %: 50/50
Pass Accuracy %: Aston Villa-80, Sunderland-90

Agbonlahor finally broke the goal drought, but Sunderland broke our hearts with a 90th minute winner. We face Leicester next after a two-week break. Hopefully we can get it back together in time...

EPL August Recap:

Table:

At the moment, we are in 18th, the relegation zone. There's still time to turn it around, but it hasn't been the greatest start for us.


Brad Guzan is among the league leaders in clean sheets thanks to our great defense.

Cristiano Messi is the best player ever

September 13, 2015
Coming off of the two-week international break, we tried to regain form as we took on Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and Leicester City.

Aston Villa (0-2-2) @ Leicester City (1-2-1)
Match Events:
9': Leicester City GOAL: Gokhan Inler
57': Leicester City Substitution: Mahrez-Albrighton
59': Leicester City Substitution: Vardy-Ulloa
67': Aston Villa Substitutions: Gestede-Kozak, Agbonlahor-Ayew
79': Leicester City Substitution: Inler-King
81': Aston Villa GOAL: Jordan Ayew
90': Leicester City: Roel Brouwers YELLOW card
90': Aston Villa GOAL: Jordan Veretout (Penalty Kick)

FINAL SCORE:
Leicester City 1
Aston Villa 2

Aston Villa Player Ratings:
GK Guzan: 6.7
LB Westwood: 6.0
CB Gentiletti: 5.9
CB Rodriguez: 6.6
CB Richards: 5.5
RB Bacuna: 6.3
RM Veretout: 7.8
LM Gil: 5.6
CAM N'Zogbia: 6.8
ST Kozak: 7.1
ST Ayew: 7.6
ST Gestede: 6.7
ST Agbonlahor: 6.0

Stats:
Shots: Leicester City-4, Aston Villa-5
Shots on Target: Leicester City-3, Aston Villa-4
Possession %: Leicester City-52, Aston Villa-48
Pass Accuracy %: Leicester City-93, Aston Villa-94

Finally, a victory! We started off slow, trailing 1-0 at half, but Jordan Ayew came on as a sub and immediately made an impact, scoring in the 81st minute. Then, a poor tackle by the Leicster City captain gave Jordan Veretout a penalty kick to win the game. It wasn't the best strike, but the keeper let it go by, giving us our first victory of the 2015-16 campaign.