2012–13 Aston Villa F.C. Season

The 2012–13 Premier League season was Aston Villa's 138th season in English football. It was the club's 102nd season in the top flight, and 25th consecutive season in the Premier League. The club was managed by Paul Lambert, their third manager in three seasons, after Alex McLeish was sacked on 14 May 2012, having himself only been in charge for 11 months and 4 days. Lambert's first competitive match came on the opening day of the Premier League season on 18 August 2012, a 1–0 defeat to newly-promoted West Ham United at Upton Park. Their first Premier League win came on 15 September 2012, a 2–0 victory against Swansea City at Villa Park. Lambert was handed a one-match touchline ban on 21 November 2012 for comments relating to a penalty decision in Villa's defeat to Manchester City. On his first return to Carrow Road, Lambert received a mixed reception from the Norwich fans on 11 December 2012 in a League Cup quarter-final which his Villa team won 4–1.

On 23 December 2012, Villa were defeated 8–0 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the club's heaviest ever defeat in top-flight football. This was followed by consecutive home defeats, with Villa losing 4–0 to Tottenham Hotspur and 3–0 to Wigan Athletic, leading to increased pressure on Lambert's position. On 22 January 2013, Villa played Bradford City in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final at Villa Park, having lost the first round tie 3–1 at Valley Parade. The final score on the night was a 2–1 win for Villa, leaving an aggregate score of 4–3 to Bradford. Lambert kept his job despite the poor run as the team flirted with the relegation places continuously over the next few months. Lambert did however manage to get Villa to record back-to-back wins for the first time since May 2011, as they defeated fellow relegation rivals Reading and Queens Park Rangers. He then oversaw the club's biggest victory since 2008, as Villa thrashed Sunderland 6–1.

Villa finished 15th with the youngest starting eleven in the Premier League, leading to praise from pundit Alan Hansen, who said that Lambert was "a contender for "Manager of the Season." Highlights of the season included Lambert's summer acquisition of star striker Christian Benteke, the introduction of Villa's Player of the Season, goalkeeper Brad Guzan, reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup and securing Villa's place in the Premier League for the 2013–14 season. An under-21 Aston Villa team competed in the new Professional Development League 1 that replaced the Premier Reserve League. The under-19 Aston Villa team once again took part in the NextGen Series, after competing in the inaugural season and reaching the quarter finals. The team went all the way to win the competition to become only the second team to be crowned NextGen champions.

Review

Pre-season

The club began making plans for pre-season as early as 12 March 2012, when the free transfer of Australian Brett Holman was announced, with the player officially joining on 1 July after his deal with former club AZ expired. Later that month, the club announced a pre-season tour of the United States that would see them travelling to Chicago, Philadelphia and Portland. Following the conclusion of the previous season, Alex McLeish was sacked as manager on 14 May 2012 as a direct result – after Villa finished 16th in the league. Managerless Villa then released a number of players on 23 May 2012 after their contracts had expired. First team players released included Carlos Cuéllar, Emile Heskey and Brad Guzan, as well as a host of academy players. Villa hired Paul Lambert as their new manager on 2 June 2012, after the manager had impressed during his three-year spell at Norwich City. The move was endorsed by players and fans alike who, after the disappointing previous season, saw this as a major positive step for the club. Lambert set about making the job his, by appointing his two trusted allies: Ian Culverhouse, who became the new Villa Assistant Manager, and Gary Karsa, who was given a new role of "head of football operations" from old club Norwich as they were deemed surplus to requirements by Lambert's replacement, Chris Hughton. Long-time staff member Kevin MacDonald, who had been with the club since 1995 in a number of roles, most recently as reserve team manager but former caretaker manager in 2010, left the club on 9 June 2012. On his departure, MacDonald stated, "I've had an incredible 17 years at Aston Villa, one of the biggest clubs in the country, and wish to thank all the staff and players I have worked with during my time at the club. I wish Aston Villa every success in the future."

Lambert made his first signing a month into his reign (2 July) at Villa, when he signed Moroccan midfielder Karim El Ahmadi from Feyenoord for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £2 million. El Ahmadi stated before his arrival that joining the club, and playing in the Premier League, would be a "dream come true" and that he was looking forward to "dictating games" for Villa. Four days later (6 July), Lambert made his second summer signing when young defender Matthew Lowton joined for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £3 million from Sheffield United Following his move to Villa, Lowton stated that he hoped to emulate former Sheffield United player Phil Jagielka in reaching the England squad. The new manager announced on 16 July that the club would be re-signing Brad Guzan on a three-year deal, after he was previously released in May. Lambert later stated that he had re-signed Guzan so that he could challenge Shay Given for the number one spot, and Guzan backed this up by declaring he had not returned to sit on the bench. 1 August 2012 saw two transfers at the club – one in, one out – as James Collins returned to his former club West Ham United for £2.5 million, to pave the way for Villa to recruit central defender Ron Vlaar from Feyenoord – the second player of the summer to join Villa from the Rotterdam club (after El Ahmadi) and the third from the Eredivisie (after El Ahmadi and Holman). The club again announced the transfer as an undisclosed fee but the media reported the deal to be worth about £3 million. Vlaar immediately declared his ambition to become a Villa great and aimed to become a club legend in central defence, just as Paul McGrath and Martin Laursen had done so previously. It was announced that Darren Bent would become Villa's new club captain whilst Stiliyan Petrov was absent, recovering from acute leukaemia.

Villa's schedule saw them kick off their pre-season at Burton Albion on 14 July, with the Villans winning 2–1 thanks to an own goal and a debut goal for Brett Holman. The Villa squad then made their way to the US for their tour with matches against Philadelphia Union, Chicago Fire and Portland Timbers. The first two games resulted in 1–0 victories for Villa, with Nathan Delfouneso and Gabriel Agbonlahor getting the goals against Philadelphia and Chicago respectively.

The final game turned out to be a dramatic 2–2 draw with the Villa goals scored by defenders Ciaran Clark and new boy Matthew Lowton, who chalked up his first goal for the Claret and Blues. Ironically, both Villa goals came from set pieces, a feat Villa failed to achieve in the entirety of the last season. The Timbers equalised twice with goals from Sebastián Rincón and Rodney Wallace, which sent the game into a penalty shootout (a tradition for pre-season games in the U.S.). Villa eventually ran out winners after a tense 5–4 shootout win. The squad returned to England after staying undefeated in their tour and played their next friendly six days later against Peterborough United. The club continued their unbeaten pre-season record by recording a 2–0 win, courtesy of goals from youngster Daniel Johnson and a second goal for the club for Brett Holman. Lambert and his new look Villa side eventually suffered defeat in the next match, a 1–3 defeat by Nottingham Forest. Barry Bannan's free kick, which levelled the scores at 1–1, was not enough for the Villa after two goals from Lewis McGugan and a killer third from Marcus Tudgay sealed victory for the Championship side. The last fixture in their pre-season schedule saw Villa travel to Germany for a friendly against four-time Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen. The match was the final chance for Lambert to test out his new squad and hopefully decide his starting line up for the opening fixture against West Ham a week later. An exhilarating match that brought six goals in a 3–3 draw saw Villa lose the lead twice after initially being 1–0 down and Darren Bent grabbing a brace. Ciaran Clark scored his second goal of pre-season with Niclas Füllkrug, Eljero Elia and Aaron Hunt getting the goals for Bremen. Lambert said after that the brace for Bent would fill him with confidence ahead of the upcoming season.

August

The Premier League fixture list was announced on 18 June 2012 and it gave Villa an away tie against newly promoted West Ham United to open the new season. There were no meetings between the two clubs last season as West Ham were consigned to the Championship, but ironically this was the opening fixture for Villa in the 2010–11 season which resulted in a 0–3 victory in Villa's favour, in which James Milner scored his last goal in his final appearance for the Villans before his move to Manchester City. The League Cup second round draw also took place in August with Villa being handed a home tie versus League One side Tranmere Rovers to be played on 28 August. Villa's first league game of the new season ended in defeat as they went down 0–1 to West Ham, courtesy of a Kevin Nolan strike, at Upton Park. On 24 August, the club were dealt a massive blow when promising young midfielder Gary Gardner was ruled out for the entire season with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his right knee. This was his second ACL injury after previously injuring his left knee, in December 2009. The same day, Jean Makoun completed a long-awaited loan move to French Ligue 1 club Rennes. After experiencing supposed work permit issues making him unable to take any part as a player of Aston Villa, Paul Lambert admitted he had never even met the player and that he was not part of his plans. A day later, Villa lost their second league game of the season 1–3 to Everton. Goals from Steven Pienaar, Marouane Fellaini and Nikica Jelavić gave the Toffees a 0–3 half-time lead, before Ciaran Clark was sent off for Villa after fouling Jelavić, who at the time was the last man. Karim El Ahmadi scored from 30 yards, his first for Villa, but ultimately it was just a consolation. Villa and Lambert's first win of the new season came in the League Cup against Tranmere Rovers. Goals from Fabian Delph, Chris Herd and a first competitive goal since February 2012 for Darren Bent sealed a 3–0 victory for the Villans. The following day, Villa signed England under-21 left back Joe Bennett from Middlesbrough on a four-year deal, for a fee rumoured to be between £2.5 and 4 million. Upon his arrival, Bennett stated, "I am really excited to have joined a massive club in Aston Villa and I'm eager to fight for a starting place and get in the team." On 30 August, Villa drew Manchester City in the third round of the League Cup. The match took place on 25 September at the Etihad Stadium.

A busy summer transfer deadline day 2012, saw Villa sign three new players: midfielder Ashley Westwood signed from Crewe Alexandra on a four-year deal, and strikers Christian Benteke from K.R.C Genk and Jordan Bowery from Chesterfield. Bowery signed a three-year deal and cost the club a rumored £500,000 with the fee rising to £1 million with add ons. Benteke signed a four-year deal for a fee believed to be £7 million, making him the most expensive transfer of the window for Villa . Earlier in the day, a £7 million bid was also accepted by Fulham for American forward Clint Dempsey, but the player ultimately rejected the deal as he favoured a move to Liverpool. The move to Liverpool later fell through and the player eventually joined Tottenham Hotspur. One player also departed the club, as Nathan Delfouneso joined Blackpool on a season-long loan.

September

Villa earned their first point of the season in the next game, after drawing 1–1 with Newcastle United at the Sports Direct Arena. Ciaran Clark's first half goal was cancelled out by a wonder strike from Hatem Ben Arfa and Villa's performance was reported to be much improved after the Everton game. The draw also lifted Villa off the bottom of the table and out of the relegation zone, at this early stage. The club's first league win of the season and first in 13 league matches came two weeks later, after the international break, as they beat Swansea City 2–0 at Villa Park – a reverse score of the fixture last season. A first competitive goal for the club for Matthew Lowton, a swerving volley, and a goal on his debut for substitute Christian Benteke wrapped up the points for Villa. Ron Vlaar was named captain for the match, replacing Darren Bent, who had captained the side in the previous matches. On 21 September, Stephen Warnock joined Bolton Wanderers on a three-month loan. The left back had not made a competitive appearance beforehand after falling out of favour with the new manager. The following day (22 September), Villa suffered a shock defeat at the hands of newly promoted and bottom of the table Southampton, going down 1–4 at St Mary's. Villa took the lead through Darren Bent's first league goal of the season in the first half. However, goals from Nathaniel Clyne, a Ciaran Clark own goal and a brace, including a penalty, for Rickie Lambert saw the South Coast club emphatically earn their first points of the season. Ron Vlaar was again named Villa captain, leading it to be believed that he had replaced Darren Bent as team captain. Villa didn't let this result affect their next performance however, as they recorded a shock 2–4 victory against champions Manchester City in the League Cup on 25 September. Villa twice came back after being behind, first being 1–0 down and then 2–1 down. Mario Balotelli gave City a half time lead but a Gareth Barry own goal against his former club put Villa level. Aleksandar Kolarov scored a trademark free kick, before Gabriel Agbonlahor scored his first goal of the season to send the tie into extra time. Charles N'Zogbia netted Villa's third after Agbonlahor's shot was parried by Costel Pantilimon before Agbonlahor grabbed his second and Villa's fourth, courtesy of a deflection, sending them through to the next round. Villa's reward for defeating City was a potentially tricky away tie to League One side Swindon Town, managed by former West Ham striker Paolo Di Canio, to be played on 30 October. Villa's final game of the month was a highly anticipated West Midlands derby against early high flyers West Bromwich Albion, which ended 1–1. Each team wanted to show the other that they were the top team in the West Midlands, and Villa went about setting the Baggies straight with a dominant first half performance. However, it was West Brom who took the lead early in the second half, as James Morrison beat an attempted offside trap and crossed a low ball towards Shane Long, before Villa captain Ron Vlaar's attempted clearance hit Long's foot and rolled past Brad Guzan. Villa equalised through substitute Darren Bent in the 80th minute, after he coolly put in the rebound following a goal mouth scramble from a corner. The draw saw Villa register their worst ever start to a Premier League season, with only five points from six games.

October

The team began the month with a trip to north London to play Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The match finished 2–0 to Spurs, with goals from Steven Caulker and Aaron Lennon condemning Villa to their fourth loss and continued their poor start to the season. After a two-week international break, Villa returned to league action on 20 October against Fulham at Craven Cottage. Villa continued their worst start to a season in 26 years by losing their fifth game, as a late Chris Baird goal gave Fulham a 1–0 win. This loss left Villa one place and one point above the relegation zone. On 23 October, promising youngster Daniel Johnson joined League One outfit Yeovil Town on a month's loan. The next match saw Lambert face his old club Norwich City for the first time since leaving them to join Villa in the summer. The match ended 1–1 after Christian Benteke gave Villa the lead, but Norwich replied through Michael Turner, ten minutes from time. Joe Bennett was sent off for Villa after receiving two yellow cards, with Villa leading 1–0. This result meant that Villa did not win a league match in October and had still won only one so far this season. However, Villa continued to excel in the League Cup as they knocked out Swindon Town, to advance. The match finished 3–2 to Villa but it took a 90th-minute winner from Christian Benteke to see Villa book their place in the quarter-finals. Villa had led 2–0, after goals from Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor, and looked to be easing to a win before Swindon managed to level the score with two quickfire goals from 18-year-old substitute Miles Storey. However, Benteke's late winner sent Villa through and made sure of their only win in October. The draw for the quarter-finals was made the following day, with Villa getting an away tie at Paul Lambert's former club Norwich to be played on 11 December.

November

The month started with a victory for Villa as they ran out 1–0 winners against Sunderland, managed by former manager Martin O'Neill, at the Stadium of Light. Gabriel Agbonlahor scored the only goal of the game, his first in the league for 12 months, as Villa recorded their first away win since January. Villa hosted Manchester United in the next game, and roared into an unexpected 2–0 lead thanks to two goals from Andreas Weimann, his first goals of the season. However, two goals from substitute Javier Hernández and an own goal from Ron Vlaar gave United a 2–3 victory at Villa Park. The spirited performance the players showed in the last game (despite the loss) was soon forgotten as Villa were taught a lesson in their next match against the champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. City thrashed Villa 5–0 with braces each for Sergio Agüero and Carlos Tevez, which included a highly controversial penalty and a goal from David Silva. The result meant they dropped down into the relegation places. On 22 November, Alan Hutton joined Nottingham Forest on an emergency loan until 1 January. The right-back had not made a single appearance this season and had been banished from first team training, having been made to train with the reserve squad all season. The club ended a trio of matches against former Premier League champions with a home tie against Arsenal. The match was a stalemate finishing 0–0, with Villa earning a valuable point to go a point ahead of fellow strugglers Reading, before their vital relegation scrap three days later (27 November). The month finished the way it started for Villa as they grabbed a much needed win, as well as a clean sheet, against Reading. The match ended 1–0 courtesy of a late Christian Benteke header. This result, coupled with Southampton's draw with Norwich, meant Villa entered December outside of the relegation places.

December

December started with an away match against a winless Queens Park Rangers team, rooted to the bottom of the table. Brett Holman gave Villa the lead within the first ten minutes with his first goal for the club. Jamie Mackie equalised for Rangers ten minutes later and the score stayed that way until the end, finishing 1–1. The draw for the third round of the FA Cup was made the next day (2 December), with Villa getting a home tie against Championship side Ipswich Town. The match was to be played on 5 January 2013. Another draw followed the QPR game, as Villa drew 0–0 versus clean sheet specialists Stoke City at Villa Park. Darren Bent made his return for Villa, coming on as a substitute, having not played since 30 October. Villa's next match came in the form of a League Cup quarter-final against Paul Lambert's former club Norwich City. Much was made of Lambert's first return to Carrow Road, made even more intense by the reported lawsuits being filed between both parties. The Villa team made it a very happy return for Lambert, running out 1–4 winners against the Canaries. Andreas Weimann grabbed his second brace of the season and goals from Brett Holman and Christian Benteke booked Villa's place in the semi-finals for the second time in four seasons. This result filled the young Villa team with massive confidence going into their next game against Liverpool at Anfield, where they gained only their second away win of the season with a 1–3 success. A brace from Christian Benteke and a third from Andreas Weimann meant Villa had led 0–3 before Steven Gerrard

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