A strange pre-season

[dave.woodhall]

https://heroesandvillains.info/2025/08/04/a-strange-pre-season/

Richard Keeling comments on the latest Astonian happenings.

[Steve67]

Good article, I enjoyed reading it.  Such a very quiet window. I honestly don't recall a quieter window in all my 58 years of being a Villain.   I've never loved and hated football so much.

[ROBBO]

The premier league is supposedly a competition, trouble is most clubs are fighting with one arm tied behind their backs.

[steamer]

Couple of concerning points
Particularly about the board

[darren woolley]

Good article.

[The Edge]

Good read that. It leaves me with a horrible gut feeling that owners like our own are going to bail out unless something changes. The PL have done a fantastic job of protecting "The Sky Six" (Scab Six) with a set of rules literally designed to make it practically impossible for ambitious clubs like our own to gatecrash the party. Maybe im just being overly pessimistic because of the flattest pre-season in memory but watching the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City  and Arsenal spending vast sums to practically confirm the top 4 before a ball is even kicked just leaves me with a depressing sinking feeling. That's not how it should feel with the new season fast approaching.

[Hillbilly]

“We provide a unique combination of active, strategic partnership and patient, long-term capital to high-potential companies and their management teams.” Corporate bollocks.

[Duncan Shaw]

Good read that. It leaves me with a horrible gut feeling that owners like our own are going to bail out unless something changes. The PL have done a fantastic job of protecting "The Sky Six" (Scab Six) with a set of rules literally designed to make it practically impossible for ambitious clubs like our own to gatecrash the party. Maybe im just being overly pessimistic because of the flattest pre-season in memory but watching the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City  and Arsenal spending vast sums to practically confirm the top 4 before a ball is even kicked just leaves me with a depressing sinking feeling. That's not how it should feel with the new season fast approaching.

That is my worry too, why would they continue to bother if the ladder is constantly being pulled up.  It's certainly making me feel flat before the season, I can't help but have a nagging feeling that March/April last season was the peak, and missing out on those things narrowly will define our next few years.

Cue Unai summoning the spirit of Ron Saunders.......

[VillaTim]

Certainly hope Atairos aren't meddling n affairs too much and disrupting the likes of Vidagany , which in turn would unsettle Emery / Monchi.

[martin o`who??]

Difficult to argue with a word of it and the Fait-accompli that is the upper echelons of the Premier league is increasingly set in stone. The lack of activity in the transfer market is a concern given the accepted wisdom that standing still usually means quite the opposite in reality. Unai has his work cut out this season I fear.

[Rigadon]

Last time we got close under MON one of the main factors creating a glass ceiling was Man City’s rebirth as a mega wealthy club in an era of way more relaxed ‘fair play’ rules.  That an Lerner’s divorce. Without those things, we’d have made top 4 and perhaps won stuff.  This time it’s the newer ‘fair play’ rules that prevent the club from fulfilling its ambitions.

Could easily see the current owners packing it in at some point if nothing changes.   

[AndyB6]

The owners must have been aware of FFP etc. when they bought us?

We will need to be just as ruthless as the likes of Chelsea and not try to play 'fair' in order to progress.

Are Man City able to take money out of Co-op Live to pump into the club?

[Legion]

Done.