The unfortunate truth of the matter is, however, it is not the statement that most Villa fans either wanted or expected to hear.
With the much opposed but frankly inevitable sales of Young and Downing, the only ray of sunlight was the £36million that those two transfers brought in, not to mention the rumoured £40million McLeish was promised for transfers.
McLeish's interview yesterday outlined that there is no money left for transfers, so the immediate question is: where has that money gone? Rumours suggest it has been used to pay for the Bent transfer, but whatever the reason may be it is not good news for the season ahead.
If you watch the interview closely, McLeish seems uncomfortable when asked if it was what he expected. I firmly believe that Randy has shifted the goalposts (pardon the pun) and landed McLeish right in it.
£13million has been spent on two players, and although they may be superb signings they are simply insufficient if the pre-season games are anything to go by. The absence of Young and Downing are blatantly obvious, and something needs to be done about it.
It may well be that the club is in a financial pickle, or it could just be that Randy likes to have the money coming in rather than going out. He's had £36million in his grip, and he simply does not want to give it up.
I mentioned in a previous article that I have been a Lerner supporter for years, but it seems that he is lining the club up to sell it on. By outwardly aiming for mid-table (as per McLeish's interview) it indicates that the footballing passion to succeed is not coming from the board of directors.
I may be wrong, but tightening the purse strings now could well mean panic buying in January if the season appears to be going the way it did last year.
Villa fans do expect a great deal, but why shouldn't we? Most of us are realistic, but closing the till on a squad that needs more players, and openly stating that we will not reach the top four, is frankly something I do not want to hear. I want our manager, however ridiculous it may sound, to think we can challenge to win the league every season. Why else would you play in a league if not to win it?
By making statements that invite mediocrity, it will not inspire the players, and it will be little wonder if the likes of Bent move on to clubs that have more desire and confidence to succeed. Put yourself in Bent's shoes, watching that interview yesterday, particularly after watching his two goal providers being sold.
It may be another negative article, but there is very little else to write about at present.