I read the Newsnow articles gleaned from the world’s press avidly, annoyed at my apparent inability to exist without knowing the very latest rumours and conjecture about who is coming to, going from, talking to or about my beloved Aston Villa whilst knowing the great majority of it is pure unadulterated twaddle. It is a pity that we cannot, and certainly do not, hold these so called “in the know” individuals to book, measuring the accuracy of their doodles with the reality of the real world and actual events. It would be great if there was (or is there?) a league table which collated the predictions made by newspapers and their hacks with the eventual outcomes within a transfer window and reported on who had managed to identify most closely the actual transfers, and who obviously lived in a parallel universe where money was no object (like Middle Eastlands) and imaginations ruled the world (like FIFA).
I have this morning seen, yet again, that we appear to be in for 3 or 4 new goalkeepers, 1-3 new wide players, a couple of midfield generals and a host of names that I do not know, or understand why we, or they, would consider how getting together would add value to either party, but it does fill the space on an empty page. I need to turn this avid searching for news into a fun hobby, looking for their most amusing link, rather than seeing it as a genuine attempt to tell me what is really going to happen and who I am likely to see gracing the field in our claret and blue come next season. I have renewed my season tickets so I will be there in the North Stand anticipating excitement and expecting disappointment once again but I just cannot stop the search for news and that little titbit of transfer activity that will lift my spirits long enough for me to allow a little hope to creep into my soul.
Here’s to the new season and hopefully some fun and football with a smile on its face and youth on the pitch