While teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are in the news each day, spare a thought for Aston Villa fans who haven’t had any good news to chew on this summer.

First, consider the fact that Villa chairman Doug Ellis has told manager David O’Leary that before he can buy any players he needs to sell some first. Milan Baros was supposed to move to Hamburg, but it looks like that deal may be in jeopardy — meaning that Villa fans will have to agonizingly wait longer before any hope of bringing in someone new.

Second, it emerged within the past few days that several players have publicly complained about the club cutting the purse string’s too much. The Villa players are having to pay for a masseur out of their own pocket. The physio wasn’t allowed to claim a cup of coffee on his expense report. And Villa refused to pay $545 to have the patch watered after the season ended.

With Villa avoiding relegation by just eight points last season, this season doesn’t look particularly promising for the Midlands club or fans. It’s a crying shame because the club is steeped in history, has a fantastic stadium and a lot of devoted fans (Seamus Malin being one of them).

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