Great article (as per usual, Mr Bland). A pleasure to read. I don't have much to add, I'm afraid.
I remember writing a piece almost five years ago cautioning that Villa fans may be expecting too much, too soon from Randy Lerner et al. The gist was that we should hope for a European place in 06-07, but we should by no means begin to expect it so soon. The optimism amongst Villa fans was infectious. The winds of change were blowing in the right direction, but it seemed some people were getting carried away. Those days are long, long gone.
I still hope for the best, but the positives coming out of Villa Park are few and far between. I am expecting very little this year. The winds of change feel as though they're blowing in the opposite direction... and once again, some fans on the VT on-topic board are getting carried away (perhaps the same folks who were getting carried away five years ago?)
I'll be watching the matches when the season starts, probably wearing one of my retro Villa shirts. But I won't be excitedly rushing out of bed on match day the way a child does on Christmas morning or the way I was doing on match day a few years ago. The new-owner smell has faded badly. The hope has been tempered. The sky is not falling though.
It's been a strange ol' summer. It's been a strange ol' time since Martin O'Neill's departure.
The question "What is Aston Villa for?" deserves more thought than I'm able to give it right at this wee hour. Time for me to go to sleep (little man being erased).