Matt Maher: Aston Villa fans finding there’s a high price for ambition
“I’m not here to waste time,” declared Unai Emery as Villa marched up the Premier League table in the closing months of last season.
In terms of a statement summing up the prevailing mood around Villa Park, there is none better.
From the moment Emery walked through the door last November, Villa had the renewed air of a club which meant business and developments so far this summer have only reinforced that opinion, with ambitious and one suspects shrewd recruitment both on and off the field and the very real prospect the club will break their transfer record in the coming days.
The added ingredient of a return to European competition for the first time since 2010 means the approaching season is shaping up to be the most eagerly anticipated in B6 in recent memory.
Yet not every development, at least from the perspective of supporters, is positive.
This week delivered another reminder there’s a downside to following a club with aspirations of cracking the Premier League’s elite with the confirmation of Villa’s most expensive ever match ticket prices.
The cheapest adult ticket for any top flight fixture is now more than £40, while sitting in the heart of the Holte End to watch Villa play Wolves (and seven other opponents, including Newcastle) will now set you back £63.
