Crying, Waiting, Hoping

"Emptiness" as a human condition is a sense of generalised boredom, social alienation and apathy.

Don't ask me, it's there in black and white on wikipedia.

Four and a half weeks since the final game and counting...

And still the 'IN' box at Aston Villa is exactly that. Empty.

The 'Outs' make depressing reading. Martin Laursen (retired) and Gareth Barry (Manchester City, £12m).

How on earth do you replace those two at a time when average nobodies cost £8 million, or Glen Johnsons costs £18 million.

Congratulations to Stuart Taylor in getting a free transfer and a one year contract at Manchester City.

He's well thought of at reserve level at Villa for the support he has given the younger players.

But he clearly doesn't fancy first team football, does he?

I'm led to believe that things are progressing on two fronts, one of which I would bet my bottom dollar was David Bentley, that scoundrel who admitted Villa were talking to him a fortnight ago in a national newspaper.

Word has it that Martin O'Neill was none too pleased with that half-advert for his Spanish bar and threatened to pull the plug.

Anyway, Villa's players will be back in training in a fortnight in preparation for a couple of low key friendlies, the Peace Cup and a season that could see them play 16 games just to get to Hamburg (or five or six games to then send their reserves to Eastern Europe).

Time for 'Martin No Deal', as some supporters have somewhat harshly started to tag him, to deal?

Well, I sense no great urgency from within the walls of power.

I think they are comforted by the knowledge that in their opinion the big guns in the Premier League are yet to show their hands, other than of course Manchester City.

They would seem correct in that assertion by and large.

And they appear comforted in the knowledge that they clearly know who they want and are confident of closing deals with the swiftness reminiscent of that double swoop for Luke Young and Nicky Shorey last summer.

Surely Villa cannot wait until five to midnight at the end of August again?

And yet the post-bags here at the Mail are increasingly agitated and somewhat negative.

This is exactly the type of dithering that the new American broom was supposed to brush away when it breezed into power three years ago.

The club, most say, are standing on a precipice in danger of falling off the cliff face with two of their best players gone.

Manchester City and Tottenham would appear to be advancing faster than a speeding bullet. Furthermore, Chelsea are undoubtedly trying to turn Ashley Young's head with the promise of riches far beyond that which Randy Lerner can deliver.

Speaking of Tottenham, I see Ian Broomfield has been handed the Chief Scout role.

He was always a friendly face at Bodymoor Heath. Perhaps we will never get to the bottom of exactly who signed Eric Djemba-Djemba. I'm led to believe it was done directly between David O'Leary and Roy Keane.

Back to this summer and the question as to whether Villa are missing a trick.

Arsenal have signed Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax, Blues have brought in Christian Benitez, Scott Dann and Joe Hart, Blackburn have plumped for Elrio Van Heerden and Aaron Mokoena, Chelsea have blown Villa and everyone else out of the water for a virtually untried youngster in Daniel Sturridge, now earning more in a week than the average man makes in two years.

Fulham have nailed Stephen Kelly, Liverpool have the afore mentioned Johnson, Man City have the afore mentioned Barry and Roque Santa Cruz and West Ham have signed Luis Jimenez and Peter Kurucz.

Wigan landed Jordi Gomez and even Wolves have got going by signing Nenad Milijas, Marcus Hahnemann and are having a dart at Kevin Doyle.

This week's non-movers, as they use to say on 'Pick of the Pops'? (That's the radio for our older readers, or the wireless for the even older)?

Only Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Everton, Hull, Portsmouth, Stoke City, Sunderland and Tottenham are keeping their fans waiting, although Hull have admitted to imminent talks with Michael Owen's representatives (remember him?).

Manchester United have yet to start their summer spree, flush with an extra £80 million for a preening winker who spent most of his time on his bottom at Villa Park.

As most Villa supporters will agree, this is a huge pre-season where the advances of three years of intelligent management cannot be thrown away.

So please, please, please Villa... get cracking eh?