Only a few days remain until Aston Villa are back in action and with that in mind, Cole and Simon are joined by fellow Villa fan and UEFA B coach, Gemma Taylor-Whitehead, to discuss supporting the club from her point of view, inclusivity in football and how things are shaping up for Unai Emery's men ahead of Saturday's trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!

WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?

• From Gemma's perspective, what has supporting Aston Villa meant to her?
• Is it fair to say that the football club has done a good job in creating an inclusive environment?
• Is it also fair to say that there's still plenty of work to be done in football when it comes to inclusivity?
• Thoughts on the season thus far and how are we all feeling heading into Saturday's match against Everton?

STAY CONNECTED:

Email: holtecast@gmail.com

X: @HoltecastPod

Threads: Holtecast

Bluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.social

Cole Pettem: @TalkAstonVilla

Simon O'Regan: @SiORegan

Gemma Taylor-Whitehead: @coachgemmatw

EPISODE NOTES:

Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.

Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cole, Simon and Seb return for the latest episode of the Holtecast to discuss all of the fallout from the 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday, Emi Martinez's future and Aston Villa's hectic transfer deadline day.

You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!

WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?

• Where has Aston Villa's goalscoring touch gone?
• Just how poor has the start of the season been?
• Is there a way back for Emi Martinez at Villa?
• Are Villa's deadline day moves enough to help refresh the squad?
• What's the best way to describe this transfer window as a whole for Villa?

STAY CONNECTED:

Email: holtecast@gmail.com

X: @HoltecastPod

Threads: Holtecast

Bluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.social

Cole Pettem: @TalkAstonVilla

Simon O'Regan: @SiORegan

Sebastian Bacon: @SebastianBacon8

EPISODE NOTES:

Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.

Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aston Villa claim their first loss of the young Premier League campaign, falling to a 1-0 loss away at Brentford. As a result, Cole and Tom got together to react to the performance and chat about what's really going on at the football club.

You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!

WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?

• What did the lads make of Saturday's performance against Brentford?
• Does this result show that a lack of width and pace isn't the only issue?
• Has/is Villa's squad getting stale in certain areas?
• Is it fair to say that Villa's PSR/SCR issues had seeped onto the pitch?
• Crystal Palace next weekend...what should we expect?

STAY CONNECTED:

Email: holtecast@gmail.com

X: @HoltecastPod

Threads: Holtecast

Bluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.social

Cole Pettem: @TalkAstonVilla

Tom Nightingale: @tdnightingale

EPISODE NOTES:

Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.

Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Newcastle match has come and gone and with that, Aston Villa have their first point of the Premier League campaign. Join Cole, Simon and Tom as the lads reflect on an opening weekend stalement at Villa Park, Marco Bizot's Premier League debut and Simon's encounter with Barry Bannan on a night out all those years ago.

You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!

WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?

• How are the lads feeling about Saturday's draw against Newcastle United?
• Is it a point gained or two points dropped from an Aston Villa perspective?
• Marco Bizot's impressive Premier League debut.
• Let's talk about Matty Cash's passing and Ezri's Konsa's red card, shall we?
• Donyell Malen's brief impact.
• In a new segment for this season, can the lads each muster up one positive from Saturday's result?

STAY CONNECTED:

Email: holtecast@gmail.com

X: @HoltecastPod

Threads: Holtecast

Bluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.social

Cole Pettem: @TalkAstonVilla

Tom Nightingale: @tdnightingale

Simon O'Regan: @SiORegan

EPISODE NOTES:

Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.

Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 2025/2026 season is nearly underway for Aston Villa and as a result, Cole, Simon, Seb and Tom are back for their annual season preview show ahead of Saturday's match against Newcastle United. Join in on the fun and sign up for our FPL league, The Holtecast Cup, for your chance to win one of two prizes: https://shorturl.at/veEhE.

You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!

WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?

• Right then, how are we all feeling about Villa heading into the new season?
• Are we all happy with the looks of the squad?
• Is Villa in a better or worse position heading into this season compared to this time last term?
• What would be deemed as a successful season for the football club?
• Our 7 "Meatball-tastic" predictions are shared...let's see how this goes!

STAY CONNECTED:

Email: holtecast@gmail.com

X: @HoltecastPod

Threads: Holtecast

Bluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.social

Cole Pettem: @TalkAstonVilla

Simon O'Regan: @SiORegan

Tom Nightingale: @tdnightingale

Sebastian Bacon: @SebastianBacon8

EPISODE NOTES:

Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.

Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Tuesday and welcome back the latest edition of the Holtecast! It's been a while since we've reflected on the latest Aston Villa news, so tune in as we have plenty of chatter in store for you.

You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!

WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?

• Boubacar Kamara may have signed a new contract back in July, but what does his and Lucas Digne's new deals mean going forward?
• Is this a make or break season for Jacob Ramsey?
• John McGinn, an irreplaceable meatball.
• Should we expect to see more transfer business before the window shuts?

STAY CONNECTED:

Email: holtecast@gmail.com

X: @HoltecastPod

Threads: Holtecast

Bluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.social

Cole Pettem: @TalkAstonVilla

GUEST: @VillaLamp

EPISODE NOTES:

Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.

Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aston Villa unveiled the signing of 24-year-old Ivory Coast international, Evann Guessand on Friday and as a result, Cole was joined by French football expert, Jonathan Johnson to discuss what Villa fans can expect from Guessand and how he could fit into Unai emery's plans.

You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!

WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?

• What kind of player is Evann Guessand?
• From Jonathan's point of view, what are Guessand's main attributes?
• Should Villa fans be concerned about Guessand missing time due to the Africa Cup of Nations?
• Could Guessand be the type of player to make an immediate impact or is patience a virtue with this signing?

STAY CONNECTED:

Email: holtecast@gmail.com

X: @HoltecastPod

Threads: Holtecast

Bluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.social

Cole Pettem: @TalkAstonVilla

GUEST: @Jon_LeGossip

EPISODE NOTES:

Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.

Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's been plenty of memorable players that have donned the famous Aston Villa shirt over the years, but what would a best XI look like from a tenured season ticket holder? Listen in as Cole and Simon run through Simon's best Villa XI from his time as a season ticket holder (beginning in the 1997/1998 season).

You can listen for FREE on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify - dig in!

WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?

• Is Emi Martinez truly the best Aston Villa goalkeeper of the last 28 seasons?
• Have Villa lacked true quality in the full-back areas?
• Just how good was Paul Merson?
• Is Simon's front three spot on or are there any questionable omissions?

STAY CONNECTED:

Email: holtecast@gmail.com

X: @HoltecastPod

Threads: Holtecast

Bluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.social

Cole Pettem: @TalkAstonVilla

Simon O'Regan: @SiORegan

EPISODE NOTES:

Thank you to our charity partner, Acorns Children’s Hopsice.

Donate today to support a fantastic charity: https://www.acorns.org.uk/get-involved/donate/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.