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July 28, 2025 42 mins

Following the release of "Waking the Giant: Inside the Rebirth of Aston Villa" on July 17th, Cole and Simon had the pleasure of speaking with co-authors, Gregg Evans and Matt Maher, to discuss the ins and outs putting the book together and the stories that have Aston Villa fans captivated across the globe.

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

WHAT DO WE DISCUSS?

  • How did the idea of writing this book come about and what has the journey been like to write and release the book for both Gregg and Matt?
  • What chapter(s) have stood out as particular favourites for Gregg and Matt?
  • We have to ask, what was it like speaking to Dr. Tony Xia after all this time?
  • Looking at where the club were to where they are now, just how impressive has this 'rebirth' been and does the club get enough credit?
  • When Gregg and Matt look back through the book and at what Aston Villa has been through, what do they think the ultimate end goal is for the club under current ownership and how realistic is it to achieve such a goal given current financial restrictions?

STAY CONNECTED:

Email: holtecast@gmail.com

X: @HoltecastPod

Threads: Holtecast

Bluesky: @holtecastpod.bsky.social

Cole Pettem: @TalkAstonVilla

Simon O'Regan: @SiORegan

GUEST: @greggevans40

GUEST: @mjmarr_star

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/


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