We all may have been missing the Premier League, but those missing it more than anyone will be the illustrious names in English football not invited to the 2016/17 kick-off.

Aston Villa, founding members of the Premier League in 1992 and relegated from the competition for the first time in May, and fellow Championship club Nottingham Forest have three European Cups between them.

That’s three more than Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur combined.

Newcastle United and Leeds United, the latter 1975 European Cup finalists and Champions League semi-finalists as recently as 2001, are also absentees from England’s top flight. Leeds, the last winners of the old First Division, haven’t graced the Premier League since 2004.

Just six of the 47 teams that have contested the Premier League have played every single season — Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.

Mohamed Diame’s wonder strike in the ‘200 million pounds’ play-off game at the end of last season gave Hull City an instant opportunity to recover from their 2015 relegation.

Indeed, the new 5 billion pounds television deal that comes into force this season means that the bottom placed club in the Premier League will pick up 99 million pounds.

That’s more than double what Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid make from television rights in La Liga.

The epitome of a yo-yo club — two seasons in the Premier, three in the Championship, two in the Premier, one in the Championship, now back in the Premier — Hull City may have made good use of the parachute payments that come with relegation, but they are making a fine mess of giving the impression they intend on bucking recent trends and ensuring top-flight stability.

There are reports of just 13 fit first-team players ahead of their opening game of the season, against the current champions no-less, and they’re still managerless following the departure of Steve Bruce.

Burnley showed their ‘bouncebackability’ — there’s now even a word for clubs who can prove their credentials by returning instantly to the Premier League — but have hardly added to their squad, the vast majority of which is English compared to the foreign-laden groups at other outfits, and are heavily tipped in most pundits’ prediction for the drop.

Middlesbrough, the other newcomers, can be accused of no such thing. Nine new signings include Spanish stars Alvaro Negredo and Victor Valdes, while a one-to-watch could be Danish midfielder Viktor Fischer.

Of the clubs that cemented their Premier League place, Sunderland appear to have made an astute move in the appointment of David Moyes as manager. Swansea and West Brom, especially if Tony Pulis departs, could be susceptible to being sucked into the relegation zone. Watford and Bournemouth need to be careful.

Is it, however, disrespectful to say that the current champions Leicester City have more chance of being relegated than winning the Premier League again? No side has ever won the Premier and gone down the season after but there is however, as Blackburn Rovers fans will tell you, a club crowned champions no longer in the top flight. And Blackburn currently sit in the relegation zone of the Championship.

And finally …

Hurrah to Chelsea! Beloved by football tourists but despised by proper football fans, the Blues are getting rid of the half-and-half scarves sold by stall holders outside Stamford Bridge after trademarking the club’s name on all clothing items.

There should be nothing friendly about football when it comes to ‘friendship scarves’.