It felt like a long wait this summer for the football season to begin. Luckily for me I am not that often without football as there are normally summer tournaments and the like to keep me occupied such as the World Cup or European Championships. There was none of that this year so perhaps that’s why it felt a little longer than usual.

Anyway my routine started bright and early as usual for the first game of the season though not quite as early as it does for Paul Whitehouse the Plymouth Argyle fan we see setting off at the crack of dawn in that tv ad for insurance, at least I think its for insurance (if I cant remember then I guess that company has failed in whatever they were trying to sell). I had to use a car hire service this year as my own car was in the shop. Its a little inconvenient but it can be exciting to get behind the wheel of a different car now and then.

I set off at 9am with my brother as usual in tow. We had all our usual arguments about players and managers and our usual unrealistic hopes for the season ahead. Well, you gotta have hope dontcha? or what else will keep you going? So here it is..another long season of ups and downs no doubt on the way but I’m delighted that football is back for the next 9 months or so. Im sure by winter time il have had enough and be looking into car hire Geneva Airport deals and a ski holiday just to get a break from it all.

Supporting a sports team is hard work. Sometimes you get lumbered with supporting your local team while at other times you inexplicably lumber yourself with some other rubbish team which you have for some strange reason taken a shine to. What is it about sport that brings out the masochist in us? do we need the pain? the weekly disappointment?

Why not just have a plan to support all the likely to be best teams so I will take Brazil in world football, Manchester United in England, Real Madrid in Spain, I will follow the all blacks in Rugby, India in cricket etc. It would save a lot of hassle in the long run you would imagine but is there more to it than that?

What I mean is – Is it all the more sweeter when your team wins against the odds? Would one fantastic win against the odds be equivalent to say five run of the mill wins from a top team. That delight you feel when your team gets a result against all the odds is really a special feeling and I think that it can make it worthwhile when dealing with all the inevitable losses.

Maybe I’m grasping at straws as I have felt like throwing in the towel with my team a few times but I have always stuck with them. The next question is do I inflict this “condition” upon my sons and daughters. Would that be fair? maybe it will teach them some important lessons in life….just maybe.