Well, finally the temperatures are rising and the sun has emerged from the blanket of cloud which has covered the UK for the last 6 weeks or so. The football season is rapidly approaching and some have said that they can hardly wait for the off. I am not one of them! Now don't get me wrong, it will be fantastic when we make our start back in the Premiership, but I am in no particular hurry. After the last game against Coventry there was all the joy and outpourings of relief and now that that has faded a little, I am left with an agreeable warm feeling to enjoy in the sunshine. I really want to hang on to this feeling for a bit as we Saints fans don't get many opportunities to do so. This means that on a Saturday I can go out with the family and enjoy their company without having to fret about how we are doing and what the score is. How many of us not going to the away games can honestly say that we enjoy the tension of listening to the commentary on the radio or constantly hitting the refresh button on our PCs or phones? The last two seasons we have won many away games, but my guess is that that we will all have more disappointments this time around. Am I alone in loving this football-free few weeks?
Loving the sun. I will be enjoying my love/hate relationship with golf which is just as stressful as watching Saints.
Welcome back. Didnt last long or am i imagining things? As for me im looking forward to a nice T20 game tonight for my (not so) local team!
Enjoying the time without being nervous about Saints, but now want some little morsels of information to carry me through the summer. Saints have now entered their usual black hole where they never feature in any news items. Roll on preseason training and matches. Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine I brought back from Malta.
Have to say I am glad of the break. As someone else has said it would be nice to know how much my season ticket will cost, who we are signing/getting rid of. Who the 25 man squad will be. You know, the kind of information one needs to know as soon as possible. The transfer rumours media has gone remarkably quiet...... very little speculation about anyone of note. Mind you that is nothing unusual for the Saints fans......we are always the last to know anything.....
The season just gone was fantastic although the stress and anxiety did not do me much good and if I totted up all the money (well) spent on going to games it is a whopping amount. I firmly intend to relax and enjoy the summer and it is actually nice to wake up on a Saturday morning not having to work myself up into a state of anxiety over forthcoming matches, scores, or subsequent permutations. Here's to warm sunshine, cricket, barbecues and beer.
I'd be in favour of a winter break and games running further into May/June. I love foeotball in the sunshine.
I do quite like the off season - I do enjoy watching Hampshire T20 games so I will go to a few of those
I am enjoying being able to deal with just the stress of work and not the more important stress of awaiting those final few points to get us promoted. Work have seen some benefit; I've been able to book trips abroad each week for the last month without worrying about mid week fixtures to watch, snd the garden will get some attention for a few weeks. Not had chance to enjoy the sun from my car, but hey as long as it's here at the weekend. I will try and watch the Euro's in a farily relaxed manner, but not expecting much from England although once they walk out the tunnel for the first game, I'll be all excited and hoping that miraculously we'll suddenly become World beaters, before slumping back in my chair and realising that the English game is years behind the best in Europe.
Where did you stay, Fran..? Lovely underrated little islands. Bet it was hot there. And yes, I've got into the summer mood. Let's not wish it away.
I'm still elated over promotion. Every now and then it'll jump back to the front of my memory, "We're in the Premier League!" and I think of seeing us on MOTD, all the top class opposition at St Mary's, the new respect for the club, the direction we're headed etc, and I can't help but smile.
Sliema...lovely promenade linking it to neighbouring bays...great for walks after dinner. Weather was lovely and very comfortable because the humidity isn't as high as here. Nice people, safe and clean plus they can make tea!!! Interesting historical sites and Valletta Harbour is unbelievable.
Yeah, it is beautiful. Indeed the whole city is when the Sun gets on it, which is 99% of the time. The whole place has something about it. Of course, no good for people who only want beaches, as there are very few or even none, from memory. I think I mentioned once about doing some research there while at Uni, on the salinity of ground water. The natural aquifers are rather over stressed, and I'm sure you saw the odd concrete cube out in the farmed areas - tanks for collecting precious rainwater. I went there in the last week Feb-March 1996 for 7 days with the Uni, and I remember the lack of humidity. It was wonderful. Gorgeously warm with no trace of being uncomfortable. I came back with an excellent tan, too. I'm sure you'd agree, Malta is thoroughly recommended, for the right people.
I have yet to experince a 20/Twenty but some guy was put off the event by what he termed as "OIKS," singing (chanting would be a better verb) the football rhyme of a certain club in Hampshire. He couldn't recall which one though as the words were indecipherable.
Its strange our season being over for nearly a month and I have enjoyed being able to watch the other leagues totally relaxed. The euros are nearly here and there is plenty of cricket to keep me going. So I am quite happy with it being off season for Saints for now anyway.
Agreed! I was away for the last few games (back for the Coventry game) and it was not nice approaching the computer to check the final score with a sick feeling of trepidation! Even 5000 miles distance can't mask that feeling and it's not easy to forget about the matches either, no matter how hard one tries.
I don't like it when there's no football on, but I do enjoy watching games where I get to be the neutral. You get the excitement without any of the worry.
