The season starts here.

Just like the players who will soon be back for pre-season training, this site is back up and running once again following a spell of rest and recuperation out in Ibiza.
After a couple of quiet weeks in the world of football with not much going on and no international tournaments to keep us occupied, the unofficial start to the season has arrived with the publication of the fixtures. On paper at least (when will I learn?) we have been handed what looks to be a far from testing start with West Brom at home followed by away trips to Birmingham and newly promoted Sunderland before rounding out August with a home game against Portsmouth. All of which means of course that we will then head to Old Trafford for the first derby of the season on September 10th sitting proudly at the top of the league (already I have heard talk of ten points from the first four games). Or, knowing City we will turn in a shocking start to the season picking up a point from the first month - before going to Old Trafford and tearing United apart of course.
It will of course be a strange atmosphere at United this season as we may actually get more than our usual allocation of 100 tickets if FC United (the marketing men really earned the money there didn't they?) are at home on the same day.
There is a fairly hectic Christmas/New Year period this season with Wigan away on Boxing Day (10,000+ Blues?), Chelsea at home on the 28th, Boro away on New Years Eve (hmm, give that a miss anyone?) before hosting Spurs on January 2nd.
Other standout games include the home derby on January 14th and a final chance to go to Highbury on October 22nd. The season is rounded off with a final home game against Fulham before a last day trip to Blackburn to conjour up memories of that famous promotion game.
Before all of that though we have what can only be described as a 'shocking' set of pre-season fixtures with away games at Tranmere, Macclesfield, Stoke and Sheffield Wednesday.
Who keeps agreeing all of these away day money in the bank games for these lower league sides?
Surely we can get some Scandanavian jolly-up organised or at least a decent away game by the sea or something? Ah well, it's football I suppose and it does mean the first game is now only three weeks away. Bring it on......