Football is back, and those pesky Aussies regain their aura!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, rejoice for once more 22 grown men running around a piece of grass chasing after a bit of leather is back to keep us entertained over the next ten months, and I must admit I am so glad!

I can not tell you how grateful I was to have a shed load of goals to talk about on Saturday afternoon on my Offside show, mostly because it meant I didn’t have to watch as much as I normally would of England's horrible capitulation at Headingley in the cricket….more on that later, first up……BOOOOOM Football!

Yes I would be lying if I said I haven't missed the razzmatazz of the footy season in all its pomp and glory, but even I, the worlds biggest optimist, didn’t see it coming back with such a bang! Right from the word go on Saturday the goals were flying in (let’s not count the Sheffield vs. Boro game – it was pants!) and they were lots of shock results on the cards, including Norwich’s unbelievable 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the mighty…..erm Colchester.

Already in the Championship you can see Cardiff are looking good, along with Leicester and Derby who picked up good early wins, but it must be said I actually think that in West Brom and Newcastle, who played in the late kick off on Saturday, you have two sides that have the potential to bounce back up. I was actually surprised by Newcastle, it almost looked silly with the wingers Duff and Gutierrez having so much pace that at times it looked they were playing against 12 year olds, but their wastefulness, tied to the clubs current predicament  meant that it was the Baggies who looked the better team, albeit until the final 15 minutes!

Sunday then brought about one of those true sporting rarities, Manchester United losing a cup final! Okay admittedly it was just the community shield, but Ancelotti wont care as you could see how much it meant to both sets of players to be on the winning side yesterday, and it is a psychological blow to their rivals, if only a small one, but wasn’t it great to see Fergie lose his rag at the end too, at least he hasn't lost his passion for the game yet!

Bring on the full fat Premiership campaign which kicks off next weekend!!

Talking of psychological blows, what a difference a week makes in cricket! After Edgbaston we were bemoaning the rain, and raving about how this England cricket side had the Hoo Doo over the Aussies coming in to the 4th test..whoops!

They always say beware a wounded Tiger, and wow did the Aussies come back firing, they may not have the talented individuals we are used in the likes of McGrath and Warne, but they could teach this England side a thing or too about playing together as a team to the best of your ability!

We got stuffed, and what the hell was going through those England players brains when they had the willow in hand?? Ah well, I do love the way every Tom, Dick and Harry then suddenly chirps up when England have a bad game about bringing in wholesale changes………….were these not the same people who were moaning when England tried one off selections last time round……Pattinson anyone?

This is the same team that was stuffing the Baggy Green wearers mere weeks ago, so why suddenly change now?? Did the Aussie’s make wholesale changes after we beat them?? No, they didn't and look how their players responded. Don’t get me wrong, being a Surrey fan and having met the guy a few times, the romantic for the game in me would love to see 39 year old Mark Ramprakash come in for the last test, score a double ton and win us the Ashes, but it shouldn’t happen.

Ramps is a top county player, and it bemused me that he didn't translate that to international games, but like Graham Hick, he was simply found wanting psychologically at the top. Hell if we want to go down that route, I hear they can do wonders with animatronics these days, lets get WG Grace back to open the batting with Boycott (although I actually think the latter would do that if given a chance!).

Seriously, while I hope Flintoff is back to let the selectors drop the eternal let down and all round wet sponge is Steve Harmison, I don't think we should be looking at making massive changes, they just need to look at what the team did differently building up to this test, and get it right for the Oval.

I also think that a lot of the sensationalism that follows the England side’s fortunes is because most of the people commenting on the sport haven't played it at a high enough level, how many times this week have I had a chat with someone who has laid down the law when it comes to the players misfortunes, only to find that they have never even faced a geriatric Octogenarian form 22 yards, let alone someone chucking it down at 90mph.

I’m not trying to be snobby, but cricket is one of those games where you can have an off day, like in golf, because it all can all come down to one moment, and unless you have truly experienced a ball being bowled at you at speed, moving in the air and off the seam, its a bit unfair to criticise these players, and anyway, as they always say, form is temporary and class is permanent. I do believe building the future of this team should be considered, before they bring in one off players, and you will be able to tell a lot about the players individually in this side by how they bounce back (hopefully!!) at the Oval.

Ah well, either way, they can’t do much worse than they did at Headingley!!!! Come on boys, all you have to do is win the final test and the Ashes are ours!

As a fan should we not be getting behind out players in this hour of need, instead of turning on them as if they were lepers???

Until next time my illustrious compadres!