The weary today, The bright tomorrow

Now as I write this we'll have pulled the curtain down on training for this season. Which in party terms is the equivalent of the lights flashing and everyone preparing for a rousing last dance. You may all have you're own preferences for this ritual, in my 18 year old days we used to emerge into the early Mancunian morning to the sound of 'Hey Jude' or 'Don't look back in anger', only to burst into street side choruses of 'Oh Manchester!.... (you should know the rest)'. I've always had a soft spot for a bit of New York New York myself, in true party fashion. The point is the only thing that remains for us to decide is on what note to end on. Musically 'we are the champions' has got to be a good shout, of course I don't mean musically though.

 Not at all, this weekend we face 2nd place and it's the perfect game to end on. It should be a fierce battle of wills with both teams wanting to prove they have the beating of the other. They have been chasing us all season and while they never quite got close enough to us to trouble us they are the best team we have come up against this league season and I hope that plays out true again on Saturday. I think that now with one game to go I can admit that the weary signs of a long and intense campaign are showing. I'm certainly feeling them. It's not a complaint really, it's more something to be proud of. The following quote from legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi explains what I mean quite eloquently:

“I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfilment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious”

Beautiful words, and true for our team. The achievements of our campaign our given to no single moment, but rather they were forged through the fires of industry with the heat of our will, and we hammered that league week after week into brutal submission. With one more hammer strike to fall our eyes are all on the horizon for the next challenge. That challenge is to do it again but in a harder league against tougher opponents, to challenge ourselves and each other to improve and to once again embark on that journey towards glory again. But not yet. Indeed I want to warn against pushing too hard, we all deserve to bask in our victories and relax our play, we know how to play and I've no doubt every man is up for the challenge coming. To keep banging on the war drum isn't going to help us and indeed I believe it sows doubt in much the same way that a man who continually talks about the large size of his manhood sows rumours of a child-like endowment. So with that in mind I'm taking a fresh attitude into my game this weekend and that is to STFU, using what I know and the confidence I have; go out there and enjoy the final song of this wonderful opera that has been our season. The fat lady is singing, and I'm joining her on stage!