This summer we have been blessed by the proverbial footballing feast that has been on offer. A European Championships, an Olympics on home soil and now we find ourselves just a couple of weeks away from the start of a new season.
Olympic fever is well and truly here, there may be complaints over tickets, corporations and other little gripes, but for lovers of sport at least, the positives surely outweigh the negatives for London 2012. On Sunday I had my one opportunity to see the games up close and personal, and aptly enough that included Team GB at Wembley Stadium.
Last season, as Rangers became engulfed in the financial mire that would rock Scottish football to its foundations, Celtic purposefully went about their business, ultimately drifting towards the SPL championship as their great rivals lurched along, their very survival under threat.
For better or worse, the career of a footballer can be directly influenced by the choices that he makes off the field. Alan Shearer chose Newcastle United over Manchester United, this won him hero status with the Geordies but no silverware. Didier Drogba chose to leave his beloved Marseille for Chelsea and his decision was rewarded with Champions League and Premier League glory.
Whatever your views on the Olympics, it’s hard to escape the notion that there’s a discernible split in terms of enthusiasm across the country in general, and far more acutely, with regard to the football in particular. This divergence of views is, it seems, less than difficult to explain. After all, it already has a name – Hadrian’s Wall.