I can't exactly put my finger on the specific reason, but in stark contrast to 12 months ago, I am really looking forward to this season.
Perhaps it's the fact that last season our family ventured to the Valley for the first time in many years, without our Dad and as a result, certainly early on, it just didn't feel the same.
Perhaps it was, as a result of the above and the fact that we sponsored the Blackpool match in his honour, I was only really focused on one match and one match only.
Perhaps it was because, looking at our squad last season and the disjointed loanees that were added to it, almost from the outset, we just didn't look capable of achieving as much as we would have hoped for.
Perhaps in contrast to this, we now have some genuine home grown talent and with it, hopefully a hunger to achieve.
Perhaps because in my mind set, I have accepted our position as a Championship side, striving to reach the promised land, instead of seeing us as an ex-premiership one fallen from grace.
Perhaps it's because Charlton Live will return to the airwaves this season and I have been asked to play a small part in it.
Perhaps it's all of the above, but I just feel a buzz returning and those around me in the Upper Covered End, who thought I might be mellowing, have got a rude awakening coming this Saturday.
We may still fail, good grief this is Charlton after all and I fully expect to be metaphorically kicked in the proverbial's, by way of bringing me crashing back down to earth, but it won't matter, bring it on, all 10 months of delight, despair, joy and misery.
COME ON YOU REDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I'm as excited as I have been for a long time because I think we have a team/squad who we can justifiably call ours as oppossed to a bunch of mercenary nobodies.
that is all well and good, and i agree with your sentiments entirely.
But sadly if its proven that the squad aren't up to the grade, that excitement will quickly evaporate.
We just don't know how this era's going to pan out but it's not necessarily doomed because we've sold more than we've bought. Will the introduction of youth and more team continuity offset the net value loss of players? Who knows but it, for me, is going to be interesting watching. We are where we are and throwing more money at the issue would be a huge gamble from which the club may well have not recovered.
Let's face it - if we wanted to follow a team that was always going to buy to achieve success we'd have probably chosen to support W Ham, Spurs or Chelsea when all our mates did at school. We've just been lucky that we've had 11 years when we've not had to face realism in the face.
Having said all that another centre half or two wouldn't go amiss
Trust me, I've never supported Spurs for "success". God, if only...