BEN Buckley thinks I’m a fanatic.

I know this because he recently sent me an A-League survey which included a lot of questions about my private football viewing habits.  After answering "frequently" and "always" to most of them I started to feel just a little bit disturbed about myself.

The crunch came when I reached the question :

"Apart from the A-League, how often do you watch other football matches on TV ?"

  • Rarely (once every two or three months)
  • Occasionally (once a month)
  • Regularly (once a week)
  • Fanatically (two or more times a week)

Now perhaps I'm kidding myself, but does anyone seriously believe watching all the A-League matches, plus W-League, a couple of highlights shows and several EPL matches every week really justify calling me a "fanatic" ?

On this basis, at least half the people I know are fanatics, including my husband, my children, my brother, the guy I sit next to at work (hi Matt !) not to mention the Italian Sydney FC fan who saves my life with his great coffee (hi Rocky !)

I started to scrutinise other parts of my life for telltale signs of "fanaticism", such as :

  • Instead of a photo of my loved ones in my wallet, there's a copy of the Mariners fixtures list (even after the season's ended)
  • There's also one on the fridge, in my office and on my bedside table
  • I'd sooner live on Vegemite toast than give up my Pay-TV subscription
  • There's a photo of my children on my desk at work (okay, it's with Mile Jedinak)
  • I don't regret sitting in the rain to watch the Mariners last ACL match

Strangely, on a gloriously sunny Family Fun Day at Bluetongue last weekend, it seemed that for fans and fanatics alike, the scars of the ACL were nothing more than a bad dream.  Nik Mrjda joked about the last time he'd scored while Youth Team Captain Nathan Sherlock helped out at the merchandise stand.

A rare visit to the home dressing room only served to reinforce how unglamorous the life of an A-League player can be. Ok, so they've scrubbed off the "Heff is a fairy" graffiti and squirted around a bit of Domestos but it's cramped, cold and whiffy. Think school toilets.

Our signings this year have been equally lacking in glamour but nevertheless, appear to be promising : two versatile midfielders in Travis and McGlinchey, talented youngster Lewis and big defender Chris Doig.  We've had a respectable undefeated pre-season with four draws and three wins, and Lawrie's cheery voice can be heard promoting Season 5 on local radio. News of his demise, it seems, have been greatly exaggerated.

So why is it that, once again, with monotonous regularity, the tipsters are predicting doom and gloom for the Mariners in the months ahead ?

You'd think that after last year they'd learn their lesson, but no !  If it's August it must be "Underrate The Mariners Month".  Oh look ! The Sydney Morning Herald predicts we'll finish eighth and guess who'll finish second (only narrowly beaten by Victory, mind you) ?  Of course : it's Sydney, who else ??

This would be the same team who haven't performed any better than us in pre-season, would it ?  The team I watched struggle to draw 0-0 with us on an icy night at Leichhardt Oval a couple of weeks back when two of our strikers were out ?  Give me a break !

What's worse is the patronising, resentful comments that accompany this prediction for CCM. Apparently we can expect : "A season of quotes such as 'The boys worked hard and I'm proud of them' and a lot of talk about property developments."  Ouch !  That really HURTS ! 

Well, here's my prediction : CCM will confound their critics, because we always do.  We'll laugh at your incredibly biased "predictions" because they are a sad joke.

The wait is finally over: cross off August 6 on your desk calendar, fellow fanatics.  But never fear ! Uncle Ben is looking after us.

This year we "fanatics" are going to get what we need : more matches, more rivalries, more chance to prove that our league is the most unpredictable, accessible and exciting in the world. Predict if you dare.....but expect the unexpected.