FOR many of us the off-season is the break we get to concentrate on family, work and actually playing football rather than obsessing about watching it.

Instead of closely monitoring the recovery of our favourite player from a niggling ankle injury we nurse our own bruises and regale family and/or friends with the minutiae of our Sunday League glories and disasters. But the months turn over and...

...THE REAL STUFF BEGINS AGAIN!

 It's been a quiet off-season for Adelaide United, one strangely similar to that of my other love, West Ham. Both teams had good seasons, lost their owners, faced financial strife and entered the limbo of season's end wondering how many of their best players they would lose and how many recruits they would manage to pick up without anyone bankrolling them. Worrying times? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

For Adelaide there have been no glamour friendlies and our recruiting has been low key. Admittedly, Owusu and his bizarre and amusing goal-celebrations (so far only seen via YouTube) promise to light up the league. We hope for many of them. Adam Hughes promises some steel and attacking flair in the midfield, the Youth League boys (Monterosso & Costa) who've earned contracts might come good and the unheralded Korean lad, Shin, could turn out to be as good a buy as the equally unknown - at the time - Cassio, Reid and Jamieson. Time will tell.

What time doesn't need to tell us is that Adelaide are the real thing. The Reds are a proven team  with a settled and successful management group. We have a record - rather than a publicity campaign - that speaks for itself. We still boast a host of players that can light up a match. Dodd (one of the most underrated and brilliant players going round), Cristiano, Cassio, Jamieson and  Galekovic are all stars. The young guns, Cornthwaite, Mullen, Marrone (one with huge potential) and Birighitti herald a great future - especially in defence. Paul Reid remains one of the most reliable and professional players in the A-League.

Then there are the boys with plenty to prove. Alemao can play anywhere, a curse for some players who have to fill gaps. I'm predicting he might be the find of the season for us if he can settle on a position. Sarkies has to step up to show he can be what he threatens to become - a class act. He's fighting for a future this season. Pantelis and Barbiero will be hoping to shrug off the injury nightmare and consistently show what they can do. Both are capable of brilliance. And then there's Fyfe who must be thrilled at the thought of playing in a solid defensive line and shoving the insults back down the throats of the Sydney fans who reviled him so generously.

To my mind that's a pretty formidable line-up. For those who disagree - I couldn't care less. Adelaide are my team and I'm a believer.

It's unquestionably true that the A-league looks set for its most even and competitive season and that the bar has been raised. Even so, no-one will be coming to Adelaide for an easy win. At home or on the road the Reds are one of the teams everyone wants to beat but almost no-one can (ok, Victory can - but that's a situation that has to change. Let's hope it starts with the trial match this week).

Most of the meaningless but entertaining preliminaries are over. Trumpets have been sounded and flags waved, wild promises and bizarre predictions have rattled around these boards. Now the season starts. The real test of who has a team - not just a few good players - that can compete. Now it's time for the real thing to begin.

See you in the stands at Hindmarsh. C'mon you REDS!