ONE of many cruel accusations hurled at Gold Coast United before our inaugural season even kicked off was that we were a team lacking "a true soul". Critics insisted that the cashed-up club needed to endure a few ups and down before we could establish any real sense of identity.

Well, Gold Coast fans have certainly experienced plenty of ups and downs since then! The euphoria of early wins was followed by reality check losses to the Jets and Mariners. We battled our way back into form, only to lose all sense of direction with the Crowd Cap fiasco.

Now we are back again, stronger than ever, and the playing squad today is just pulsating with team spirit.

But something much bigger than that is also going on, as I realized when I sat down by The Beach for the second half against Perth.

It's not just because we've now got Charles Miller sitting in front of Jason Culina at the top of the box. It's not just because Shane Smeltz has broken the A-League's scoring record. It's not just because Vanstrattan is finally looking settled in goal, or because Traore is back, or because our Youth Team keeps serving up an endless supply of gems.

As a club, I think we are finally working out who we are. "Heart and soul"? Call it that if you will.

As for crowds, we now understand that Gold Coast locals are not going to rush to watch us, even if we play like Barcelona. But we are not distracted by that anymore. In fact, we are more determined than ever to top the league, win the Grand Final, and bring some really BIG games to Skilled Park.

If you build it, as they say, the fans will come. And it really won't matter, in the end, if we've gone undefeated all season or not. The result is the same: a club full of character, setting the stage for an enduring football legend. That's who we are.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. They say you have to live for the journey, not the destination. And I think that now, like the Socceroos in 2006, we are finally getting our minds off the destination and just enjoying the journey. It could prove to be the key that unlocks the door to success.

The first big game for us comes this Saturday, when we finally get a chance to host our northern neighbours. I dare say that Ange Postecoglou may have gifted us not just the Boxing Day clash, but also the title, when he let Charlie Miller go. The Scotsman's combinations with Culina, Smeltz and Porter are looking seriously deadly.

But the Roar's new coach looks like a man with a personal agenda. He was dumped as coach of the Young Socceroos after failing to qualify for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and he seems to be determined to prove a point to someone, somewhere. Can he turn the Roar's young guns into giant-killers? Not this season, I don't think.

Of course, Miron Bleiberg had his own agenda when he set out to wreak vengeance on the Roar, and he's already declared the job complete. Gold Coast's first round, 3-0 defeat of Brisbane set up a miserable season for Farina's cubs, and their coach was out the door shortly after the 1-0 second loss to Bleiberg's boys. Round Three looks like delivering the knockout punch to the Roar's finals ambitions.

We'll then be chasing the top of the table with two more home games against the Jets and the Reds. No doubt Branco and Viddy are already desperately trying to work out a way to block the Miller-Culina-Smeltz threat. Good results in those games should see us at least threatening the leaders when we travel down to Sydney on January 17th. That game will be another blockbuster, and we might enjoy a good rest at Terrigal on the way home.

But the game I am really looking forward to is the home game against Melbourne on January 29th. Kevin Muscat's second-chance penalty win in September still rankles, while we could barely put a team on the park when we lost 0-4 in November. So there might be a lot more at stake than just silverware when we finally get a chance to prove who is the better team.

If we have the league wrapped up after that game, we can celebrate with a home game win over the Nix. If not, we could be facing the delectable prospect of an away game victory over Fowler's Fury, our fellow A-League newcomers, to secure our first title. I couldn't think of a better way to end the season, and set up some big home-game finals.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The destination patiently awaits. Meanwhile, the journey sure is a heck of a lot of fun!