Tennis Torni My Arse!

"Sorry mate, bad news. I've got a tennis tournament."

Are you kidding me? Jesus Christ we've had this planned for months!!! Tomorrow is the big day, first game of the season. The hype, the excitement, the anticipation that has been bottled up for the last 3 months can be released.... yet I'll be doing it on my own. What a joke!!!

Fair play to Niku, he's a sound lad. Although he tends to leave things to the last minute, he is occasionally reliable. Occasionally reliable? That's really not a great quality when you think about it is it?... Forget it, I'm over it. I get the feeling he is too excited with Aston Villa to give a thought about Dale at the moment. Perhaps he feels his first game of the season should always be Villa. Perhaps he's going to Villa tomorrow against Fiorentina... Wait a minute, bugger where's my phone...

Oh well, if he's there he deserves it. He's short on money and I understand that. Me on the other hand, not so much :D Working every morning in the last week has provided me with a healthy £100 budget for the start of the season. Add that to the money I have in my wallet already and that's.... £102.50

Although tomorrow, money isn't an issue. If I manage to blag a child fair - which means shaving off the neat little stubble I've been growing :( - on top of a child ticket, I will only be £11 worse off. The major problem, will be finding my way to the ground from Stoke On Trent. I've been told that it's a 4 mile walk, so that's out of the question. I've got detailed instructions on how to get to the nearest bus stop and where to go from there. Usually, it's just a matter of following the crowd but I remember arriving at Shrewsbury last year, not a Dale fan on the train and no fans at all to be found in the town centre. Me and James relied on policemen to give us a lift to the ground, and although that may seem embarrassing, I can assure you no Shrewsbury fan dared approach us after we stepped out of the back of that car :D Perhaps it will be a case of same again, though I doubt it.

I have no clue what to expect tomorrow, James is away, Niku has a "tennis torni" and other supporters I may take such as Ed (more about him another time) has broken his collar bone, and Mikey is on joo camp (a jewish camp thing in Israel, more about him later too) One thing I do know is that we may have a kit clash. With limited funds, I have not been able to purchase last years, nor will I manage this years (horrible) kit. So it's Centenary Kit through and through. However, it has come to my attention that Port Vale, of course, play in Black and White. So look out for Number 17 tomorrow, in a long sleeved MMC Estates Blue Home Shirt I nicked from my last game at Dale ;) haha!

So boiling hot, friendless, pretending to be 16, with my own sandwiches (another money-saver), I enter the 2009/10 season, fully (not really) prepared and raring (hesitant) to go. However, I will be there and it will be Number 1 on my list. If any of you do see me tomorrow, lonely and sweating like Cheryl Cole in Pizza Hut, then come up to me, have a chat, buy me a pint... you know because I'm under 16... not because I'm cheap! How dare you!!

Up The Dale!!!