Legions of soccer faithful ready to shake off holiday blues
Community Shield match will be ideal baptism for David Moyes, but chance for Wigan to claim a Manchester scalp
And we're back. Praise be.
We soccer fans have been basking in a rare English summer stuffed to a sombrero's brim with sunshine and smudged sunscreen. But we will eagerly hop off our patio loungers, snub the heaven-sent weather and to our sofas we will head, swishing the curtains closed and plumping the cushions to benefit fully from the rays of the HDTV and the live feed from Wembley Stadium.
Perhaps the clergy can draw cold comfort in that the season's curtain-raiser will herald the reign of a new Good Shepherd, of sorts
For it is written the 2013-14 English Premier League shall officially kick off on that hallowed turf with the Community Shield, and so save us from the sin of football-less weekends, those long Saturdays and Sundays that dragged on for all eternity.
The traditional "glorified friendly" between the league champions and FA Cup winners is to fans what Easter Day is to many of the world's religions. This weekend and next, teams will emerge from their dressing rooms reborn with new players, a new kit and perhaps a new manager.
They will reappear offering renewed hope to lift our spirits as we prepare for the slugfest of EPL life. And what a juicy opening verse to entertain us as we take our pews. Serial champions Manchester United take on Wigan, who beat Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final and were duly relegated for their pains.
Despite the proceeds from tomorrow's match being distributed to community-based projects and charities, church leaders still lament how the Sabbath is tainted by football, threatened as their congregations are by the allure of the world's unofficial yet more popular religion. Perhaps the clergy can draw cold comfort in that the season's curtain-raiser will herald the reign of a new Good Shepherd, of sorts.
David Moyes leads Manchester United into their first competitive match since taking over from Alex Ferguson. You have to flick back to 1985 to find the last time United played this fixture without Ferguson in charge.