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Depressing days at Bury

Whilst we still wait for a new manager, we continue to train and prepare ourselves for each match.

During this week, we played against Mansfield in the Autoglass Cup. We were drawn away and again managed to force a draw at the end of 90 minutes; this time 1-1. In this competition there are no replays, nor is there normal extra time. The golden goal rule comes into operation, i.e. play continues until a goal is scored and, regrettably for Bury, the golden goal was scored by Mansfield.

By the way, I was right when I originally informed you that the Premier League clubs only joined the FA rounds at the beginning of the year. The reason why this year they are already playing in December, is due to Europe 2000. The English FA have to ensure the season is well and truly over before the start of Europe 2000. So the first scalps have been taken this weekend. Wrexham, in the Third Divison, have beaten Middlesborough (one of the goals was scored by Darren Ferguson, son of Sir Alex Ferguson); Derby was beaten by Second Divison Burnley at home and First Division Tranmere Rovers have beaten West Ham.

Some other lowly clubs, such as Hereford, which is not even in the Football League but plays in the Nationwide Conference, managed to draw with Leicester City as did Rushden and Diamonds against our ex-manager Neil Warnock's new team, Sheffield United. You may recall that I wrote that this is the reason why the English so love the FA Cup; there is nothing that compares to the feeling when a lowly club manages to outplay the top clubs even if only for one day.

This weekend has also seen the first cancellation due to weather conditions. So far, the weather has not been that bad; obviously for me it has! That is one of the things I find hardest to get used to, the constant drizzle, which is very common around the Lancashire area where I live, as well as the greyness. And, worst of all, the darkness. In winter it is dark by 4.00 p.m. and it is dark when I get up in the morning. And if it is cloudy, which as I have already mentioned is more often than not, this accentuates the greyness. So it can make the winter months very depressing. Now I understand what the "winter blues" are all about.

In fact, I understand that in countries where the winter days are short, you can suffer from something called Seasonal Affective Disorder, appropriately named SAD for short. The people who suffer from it become depressed during these winter months and the cure is to sit by a special lamp about 30 minutes each day; it cheats the brain into believing it is the sun. To compensate, during the summer months the opposite occurs; the days are very long and the nights short. The problem is that somehow winter seems longer than summer, and at the moment summer is a long way away.

But Christmas is coming. In the early darkness the twinkling of lights, both white and coloured, look beautiful. All the streets are lit as well as the shops. Christmas trees and Nativity displays are everywhere; even in the banks. It is a time of the year when even the normally stiff and phlegmatic English are happy and smile more. Of course, it could be that they also drink more. All offices have their parties during which all workers get together, from the boardroom to the post department, and all is good cheer. The holiday period is quite long this year as Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a weekend, so Monday and Tuesday are bank holidays. Then this year the 31st has been made an official bank holiday. The 1st falls on a Saturday, and Monday 3rd is also off; and they say we have too many holidays in India!

(Gameplan)