Football aside, because some of it has been fantastic to watch, I am not really enjoying the St Andrews’s experience. The things that make it unenjoyable probably reflect me and where I am in life, but they are what they are and I can only see their impact increasing. And talking to others, I don’t think I am alone.
Not into pre and post match drinking these days for example, which I can see is miles better in Birmingham. I hate getting stuck in traffic on the A45 or M6 and that pretty horrible St Andrews car park with the stinky skips I paid £100 for (my choice not to risk street parking I know). I know we are not driving to the other side of the country and back, but my journey to and from the Ricoh took just minutes. I hate that you can’t take in a flask with some coffee or hot chocolate for half time when it’s cold. I really hate the turnstiles - any woman who isn’t a twiglet will know what I mean.
The atmosphere at the Ricoh wasn’t fantastic but where I sat, I sang through the game and really enjoyed that. Rarely sing at St Andrews. There is some singing from the corner but it rarely catches on properly. Only when I go to away games and I’m singing do I really enjoy the match day experience these days.
If we do get promoted and are still at St Andrews I will undoubtedly renew my season ticket. I won’t be able to resist it. If we don’t, probably not. It’s a real dilemma for me because football and the Sky Blues are effectively a 50 year+ love affair for me. I don’t entirely blame SISU because there is no way they could or should have signed the deal offered by Wasps with that apparent indemnity clause. And that being the case we are fortunate to have another ground to play at or we could have no club at all.
But I dIdn’t go to the Southampton U23s game last week because another annoyance is the rush to get there after work for evening games. It’s a sign that the annoyances are starting to win with me.