For some, the summer is a thing of beauty; long days of sunshine, trips to the beach, and walks in the park. But for football fans, this time of year is a living hell as we eagerly await the return of Jeff Stelling and Dan Walker and some sense of normality to return to our otherwise dark and uneventful lives. As it stand, we are currently stuck in the middle of 34 long and uninspiring days between the World Cup Final ending, and the start of the Barclays Premier League season on Saturday 16th August, and fans are becoming increasingly desperate for a football fix. Some will choose to while those 816 hours down by going to festivals, maybe taking a little holiday, or perhaps sticking that well worn out DVD of that famous 3-0 victory in the player just one more time and reminiscing. Others however, pour over the football friendlies and base this year's camping trip around excursions to the sunny footballing hotbeds of Carlisle, Hartlepool, and Grimsby. So far this summer, Gus Poyets men have faced Darlington, Carlisle United, and Hartlepool United, and yet despite being a week into pre-season, you will see that we have learnt one or two things about where this season is heading for the Black Cats
