Annoying?

The start of the football season is drawing ever closer and, if you’d have been good enough to read my last blog, you’d understand that this fills me with some genuine excitement.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not feeling this cricket love-in. Or the tennis love-in. Or the rugby love-in.

For me, nothing beats a bloody good game of football.

Nevertheless, we all know football isn’t perfect. Anything but. And, needless to say, the 2013/14 season is bound to bring forth its fair share of pull-your-hair-out-in-frustration moments.

As such, here is a list of 5 things that will, in all likelihood, annoy me this coming football season.

1. The press’ love affair with Jose

Don’t get me wrong, Jose Mourinho is a top class manager with a proven track record of success (even if things did go a bit tits up in Madrid) but the love that the Portuguese coach receives from our shores is mildly embarrassing.

He successfully managed to alienate both the Italian and Spanish press but the newly re-instated Chelsea boss has an air of untouchability in England as the media salivate at the prospect of his impending return to the Blues’ dugout.

2. World Cup talk (and Roy Hodgson)

In case you’re unaware, 2014 represents a “World Cup Year”. And boy, you’re sure to hell going to know about it by the end of this coming season.

Prepare for every niggle, dip in form or tabloid scandal to be over-analysed and over-scrutinised to the nth degree with immediate reference to the fact that “it’s a World Cup Year” and how the incident in question has such a dramatic effect on the subsequent tournament.

(Oh look, here’s Jose again).

And then there’s Roy Hodgson. Expect plenty of moaning from Roy this season. Moaning about the fact he has one less day to prepare for a game against Moldova.

3. More scepticism about Zonal Marking

“Zones don’t score goals, men do” said pretty much every pundit going.

Fact is, more and more teams are now using Zonal Marking ever since Rafa Benitez brought it to the attention of the mainstream English audience when he adopted it at Liverpool – much to the annoyance of Andy Gray.

It was a system that worked well for Liverpool and the Reds had one of the meanest defences in the Spaniard’s six-year reign. Equally, Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City were also very successful playing with a zonal defence.

There have been not so good examples too. Arsenal, for instance. But really, it all comes down to preference. Man marking, zonal marking or a mixture of the two (also very popular) aren’t flawless systems. There are positives and negatives to both.

With that said, I don’t expect to be hearing about a goal conceded “because of man marking” this season. Zonal on the other hand? Plenty.

4. Rubbish chants

It was always a long-standing belief that football fans (certain ones, anyway) were amongst the most witty and original members of society. And hence why going the game was always viewed as a chance to be part of this unique culture.

Nowadays though, chants are generally lazy, replicated to death and lack any sort of originality.

You know the sort I’m talking about; “He scores when he wants” or, an old favourite, “You’re not singing any more.”

5. Niall Quinn

Let’s be honest, most of the pundits on TV aren’t very good. That said, there is something about Niall Quinn (beyond the sound of his voice) that makes him even more detesting than his already woeful and inept counterparts.

The man used to run a football club for God’s sake, you’d of thought he’d talk a little bit of sense. Well, no. He doesn’t.

Sky, however, think quite differently. So, for the 2013/14 season, you’ll be hearing a great deal more of Niall and his fascinating insights. Great.