MAKING IT THROUGH THE RAIN - A Date With Destiny

They say travel broadens the mind. We spent our summer holiday nestled in the Lavaux vineyards on the banks of Lake Geneva, a UNESCO World Heritage site with views across Lake Geneva to the lush verdant pastures and pure crystalline French waters of Evian. It was the perfect setting in which to clear the mind and contemplate the great unanswerable philosophical questions. Like 'Why is there something rather than nothing?' Is our universe real? 'Is there a god and if there is would she play Hudson alongside Caulker in central defence?'

Holidays are all about a break from the normal routine or establishing new, more favourable, ones. Mine was to wake early with a spring in my step (ok, slight exaggeration...) check for any overnight news of signings and when there was none devouring all the pointless speculation and gossip about possible links and alleged sightings of Messi at The Vale training ground, Rooney at the Littlewoods pick 'n' mix counter, Ronaldo trying on outfits in Ann Summers and Lord Lucan busking outside Cardiff Central Station.

The close season was of course dominated by the mind-numbing tedium of the great Gareth Bale 'will he - won't he - should he - shouldn't he?' Real Madrid transfer saga. (For what it's worth his former barber, Mario in Llandaff North, who's got as close as anyone to the Bale mind told me 'Eees a good-a-boy. 'e sit there in that chair and 'es so quiet I canna get a bloody word outta him. An' I ave to be so careful when I cut 'is 'air - those big a-bloody lugs I tell you ees no easy. I should-a charge 'im extra! But ees good boy and I say if ee wanna go, Tottenhams they should-a let him go. Ees a good a-boy')

Ultimately we benefitted from the uncertainty at Spurs as initially they concentrated on a fire sale to strengthen the squad without the need to sell Bale which freed up England international Caulker to look elsewhere. Just at the point where Malky was being criticised for apparent inactivity in the transfer market he pulled off a coup which few believed he was capable of and settled the nerves.

So, just over a week of the transfer window to go and with the prospect of more business being concluded as the deadline approaches, the main areas of concern from last year's successful campaign seem to have been addressed.

The new additions have certainly added to the physicality of the squad with a gladiatorial front man ('My name is Andreas Decimus Cornelius, loyal servant to the true Emperor, Malkus Maximus Mackayus, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife and I will have my vengeance...') and an animalistic bone fide looney toon Chilean psychopath in new midfield enforcer Gary Medel. This is a player who was the subject of much speculation earlier in the year when Xavi publically appealed to his bosses at Barcelona to go out and get him. How the flip did we pull that one off?!

Fair do's then to Mr Tan for being true to his promise of making funds available. Even the most diehard of antis would surely consider it a tad churlish not to recognise that three successive club transfer records, £28m + spent with the promise of more to come represents a serious commitment. True, allowing the Lebanese fox back into the fold makes us uneasy and queasy but, hey-ho, what's to be done?

Perhaps it's time to put cynicism and disenchantment to one side. Introspection can wait - support is not an intellectual exercise, it's based on an irrational, emotional attachment passed down the generations. Today we embrace all the lip-servicing chairmen and badge-kissing mercenaries, put our blinkers on, celebrate our footie fickleness and now that finally the clouds have parted, enjoy a day in the sun that generations couldn't have.

Today we must pump out our chests, pat ourselves on the back, jump for joy (not all at once) and allow the elation that comes with a glorious victory against the odds to flood our very souls. For we have, in the words of the legendary schmaltzy saccharine schnoz-meister and philosopher Barry Manilow indeed 'Made It Through the Rain'.

We dreamers have our ways
Of facing rainy days
And somehow we survive

We keep the feelings warm
Protect them from the storm
Until our time arrives

Then one day the sun appears
And we come shining through those lonely years

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