And so it begins

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And so it begins.

Welcome back football. Come here, I need to give you a massive kiss and hug. Easy with the tongue...now promise you won't let me down. Promise?

As a Tottenham fan I can safely say that we finally have a distraction that keeps us from seeing more supposedly miserable photos of Gareth Bale being held hostage at Spurs and instead, will rejoice (I hope) with vibrant images of Andre Villas-Boas side claiming all three points at Crystal Palace.

We're away to a newly promoted side. I don't know much about Crystal Palace if I'm perfectly honest, but I know enough about Ian Holloway and he'll have his team up for this on what is a fairly spectacular return to the Premier League.

It's live on Sky. The new boys against big spending Tottenham. The Holmesdale Fanatics and their relentless vocals. League débuts. Can you taste the expectancy? Tastes good.

Let's be fair (without being patronising), they're hardly going to outplay us, right? Please tell me they won't be outplaying us. That was patronising. The footballing Gods have taken note. I should know better. Marouane Chamakh? Just don't even go there.

I guess the script screams 'home win'. I still think we can allow ourselves a touch of confidence with this game. Yes, it wont be easy. It shouldn't be because Palace will be pumped. And we might have one or two players in key positions unavailable. But I refuse to seek an excuse in preparation for the opening game of the season. If I did that, it's going to be a very long and unnerving 2013/14 always seeking excuses for any potential slip up.

In fact, what's the point of a preview?

I can't guess the line up or the formation (probably 433). New players, bedding in period. All the usual early season clichés that deem pre-game analysis a little unnecessary. Considering how much of a non-event the pre-season has been, best we just sit back and enjoy this and we'll know over the next week or two how we plan to shape up (what with one or two further expected arrivals before the window closes).

Simply put, this is where the 2014 starts and I'd love to see us get off to a good one with a comfortable win. Especially after today's result over at the swamp. If that (a Spurs win) doesn't happen, and it's closely fought, I'll gladly take a magical last minute winner from the feet of Gareth Bale.

Oh wait...