06:30 am Somewhere Over Water
Sunrise.
Man oh man that looks great even with a little chop up here. As the staff bring around some complementary snacks I realise that this is a pretty good approximation of where we thought our first season under Brendan was meant to be like; a brilliant sunrise and a bumpy ride. A few wee bonuses and a safe landing.
Solid enough. A good beginning with a few bumps along the way.
But of course it wasn’t like that at all; this has been the very definition of smooth flying, like going first class on Concorde once used to be. This has been such a remarkable journey under this guy already that you dare to dream even knowing that our opponents are world class and especially at hone.
This team of ours improved so quickly and completely that I knew this time last year I would be taking this trip: I told my old man to pick his trip for this year and when the draw was made this was his game. And now here we are. I have not yet given up on another European trip after Christmas: it might well be we get sent somewhere impossible to say no to, the sort of game you just don’t want to miss. That’s the thing about Brendan, our current captain; he makes you a believer and he lets you dare to dream.
We’re almost in Amsterdam.
The first leg of the journey is complete.