Picking your games or them picking you? Today I booked my tickets for my next trip back to London. I fly back overnight on 3rd April, and on the 5th fly to Reykjavik for a long weekend. I then return on the Sunday night to hook up with some clients the next day who would have flown in from Detroit. They disappear midweek and then I have some time to be with my son and I plan to go to Craven Cottage to see the Addicks play on the following Saturday.

The Fulham game will only be my 3rd of the season, I saw 6 last season. I am envious of my blog pal New York Addick, whose next trip to blighty coincides with the Boro' Cup game. I wrestled with the idea of getting back for that game, for 20 years nothing would have prevented me from being at a match like that, and it is one of my frustrations of being here but equally it would be hard to convince myself that I would have got good value for my season ticket money if I was living at home.

I'm forever studying the fixtures and their idiosyncrasies to work on little opportunities to get back for games or to see if there could be a chance that a game will be on live or delay, like the Arsenal game on Saturday.

Sadly I guess I have become used to being a faraway fan. I used to be a terrible radio listener and always would have rather been there and suffered than sat 'helpless' at home.

The Boro' game of course is on TV live and if we get through, there will be no way I could watch a game of the next round's magnitude on television or even worse listen in on the radio.  ¶ 18:03