Onto Chicago The first leg of my trip is coming to an end, I just saw a couple of mates off at Miami Airport who hope United Airlines will get them into Heathrow tomorrow morning, when BA said they couldn't because of the incredible and unprecedented weather back at home.

I leave for Chicago early in the morning and am desperatly hoping that the weather there does not impair my journey as I'm meeting three of my best friends for lunch before the work clock starts ticking.

We've spent the whole weekend in the warmth of South Beach walks along Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue interrupted by frequent stops in pubs. It was another fun weekend and the Superbowl yesterday once again was cracking spectacle with the Pittsburgh Steelers beating underdogs Arizona Cardinals 27-23, the winning touch down coming with 30 seconds on the clock.

It was a great game and like last year another a great advertisement for the sport outside of the U.S. I was supporting the Cardinals because of their underdog tags and there little known Chicago beginnings pre-1959 but it wasn't to be.

Tomorrow our game appears to still be on in Bristol. I will be pretty much oblivious to the goings on, a kind of Charlton general anaesthetic which I reckon is no bad thing at the moment.

The official transfer deadline passed today with no additions, although it's apparent to me that 'emergency loans' can be signed to cover a bad migraine, so others may well follow Trebor Kandol and Darren Ward into The Valley.

I got a text earlier about a rumour saying Watford's Jay DeMerit was joining for £300,000 (proving it's believability rating I suspect). For me it was a shame it didn't happen purely for the reason that two of the guys I used to play football with in Chicago are two of DeMerit's best mates. I've asked for inside info anyhow to see if the rumour had any element of truth in it.  ¶ 19:05