TIS the season to be jolly - or should that be busy? Or frantic? Or hectic? Or actually none of the above.

Read the newspapers, scan the internet, listen to the radio and watch the telly and you will get the same thing said over and over again.

"The hectic Festive season" is a phrase trotted out time and time again.

Is the football programme really busy / hectic / frantic / mad this time around?

There's game this weekend. Then there's a game on Boxing Day. Then a game two days later. And then no game until January 3 on FA Cup third round day.

So that's four games in 15 games. Busy eh?

The only thing busy / frantic about Christmas 2008 is trying to get served at the bar in your local when it's surrounded by those once a year drinkers.

You know, the ones who claim to be in the (your) pub every day of the year. The ones who fill up the bar and then order an orange and passion fruit J2O, a diet coke and half a shandy.

They are probably the same fools who looking forward to a hectic football programme this year.