Summer sports offering a welcome diversion from football for Liverpool FC fans

This is partly, of course, due to the dreadful fare that is routinely dished up during the false dawn of the period leading up to mid-August; despite my best intentions, I still can't resist the temptation to tune in to LFC TV for a glimpse of the boys in red, even though I know I'm doing the equivalent of sneaking into the theatre to watch a dress rehearsal before the actors have learnt their lines.

The dull spectacle against St Gallen was only periodically enlivened by the odd Gerrard spurt or the helpless laughter induced by Philipp Degen's attempts to defend the back post.

A similar experience awaited me for the game in Vienna, the only thing to raise this spectacle above the mundane being the fanatical display by a packed home crowd for what was essentially a training exercise, and the unrestrained joy with which their players celebrated the winning goal.

Proof positive of our drawing power and reputation I suppose, but still surprising nonetheless.

At least so far this year we are being spared the hysterical Sky commentators treating each match as if it were a Champions League Final, with every mistake being scrutinised for its implications for the coming season.

But the paucity of the offering is not the only reason for resenting this premature intrusion into the sporting calendar.

Although cricket, tennis and (especially) golf are well down my league ladder of favourite sports when compared to football, they're there all the same, and their leisurely, read-the-paper-while-watching pace presents a welcome counterpoint to the hurly-burly of football during the winter months.

Although the latter two sports are largely done in terms of domestic interest, no-one can fail to have been captivated by the Ashes series, and frankly I'm not ready to have my interest diluted by glorified training sessions across Europe and the Far East.

You can't help but compare and contrast the summer offerings with the great game, though.

The spat between Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting might not have quite the tang of a Rafa vs Fergie encounter, but the exchange of views between Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie was up there with the best: it's not often you hear a prominent sportsman call another a cheat, especially not four years after the event.

And while the use of video technology undoubtedly triumphs in matters of fact like cricket run-outs and tennis line calls, its weaknesses when called to determine whether a catch has been taken cleanly are there for all to see: the umpires are scared to trust the evidence of their own eyes, even though they're far better positioned than the TV cameras.

And what does it say about golf as a sport when a 59-year old can come within a whisker of its top prize?

No, the time for football is not yet upon us. Not until 2pm today in Thailand, anyway.