The answer is simple. You were suffering from withdrawal symtoms from that most addictive of drugs: Hull City. The World Cup, even England getting out the 'Group of Death,' did not help.
You were badly in need of your fix, even though you knew it can have negative social consequences between you and the people you live or work with. Sometimes you fear it might even damage your health: heartbreak has been a frequent occurrence.
But why do we do it? We know it affects our mood and attitude. It affects our performance at work, college or school. Our appearance changes: black and amber and the tiger head motif become the height of fashion. We tend to find ourselves associating with others who have the same craving.
Well, the new season has begun and here we go again.
This column was written before today's match with Bury and we can only hope that the result is the real start to our season. With key players injured or suspended, it will have been difficult to field a strong team and certainly not one able to play the way Jan Molby would like.
It's backs to the wall time again. We've had our backs to that wall so many times in recent times it's a wonder that the brickwork hasn't fallen over behind us years ago! Yet it seems that it is on occasions like this that City produce the goods. There are 42 more league games to play after today so it is a little early to start to get disheartened.
A new feature this season is the FIFA imposed embargo on transfers which starts at the end of this month and lasts until January next year. This will probably be challenged in the European courts because it appears to be in conflict with the basics of the Treaty of Rome as it prevents the free movement of labour within the European Community. Football fans may suddenly find themselves ardent supporters of Brussels!
Anyway in the next few days we will probably see a lot of movement of players. Fortunately, we do not have a small squad although we are still a little top heavy with central defenders. Until the embargo is successfully challenged we will be in a better position than many other teams in Division Three, assuming the flood of red cards stops!
Some of you may be wondering what is happening with the 'Tigers Lair', the new social club for Hull City supporters. As you will know it is going to be in the old British Rail social club on Anlaby Road. This is an old and listed building in need of a lot of necessary and expensive renovation work. It has taken a lot of time in assessing the amount of work to be done and who is going to pay for it. Hopefully, these matters will all be sorted out soon.
All Tigers Co-operative members should have received the latest newsletter from us. Although it tells you about it, let us remind you that our Annual General Meeting will take place next Saturday (31 August) at the Humber St. Andrews Club at 12.30 pm. It will finish in time to get to the Leyton Orient game at Boothferry Park. Let's see as many of you there as possible. As a special incentive all our merchandise, which has already been gretly reduced in price, will have an extra 10% discount. We will also have available Tigers Co-operative sticks of rock which have been specially publicised by the editor of Amber Nectar.
There are places available on the committee of the Co-op. It's time more people got involved. You do not need to have lots of ideas - we get plenty of those from the members - but we do need willing pairs of hands to get things done.
Don't forget, all fans are welcome on our bus trips to away matches. Just phone 669230/868056. We leave for Hartlepool at 11 a.m. on Monday and still have seats available. You do need to have a match ticket though. Come and help cheer the team to promotion this season.
Tigers Co-operative Ltd., P.O. Box 145, Brough HU15 1XP; e-mail: committee@tigersco-op.org.uk; website: www.tigersco-op.org.uk