It has been a very , and a somewhat forgettable few days for me personally after . It would be no surprise therefore if this week's blog was one of negativity and inquest into what went wrong.
However, I thought I would lighten the mood and try to take football lovers back to the good times by discussing the ever-changing goal celebration and the recent trend towards dampening scenes of elation with new regulations and the cautions that come with them.
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Every round of fixtures and each individual game will always provide us with heroes and villains - and such is the fickle nature of the game that a player can go very quickly from one to another.
Therefore, most players at some stage in their career will have experienced the adulation and criticism that comes from being the saviour or the fall guy.
Few players, however, make the transition from hero to legend and consequently have stories of their performances and achievements regaled by fans of the team with whom they earned such a status.
How then do players become legends in the eyes of supporters? Is it for long service to their side, for inspiring their club to titles and cups, or for one goal of huge significance?
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Have you ever had a bad day at work?
I think it is fair to say that . When anticipating the opening match of the season, I certainly had no desire to be on the end of a heavy defeat and to have conceded two penalties.
Our visit to Aberdeen, of course, produced such disappointments, and has provided a first test of the season for me individually and Hamilton as a team in terms of our response to this opening-day loss.
In a previous blog I have commented upon how players react in the event of poor performances and individual errors and rather than cover that ground again, I thought it would be better to touch upon just how much players reflect on their displays.
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Pre-season is coming to an end for those involved in the SPL and the return of competitive fixtures is only days away.
There will be a tangible increase in the intensity of training sessions this week as players target a place in their starting 11 for the opening match of the season.
Those players who are omitted will, of course, have to accept a substitute's role and hope they are given the opportunity to come on and influence the outcome of the game.
While all players would prefer to be a first pick for their manager, it could be suggested that some players are best suited to being introduced from the bench.
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The lack of transfer activity throughout this close season is perhaps best illustrated by the coverage given to whether clubs would embrace or embargo the soundtrack to the 2010 World Cup, the vuvuzela.
Having never played in a match where thousands of fans are blowing their trumpet, so to speak, I cannot say for certain how distracting or irritating they are to a player but I did find it interesting that some of the world's top players complained about the noise they created.
Surely these players would have played in the fiercest atmospheres where communication with team-mates and coaches is practically impossible due to the crowd volume. If a traditional African instrument can create problems for players, is it fair to say that those in attendance at a match can have an influence on players, teams and therefore results?
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I was released as a teenager from the Scottish Premier League, had the hardening experiences of junior and part-time football and came back to the top flight with four years at university thrown in! I'm Jack Ross, a defender with Dunfermline and I aim to give you an insight into the life and mind of a professional footballer.
