Monday afternoon produced one of the last meaningful games of football we’ll get to witness before a summer of staying up late for Major League Soccer and the Confederations Cup in Brazil begins.  Even the lure of the German Cup is doing little to inspire many of us, or wrap us back up in football fever, with Bayern Munich’s name already penciled onto the trophy – although those of us who still believe in the magic of football will still watch and hope that Vfb Stuttgart can pull of a minor miracle and deny Bayern their much sought after treble.

With South American, North American and the uninspiring Confederations Cup looming, many of us in Europe are beginning to fall foul of the dreaded syndrome known as PSB, Post Season Blues.  Some may not realize they’re suffering with it just yet, many may be staving off the symptoms, putting their apathy down to thought of having to arrange that family holiday this summer, the economy, or the fact that Ashley Cole will be donning the captain’s armband for England against Ireland on Wednesday night.  Whatever our excuses may be, most of us will eventually realize the PSB is a serious condition and we are going to be hit by it heavily this summer.

In a study commissioned by Gillette Football Club in the final weeks of the season, Neuropsychlogist Dr David Lewis found that 73% of football fans are at a loss for things to do when the season finishes, with one in 20 of the football fans asked admitting to feeling that there is suddenly a huge void in their lives when the football season finally finishes. One in seven of the fans asked admitted to feeling utter desolation during the off-season.

“Anyone who doubts the strength of what has been termed Post Season Blues (PSB) clearly fails to appreciate the intensity of the passions aroused by the ‘beautiful game," said Dr Lewis.

“The fans conscious mind has little or no control over the powerful emotions generated.”

Dr David Lewis goes on in his report to describes how the excitement of a hard fought match and especially their team’s victory, releases a cascade of potent ‘feel good’ chemicals coursing through the pleasure centres of the fan’s brain. Among the most powerful of these mind-altering chemicals is the neurotransmitter dopamine. This is capable of generating feelings not just of excitement but also of euphoria. As a result, when the season ends, they experience ‘withdrawal’ symptoms including agitation, irritability, anxiety and a sense of emptiness in their lives. The fan’s sleep may also be affected, with early waking becoming more common.

Below is a list of finding from the survey.

•    25% of football fans say they look forward to the start of the football season very much – rating their excitement  at 10 on a scale of 1-10.

•  In comparison, just one in ten (9%) say they really look forward to a weekend during the off season, while around one in seven (15%) rated their excitement at football-free weekend at just one, two or three.

• Almost three quarters (73%) of football fans say they often find themselves looking for other things to fill their time at weekends during the off-season.

•  More than four in ten football fans say they just feel bored during the off-season, while 14 per cent described their feelings as ‘utterly desolate’.

Top five fears about the off-season

1. Not having anything to talk about with friends (16%) 
2. Shopping (16%)
3. Not having an excuse to go out/go to the pub (13%)
4. Having to spend more time with their loved ones (6%)
5. Having to spend more time with their partner (6%)

Top five things football fans miss about the game during the off-season       

1. Just watching it (35%)
2. Banter with friends (18%)
3. The competition (13%)
4. Socialising with friends (11%)
5. Having an excuse to go out (10%)

1.        Anxiety
2.        Restlessness
3.        Agitation
4.        Irritability
5.        Problems sleeping – especially early waking.
6.        Difficulties with concentration
7.        Depression
8.        Social isolation
9.        Feelings of emptiness
10.        Boredom

So how do we combat these feelings and how can we stop ourselves slipping into the hole that is PSB. For those who haven’t prepared for the off-season (many of us didn’t because we were too busy watching football), here are some top tips from World Football Daily on how to stave off PSB until the new season comes around.

Sky+/DVR late night football from across the globe.

It sounds simple and it’s so effective at keeping that rush of the football season going. There’s plenty of South American football on offer in the week and at weekends I you know where to find it and as long as you make sure you sit down and watch it on a Saturday and/or Sunday during your normal football hours, your brain will be just as happy as if it were the Premier League or Serie A.  The quality may not be as high, but a 3-3 draw between Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy will release the same endorphins as a 3-3 draw between Fulham and West Brom. You may even pick up a new team or two to follow.

Go and watch the WSL or your country’s equivalent.

I’m new to following the Women’s game but already I have noticed two things about it.  A) It’s a totally different game to the men’s and can be appreciated as a different sport rather than be compared to it, and B) the touch a skill of the players is far beyond my own skill level so how can I not be impressed.

It may not be as fast paced as the men’s game but you can’t deny that the women have a lot of skill. After a pulsating Olympics tournament last summer I think it’s time we all began to sit down and enjoy the Women’s Super League this off-season.

Get your old Subbuteo kit out.

Forgotten by the youth of today as they sit and play FIFA 13 or Pro Evolution Soccer, but before video games were more than just two white lines hitting a white square back and forth to each other, Subbuteo ruled the football fans kitchen table.

Thanks to the custom made set we received here at World Football Daily this week, I've been inspired to bring out the two briefcases of teams, balls and goals I used to have in my bedroom at all times as a youngster and set up some epic clashes on the felt football field over a weekend.  Aside from treading on one (or ten) of the small plastic players, the game was – and still is – a fantastic way to while away a few hours with a friend/parent and the skill and precision of a well powered flick to win possession, or a silky passing move leading to a goal, is far more rewarding than merely hitting the A and B buttons on a controller. 

If you’re alone, why not set up a camera and try to recreate the greatest goals in football history, Brazil ’78 could be a good one to start with or see if you can find the technique to pull of Pele’s dummy around the keeper, but this time put it in the back of the net.

Videos and DVDs.

When there’s no World Cup or European Cup to entertain you during the summer, what’s the next best thing to do……..? Relive all of your favourite tournaments from the past through your old DVDs and videos. A favourite of mine is Every Goal of Spain ‘82 but other great World Cup review videos are calling your name. France ‘98 and the rise of Zidane, Mexico ’86 and Maradonna’s wonder goal, and all the gems in between.  Gheorghe Hagi’s strike in USA ’94 is one of those great forgotten gems that gets over looked by ‘football’s greatest ever goal’ judging panels. It also brings back the emotion of those epic clashes where your heart was either broken or exploded with joy come the knockout stages of the tournament – I still get a tear in my eye when I see Gareth Southgate step up for that penalty miss at the end of Euro ’96 with the background noise of Wembley singing ‘footballs coming home’.

Get out and play the sport.

This really should have been the first one on the list – especially to keep the health and fitness police at bay – but one of the great things about football is that it’s so easy to play. A cheap pair of boots for £25 and a cheap ball for a fiver means that you’re now set for a whole summer of playing the beautiful game. It may not be as ‘beautiful’ as the pros but I know that smashing in a screamer for your own local side is just as satisfying as watching someone else do it in your clubs colours.  If you really need that affinity, go out and buy your team a club kit its own and wear your own name on your back with pride.  And did we mention wall ball – possibly the greatest game to play when there’s no football field available. One wall, unlimited players, hit the target on the wall with one touch football. Each player has three lives and once you’re out, you’re out. The winner then starts the new game.

Become a transfer window aficionado.

Just because the games aren’t on, doesn’t mean your side stops working. The transfer market is filled with rumours and leaks surrounding every club and you could be the guy at the bar/pub who can drop the day’s transfer-window-knowledge-bombs before your mates have had the chance to check if Jose Mourinho has arrived at Chelsea yet.  All you need is a second desktop window at work with a ticker of the latest rumours and a notepad to jot down the major movers and shakers on to.  You’ll be the king of the football talk, although all the research to find out who certain players are could lead to you being sacked/boring your friends to death. If your mate is a Man United fan, he’s unlikely to care who Yeovil are bringing in this season.

Start a Football Manager Season

Possibly the most dangerous thing to do in the off-season but sometimes it can be the most rewarding, a successful Football Manager campaign can enslave the mind in a whirlwind of transfer market dealing, wage budgeting and on the pitch tactics. I myself have taken Tottenham to four league titles in five seasons, as well as three Champions League final wins in a summer, before realizing that I’d been hidden away from the outside world for so long that I was appearing on milk cartons.  It’s a game that has literally caused divorces, breakups, and friend fall outs but a summer of engrossing play can be the ideal treatment to any potential PSB.  Do so at your own peril.

Learn to love cricket or baseball [sigh]

The last resort of the desperate football fan, and sometimes the toughest of them all, but turning your back on football and looking for a sporting thrill elsewhere could be the last way to stave off PSB.  Those who spent the season ignoring the NBA or NHL will not be able to use the Stanley Cup or NBA Finals to ease their way into the summer of outfields, home runs, and LBWs and as a result, the idea of joining the ranks of another sporting crowd may seem scary and daunting. Those, though, who can drag themselves into the long days of test cricket, or the three hours of baseball, will find enough sporting activity to  distract the mind from the dark thoughts that run through anyone’s head when the prospect of ‘no football’ arises.

Use the Gillette Football Club

Thankfully Gillette are treating this condition just as seriously as we are and have found a way to help get over PSB. They're calling it the Gillette Football Club and they're basically compiling  the best, boldest and newest football video's on YouTube into one easy to use site.  

You want to see Michael Carrick being interviewed for TalkSport? They have it. You want to watch Totti's best goals of the season? It's already there.

Head over to
www.youtube.com/gillettefootballclub or https://www.gillette.com/GilletteFootballClubPreLive/Home/Index.aspx 
for more.