So look, most of you know a lot about me and my nature by now and therefore you'll be aware that I intend to be optimistic and I'll look for the positive where I can. Meaning there needs to be an all points bulletin, be on the lookout for upbeat things to say on behalf of athletic club at this stage of the new season.

Really it should be joy unconfined.

The club earned a pretty penny for hosting the Europa League final in May and in the process

boosted their worldwide image, brilliant stadium, wonderful city, great occasion.

Los Leone's are also about to joust against Europe's finest in the Champions League for the first time in umpteen years.

A minimum of eight matches guaranteed at the exact moment when their blue and white Basque rivals,

Real Societad, rather than Alaves, of course,

don't have European football of any kind to look forward to.

Shadenfreude.

But there's no way to look past their litany of woes.

In fact, they'd be entitled to yell,

Oh, woe, is us from the top of the beautiful San Marmese Stadium,

which I'm reliably informed in Basque would be, aye zain-tristejards and nowin Bidzitak or something like that. Let me explain. Did you notice

that Yerai Alvarez, their 30-year-old centre half who played 29 times in red and white last season,

tested positive in a UEFA post-mast match check after the

semifinals, meaning that for the meantime, he's banned from playing or training. He's currently

just begun working out with Ike Monagian's third division and therefore amateur club, because

until UEFA rule on his situation, he can't do anything, train or play with any professional

outfit and he's lost to athletic. There was that Nico Williams Farago when the player

almost moved to Barcelona and was clearly open to leaving his parent club. Many of athletics

fans, the hardline ones, literally lost their shit at him. He backed out for other reasons and the plus point

being at least that he then renewed his contract for umpteen years eight and increased the buyout

...