My dad tried to instil in me a love of football and general and Hearts in particular.
Every Saturday – yes, reserve games, too – I was lifted over the turnstile at Tynecastle to watch the boys in maroon prove they were the pride of the toon.
There was only one problem with this weekly father and son bonding session.
I hated it.
I hated the tedium of watching a game I didn’t understand and didn’t care about (I still remember my dad’s face when I shouted “C’mon Hearts” then looked at him and said “which ones are Hearts again, dad?”).
I hated the cold and the wet.
I hated the smell of Bovril, the slimy texture of the greasy pie I was supposed to be enjoying.
I hated the stench of the toilets.
Above all, I hated the shouting, the swearing, the ever-present air of aggression.
I was a sensitive kid who wanted to lose himself in a book, or settle in front of the telly to watch Basil Brush then Doctor Who, or maybe even a Gene Kelly film if I was lucky.
Instead, I found myself in a cauldron of screaming, grown men and for the most part I was just scared.
Eventually, dad realised he was wasting his money and my time and our Saturday trips fizzled out.
I am older, wiser and tougher. I am told the atmosphere at matches if far different these days and my opinion is 40 years out of date.
But I still do not see football as a beautiful game. Far from it.
So, on that level I can understand the opposition from folk in Westhill to the Dons stadium at Kingsford.
But that’s my gut reaction and I know it’s the wrong one.
Because right now, our city needs all the major projects it can get its hands on.
A new stadium would create jobs and investment.
The end result would be a stadium to boost the prospects of the Dons – and let’s not forget how big a player in the North-east economy the club truly is.
There will also be community facilities to encourage more kids into sport.
No matter where the Dons proposed a stadium there would be people who would object.
But not building it is not an option.
The Dons need a new stadium and Aberdeen needs the Dons.
This is one of those times where we just need to grasp the thistle and make a major project happen.
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