It's a bit of a sad indictment of the way Norwich City's season is going that I find myself, at a pivotal point in the campaign, writing about international football.
Anybody who has grown familiar enough with this column in the past five years will know where I stand on the club versus country debate.
To put it crudely, I would sell England up the river in a heartbeat for Norwich City.
I would gladly England never win another game of football as long as I live if it meant I got to see Norwich lift the FA Cup just once, for example.
So why, at the business end of the season, am I devoting a column to international football?
The short answer is, City's confidence-shot, goal-shy, white flag-waving has chipped away at my enthusiasm and in all honesty, I can't really remember a time since the Chris Hughton days that I have felt such apathy, such numbness.
But equally, last week's draw for the winter World Cup in Qatar got me thinking.
I've never been in favour of a winter tournament - the bid was won on the pretence that it could be done in summer and when it became apparent that couldn't happen it should have been moved to somewhere that could host it then.
At the same time, though, I feel it has turned into a missed opportunity for what could have been the whackiest season on record.
The Premier League season next year breaks up after the weekend of November 12-13 and does not resume until after the tournament is completed, starting back up on Boxing Day.
Or to make things relevant to Norwich City, the Championship season has a slightly shorter break, shutting up shop for the duration of the group stages before resuming on December 10.
Clearly, these breaks are put into force to mitigate for absences of players who will be taking part in the tournament for their countries.
For me, I'd much rather have seen the season carry on regardless.
Obviously, this would mean many squads would be decimated, particularly the so-called bigger teams who are basically entirely made up of international players.
So, of course, just as has been the case in near enough every recent tweak and change to the game, the whims of these perceived giants must be bowed to.
Were I in charge, I would have just allowed these clubs to blooming well deal with it. They have big enough squads, use them.
This is not an alien concept in the world of sport - when the Six Nations is taking place in rugby, club teams have to carry on regardless. Why should domestic football grind to a halt simply because the Qatar FA realised it probably couldn't host a tournament in the summer?
The result would have been one of the most fun seasons on record, as for that one month the playing field would have been that little bit more even.
Don't get me wrong, I doubt it would mean the season ends up with Liverpool fighting a relegation battle while Brighton battle it out with Brentford for the title - but it would absolutely make things more interesting.
Furthermore, it would force the clubs that do have the largest international contingencies to blood their younger players, which can only be a good thing in a long run for our own national team.
Clearly, it's not just the 'big clubs' that have internationals, but it goes without saying that these squads would probably be more depleted than others.
Take City for example. Yes, we have plenty of internationals, but were squads to be picked tomorrow, we would have at the most about five absentees - and that is assuming Scotland find their way through the play-offs (which I doubt).
In fact, while we're at it, I'd also sack off international breaks completely and again force teams to make do without their internationals.
I'm sure this would set tongues wagging in certain corners about sporting integrity, setting people like perennial whinger Jurgen Klopp off on one. But personally, I'm sick of this phrase being totally misused.
You only have to look as far as Chelsea's calls for their match with Middlesbrough to be played behind closed doors to see that this phrase is among the biggest fallacies in football at the minute.
Sporting integrity seems to have become something of a buzz phrase that big clubs trot out when what they really mean is "we don't get our own way".
Personally, I'd argue that anything that closes the gulf in resource between clubs is in the spirit of sporting integrity.
Where, for example, is the integrity in Newcastle being able to dig into limitless financial resources, midway through a relegation scrap, to claw themselves clear of danger? There isn't any.
And where is the sporting integrity in allowing Liverpool or Manchester City to dive into their gargantuan squads to change literally half of their starting line-up when other teams struggle to name five senior players on the bench?
Clearly, this decision has already been made and the season dates set, but if you ask me, it's been a missed opportunity to actually make Premier League football fun again - not that we'll be there to experience it of course.
Time for next year's key players
While in this column I have bemoaned white flag waving, I personally think now is the time to focus on the players that will be key to our next campaign.
Of course, our hands are tied in the case of one player I can imagine being massive next season - Adam Idah, who is out for the remainder of the campaign.
However, others I can see having important parts to play need to start getting more involved. Two that spring to mind are Jon Rowe and Christos Tzolis.
Both have the potential to make a real impact at Championship level, so what do we have to lose by giving them minutes at Premier League level to prepare themselves?
Were the crop that go out there each week currently doing the business, clearly we wouldn't need to be thinking about who will lead the charge. But that just isn't happening.
So letting fresh blood cut their teeth could not only help preparations for next season, but also inject a bit of extra life into the current crop, which just looks so deflated to say the least.
Lay off the mayor
Every week when match day squads are mentioned, Twitter is flooded with people questioning why Kenny McLean has been included in the starting XI.
It seems the former Aberdeen man is the latest in the line to be given the scapegoat treatment, but for me, he's there on merit.
Has he been at his absolute best this season? No, but then who has?
I personally don't get why Kenny comes in for more stick than anybody else, when he is one of the players that clearly cares the most.
Last season, he was one of the standout players, for me, and can always be relied on to work hard and do the less glamourous jobs.
It is no coincidence that two managers in a row have seen him as one of the first names on the team sheet.
I do feel he has suffered a bit from not having somebody like Olly Skipp or Alex Tettey alongside him, but that would've been the same for anybody.
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