Many readers contact me and ask why, when they click on a story, they can’t always see it and are asked to subscribe.

So with the start of Watford’s new Championship season only a day away, I thought it was time to give a bit of explanation while also sharing details of a special subscription offer that – if you decide to take it up – means you’ll be able to see all stories, and they’ll be easier to read as the vast majority of online ads will be removed.

If you subscribe, then there is no limit to the number of stories you can read and how often you can read them.

I had a quick count up of the number of stories I have published on the website in the last 12 months and its 802, so that’s an average of almost 67 a month.

That works out at more than 16 a week, and that number fluctuates depending on how many games and how many big stories there are - now the season is starting, it'll be nearer 20 a week.

The current subscription special offer is six months for £6, or £19 for an entire year.

If you signed up for the six-month offer then, at the current rate of stories, you’d be paying about 1.5p per Watford FC story (and a subscription means you can read them more than once, and read anything else you like as well).

Pay for the year, and although the cost per story is slightly higher at 2.4p each, you’d be sorted for the whole of the new season and beyond!

Put it another way: the six-month offer costs 25p a week - can you even buy a bar of half-time chocolate for that?!

And the year-long subscription is the equivalent of 36p a week: a nice cup of posh coffee costs several times more...

Although much of what I write appears in the printed paper on a Friday, there’s a lot that is only ever on the website. Or there will be a short version in print with the full piece online.

Not only does subscribing mean you can read any story any time you like, you’ll also enjoy the ‘advert-lite’ version of the website – you see 80% fewer ads than normal, and the website will be faster.

Then there’s competitions that are exclusive to subscribers. Recent prizes have included a signed Watford home shirt and vouchers for the Hornets Shop.

Subscribers also get access to Reader Rewards, which include great deals, discounts, and special offers on brands you love - all year round.

Lastly, subscriptions do help pay the wages. There’s no point me being bashful about that! Writing 60-odd stories a month takes time and effort, and a fair bit of travelling too.

Many local newspapers have, over the past year, vastly reduced their sports coverage and, in some cases, totally removed it.

We've continued to provide the same in-depth coverage and analysis of Watford, attending every first-team game as well as many Under-21, Women and Under-18 matches.

The Watford Observer has been at the heart of the town for more than 140 years, and a critical friend of the football club for over a century.

Every subscription makes it that little bit easier for us to continue what we do.

You can still read the Watford Observer website for free and I’m not going to hard sell subscriptions.

You don’t have to subscribe to visit our website, and our live match blogs are free and available to everyone whether you subscribe or not.

But understandably, the amount of stories you can view for nothing is limited – and that number reduces if you view more of the top stories and exclusives.

However, I thought it was time to explain why sometimes you can’t see a story, how you can remove a lot of the ads and why subscriptions are important – especially as there is a special offer available that is particularly good.

Whether you subscribe or not, agree with what I write or not, I hope you can enjoy the next nine months. As a fellow Watford fan, I’m every bit as invested in it as you are!