And on semi-finals weekend they have every right to expect a touchofspring and a little sun - but this morning the Tykes I saw were wrapped up in all sorts of scarves, hats, coats and other miscellaneous winter clothing.
Mr Mugabe did stray from his usual targets - former British Prime Minister Tony Blair still a major preoccupation - to touch on the "momentous" but unfinished events of the Arab Spring - an awkward subject, you might think, for a man who has been in power for more than three decades.