Other times you don't do something and are left to think:
Yep, that was a smart move. I'm glad I didn't do that.
Rather than enter into the murky depths of my past to reveal those moments in graphic and quite possibly slanderous detail, for the purposes of this column I'm referring more to sporting occasions.
In particular given the England - USA time difference, every time that I tried to stay up for the entire Superbowl, only to fall asleep early in the third period; I'd wake up to find that the game was a stunner with an incredible end (Thanks, Eli Manning). The Superbowls that I watched all the way through by contrast were the thrashings or the painfully slow and boring field goal fests.
It was with some relief and satisfaction therefore this morning when I awoke to the news that the Manchester derby had been by all accounts a dour, uninspiring and downright boring match. My sympathies to those of who you sat through the game, maybe it wasn't as bad as the reports suggest - often a 0-0 can be just as gripping and watchable as a 3-3 - but I'm certainly glad I didn't get out of bed stupidly early to source somewhere to watch it.
The result itself would seem to be best for Chelsea of anyone. A good win against their own local rivals Fulham has extended their lead again to 4 points, and as per my previous blog I firmly believe they will be the ones lifting the trophy in May. As for the rest of the league, who can say?
After 12 games, very nearly a third of the season, the league is incredibly tight. Just six points seperate Newcastle in 5th to Wigan in the relegation zone. Ten teams - half the entire division - are kept apart by a margin of just one win, indeed six of those are seperated on goal difference alone. It's difficult to accurately compare (OK probably not that difficult but I can't be arsed) but it certainly seems hard to recall a Premier League as tightly bunched as this after so many games.
Liverpool are a great example of what this means - in the relegation zone and desperate, a run of six games unbeaten and they are now able to make plans for a season which looked beyond rescue. Essentially what the Reds have demonstrated is that with a league table so closely grouped, no team should read too much into their position as so much can alter so dramatically in one game. Of course it is important to consider where you lie in the table, but when one win can potentially propel you up 8 or 9 places, clearly the world is a little bit messed up.
For this reason, I'm not going to go into any kind of conclusion mode at this stage. All three promoted teams can be extremely satisfied with their starts but would do well to act like a Qantas A380 and stay grounded - Hull City were flying high 2 years ago and came crashing down to Earth, also like a Qantas A380. (Topical.)
The usual chasing pack of Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham are not perhaps where they'd want to be, but ought not to get too despondent as they are only a good streak away from getting into the elite. The bottom three certainly have cause for concern, in particular West Ham with a terrible record of only one win so far...but they are not cut adrift yet.
Over the next 6 games it is likely that the league will begin to stretch itself out a bit and by the New Year it may not be as tight...but there is certainly going to be the opportunity for some of the lesser lights to punch above their weight this year. Who that might be, I'll keep to myself for now, but it should be interesting.
Let's just hope it's worth getting out of bed for...
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