Keep right on

By Paul Flower on Sep 20, 10 04:11 PM

A few weeks back I wrote of the reductive powers of football and how my partisan nature can lead me into great sorrow. I become less of a cultured, intelligent being (if I ever was) and more of a snarling subjective Neanderthal.

The nature of the season means that sorrows can either be quickly overcome or more severely etched, a week can change a lot and, as Saturday proved, even 45 minutes can make a significant difference.

During Saturday's second-half display West Brom caused many of us to dream, to believe that finally - after almost a decade of trying - we might have a team (and a manager) capable of competing in the Premier League. Is it really possible that we have a team with both skill and determination, and a manager with the ability to sign the right players and make the right tactical decisions?

I am still not the gloating kind, none of my Blues-supporting friends or former-colleagues will have heard from me by text or phone and I was fairly muted on Facebook. I even managed to restrain myself when Alex McLeish blamed their loss on a couple of errors and a foul. To be fair that's not exactly true as I was cursing him in the comfort of my own car (radio) and later my own home when watching the highlights on TV.

These things fail to matter when you've won. I don't care too much that Alex failed to acknowledge the better team, or realise that once Roberto DiMatteo had matched Birmingham's formation with a great substitution Birmingham ceased to be a threat. When you've beaten local rivals 3-1 with a superb footballing display nothing really matters too much.

These are the highs, and of course there will be lows again. I have no doubt that we'll ship a shed-load of goals at Arsenal this weekend because everyone does, but for now there is optimism. It will all change again and after Christmas I may be back to my gloomy self and anticipating probable relegation.

For now though it should be recognised that there are few better experiences than being in a stadium with your friends, family and thousands of fellow-supporters when you go 3-1 up in a local derby. The jubilation is intense and the pleasure will keep a smile on my face until around kick-off time in Wednesday's match.

This is why we continue to go to football matches, this is why TV cannot replicate the experience - they can get the close-ups and the replays but no-one can capture the exhilaration.