Best League in Years

Until a couple of years ago, the Premier League was becoming a bore. The Big Four were dominant, monopolising the Champs League places, & there was a huge gap between them & the rest of the league. Last season things Spurs broke into the top four, & this year the league is more competitive than I can remember for many years. After 14 games, 8th & 18th place are separated by only five points; & the leading teams have been regularly dropping points against sides from the bottom half. Pre-season, I expected Chelsea would retain the title, with Man U a close second, & I still think so now despite Chelsea's bad patch (three defeats in four games) though now it looks like Man City are contenders. Arsenal arguably still play the most attractive football, but are not good enough without the ball & there are still question marks about the goalkeeper. Spurs & Liverpool will still have a say on the title race but are too inconsistent.

Two events I really enjoyed this month: Wales v South Africa was a fantastic spectacle of open rugby. Steve Beaton's win over Phil Taylor in the Grand Slam of Darts QF was an epic comeback. From 13-9 down, Beaton won 16-14, in a high quality match of heavy scoring & massive outshots.