And we're off...

It always amazes me how quickly the first day of the Premier League season comes around...and every year it seems to get quicker! I think that is more a symptom of getting older than a shorter off-season!

I'm a little short of time today, but I thought I'd get in a few predictions and we can see where we fall short next May...

Premier League Champions - Chelsea

FA Cup Winners - Arsenal

League Cup Winners - Tottenham

Champions League Winners - Barcelona

I don't see Man Utd winning the league for a 'fourth' (thanks Gary) year...I haven't seen enough yet to show me that they won't miss the spark, energy and creativity of Ronaldo...but I hope to be proven wrong. I think Chelsea will get their stuff together with Ancelotti, but I think Liverpool missed their chance last year. Man City could sneak into 4th ahead of Arsenal...

Oh yes, and Bristol City will finish 7th in the Championship - just missing the play-offs again...

I'd be intrigued to see your thoughts...

Suspense is worse than disappointment

Robert Burns (18th century national poet of Scotland) had it right when he wrote "Suspense is worse than disappointment".

In the case of sports this is very true. When your team gets beaten, and beaten well, like Manchester Utd did on Wednesday, there is undoubtedly disappointment; but I imagine that ours was not half as bad this year as it was for Chelsea fans in the final last year.

To lose due to misfortune is infinitely more painful than losing because of a poor performance; slipping when taking a crucial penalty kick, or hitting the post but never scoring, is far worse than never being in the running. And that is down to the suspense...you think you're in with a chance! There is still hope... "We can win it boss!" Suspense lifts you up, keeps you on the edge of your seat, so if you or your team does fail, the disappointment is magnified...

That wasn't the case on Wednesday; after the first 10 minutes, it was pretty obvious that Utd were going to have to dig out something special to win, and frankly they never looked like doing it. As time moved on, a resignation to the inevitable came over those of us watching it together in the bar here in Gilbert.

We weren't 'robbed', we weren't 'unlucky', there were no real 'if only' moments... There was no suspense, just disappointment! And that is better for the heart...

I was joking on Facebook today with 'a friend of a friend', a Man City fan who I've never even met, I realized of course that as a Man Utd fan, we shouldn't really be disappointed.

A third Premier League trophy in a row, World Club Champions, The Mickey Mouse (sorry, League) Cup...losing to the lottery of penalties in the FA Cup Semi-finals (now that is suspense!) and losing in the Champions League final - that's not a bad season...and I'm pretty sure that 91 other professional football clubs in England would be happy with just one of those achievements...

And as I pointed out to that Man City fan (who was gleefully rubbing it in!), at least next season we'll be back in Europe to try again, while Man City's European adventure will consist of a Christmas shopping trip or a booze cruise to France!

Bring on 09/10 !