Jenson gets there in the end

Hello folks. Here is another edition of my blog, which I write while lying on my bed; my back is going to kill tomorrow....

Formula 1

So the season is effectively over now with one race still to go after a great Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos. The Brawn team are champion constructors and their driver, and Britain's driver, is world champion. That makes back to back British World champions following on from Lewis Hamilton's success in 2008, and Ross Brawn's British team head and shoulders above the rest. This is all good news for British sport and the nation's reputation across the globe.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised by Jenson's performance in Brazil and he has really earnt my respect for it. After a disastrous qualifying session, he started back in fourteenth on the grid, knowing that a better performance than his team mate Rubens Barrichello (on poll) would see him crowned champ: a very tough proposition. But a fantastic drive saw him finish fifth, whilst Barrichello slipped to eighth due to a puncture in front of his expectant home crowd. It has been called a "sublime recovery drive" from Button and involved spectacular overtaking. Button has described it as his greatest ever drive, worthy of making him world champion, and who can disagree with him. He showed everyone that he is an outstanding driver and not just lucky to be in a briliant car. I must admit I thought he may have choked and stumbled across the line, given recent performances, but he took the title with both hands. His patience in the sport up to this point has been admirable with the bad cars, decisions and luck, but now he is at the top of the mountain and well done to him. He earnt it. Could he line up alongside Hamilton at McLaren next year? A mouth-watering prospect.


Liverpool Football Club

Liverpool face Manchester United tomorrow and know that defeat would mean their worst run of form for 56 years, and would open up a ten point gap between the red devils and themselves in the premiership table. Could four defeats in a row become five? With Torres and Gerrard again struggling to be fit it may just happen. Liverpool's squad on paper is not good enough to win the Premiership. The centre back pairing looks very fragile and slow, there are too many players out of form and the squad is not deep enough to adequately replace key players. Voronin, Riera, Lucas, Ngog, and Aurelio are simply not good enough to play for Liverpool given their current ambitions. Beach ball or no beach ball, they have not deserved a victory for some time now. I will not write them off, but they better hope Alberto Aquilani is as good as Benitez says he is when he gets into the first team picture!


The Coca Cola Championship

I am a lifelong Newcastle United fan and season ticket holder at St James Park. It was obviously gutting to be relegated in May as ever since I've began attending matches, they have been in the top flight. I may have taken this for granted and admittedly was still in denial when playing West Brom on the opening day. Even this didn't seem to hit home, being against a team we'd faced in the Premiership a few months earlier, it was on a fantastic pitch, had a great atmosphere, and was televised live on the BBC. It didn't feel much different. Obviously we had a different team out but this was no great sadness as I was glad to see the back of the majority of players we let go who wouldn't have been up for the fight anyway. It may have hit home some weeks later with an away defeat midweek to Blackpool, but the transition to life in the Championship was made easier by our good run of results, the aforementioned excepted.

The league is fantastic when you are in good form. Games come thick and fast and you can get in a winning habit and quickly move up the table. Our attendances remain over 40,000; thats higher than 13 of the Premiership clubs and all of the Championship clubs. Having spoken to many Newcastle fans, I can say that most fans are enjoying our stint in the second tier (although they hope it will be a short one!). There is a refreshing attitude of enjoying football win or lose, which doesn't exist in the Premiership. There is far more gloom in the top division and more short sightedness, whereas in the Championship things can change so quickly. One week can provide 9 points and you move up ten places or so.

Obviously the reverse can be said when a team gets in a poor run of form and Newcastle have struggled since their convincing win at Ipswich at the end of September. We need to be careful but although concerned words may be raised amongst fans, there is always the next game to come and the realisation that you can't win them all. Of course, Geordies want to see their side win the league but they seem to accept that the season will not be easy.

Its a very honest league in that you get what you put in to a match, and any team can make the playoffs - it is not like the Premiership in which you can give the ball to a star player and he'll score a screamer against the run of play allowing his side to keep the ball and defend steadfastly. Championship sides just arent that good! It makes for exciting end to end matches, and a very tight league table. The top ten teams are currently separated by just three points. I am not too downhearted to be in the Championship and am enjoying watching my side again - last season was miserable. I just hope we find our way out of this little slump this weekend!

Result