Pint

It is getting to the time of year when the football season draws towards a thrillingly edge-of-the-seat finale. Especially so this year, where things have been too close to call both at the top and the bottom of the Premiership. It makes for an exciting season for the fans, apart from those who fear their team is about to plummet towards the relegation black hole; or for those who expected their team to surge triumphantly towards the title but look like stumbling at the final hurdle; or for those who see their team languishing frustratingly in the middle of the table, where they have ended up every season in living memory. All in all, perhaps not that many fans do enjoy the Premiership, apart from the neutrals who don't really care one way or the other.

I am not quite in the latter category, though I am the first to admit that neither am I the most fanatical of fans, the sort who despises every other team in the Premiership with a fervent and unassuageable hatred. I like to think of myself as quite even-handed, one who can see the positive side of any particular team, one who is generous enough to applaud a decent display of skill and effort. Clearly, this attitude causes problems for me in the presence of more single-minded fans, especially the sort who bellow their support at television screens while carelessly spilling their pint over the carpet. I suppose I do my best to keep my head down at such moments, and tactfully direct the conversation towards less inflammatory topics, such as religion or politics.