However, in the last month or so I have begun to wonder if Nigel Tufnell might have been right all along about his amplifier because for the last few weeks I have been supporting a football team that has it's own number 11 setting!
This season's Cardiff City team seem to be able to play with an almost unnatural vibrancy, drive and intensity at times and it is absolutely exhilarating to watch. I haven't seen our two away games, but I think I am right when I say that City have played at 11 for the first half an hour at Barnsley, for about an hour against West Brom, in scoring their goal at Leeds and in three or four ten minute patches yesterday - when City slip into 11, good sides at this level do not seem to be able to live with them.
Two and a half weeks ago West Brom were very fortunate to escape with a point from their visit to Ninian Park after being run ragged and left breathless for much of the game by a rampant City side, yesterday it was Birmingham's turn to chase shadows and wilt under the ferocious pressure that they had to endure. We are talking here about the two teams that were virtually everybodys pre season tip for promotion and yet, just like Barnsley and Leeds, they were blown away when we decided to move up to 11!
Of course no one could play at 11 for a whole game and, just as West Brom came back to shade the closing stages as City tired a bit, so Birmingham were able to play their way back into the game during the second half yesterday, but what has also become apparent in these first few weeks of the season is that there is a defensive solidity and discipline throughout the whole team which makes us very hard to break down and, apart from one or two slips yesterday, we defended well again.
Just as against West Brom, I didn't think there was a weak performance in the City team against Birmingham, but I am going to single out four players in particular for praise. Firstly, I have always said that Andy Dibble was the best City keeper I have seen but I don't any more - for me Neil Alexander has now overtaken him. Ever since he regained his first team place in early 2005, Alexander has looked a more solid keeper than he had done earlier and yesterday I thought he exuded confidence in a faultless performance.
Roger Johnson followed up his excellent West Brom performance with probably an even better one yesterday which must surely have banished any doubts about his ability to cope at this level, but he wasn't my man of the match because I thought two players who I must admit to having doubts about before the season started were stronger candidates for that award as far as I am concerned.
Paul Parry looks leaner and fitter this season and yesterday played with a confidence and directness which brought back strong memories of his early months at the club. At the moment the crosses from Parry that used to be blocked or failed to get past the first defender are now finding their target and I feel this is because he has that bit more pace than he showed in the past two seasons when he always seemed to be dogged by one injury or another.
Topping even Parry for me though was Steve Thompson who I thought had an absolutely tremendous first half and very good second period. In an ideal world Thompson would score more goals, but when he is on his game he causes defences all sorts of different problems and now he has a strike partner that he has been able to build a genuine understanding with, he is giving the team far more than he did last year.
One last thing about Thompson, did you see that bit of skill he showed in the second half when he was back defending a corner and had to chase out to the Grange End/Bob Bank corner flag with a Birmingham player? When he got to the ball, Thompson flicked it from the floor over his opponents head and then played a lovely ball up the line for Chopra to chase - and he's supposed to be our target man centre forward! Daresay Dave Jones might have had a quiet word with Thompson after the game for taking liberties to close to our own goal, but, for me, if one incident typified the confidence and style the team showed yesterday, then that was it. .
I've said a few times that ten years ago I never expected to see City play at this level again in my lifetime, so it goes without saying that I never thought I would see us in the position we currently occupy - I would like to thank everyone on and off the pitch at Ninian Park for getting us into this position and also I would like to thank all of those in the crowd who contributed to making yesterday the seasons second memorable Ninian Park occasion. Steve Bruce's generous words after the game showed that when everyone's energies are directed towards supporting the team as opposed to carping at, we can be a definite factor in the outcome of matches.