To London and back again

I'm sat here in the Albion press room having just conducted the most bizarre interview of my career.

Craig Beattie pulled his car off the road and onto the pavement outside the Halfords Lane and duly obliged with four minutes of his time. Car clampers, luckily, were on a day off.

Good on him. Looking leaner, meaner, Beats is just one of several reasons why Albion have cause for optimism.

He talks about a sense of confidence and belief around the club.

Rewind to Boxing Day. I was hearing that Tony Mowbray had got it wrong for making two changes, resting Moore and Bednar, while bringing in Beattie into a 4-5-1. A 'surrender' was how one radio station described it. But then is there any disgrace about being beaten by a better team? Not necessarily.

Yet the verdict on that decision was always going to be delivered today against Tottenham. And, let's face it, the decision to gamble the Chelsea game - is making two changes really a 'gamble' given that Bednar was ill anyway? - paid off today.

It was six changes today if you count the decision to drop Brunt and then bring him back into the side after Koren was taken ill before the game.

It worked. Harry Redknapp wasn't happy. He slaughtered referee Steve Tanner after the game - is it me or does Redknapp never seem to get into trouble with the FA for bad mouthing officials or talking publicly when pursuing other club's players?

Back to Albion, there is certainly cause for optimism right now.

Cech looked a class act at left-back and reads the game well. He may not be as robust or physical as Robinson - but perhaps he doesn't need to be to maximise his abilities.

Bednar is scoring, Beattie looks sharp and Moore looks dangerous. Jay Simpson, sat in the West Stand, has a fight to break into the side.

Barnett was outstanding alongside Olsson, who is proving a snip at £800,000. Graham Dorrans is promising.

And, let's be honest, Albion are picking up points when many had written them off. There are clubs who could potentially be worse off than Albion come May.

Portsmouth and West Ham are preparing to sell players. Stoke are losing goals and, subsequently, points, through late goals, while there is only so much of the Phil Brown nonsense that Hull City's players will take. Whip a horse for so long and eventually it stops jumping the fences. Talk about believing your own hype Phil...

Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Sunderland all have potential to slip down into the mix. Eslewhere, Blackburn's problems are far from over.

There's a long way to go. Albion will inevitably suffer further set-backs at some stages this season. But the first half of 2009 may generate fresh hope, rather than descend into despair.