Could it actually happen?

In October last year I posted the following comment on Facebook about the football team that I support, Queens Park Rangers: "Ten games played with no defeats... 26 points out of 30... 24 goals scored... 3 conceded... Can I start to feel optimistic now?" This reflected the best start to the season that QPR have made in my lifetime, but even then I did not feel to get my hopes up that they could achieve promotion to the English Premier League. My brother, who also supports 'the hoops', and my friends similarly echoed my caution: we football fans can be a fatalistic lot.

It is now the end of February and QPR are still top of the Championship with a five point advantage over the next team. Of the 34 games played, the hoops have won 18, drawn 13, and only lost three. The defence has the best record in the league, only having let in twenty goals so far this season.

So, could it actually happen? Could my beloved R's actually make it back to the top flight of English football after fourteen years of malingering in lower leagues? With only a dozen games left, it seems like a distinct possibility that Neil Warnock (the team manager) and the boys could be facing the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal next season.

This video shows a goal and an assist by QPR's temperamental yet brilliant Adel Taarabt in the recent 2:1 victory over Coventry City.