JUST like every other year, excitement is growing for the start of the new Premiership season with supporters of every team hoping and wondering if it is going to be their year to push for silverware.
But I would guess, and it didn't even take a brainwave, that within a month most sets of fans will have given up the dream, realising it is the same old story.
And that story ends with either Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal winning the title and more than likely the FA Cup, too.
It should be a great contest between those four, with perhaps one or two dark horses giving the likely lads a run for their money until Christmas.
But quite simply, no other team stands a chance in the league race. I know it, you know it and I'm sure the clubs and players themselves probably know it.
The other teams will be left battling for European places, avoiding relegation and having a bit of luck in the cup draws.
And that may be exciting enough for some but it doesn't take a genius to work out that at some point some people are going to get very bored with this situation, and some already are.
The game, or should I say industry, is so big now that it has been able to compensate for lost interest from some supporters because many more new ones constantly come on board.
There is great strength in the magnetism but I still feel, at some point, that balance will turn as supporters decide not to fork out what could be considered to be silly money' on a foregone conclusion, especially when so much live action can also be seen on television.
It is probably quite a distance away yet, but I can see one of two changes for the Premiership.
Either, as mooted many times, there will eventually be a European breakaway league, with the cream of England, Italy, Spain and the likes pitting their talents away from their domestic competitions.
Or, a salary cap will be introduced in an attempt to even up the level of competition in the Premiership so that it is not as predictable.
The more and more investors from overseas involved in the running of Premiership clubs will have a great influence in these moves, I believe.
I'm not a fan of either idea for English football and I'm not among those who might consider the Premiership to be boring.
But I sense there are growing numbers out there with those feelings and that there may have to be a wind of change in the future.
* The way Warrington Wolves have turned their season around should be a lesson to all sporting organisations.
Getting rid of the coach when things are not going too well is not always the right answer.
It is often the answer taken by club chiefs who are under pressure from frustrated supporters, who do not have the full picture at their disposal.
Paul Cullen, and his players, have taken a lot of stick this year when injury after injury was ravaging the troops and they deserve medals (or rings) for sticking to their guns, working hard in training and attempting to put the record straight.
Keep up the good work, boys, and let's see where it takes you.
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