[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Astle turns Cyril Knowles and John Collins as Albion face Spurs at the Hawthorns; 28th March 1970

And so, with sleigh bells jingling and Dingles dingling, we ride into the pre-Christmas fixtures with a luxurious cushion against falling into the drop zone.  The eight points which currently lie between us and asking Father Christmas for a new pair of pants are a greater margin than any other we've enjoyed at this time of year in the Premier League with the sole exception of our meteoric "surprise package" campaign under Steve Clarke in 2012.  You can question the dubious entertainment value and our reliance on getting lucky breaks here and there, but there's no denying that the table right now makes for good reading: we are grinding out the necessary results by hook or by crook, and this is - gradually - giving us the kind of stability we've lacked ever since those great days back in 2012.

Of course, Albion being Albion, it could all change very quickly and very horribly.  Before we galumph into a festive triple-bill against strugglers Bournemouth, Swansea and Newcastle, we face a double-header versus form teams Spurs and Liverpool.  Spurs in particular are a frustrating side for us to play: our habit of getting decent results at White Hart Lane in recent years has been balanced out by a tendency to struggle against them at home.  Indeed, we're without a win against them at the Hawthorns since Christmas 2008 when Tony Mowbray dumped a rare 2-0 win down our chimney.

Unbeaten in seven games in all competitions, and also since the opening day in the Premier League - a run of thirteen matches - they'll present a tougher challenge than usual.  A draw would be excellent, and a defeat probably not too much cause for complaint (obviously depending on the quality of performance).  One way or another, let's try and have a reasonably calm Christmas for once, eh, Albion?

One of the true titans of world football faces stiff competition against Gareth Bale; Albion vs Spurs, 11th September 2010