A third of the season gone and the Cherries have been outstanding

It is an absolute pleasure to look at the Championship table at the moment. I like the fact that Eddie Howe is a bit sad that AFCB are not top. That is not the kind of words that you would have heard of a few months back, even if deep inside he had hoped that the Cherries would make such a good start. With 17 matches now gone though, the table has settled down and while the first target should be to get over that magic 50 point line you can't help thinking that AFCB are contenders for higher honours this season.

AFCB will aim to stay in the running for top honours.

It is not just the Championship that is putting smiles on faces though. The Capital One Cup is a competition that is very attractive for Championship and League One and Two clubs as it gives players a chance to play other teams that put varied teams out that have a mixture of youth and experience. There are more shocks in the League Cup  these days and it suits AFCB perfectly to come up against Premier League squads at this stage of the club's development.

The speed of the Cherries' improvement this season is one thing that is staggering. Back in September they did not look like a Championship front running side and the results were not coming. It has not simply been a good few weeks, but more of an awesome rise up the table. I believe there is another level yet to come as well as Eddie Howe has been indicating. It could well mean a bit of fixture congestion to come for the Cherries, as a continued Capital One Cup run is likely to be joined by a desire to do well in the FA Cup, while continuing to light up the Championship.

While all that is going on I am still reading the paper and trying to get used to looking at the top of the table rather than scanning up from the bottom. UTCIAD!