Benwell Lad

The Sunderland manager looked scared at the final whistle more than elated. I really don't blame him, the prospect of taking that into the PL after finishing 14 (16) points behind third, having never looked convincing against even the poorest teams in the division and not having one player who looks PL standard is quite scary and he knows exactly who the scapegoat will be.

The "S" in sad mackem bastards has never been more appropriate.

Last August winning the League Cup and Europa league would have been deemed as a successful season by most. Perhaps it should still be, but with a home win against Everton between us and an even more successful season yes it's the worst thing that can happen to us, as things stand today. Personally I just don't want the Thursday/Sunday gig next season, but more importantly the club needs CL qualification to move to the next level and cement our place at the top of English football.

Reality is the SoL has had more empty seats than any other stadium for years. Even they know that. Only MK Dons can rival them. An empty seat is an empty seat even when their weird "tickets sold" defence kicks in.

I really hope that should the unthinkable happen on Sunday we put disappointment aside and give the players and coaching staff the ovation they deserve for what under any circumstances has been a brilliant season.

Love this, brilliant, thanks SCT. I've spent the last 72 hours staring at the league table and remaining fixtures wondering if I'd overlooked something or had anything changed, now I'm just going to stare at this diagram from now until Sunday.

Without doubt. To a rational, neutral observer looking from the outside a home game against an Everton side with nothing to really play for is the best fixture of all the CL contenders. To us lot though....? Wish it was being played tomorrow.

Please, please.........

They're probably the league's best spoilers and they'll be coming with the intention of spoiling, nothing ambitious, low block hoping for a set piece or two. Just hope we make early chances count.

Yes it has to be CL from our current position. Really don't fancy the Thursday/Sunday matchday routine.

Being unable to bet on us not qualifying as it's not offered (only the 1/14 on qualifying), what's the best way to cover or perm not qualifying using the top 5 finish odds ?

Are there any support groups out there to help you stop looking into this thread when you finally realise that it's not doing you any good but also know you're unable to kick it?

If anyone has just stopped sniffing glue it was probably the wrong week to do it.

Can't wait to be not looking at this thread.

The rise of the Stan from Alliance to the NPL and also becoming arguably the "coolest" non league team in the region (they certainly sell the best beer) has been brilliant.

It is bizarre really, but decades of being kicked in the nuts has made us that way. It's taking longer than it should to realise just how good we now are

Although the FA cup is more prestigious than the Carabao I really think that the top teams now put out stronger teams in the Carabao latter stages. The timing of the semis and final suits their agenda better than the FA cup when they could well be involved in the latter stages of European competition and the concluding part of the PL season as well. Certainly Brentford, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and ourselves put everything into the Carabao games.

Arrogant as it may sound I don't even think the derbies would be "big" games for us if they came up, in the context that we will have many more important games to play next season. In fact the derbies would just become a distraction to more important matters, would hardly raise an eyebrow if we win them but a shock win for them would be shouted about for ever.

Quite crazy to think that two teams as bad as Tottenham and Man Utd are one win away from playing in the CL and a team as bad as Sunderland are a win away from the PL.

Quite sad how unhealthy their crowd looked when the camera scanned around.

I wonder how many times Eddie Howe, the guy working with Miley and his development day on day, has to say he's not going anywhere before it sinks in. Of course he's behind the BTJ trilogy, so are most PL midfielders not just this 18 year old. He's arguably next in line. Yes, he's not yet freely showing what he can do in the last third in his limited game time, but he comes on with clear instructions and carries them out very competently. Yesterday the game was turning against us and they were breaking at will and dominating the game. He was brought on as an extra midfield body to try and break them up and that's what he did. As a reminder of what he can do in the final third, even in his limited domestic game time, he has come up with three crucial goals, all at key moments in games, not the injury time 5th goal in a 5-0 win. He can pick out the killer pass when it's on, clearest example yet being the one he set up for Izak last season. He was pretty competent against PSG and Dortmund as well in big pressure games. His time is coming and apart from the fact that he's developing quite nicely in our squad, the anticipated number of games next season means he will stay here.

" It must be the noise, it must be the noise, Enzo Thingy it must be the noise". What utter drivel, why employ a so called elite manager if all you're going to get is Steve Bruce type reactions when it goes against you ?

We are currently the same odds for a top four finish that Villa are for a top six finish. That's a very, very different bet. Surely the bookies would have cottoned on if we were as vulnerable as some on here think (myself included at times).

Don't know if it's a rational concern, or just paranoia as a consequence of reading this thread too much, but I think, as organisations, Man Utd and Spurs would do anything they can to stall the progress of Newcastle's rise to the top. We will be seen as much more of a threat to their place at the top table than Villa and Forest would.

If every remaining game for the contenders finishes 0-0 we end up 4th and qualify. Unlikely, nay impossible, I know, but possibly the only remaining set of results which hasn't been mooted in this thread yet