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But relegation is failure. I've been suffering mental torment at the dread of relegation for the past month. Being knocked out the cup just isn't as disappointing. Would love us to win the FA cup but not at the expense of being at the top of the English game.

Me too, as much as i'd love us to win something. Think of how we'd be viewed by other fans. Would we get more admiration for winning a cup or for being a top flight club. I think of how i view Portsmouth who won the cup recently. once they left the prem' i more or less forgot they existed, before the regular updates on how skint they are.

I think the joint Villa-Sunderland badge deserves another airing if Wigan win today. There was a joint badge? Aye, it was a total cringe crest. Didn't they then have a big fallout soon after? Was it when Bent went to Villa? I can remember the 2 respective fanzine lads arguing like school kids on tele about it.

Now that i can sit back and look at fixtures calmly and objectively, without us being involved, i'll predict Arsenal to win fairly comfortably tonight. Had we not been safe, i'd be feeling quite the opposite and be bricking it. Hopefully the mackems have sweaty palms as we speak.

If Wigan don't win tonight, sky won't even have a 'Survival Sunday' to show. Strange outcome. I can't even remember a season when the 3 relegation places were sorted before the last day. Not that i've looked into it like.

Mackems MUST beat Spurs to win the NETD title. Relegation they can probably live with, but failure to win that would be disaster for them.

We should never have been in that situation but suddenly the world's a better place now we're safe. As someone previously said, I can have my life back. There are those who try and tell you 'it's only football' and there are more important matters in life. They're probably right, but that hasn't stopped myself from being thoroughly miserable for the last month. Staying up is the difference between a good summer and a bad one for me. A massive relief. Can enjoy things without the thought of us being a 2nd rate club, (officially anyway), niggling away at me. One horrible club, Wigan, villa, mackems will go instead. In the words of band aid, 'Tonight thank God it's them, instead of us'. Let's hope we don't have to suffer again next season, but we've a chance to regroup. Sort it out NUFC.

If it does go to last day, Benteke will be suspended for Villa at Wigan i assume after todays sending off. Not good.

So tantalizing to think that all of the uncertainty and stress of this relegation rubbish could be over by tomorrow night. Knowing our lot they'll keep us hanging on for at least a few days yet though.

As usual he's had to come to Newcastle to see such an event. They hate Newcastle so much that they spend half their lives' here. Fair enough they get the odd concert and that's the only time the SOS is full. Even that boosts the Newcastle economy when everyone stays here.

I think if Villa u18s beat Norwich tomorrow, they'll snatch that away from us. It would be nice to win it. Would set up a play off v the mackems i think.

No but if Villa get beaten off Chelsea we are. Please let this happen. Can't take much more stress. We've been thrown a massive lifeline last night, but the pessimism this club has instilled in me makes me think of how bad it would feel to still go down. When Wigan took the lead after about 56 seconds of a minutes stoppage time, it really did seem like we were fated to go down. At last we got a lucky break. Make it count Newcastle and make sure we don't get into this kind of mess again. As for Wigan, i'd be glad to see the back of them. Sick of all the hype about their powers of escapology, blah, blah. It's about time their luck ran out.

I see a common contradiction in this miserable, depressing but unfortunately necessary thread. Any team who have nothing at stake are "on their holidays" when they're playing one of our rivals at the bottom, but when they're playing us they are "playing with no pressure". Can't believe we've reached a point of fearing an already relegated club, rock bottom, with 2 points from their last 6 games according to the form table.

Terrible news. Seems so recent that he was a fit, strong defender playing in the 84 promotion winning side with Keegan, waddle and Beardsley. What a team that was. RIP Steve.

This has got such an air of inevitability about it. It's like trying to walk through quicksand. A feeling of being dragged down. The mackems should never have got back into that game with 10 men. Think it was Jerome who tried to side foot a great chance at 1-0 instead of putting his foot through it. I'm mentally preparing myself for the championship now.

Woke up at 4am by a bizarre footballing nightmare, that was unbelievably vivid. Couldn't get back to sleep for nervous excitement/dread of todays games. The nightmare involved old players but felt like it was now. Last day of the season v Ipswich, we needed a win to stay up. Leading 2-1 in the final minute, Mark Stimson had what should have been the simple task of clearing a slow moving ball off the line with our keeper beat. You've guessed it. He sliced it into the net for an OG to send us down. Bedlam among the fans. In my mind i'd lost my voice and struggled to say "Worst goal i've ever seen." Ipswich boss George Burley ushered his players towards the tunnel of what appeared to be the old West stand,(pre milburn). As they reached the tunnel, Kevin Carr and John Trewick, arguing about the game, came to blows in the centre paddock. Keegan and Mickey Quinn appeared to hold them both back. Told you it was bizarre. Really scary stuff. This relegation battle's messing with my brain man. Looking forward to todays games has been like waiting for a visit to the dentist.

I think they'll struggle again next season. Let's hope it's the club brought to it's knees instead of him being on them.

Wigan aren't playing the WBA fans though. They're playing a team of professionals who won't imo throw a game to keep the fans happy. I fear the worst between now and the end of the season, but talking about situations that don't exist doesn't help. I don't think our game at West ham is any tougher than Wigans at West brom. I'm not predicting this weekend's results, but certainly don't think West brom will roll over just because their fans want villa to be in trouble. I agree but the negative attitude of the fans is a factor imo. If the fans don't care if they win, the players are hardly going to be as fired up as they could be. I think we're all so worried just now, that it feels like every set of circumstances is against us.

Wigan aren't playing the WBA fans though. They're playing a team of professionals who won't imo throw a game to keep the fans happy. I fear the worst between now and the end of the season, but talking about situations that don't exist doesn't help. I don't think our game at West ham is any tougher than Wigans at West brom. I'm not predicting this weekend's results, but certainly don't think West brom will roll over just because their fans want villa to be in trouble.

Defeat for us and Wigan at the weekend (prob best we can hope for), would heap massive pressure on Wigan. Let's assume their game away at arsenal is a write off. They'd need to win the other 2.

Will they though? A cup final or even a cup win would be lovely, but is that more important than survival? They've only ever been in one major cup final and that was the League Cup, which isn't really that prestigious and they didn't even win that final either. This is their chance for the first proper piece of silverware in their history. If Newcastle had no major trophies would you take one now if it mean't going down? You could always come straight back up. Personally i'd rather stay up. Any prestige from winning a cup would be wiped out by becoming a 2nd tier club imo.

ill lend you a gun soon, cos clearly you have nothing to live for... get a grip! Why pretend that we're gonna miraculously recover and get points on the road, something we have struggled with all season? Not once this season have we been convincing, Wigan at home maybe but even then they were down to 10 early on. Last minute goals have papered over the cracks, we've been s*** all season so forgive me for being realistic and not being fickle enough to think that all of a sudden we're going to start ripping teams apart. FWIW I think we will probably stay up, just. But that will be down to Wigan running out of time, not because we're going to get the points ourselves. This clown has to go in the summer man, because I actually know that we have good players, just a useless t*** of a manager. I can't understand some of these quotes on the forum, the ones that suggest last minute goals don't count. Man u beat us to the title one year with many a last minute goal. They certainly counted.

Will they though? A cup final or even a cup win would be lovely, but is that more important than survival?

Mo.ment.um; The impetus gained by a moving object. We're static. They've got AC bang on form. Nolan with a point to prove and a sound basis/formation/strategy. We've got 11 strangers with no desire, system or plan. I absolutely guarantee we will not take anything from the game. Oh crap. Thanks for letting me know anyway. You're welcome. You can ram that head back into the sand now if you like. No need at all for this, man. He's said a few post up that he's shitting it. You should know by now that taking the alternative view on this forum is forbidden, especially one with any hint of optimism. Not that I personally have much of that just now. I've got this permanently nervous feeling, and i'm finding it hard to enjoy normal, non football things in life. I'm sick of being in limbo. It really is dominating my mood.

Norwich are still in the equation. A point currently puts us level on points with not much between goal differences. They've got to play man city and villa too.