Paullow

Leicester taking inspiration from Arsenal here with a random new pre match song.

Coventry 69 points +12 Millwall 68 points +8 ---------------------------- Sunderland 66 points +10 (a lot more goals scored than Cov, so any Sland win would pip any Cov loss) WBA 66 points +7 Blackburn 66 points -3 Luton guaranteed 3rd, Middlesbrough 4th Final day fixtures: Middlesbrough vs Coventry Millwall vs Blackburn Preston vs Sunderland Swansea vs WBA A point guarantees Coventry a place, a win guarantees Millwall a place, Sunderland, WBA, and Blackburn have to win and then hope, but Sunderland have got 2 opportunities if Cov lose, or Millwall draw/lose. Blackburn just about keep their season alive with their draw today, but very unlikely that they will win and both Sunderland and WBA fail to win. They've had an awful end to the season. A Coventry draw and Millwall win would pip Sunderland, but if Sunderland won they would get there if Coventry lost, or Millwall failed to win.

1-1, 87 mins. Hopefully a winner either way.

Hopefully it stays like this and effectively rule Bburn out of the equation and make Millwall's job a bit easier. The results have defo gone for Sunderland in recent weeks, so expecting a 90+5 equaliser.

Hopefully Blackburn vs Luton doesn't end in a draw. That would mean Blackburn would still have a very outside chance of getting the playoffs, but a win or draw vs Millwall on the final day would mean that Sunderland would finish above both, and in the POs, if they beat Preston. A Blackburn loss would mean their season was 99.99% over as they would have to beat Millwall at least 7-0, possibly more, and then hope that Sunderland and WBA both dropped points, so they might ease off, and a Blackburn win would mean two fully motivated sides, and a 2 out of 3 chance to get a result that would cost Sunderland, but also perhaps quite likely it ends in a draw, as you have it, which may play into Sunderland's hands, so probably hoping Luton win, but a draw would be by far the worst.

Reading haven't won since Feb and only taken 6 points from 12 games so they have not helped themselves, but every other result has pretty much gone wrong for them these past couple of weeks. QPR putting back to back wins together from out of nowhere, especially Burnley away, to secure their safety Rotherham losing to Cardiff one game ago to make the latter safe, but then beating a Boro side with little to play for to secure their survival today Cardiff winning that aforementioned Rotherham match the other day to secure their survival, and then subsequently losing to Huddersfield yesterday when they had very little to play for. They didn't help themselves by only drawing to Wigan on Saturday and would have had a fighting chance had they won, but they are now relying on another side (Sheff U) who have nothing to play for either to keep their season alive heading into the final day.

Rotherham won 1-0 so that means they are safe. Huddersfield are at home to Sheff Utd on Thursday and if they get at least a point they are safe as well and Reading are down, but if they lost, then Reading vs Huddersfield is huge on the final day - Reading would have to win, but any win would see them safe. Results have been going wrong for Reading of late, and obviously not helped by their 6 points deduction either. At the other end, Boro are now guaranteed to finish exactly 4th, and Luton 3rd, which may affect how the latter approaches their match with Blackburn today at 5.30pm. It might play into Coventry's hands with Boro having nothing concrete to play for, although that said, Boro may want to set down a marker and go into the playoff in good form, especially with Coventry a potential play off opponent.

Very strange. I wasn't planning on watching it, but wouldn't be best pleased if I was, the difference in coverage is astounding (assuming it's just the one commentator, no replay, one camera angle). I guess the match time was changed for a specific reason like a local event on Saturday or fixture scheduling, so it's more of a 'bonus', but while decent enough if it's your team playing and a chance to see them, it's pretty shocking if watching as a neutral. There's nothing live on their main channels either.

Favourites for top 4, or favourites to win all their matches?

We've got to assume it's 7 points needed not 6. While the late winner today was annoying, at 3-0 after 15 mins it was looking like it could have been 5 or 6 like us, so to only win by 1 is a slight consolation, but that current 11 goal advantage could quite easily be overturned. We've accepted that they pretty much have to win every game now to be in contention, and we'd have to drop points for this to even be relevant, so if they were to win their next 4 matches heading into the final day, and we either win 2 and lose 2 or win 1 and draw 3, that 11 advantage will probably be more like 5 heading into the final day (unless we battered say Leeds), and I don't know about you guys, but if Chelsea has shown some signs of life by then, I wouldn't be fully confident if we were 3 points clear and had a 4 or 5 goal advantage, because if we lost 0-1, a 3/4-0 win at relegated Southampton would be enough, 2-0 Chelsea, would require 2/3-0 Liverpool etc. I would want that GD advantage to be at least 7 if they were within 3 points of us. If they are to beat Fulham and Brentford this week before we play, then hopefully they are just by 1 or 2 max.

The 2 of them have got like 80,000 posts between them as well .

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/ewigeTabelle/pokalwettbewerb/GB1 Today was our 400th Premier League win. We are also closing in on a positive goal difference, currently -6. Passing Everton would also be in reach in a couple of years, especially if they went down this season.

Yep, they have the players to beat most on their day, and may even have Poch in the dugout that day. Least Spurs have got another here, if only for the GD advantage.

5 games left, and ideally we get those 7 points in the next 4 because I think if we were only 3 points clear of them on the final day with say a +2 or +3 GD advantage then most would be nervous with them against relegated Southampton and us away at Chelsea, even if the latter are having a shocker at the moment.

Yeah, if Liverpool are within 3 points of us by that game, and closed the GD to like 3 or 4, then it will get a bit tense if Arsenal do win. Pleased Spurs scored there. 2 wins from 5 sounds so much easier than 2 wins and a draw, ideally wrapped up before Chelsea.

Not necessarily. If we were to get 2 wins and 2 losses heading into Chelsea, or 1 win and 3 draws in the next 4 games then it probably isn't going to improve that much, probably negative if we were to lose to Chelsea. I was expecting Liverpool to win 5 or 6 by the time of writing that and would have just been around 6 difference, and if we improved ours by 1 or 2 (since we will be dropping points) and Liverpool have to keep winning, then they could easily win their final 4 games by 7 goals combined, and they have the goals scored advantage as well.

That's no worse than Bruno's against Southampton in the cup. Obviously don't want a red card as will help Lpool in their quest for goals.

Our GD can definitely be caught, so 2 wins and a draw, ideally in the next 4 to wrap it up before Chelsea away.

Help a bro?

Would someone please be able to Rishi Sunak me a Dan Burn when the match starts (like a direct working one)?

Sunderland will definitely be hoping for a draw on Monday which is the worst result for an anti Sunderland perspective. If Blackburn lost then they are out of contention (unless they beat Mwall 7-0) so that might play more into Millwall's hands and give them an easier final day, or if Blackburn win then a winner couldn't be caught by Sunderland as you say, but a draw would be awful because it would keep Blackburn just about involved - if they beat Millwall and Sunderland and WBA drop points they will be in, but then a Sunderland win would better a Blackburn win or draw on the final day due to GD, so hopefully it's either a Blackburn win or a loss on Monday. I'm definitely thinking about this too much , but we'll obviously know more on Monday after the Blackburn-Luton match. WBA just about in contention, although they weren't worry Sunderland if the Mackems win due to goal difference. Regarding Coventry, they are currently +12, Sunderland +10, but Sunderland have scored more goals, so ANY Sunderland win they will be at least +11 and ANY Coventry defeat and they will be at most +11, so Sunderland will defo finish above Cov if they won and Cov lost.

Na, it's Millwall vs Blackburn on the final day. Millwall are on 68 points, Blackburn are on 65 points (with a game in hand), and Sunderland on 66. Sunderland have the clear better goal difference of the 3, so they don't want either of those to get more than 69 - if Bburn don't beat Luton then they are largely irrelevant (from Sunderlands POV), but they will probably want Bburn to at least draw with Luton to give themselves more to play for, and then hope they draw with Millwall on the final day, or Coventry lose to Boro, and they will pass Coventry on GD or goals scored. They need to beat Preston, nothing else will do, and then hope either (two chances) Coventry lose to Boro, or they get the result they want in the Millwall-Blackburn match. 7/2 so no longer favourites, but not massive outsiders either.

It's fairly natural for football fans to think pessimistically. They will be looking at the situation thinking it's now out of our hands, we could win 7-0 on the final day and still not make the playoffs, whereas many of us will be thinking if they can beat out of form Preston it only takes a Coventry loss, or the Balckburn-Millwall result to go their way and they will be in. They would have been almost certainly out without that late equaliser, very little margin for error - they couldn't have caught Coventry, would have had to beat Preston, hope that Blackburn lost to Luton on Monday, and then beat Millwall, those exact results, but the current situation, while worse than what it was at 3pm, hence their disappointment, it is far better than what it would have been without that goal, hence our disappointment They are 7/2 to make the playoffs, so obviously no longer favourites, but not massive outsiders either, and their season certainly isn't over (they would have been like 28/1 to make the playoffs without the goal). If they beat Preston there will be a decent chance they will still sneak in.

Ashington are promoted to the same league the likes of Hebburn, Dunston, and Consett are in, and Stockton as well, who lost to Long Eaton on pens in their playoff final.