Premier League — Week 35

Soyuncu gifts Newcastle a goal. Trying to be clever with a turn and has the ball taken off him by Joe Willock who races through and scores. No doubt Leicester fans will be giving Soyuncu down the banks for that one!!

Newcastle on blob. 2-0. Header by Dummett from a corner.

Maybe losing an influential player before the game has affected Leicester, Rob, similar to Everton last week?

Could be Tony. Jonny Evans has been outstanding this season, and if Leicester defend like they are tonight in the cup final, Chelsea will murder them.

I think Chelsea will murder them anyway!

They are doing an Everton. Pisses me even more how we have let this season slip by with our ever changing shape.

Lose this and Leicester could be in real danger of missing out on the champions league again. Man Utd away, Chelsea away and spurs at home look very daunting games.

The Man U away game may not be as daunting for Leicester as they might have expected, given United have to play 3 times in 5 days, I wouldn't expect OGS to rest his players against the other lot, but given that both United and the neighbours as clubs are as thick as thieves who knows?

Moyes already declared prior to tonight that he was looking at 3rd place - he must have had some serious therapy, he's changed his outlook completely since his Goodison and Old Trafford days.

3-0. Callum Wilson breaks away one on one and slots. Leicester heading for their eighth home defeat of the season.

are Leicester starting to feel the pressure Newcastle 3 up could have had more

Another possibility is that Brendan might have been approached by Spurs?

Barry, Or has a bag full of attacking players. Look at the players he has on the bench. We all know he gets his defence solid first. He plays 2 holding mids (shock horror) and lets the front 4 do their thing.

Carlo play 2 cbs, or is it 3... sometimes 4, sometimes 6. Maybe 1 holding mid, sometimes 2. Maybe he will leave both full backs exposed. Sometimes he doesnt. But he probably will. And if it starts that way he will just watch and do nothing.

I don't think he even bother turning up for match days and let Duncan assume responsibilities for both manager and holding up the subs board

4-0. Callum Wilson again. Leicester are crumbling apart. Chelsea must be licking their lips at the prospect of playing against this piss poor defence.

Newcastle up by 4

Rob

Unfortunately (based on remaining opponents) the RS look the best bet to nick a top four spot if Leicester go into free fall.

Leicester copying our home tactics.

'[Leicester] are doing an Everton' you say David.

This shows how some view our results in isolation. I had to point just a few weeks ago when a certain poster claimed Everton's results would not be so bad with Brendan Rogers in charge.

Leicester are having a good season, aren't they? Even though they have lost at home in the PL to WHU 0-3, Villa 0-1, Fulham 1-2, Leeds 1-3, Arsenal 1-3, City 0-2, and as I write 0-4 to Newcastle with 15 minutes to go. They also went out of the League Cup with a 0-2 loss to Arsenal and a 0-2 loss to Slavia Prague.

Recognize some of the names in that list..?

Well laid out argument again Jay, very decent of you.

1-4. The recovery has begun.

Okay Jay, maybe they have now stopped doing an Everton with 2 goals back.

2-4. The recovery continues...

Lille winning 3-0 opening up a 4-point gap on PSG who only have a max of 9 points left.

Dale @ 18.

But shame on me! I missed out the most important home defeat Leicester has suffered all season!

0-2 to Everton!

Cmon Leeds! Suck it Spurs

Leeds 1-0, good start.

Almost on cue, Dale. Leeds 1-0.

There is still great happiness in seeing the demise of Spurs

Who knows. If we actually decide to take care of our own shit, this could still be on.

Trouble is Danny, we've been saying that for months. Every opportunity been wasted. With Doucoure and Allan back though, this time we could take advantage for a change. Tottenham and West Ham beaten and three points for us will put us back in with a shout.

Ah shit!

Good play by Captain Jack Sparrow

Son of a bitch. Not unexpected with their four up front

I hope DCL and Richarlison are watching the Spurs finishing from Son and Kane.

Agree Colin, but be fair as much as we are desperate for a striker of the quality of Harry Kane, very rarely have Everton had one.

Woo hoo. 2-1. Piss poor defending by Dier. Just stood there and watched Bamford get in front of him to slot.

Brill. 2-1 thought they f'd it not taking the free kick at the D until Alioski made that run

Fab game so far. Oh to have players with the pace and skill of some of these Leeds players eg Harrison. What a player he is. Also kudos to Patrick Bamford. He reminds me of Alan Clark the way he plays.

Mike Dean refereeing a real do or die in the championship, Derby v Sheffield Wednesday. Both or either could be relegated to league one at the end of this. Sheffield Wednesday score as I type. Won't look good on Wayne's CV if he's relegated in his first season in the management game.

Not watching but my word doesn't this part of the season start playing with the hope?!!

As it stands, Rooney's Derby going down.

It was a simple goal in terms of the finish, that Bamford scored, Colin, but yes, he “Sniffed” out the opportunity in true Allan Clarke style, making Eric Dier look like Dickie Lewis in the process.

He glides around like Clark used to do and he always seems to get in the right positions to snatch a goal, Rob. Unlike Clark, he's not a nasty, dirty little sod.

I used to love watching that Leeds team of Clark, Bremner, Giles, Hunter, Gray etc... I used to always hope they'd get beaten.

I'm keeping an eye on the Championship as well Rob.

Wayne actually started life as Derby manager very well and got them mid-table in February, but since then they've been awful. One win in 12. Lots of defeats.

I thought based on their performances against us in the FA Cup that both Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday had enough about them to get out of the drop zone, but still both could go down today.

Rotherham edging things at half-teme, 1-0 up at Cardiff, with Wednesday leading Derby on their own patch needing Rotherham to lose or draw to give themselves a chance to avoid the drop. Plenty of drama yet.

Dirty bastards, Colin. The lot of them! 😁😁😁

Funny, Spurs can't overload along the side against Leeds

Didn't Frank Lampard have Derby near the top of the championship, Jay? Amazing how quickly teams can plummet.

Rob, I think I can still name their team such was the stud marks they left on my soul.

Sprake
Madely
Cherry
Cooper
Charlton
Yorath
Giles
Bremner
Hunter
Gray
Lorimer
Clark

Probably didn't all play together but they were a great team and universally despised!!

Twelve in that team, Colin. No wonder they were so good!

Rob, Lampard got them to the Championship Play-off final. Lost to Villa, if memory serves me right.

BTW Rob meant to tell you how much I enjoyed your series on favourite European away trips. Was able to read them at the time but not comment for technical reasons.

Out of curiosity Rob, I know you missed out on a pre-season friendly in Germany a couple of seasons back due to flight connection stuff-ups in Holland, but other than that, before the pandemic, how many consecutive games would you say you watched the Blues?

It's frustrating for all having no fans at the stadiums, but doubly so for super-fans like you dedicated to watching our team home and away no matter where.

Good stuff from Leeds last few minutes. Form, impeccable form

And I missed out Mick Jones and a young Joe Jordan, Rob.

Turn around at the Baseball Ground.

Colin, my dad always maintained that Leeds team had quality. Lorimer as much as I know was awesome.

Shite foul, justice at the bar

Squeaky bum time for Derby fans 2-2

Joe, they were actually a brilliant team when they played football. Giles and Bremner pulling the strings in MF. Lorimer, Clark and Gray up front. A solid defence etc... but they were also dirty buggers who perfected the dark arts.

I remember being in the Goodison rd paddock with me dad as a little kid standing on a box and all I could see was jack charlton's head.

3-2 Sheffield wed

Off side in prem

Good question, Jay. Since I packed in playing Saturday football, the start of season 1994/95, the first season I got my season ticket, there have been roughly 475 away league games before fans were stopped from going. It was a bit easier to get away tickets back then compared to now, so I managed to get to most aways. Even during the Moyes years I can't remember missing too many aways, maybe 3 or 4 at the most. Since Moyes left I think I saw every away game bar one under Martinez, all aways under koeman, I missed a couple under Allardyce, none under Silva and to date none under Ancelotti (before the pandemic kicked in that is). In the twenty five years since I got my season ticket, I have only missed two away cup games, Spurs in a league cup game when I couldn't get time off work, and Krasnodar in the Europa league, or was it the UEFA Cup back then? Hard to say how many I saw consecutively, but it must be at least 250, league and cup.

N.B...make that three away cup games, as I missed the away game against Keflavik in the 1995/96 European campaign.

Leeds 3-1. 👍👍👍

Uh huh!

3-1 Leeds

Rob,

Pour yourself a beer mate.
Unbelievable record.
Its you and the hard core away fans along with the young people who haven't seen us win a trophy that I most want a cup win for.
If there is a better Blue than you out there I would be surprised.

Respect Rob and here's to more European trips next season.

Turn around again and not looking good Rooney.

Well, Tottenham looking beaten. Over to you Everton.

I'm on Hope Street again. Why do they do this to me?

Fantastic record Rob, hats off to you.

Penalty to Derby

And Cardiff equalise against Rotherham. So Derby survive as it stands. Great stuff for the neutral!

Rooney staying up if results stay as they are

Impressive numbers, Rob. Cap duly doffed.

It must tear your heart out more than most having to be a sofa spectator rather than get up early mornings, bleary eyed, and make the long haul to away grounds, stand in the pissing rain, endure some of the 'performances' you have down the years, haul your arse home again...and STILL have the desire to do it again and again and again.

Madness, innit? Glorious, inexplicable madness which you wouldn't want any other way I fancy.

Here as well Rob

Sheffield Wednesday relegated no matter what happens from here on in.

Forget that........they can still survive.

Sounds like Clive Tyldesley is working for Sky now, think it's him.

Wayne survives. Hope he stays with them to serve his apprenticeship and not jump too early like Lampard.

Danny, to be fair Lampard got them to the play off final, playing some nice football. That was only 2 years ago.

Definitely Danny, because it was only two years ago that Derby, knocked Leeds out of the play-offs, and look at the difference between the two teams now.

Some record that Rob, through the bad times, and the very bad times, Everton have got a lot of hardcore diehards, and it's what makes the club so special imho!

Rob, a follow-up question for you.

Did you follow the Blues in their pre-season friendlies to the States, Oz and Asia also?

Just trying to establish if you are borderline mad or certifiably mad!

Well done Wayne Rooney keeping Derby up.
It's been very tough for him in that job at Derby and all credit to him unlike that slippy G Gerrard who took one of the easiest jobs in football. My grandmother could manage Rangers to finish first or second every year.

Jay, ha no chance of those pre season friendlies for me. Just to add, John Raftery has probably just as good, if not better record than me, and I know for a fact he went to the States one pre season.

Shush Tom Bowers. Those are his credentials for taking over at Analfield when Klopp goes into inevitable meltdown!

Jeez look at the City side today v Chelsea. Only two of those who played v PSG.

Leicester and Tottenham stalled.

City do Chelsea and Ings does his old team. We beat West Ham. We do Villa in the game in hand.

Shall I just shut up now?

No chance of Ings doing the RS, Danny. He's out injured.

What a pathetic penalty by Aguero. Was on a par with Lookmans against West ham. Barcelona can have Aguero!!😁

Werner Is the weak link in an exceptional Chelsea side. He's so lazy about making sure he stays onside, and his finishing and his decision making are appalling at times. Other than that, Chelsea under Tuchel look like they could make a real challenge for the title next season

Chelsea win

I think they've got into City's heads,

Champions league final will be interesting.

More importantly, theyve got a 10 point lead on the devils club.
You never know with that team but that should be that for top 4.

Man Utd will beat villa tomorrow, put a really weak team out against Leicester on Tuesday and get turned over, then a really strong team out against the RS next Thursday and smash them. Top four sorted out!!

Uh oh! Choker city about to re-appear??

Until you see they only need one more win Barry, and realise they've got to play Everton!

Barry(86), yes they'll choke if Pep plays any more games with six reserves, could have played his full team today, possibly won the game and the league,then rotated the players for the rest of the league games.

Tom @75, i'm no Gerrard fan, but he has done a pretty good job at Rangers, say what you like but there is pressure to overtake Celtic, and he has done fine, unbeated in any league is impressive. Wayne was minutes away from taking Derby down.

Tony 87

The Prem is won no probs there.

Perennial shithouse antics in the CL is their Achilles and Pep has a previous for "too much analysis produces paralysis" thinking. Doubtless he thought it clever to make so many changes and potentially give Chels the initiative but we will soon find out

It seems to me that Everton's contingent of former Arsenal players are both completely shite!

Yes, and Arsenal's former Everton player is shite too.

Arteta?

Yes Colin, Arsenal fans want him gone..

Still think he could do a job in our midfield though!

He should've stayed another few seasons with Pep.

The more I think about it, even at 39 he will be no slower than Gomes, can probably still pass better still too, and have more heart than your favourite,
Iwobi.

Arteta and Lampard are following the trail of Robson, Wilkins, Keane. Great players going straight to big clubs and failing. Who would hire them now? Prem clubs either hire to get that final push to success eg like Mourinho was supposed to at Spurs or to avoid relegation. No big club will trust Arteta or Lamps to deliver silverware, no struggling club will see them as relegation saviors. They'll price themselves out of the lower reaches so basically they're finished

Following the European results and this weekend's results so far, which league places will qualify for Europe next season? An all-English champions league final would seem to have no bearing given that both Man City and Chelsea are likely to finish in the Top 4.

The FA Cup Final may provide a league place if Chelsea wins the cup and finish in the Top 4. If Leicester ends up outside the Top 4 and lifts the FA Cup, then they are in Europa League next season. If Man Utd lifts the Europa League and finishes in the Top 4, does that have any bearing?

I'm sure it used to be far more straightforward years ago.

Plenty of clubs would take on Lampard, Arteta etc, they are mega rich men, who don't need the salary, just the opportunity to build a reputation as decent coaches.

I'd take either of them at the moment.

Pep and shithouse tactics???

It gets better...

Thomas 100

Been on the pop again?

"antics" not tactics you bleary eyed oddment.

Kieran @ 97, very astute indeed. There really is nowhere to go for them.

I actually think Southgate has been remarkably lucky to avoid the same fate. Well, so far anyway. When it all goes wrong with England he will get one more job which will also go wrong. Then, he will get a column with the Daily Telegraph allied with the odd bit of punditry in which he will offer dull analysis which will have no-one talking.

Tom Bowers @ 75, your gran really couldn't cut it in Glasgow but I suspect she'd make a fair fist of the England job. No role in football sets the bar lower. Qualify out of a really shit group, get to a quarter-final, exit. Tell her never to say anything controversial or indeed remotely insightful or interesting and she'll be fine.

Always a gamble assuming a great player will make a great manager.

The way I've often thought is that if a player is that good, they don't know how to explain to a player how to do something. To them it is natural and why they can't. Names above like Keane, I would add Gulllit, even our very own Koeman (great player). They struggle to coach and explain because it's natural, so get frustrated when players can't do what then consider simple.

Generally the best managers were not the best players. I say generally. For every Ferguson and Mourinho there's a Kendall and a Guardiola.

Similarly, some former players are just better on the training ground rather than in the hot seat. Colin Harvey and dare I say Arteta?

Danny

To your point on Gullit, I remember him giving an extraordinary interview after a Newcastle defeat when he'd benched Fergie and Shearer. He basically said what you said, it's not his fault if the players don't understand football how he does therefore there's nothing more he can do as a coach.

I wouldn't write Lampard off just yet. He got Chelsea into the Champions League when they had a transfer embargo, by playing players who probably wouldn't have got the chance otherwise. He signed top-drawer players, but maybe lacked a little bit of managerial experience in how to deal with them?

Maybe he's learned a lot from it though, especially because it's easy to write people off in football, because nobody is exempt from criticism, especially managers, although some of this criticism is absolutely hilarious, especially Barry R's description of Guardiola... 😂

It's something I've analysed over the years, Kieran. It doesn't apply to everyone (Cruyff for example), but you seem to notice that the really good ex-players get frustrated with players as they can't relay to others what is natural to them. I recall there being similar stories about Alan Ball (the coach).

I hope so, Tony. I like Lampard a lot. I liked him as a player and he's always come across as a genuine person. I also understand that he couldn't resist the Chelsea call. I just think it came too soon for him.

I'm wondering what Wayne Rooney might also be like as a manager, Danny? I put Derby on yesterday after reading one of Jay W, posts. Although they were very poor, I thought Rooney was very calm on the sidelines considering what was at stake. Sometimes I feel these talented ex-players are probably suited more to coaching than managing, which is how I feel about Arteta whenever I watch his Arsenal team play.

Although we are mere mortals and can only give opinion and judgement, I think you can spot it Tony. I agree on Arteta; he's a coach for me.

I suppose the best Evertonian example is Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey.

Howard was the manager. Kept the players happy, rallied the troops and gave the direction. Colin Harvey followed the direction and whipped them into shape and barked out the orders.

In military terms, Howard is the Officer, Colin the Sergeant Major. A good analogy to the difference between manager and coach. In my own head anyway!!!

Watching the 1st half of the Villa-Man Utd, I have to say that I am impressed once again by Villa. They are not just a hard working team, they possess some very skillful players - Watkins, Traore, McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Konsa, Cash, Mingus, Martinez. Of course, beyond their first XI, they have a weak squad. But, I wouldn't mind if Brands went shopping there in the summer.

Nice to see Ellis Simms come on for Blackpool today and within 4 minutes score the solitary winning goal of the game.

His double mid-week secured the 2-0 win over Doncaster which confirmed their place in the play-offs. With those 'do-or-die' games to come, it's been a successful loan for Ellis playing meaningful games of huge importance to his host club.

Well done, lad.

Bonus Ollie Watkins getting sent off

Pepe!

That's how to score from the corner of the box.

Fantastic strike!

Fat Sam looks as sick as a fat pig.

I take it this will be a first for Fat Sam?

The first time he has failed to prevent the relegation of one of his many Premier League teams.

Pereira looks like a Premier League player. Worth keeping an eye on.

Boo hoo. Shame about Fat Sam 😂😂

I still can't believe he was our manager... 🤭

Colin, he did get us to 8th though. Keeping West Brom up was a doomed cause.

Unlike most, I have no bad feelings for Sam – it was Koeman that did the damage, and he is as unlikeable as it gets.

VAR having an impact in La Liga, it's the 77th minute in a crucial game, Seville attack ends with loud shouts for handball and a penalty for the visitors, meanwhile, Benzema breaks towards Seville goal and is brought down by the keeper, VAR says penalty but not to Real but for the visitors, which is converted to give Seville the lead.

True Joe

Allardyce is a weird concoction.

One of the first to use computer data for player and game analysis he embraced high tech in his medical and conditioning crew with adventurous forays into the foreign market via Okocha, Hierro, Campo, Djorkaeff and others when such matters were not the norm. In the end, his Bolton outfit were far more than a long ball outfit; I remember them running rings round us at Goodison Park with Davies notching twice I think.

He had enough of an open mind to be an innovator but his problem was not understanding his default of building from a solid unit needed selling to fans at clubs beyond Bolton.

He gets prickly about it and starts fighting with the fans; although he may well have a point at times, they are battles he cannot win. He might have proved himself a great manager here or at West Ham or Newcastle if he had an inkling about diplomacy... but it's just not in him.

Probably what you're describing Barry is that he got wrapped up in his own ego. Or the ego the media gave him?

Joe #117,

Why was keeping West Brom up "a doomed cause"? They were closer to 17th place and safety in terms of the points gap than they are now. Does that not mean he's done even worse than Bilic?

Dan @121,

No question about it.

I guess he looks at his bank balance and smirks at every jibe he has thrown at fans which is short-sighted given his Bolton tenure showed he could produce a side with a bit of time.

As others suggest, maybe the only thing that really matters to him is the loot.

Anyone more educated on Wood for Burnley than me?

His name appears a lot and looking really good tonight.

Danny

You mean Chris Wood? He's a New Zealander, been knocking around for a while in the Champiomship and Premier League. Old-fashioned type forward, solid, decent striker rate, not prolific.

Yes Kieran. Seems to be having a good season, or finish to this one anyway.

Guess that's Fulham down. At one point I thought they were going to buck the most obvious bottom 3 in years.

And I do like the away day out down in Putney.

Danny

Fulham remind me a bit of Villa last year, in that they haven't had a lot of thrashings but a lot of games they should have drawn they've lost 1-0, and games they could have won they've drawn. I think if they give Parker the chance he can do a Curbishly at Charlton or a Dyche at Burnley and bounce back as a solid mid table team

Tonight's game between Man Utd and Leicester City will give a big pointer over who will get 4th spot in the Premier League. It will be interesting to see what team Man Utd put out as Ole Gunnar Solskjær has said he will have to rotate his squad a lot for the game tonight and the game on Thursday against Liverpool.

I think, even if we win all our remaining games, which is a massive ask, that 4th may be beyond us. Leicester's run-in is really tough: Man Utd tonight and they still have to play Chelsea and Spurs, just highlights how some awful results could have cost us 4th place.

Brian # 128

OGS will pick a weakened team tonight as his priority will be to win on Thursday. A win on Thursday will help keep one of the chosen 6 out of next year's Champions League and make it more difficult for them to attract players in the transfer window.

Leicester missed out on Champions League football last year but deserve a top 4 spot as they have been occupying one of the qualifying spots for most of the season.

We are nowhere near Champions League standard at the moment, that's a year or two off at present.

Christopher @129,

I agree with your sentiments that stopping Liverpool getting into the Top 4 would make more sense, and I agree that Leicester probably deserve the 4th spot. But Leicester failed to make Top 4 last year when in pole position and, with 2 tough games to follow this one, they must be thinking "Will history repeat itself?" I think they must win tonight; otherwise, I can see our neighbours pipping them to 4th place.

I agree we are nowhere near ready for Champions League football but, if we hadn't messed up against some very poor teams, we could actually have been ahead of Leicester.

Christopher @129,

I am expecting OGS to rest five or six big guns for tonight's match and have them back in for Thursday. I wouldn't be too surprised if they still won the match though; it should be a good game.

The game on Thursday will be like a cup final for Liverpool. A Man Utd win or even a draw will go a long way to keeping them out of the Champions League. Liverpool will fancy winning their other fixtures.

I am looking forward to us leapfrogging them on Thursday, it would give us a great motivation to really go for it in the last three games and try to finish 5th.

I remember us playing Leeds in about 1967 and Jack Charlton in the Saturday morning papers saying how they were going to stuff Everton at Goodison Park. Anyway, we beat them and next day, me and my mate who was at the game with me cut all the reports out of various papers, along with the Saturday comments from him, and sent them to him, c/o Elland Road – with some choice comments added. My apologies to giraffes for the descriptive comments.

Len(#132); Did anyone ever find out the three names, was it, in his infamous "little black book"?

I remember Charlton being interviewed on TV about it and in the audience (only would you believe) was Dixie and he was asked if he had something like that. His answer was that he lost a testicle playing football and some years later he met the player responsible coming out of a night club and he gave him a good hiding over it.

Alan,

Well, Jack Charlton by his own admittance said him and the team where very wary of our own Johnny Morrisey so defo not him outside the club, Not to be messed with, our Johnny boy!

These above descriptions like hope and expect just automatically take the helium out of our balloon and we never end up laughing!

Len (132),

Were there many descriptive comments in the reply, if you got one?

I see Man Utd are playing a reserve team against Leicester, so there goes my calculations that we can still make 4th. I was hoping Leicester would implode.

Man Utd made 10 changes and played Everton off the park at Goodison, David, so it still wouldn't surprise me to see them win tonight. They do look like they are targeting Liverpool though, so maybe they're not that interested in tonight's game?

I'm gonna pile on to what Christopher says above. Still looking to finish above Spurs and Liverpool but the Champions League dream is a bit early for sure.

Given our position, do you want Man Utd to do Leicester a favour tonight if it keeps Liverpool out of the Top 4?

Man Utd played last Thursday v Roma, Sunday at Villa, playing tonight and Thursday, so resting players was a must. You could say they brought Thursday's fixture on themselves but would still have had 3 in 6 days. The joys of a run in the Europa League. We don't have the squad for that type of schedule.

I'd sooner they lost tonight and won on Thursday, if that's what you mean, Anthony, but I'm more concerned about Everton beating Villa, which is much better if I'm being honest, because I thought the season was over after we lost against Villa last week.

Tony @142,

I hate falling into the trap of hoping "lesser teams" beat our "rivals" because, all too often, a team I feel sorry for have a bit of success and suddenly they run away from us.

Happened with Man Utd around 1990, Leeds, Leicester, Swansea, Portsmouth etc. All cheeky sods I rooted for as underdogs at one point, then saw them bring home the silverware. Now I try to be completely dispassionate about other teams so I don't regret it.

Fair enough Kieran, I remember going past a Portsmouth coach (I think) on the motorway years ago, and feeling sorry for them because they had just missed out on promotion. Then we threw away the double to Liverpool, and I blamed myself for feeling sorry for those Pompey fans, and vowed never to feel sorry for anyone ever again in my life!

If all of the teams challenging for a European place drew all of their remaining matches and Everton won all of their games, the Blues would sneak fourth place level on points with Chelse.

Of course, that is very improbable and, in all likelihood, it'll be the lot from across the way who will sneak into the Champions League and we'll miss out on Europe altogether.

Anybody else seen the claims today/yesterday that the West Ham player handled the ball on the line when Joshua King's header hit the post. At first, watching on TV I thought it was handled but thought no more about it when there were no appeals during the game.

My brother pointed that out to me last night Barry. I too didn't think anything of it, but now looking at it, surprised it wasn't looked at again.

If I'm looking at the table right now I'm thinking a draw or a Leicester win pretty much sure up the top 4 as is??

The remaining fixtures seem to favor Liverpool and West Ham, the former have Man Utd, West Brom, Burnley, Palace. I see them picking up at least 8 points. West Ham have Brighton, West Brom and Southampton. I would be surprised if they don't pick up at least 5 points. Tottenham look like the team above us most likely to drop points, so I am going to roll the dice and say we nick 7th.

I see that Kieran. I fancy us for 7th.

6th if Liverpool or West Ham drop points.

We can only take care of our own games, but we do need teams to drop if we want 5th or 6th.

Danny @147

Realistically they need 7 points from the three matches, including tonight's to guarantee a Champions League place but, should the neighbours win all of their matches, it will then come down to goal difference to decide which team makes it.

Cracking header Soyuncu, 1-2, Leicester playing well.

And Man City are Champions as it stands.

The home curse striking again. I believe Man Utd like many have had a pretty rubbish home run this season right?

Leicester showing how to play a pressing game.

Every Premier League team has lost at least four times on home soil this season Danny, including Man City. Man Utd have so far lost 4 – not including tonight's fixture.

I am unashamedly a Fox tonight, I don't want Liverpool anywhere near the Champions League. Then hope Man Utd smash Liverpool on Thursday. Hopefully we will make one of the lesser European competitions

Man Utd are assured of Champions League next season. They have put a weakened team out tonight, Leicester City will win this and almost guarantee a Top 4 finish. Man Utd then put a full-strength team out on Thursday against Liverpool and thump them. Realistically, we've no chance of Top 4, so it will be good to see Liverpool miss out, and then we'll get past them for the Europa League spot!!

Rob,

Here's hoping! I'll be smiling all summer long.

Danny, they've won 9 home, 11 away – unbeaten away from home as well. Not too shabby, same away wins as us, shows where we would have been with a few more ourselves.

Suck it Shite, both of you!

Beautiful!

That's it, Man Utd banged one nail in the RS coffin, they can bang a final one in on Thursday.

Red Shite no longer Champions!! 😁😁😁😁

Alright, that worked out. You know I would not dare go to the fan site of the red shite for trolling or reconnaissance. But I'd take an update from anyone who would.

Dale, I wouldn't lower meself. Would rather stick pins in me eyes than visit one of their sites.

Rob, no longer Champions and no fookin parade!

Dear me, how sad... what a shame, never mind.

Fair enough, Rob. I'd like to think I'm above it but, once I read a few whines, it could be a thing.

It's not fair. Man Utd played a weakened side.

Result should be cancelled and Liverpool awarded 4th place immediately.

I don't want to be petulant but it's like it never happened.

They never got to celebrate something that meant a lot to them.

Not the same but parallels. What goes around comes around.

It's almost like last season champions didn't happen. Nobody will be aware of them! 😁😁

Sorry Danny, just seen your post, meaning exactly the same!!

Thomas @165 comments like that are already circulating on FB and twitter... you couldn't make it up!!!

Its even funnier when you think Fancy winning the league unable to have a parade to celebrate then your Yankee franchise cousins help your competitors to get in UCL beautiful 👏👏👏

City clinches! Red Shite clenches!

What is the status of the Europa League (or whatever they call it) places?

I know 5th gets a spot. But usually the Europa League places drop down to 6th and possibly 7th in the table?

What has to happen for there to be more spots, 6th and 7th to open up to European qualification?

Jamie,

Normally the cup winners go into those spots but, since both cups have or will be won by Top 5, 6th and 7th will get into Europe. 5th and 6th into the Europa League, and 7th into the new Europa Conference League.

Kieran, doesn't 5th, 6th and 7th go into the Europa League, and 8th into the Europa Conference League?

In recent years, 5th place would qualify for the Europa League, while both cup winners would also qualify, irrespective of league position. So because both cups will be won by teams in the top four, I think 7th place will also qualify for the Europa League.

Top 6 would be great, but I think I would rather finish 8th than 7th.

Thank you, Kieran.

We should be aiming for 5th. But West Ham's schedule is very, very favorable for the final three games, so it's good to know those places will drop to 7th.

We really need to get into Europe. Carlo targeted it. I would hate to see us fall short of his goals. It'll just be more bad press and juju. Don't want that at all.

The greatest trick of Satan is to get us to believe that he doesn't exist. Or something to that effect.
I shan't believe the RS are out of the top 4 until July.

Incredible that an incident that happened over six months ago is still being talked about by friends of our 'friends':

The moment City won the League

Do we want the Europa Conference League?

How can Leicester lose to Newcastle at home and then beat a decent Man Utd side easily away? They have made such great buys, all of which were at some time available for us too, and yet we missed them. Iheanachio was available forever it seems and looks just like what we needed.

Alan @174,

I agree mate, too many times, we've seen them do things that are 'impossible' for god-fearing teams.

I won't complain if we do end up in 7th place and gaining a place in Europe. Obviously, it would be better to finish 5th or 6th, but any European football should be welcomed.

You can bet the money guys are hoping that the club achieves a place in Europe, as they look for sponsors and financial backing for the new stadium.

Barry, "Incredible" doesn't even describe it.

When I was a child, I seemed to hear as much or more about Man Utd when they dropped into Division Two. I think I'll be hearing about the Van Dijk thing in my last year in this life.

I love the idea but we have no squad for Europe. The Conference League seems a little "in name only", a derivative too far IMO. Yes, there may be the money, awareness and investment angles but it's a strain for less gain I think. A year or two early perhaps.

Barry... wasn't the Blessed Van Dijk at the heart of their defence when they shipped seven at Villa Park? And he's the greatest centre-half the world has ever seen, apparently...

Cheeky bid for Ings?

Rob

No, sadly the Europa League allocation has been cut to two for England, France, Spain, Italy, German, with one place reallocated to the new competition. The good news is the Conference League isn't that lengthy. It's a group section with four teams, then group winners go to a last 16 (as opposed to the Europa Lague which goes to a last 32) but the 8 group runners up do have an extra round as they playoff against 8 teams eliminated from the Europa League for a place in the last 16. Essentially it's like Europa League with easier opponents and potentially one fewer fixture.

The scale of demand re Europe is vast. United tonight played a second XI in effect, but the fees spent to buy them were in the region of £225million!

I've got little hope this summer of obtaining a squad of the size and quality needed for any sustainable effort in Europe or, if we do qualify for the crumbs off the table Europa efforts, next season in the League quite frankly.

Maybe I'm too old to be optimistic – or maybe it's what Everton do to you!

If Chelsea win the Champions League, but finish outside the top 4, then 8th will get the Europa Conference. Otherwise, it's top 7.

https://www.premierleague.com/european-qualification-explained

For clarity I've just checked on how many teams will play in Europe next season.

Top 5 plus FA Cup Winners so it will be Top 6. The Carabao Cup Winners quality for the new Conference League so, this season it will be 7th place instead due to City winning the Carabao Cup.

Kieran and Kevin, sorry only just read your posts.

On a different note has anyone (else - yippee!) managed to get a ticket for the Wolves game?

Will @178, I do. I want Europe. We're not starting next season with the same squad, especially if we qualify for Europe. I don't get the "this squad" thing. It won't be this squad in August.

Those comparisons are never the best Martin. How can Everton lose at home to Newcastle yet beat Leicester away comfortably?

We judge over a season not individual games or results. Leicester have been better than us over the course of the season and will finish higher than us. But we took 4 points from them and won't finish that far off them.

Much frustration this season but we're not as bad as some make out and progress has been made.

Come on Chelsea then Kevin as that's us in!! Well come on but don't finish Top 4!!