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If Everton beat Liverpool tonight, they will push Chelsea out of the Europa Cup spot.

If the Hammers get a point or more at Palace on Monday, Wolves are finally put out of their misery, and cannot mathematically avoid the drop.
 
bilby said:
pood said:
Does anyone want to talk about the Stanley Cup playoffs instead of this stuff of which I am entirely ignorant? :unsure:
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No.
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:sadcheer:

There must be a hockey thread somewhere. In fact I know there is, I just have to dig it up.

Anyway, last night the Flyers upset the Penguins in the first game of their playoff series and my man Porter Martone scored the winning goal! :cheer:

I hope he has a mean streak and gets those elbows up. Then he will be a complete player.

All right, sorry for the derail, back to whatever you are talking about.
 
I saw some of the City v Arsenal game which Arsenal lost 2-1. I had a chuckle when I saw the City fans had unfurled a banner that read “Panic On The Streets Of London”. One of my favorite Smiths songs. :LOL:
 
Plymouth Argyle dispatched Wimbledon AFC in the second half 3-1 in their heroic strive for a League One playoff spot. They needed Stevenage to drop the ball to have a chance and Stevenage have 1 point in their last 2 games to Argyle's 4. Argyle sit 2 points behind the last playoff spot with no games in hand remaining, and have a healthy Goal Differential advantage if one can believe that! Three matches to go.

Port Vale appear to be up against everyone going for the playoff at the end of the season, poor Port Vale fans.

Meanwhile in the EFL, the only team some Americans can identify because of Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham have managed an extremely impressive first season in the Championship. I don't think they have an uber salary heavy team either, maybe midpack. Wrexham see themselves only two points out of the playoffs. Derby sit one point behind them, however, making it effective a three team race for 6th. Meanwhile Coventry City have promoted which makes one ask, is it too early to ruin Lampard's coaching career by having him get signed by Chelsea FC. It also has be relenting that I'm getting old because I firmly remember Coventry playing in the Premier League.
 
The EPL mid-table is a bit congested; There are now seven teams on between 45 and 48 points (three of them on 48), with Crystal Palace on 42 with a game in hand. Even 14th placed Newcastle are only six points shy of a Europa Cup slot.
 
Palace and West Ham are currently playing a lackustre goal-less fixture; I had to laugh at this comment from BBC Sports' reporter Emlyn Begley's live match feed:

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Palace could have a shot at Europe if they win; The Hammers are fighting against relegation and need every possible point. But neither seems to care right now.
 
So what Begley describes as "a very goalless draw" ends with a point each.

This puts West Ham one point further from the drop, but means that Wolves are now finally relegated - as everyone has been expecting would happen for, well, about the twelve months since they were promoted.

Burnley are in similar straits, and a loss to Manchester City on Wednesday would seal their fate.

With City hoping to chase down the Arse, a 0-1 victory for them at Burnley would put the top two level on points, and on goal difference, and on matches won, with City top of the table solely on the basis of total goals scored (66-63).
 
Argyle take first half lead away at Bradford, but the Bantams were able to draw even and that was that. A draw effectively ends Argyle chase on a playoff spot as Stevenage took three points in their game and Luton Town moves up to 7th with a win of their own.

Meanwhile, AFC Wimbledon looked safe, but they have plummeted in the table, having not taken a point in a while. They are just two points clear. Meanwhile MK Dons, the evil twin of AFC Wimbledon are slotted comfortably into promotion back into League One. Wrexham are a goal differential advantage in the playoff. They are tied in points with Hull City, there only real competition for the final Championship playoff spot.

The EPL basement story is playing out that 40 points might not be enough this year. Leeds and Forrest did themselves a favor, taking three points in their last games (with Forrest making it a 6 pt turrn as they beat Tottenham). Tottenham Hotspur are currently in 18th, 2 points behind safety. A short spell of wins should be enough to stay out of Championship. Last time they were relegated, I was born. So, it has been a while. Tottenham is an odd ball. The team doesn't spend "much" on talent, yet have the third largest deficit in Europe (fourth if Man City were legit in their books), despite also having the fifth highest revenue. <--- seems to imply Europe Football has a big problem with insolvency. Hotspur had something going back in 2019, signed Jose Mourinho as their manage in quite possibly the worst and most incompatible manager signing ever in sports which was apparently the start of the beginning for this potential relegation.

We had a poster here, Linimus, who was a Hotspur fan. I hope they are taking this well.
 
Bournemouth - Leeds is currently 1-1, though Bournemouth have dominated the match so far, and have scored all of the goals - Bornemouth went ahead on 60 minutes, only to have their defender James Hill score an equalizing own goal eight minutes later.

It would be nice if Leeds could grab the three points here, as that would almost certainly be enough for us to stay up.

We still have to play Burnley, Brighton, Spurs, and West Ham in our last four league matches, which puts us in the box seat, with three of those below us on the table. If we are relegated from here, it's very much our own fault.

ETA - Shit. Bournemouth just scored again. Looking like we will stay on 39 points.

ETA again - Stoppage time is where everything happens. Bornemouth go 3-1 up only to have the goal overturned by VAR in the 91st minute; Then Sean Longstaff made it 2-2 in the 97th minute to secure a valuable point for Leeds. 40 should surely be enough to stay up? Right?
 
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Coventry thrashed poor old Pompey to become Championship ...er... champions, and Milwall went second, though Ipswich are minutes away from knocking them back into the playoffs (the Tractor Boys are 1-2 up at Charlton).

Still lots to play for in the Championship, even though the Championship champion has been championised as champion already.

At the bottom of the table, 'Boro beat Wednesday as expected, leaving Wednesday looking for three points from their remaining two matches if they are to avoid the ignimony of finishing on fewer than zero points.

They might scrape their second win of the season against fellow relegation zone dwellers Oxford, but few would bet on it.
 
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And as I predicted, City go top of the EPL, not on points (they are level with Arsenal on 70), nor on Goal Difference (both are on +37), nor even on matches won (both are W21, D7, L5), but on total goals scored (City have scored 66, and the Arse "only" 63).

Talk about a close finish...
 
From National League to Football League is a huge step up. Final game of the season pitted the top two teams against each other, York City and Rochdale. York City were two points up and all they needed was a draw to promote. 2nd place has to manage a playoff for promotion. The game was scoreless into the second half of stoppage time when Rochdale scores one of the most important goals in franchise history in the 95th minute, 5 minutes into about 6 minutes of extra time. Some fans stormed the pitch, because in England, that is apparently expected. Though typically it happens AFTER the game is over, as the clock is still ticking.

It would take several minutes for the field to be cleared, and for York City to throw everything and the kitchen sink at the Rochdale goal. Had Rochdale fans not rushed the field, there would have likely been less extra, extra time, preventing a 113th minute equalizer to stab at their hearts until next season if they don't win their playoff. York City's draw put them back up to 2 points ahead and automatic promotion to League Two in the Football League.
 
The fans at Wembley famously invaded the pitch before the final whistle at the 1966 World Cup Final, just as Geoff Hurst scored his third goal of the match to take the score to 4-2 with less than a minute remaining.

It's a long-standing tradition; Fans would run on to the pitch to congratulate the winning team in person and/or to collect autographs, as soon as the referee blew full time. With a big crowd, the incentive to be amongst the very first (the players weren't going to sign a hundred thousand matchday programmes), coupled with the inability to hear the whistle due to the noise of the crowd, caused some to jump early.

Pitch invasions are rarer these days, as there are severe sanctions and penalties for unauthorised entry into the field of play, and the availability of TV footage makes it easy to identify and prosecute offenders; It lives on in the non-league games where TV broadcasts of matches are rare, police involvement in crowd control is limited, and fan numbers are relatively small.
 
Pitch invasions in the US are generally limited to college football with upsets or title wins and occasionally college basketball in an upset. Always after the game is over. Hockey and baseball are a tad harder to invade with fiberglass obstructions and 20 ft plummets. In the US, Football (Associated) doesn't really have pitch invasions (that I'm aware), because we traded the pyramid promotion/relegation system for a pyramid scheme system, where expansion keeps the MLS looking like it is financially viable. And the US Open Cup, despite dating back to 1914, carries almost no weight or level of significance at all.

Of course, while the MLS isn't on the soundest footing economically, it wouldn't be fair not to mention the entire English Football system is utterly a financial disaster despite the huge amount of fanfare for the game. English football just has a massive amount of inertia pushing it and the debt along. So, maybe invade the pitch while your sport still exists in the form it is in.
 
In Championship, Wrexham hold a one goal differential difference on Hull City for the final available playoff spot as both teams drew in their last fixture. Hull City take on top half side Norwich City while Wrexham need to battle Middlesborough, who technically can still take the second auto-promotion spot with Ipswich dropping 5 points in their last two matches. Ipswich holds a huge goal differential, and a game in hand, again Milwall for the final automatic playoff spot.

In League One, Lincoln City take the crown. The final playoff spot is actually the last two spots. Despite being 5th, Bradford are only +6 GD.

Bradford - 74 pts, +6
Stevenage - 72 pts, +2
Luton Town - 71 pts, +11
Plymouth Argyle - 70 pts, +11

A draw secures Bradford, but a loss could see them out with Luton Town and Stevenage winning. Stevenage needs a win to secure. Luton Town can draw and get 6th if Stevenage lose. Plymouth nothing short of a win for a chance. Four teams, two spots. Technically Stockport sits at 74 pts too, but a game in hand and a +12 GD. They'd have to lose both games and Luton Town wins to drop out.
 
Stockport loss makes it a 5 team flurry for 5th and 6th, a loss with Stevenage and Bradford wins puts them on the outside looking in. A draw for Stockport keeps them in, like Bradford, assuming Stevenage doesn't win by 5 goals.
 
Sheffield Wednesday.

Record breakers.

Largest crowd in the Championship for the season - 33,750 fans at Hillsborough to watch Wednesday beat West Brom, to record their first home win (and second win of any kind) on the last day of the season, to finish the year with 2 wins, 12 draws, and 32 losses, for a grand total (after being docked 12 points for going into administration, plus six for failing to pay their players' wages) of ZERO points.

Wednesday managed, at the last gasp, to avoid the ignominy of ending on a negative points tally.

Still, they hold the record for earliest relegation, lowest points for a season, and are the first team in English league history to go a full year without winning a match at home.

So why the big crowd? Because finally, after a year of agony, the club has come out of administration, after their purchase by Arise Capital Partners. That's enough to make thirty thousand Sheffielders celebrate like they just won the cup final.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jvy8ldek1o
 
League One had a quality final day. Life in the 21st Century allows some incredible privileges, like being able to watch the final day of League One as if one lives in England. Maybe even better! Cross match coverage, following every goal.

Plymouth Argyle needed a win and others to underperform. A draw could work too, but that'd be asking too much. Stevenage had the most clout, a draw would be enough. Luton Town needed a win.

Argyle go down 1-0 against relegated Northampton in something like 4 minutes! By 15 minutes, Argyle fans are canceling plans for a road trip.
However, things weren't going well for Luton Town, going down 2-0 to Bolton. Stevenage nothing on the board. Standings are static.

By half-time, Argyle had fans uncancelling road trip plans as two goals lifted them level with Northampton and the underperforming Luton Town and Stevenage sides were still losing, meaning Argyle are going up. But Argyle need some security, so they score. But so don't Luton Town, once, twice. FUCK! Plymouth Argyle are playoff bound, but are one goal from not. The goal, first comes from Stevenage, who finally settle their accounts. Luton Town manage a third against Bolton, taking seventh, one spot shy of the playoff and Plymouth are in Eighth. Injury time is running out, and Argyle need a miracle from two sides, which never comes and Stevenage makes it as the last team in the playoff. Each team needed to win, and they all did. Plymouth Argyle are looking for to the next season, finishing a dreadful start this year with an unforeseeable drive for a playoff spot. Stevenage has never reached the Championship level before.

In Championship, Wrexham finish just shy of Derby Hull. Derby open their account in the fifth minute and appeared headed to the Championship playoff. Two second half goals past 60 minutes by Sheffield ended that talk. Hull City went down to Norwich, but scored twice to win their match up. Their 60ish minute go ahead goal shifted Wrexham from playoff spot to 7th. Wrexham traded goals with Middlesbrough, drawing 2-2. Wrexham couldn't find the final goal that would have drawn even with Hull City in points, but ahead on GD by that single third goal. Wrexham, however has been on a massive run over the last few years and finishing in seventh in a very competitive Championship was much more than a moral victory.

European Football certainly has that drama that is lacking in American sports. Finishing in last means draft picks, where as in Europe it means you are heading to different cities (villages?) next year. Pro/Rel is a gift that makes most of the season matter for everyone!
 
Arsenal to take on PSG in the Champions League final. PSG looking to repeat. For Arsenal, this is only their second appearance in the final, and would be their first Champions League trophy if they won. It would also be their only Cup trophy this year, losing the League Cup final to Man City. But while the Champions League isn't quite the same pedigree as the League Cup, Arsenal fans would manage.

Arsenal are 5 pts up in the EPL with second place Man City only having one game in hand. Managing both would be quite the Double.

Liverpool lost to Manchester United, making third place seem unattainable. And honestly, that seems fair. While I haven't had much time to watch games this season, Liverpool have seemed 50/50 this season. Salah and van Dijk are talking about how the club needs work. Quite amazing really. Slot came in and nothing was expected, and Liverpool won the EPL... easily. They have an off year and finish fourth and people are thinking Slot (I keep wanting to call him Hag) could be finished. Clearly, there is something wrong. But unless the culture in the locker room has been made uber-toxic by Slot, I can't see why he would need to leave. As I usually note, who are you going to replace him with? Which other manager is going to give you Klopp like management?
 
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