I think the Euro league thing is definitely dead in the water. The only people who don’t think this are the staggeringly tin-eared owners of Real and Juve.

It’s no coincidence that the collapse of the plan coincided with the parasites at United deciding to finally sell up and Fenway deciding they wanted shut of Liverpool too.

The model now is the City/Newcastle one of owners with bottomless pockets, with United looking like it’s going that way too (woooohooooo…. yes please!)

One things for sure… the financial fair play rules are going to be tested to destruction over the coming seasons

I don’t think the premier League have the minerals to give a proper penalty for FFP breaches, until they do I think the current situation will continue. City have been charged but I can’t see them having points deducted or being stripped of titles.

Mighty Reading were relegated due to breaking fair play rules.

Clubs like Reading are easy pickings. As UEFA found out, taking on a club like city with bottomless pockets and all the time in the world for their expensive lawyers to tie you up in legal wranglings, is another matter entirely

I have mixed feelings about Citeh’s ownership. Yesterday me and Binnerette number 2 went out riding at Clayton Vale. As we rode from the Emptyad and looked out over all that construction and all that development, the money pouring in, you wonder how much would be there without Arab oil wealth. There’s a good reason Fergie used to refer to the stadium as ‘Wastelands’. That was an apt description of the whole area. Not any more

I’ve no doubt Newcastles owners will be the same.

I’ve no doubt Newcastles owners will be the same.

Regarding stadium, Newcastle are in a different position. The owners have dismissed outright moving to a new ground.

However, they are limited in what they can do at the current location, there is talk of strange things regarding lowering the pitch to increase capacity but there is no easy solution.

Also, St James is in the city centre and this helps create an excellent atmosphere on big days.

If NUFC are competing at the very top of the Premier League and in Europe, they could fill a 70,000 stadium, however, moving to a modern, soulless, stadium can cause problems. Both City and West Ham don’t have much atmosphere at home games.

It’s not just the ground itself though. It’s the training facilities, the money they put into community programmes in the city.

Love them or hate them, for all the criticism for FFP, Citeh’s owners have been hugely beneficial for the surrounding areas and communities and have generated a lot of good will

Meanwhile, across town, Old Trafford is literally falling apart and the owners have never been to the surrounding areas (they daren’t even come near the decaying stadium) and frankly couldn’t give a shit about them

Even our women were relegated yesterday – the agony is unending.

It would be awful if Newcastle had to leave SJP, but while they have the demand they are limited very much by the geography.

Specifically the Grade 1 listed Leazes Terrace houses backing onto the East stand which are part of the large conservation area, and pretty well impossible to consider taking over and demolishing. As a result, the two new development stands (Milburn and Leazes) house around 35,000, the Gallowgate (also redone relatively recently) houses about 12,000, and the East stand has the other 5,000

The Gallowgate could potentially go 2 tier but to get properly big like the other (Leazes) end looks impractical because Strawberry Place behind is only leased and was relatively recently developed, and also in the conservation area. Dropping the pitch only actually adds a few rows, something like 2000-4000 seats maybe and then may fall foul of pitch size / surround rules. And redeveloping the East stand without some major change to the conservation issue only adds 3-5000 seats, and due to the issues working in the tight space wouldn’t pay back for decades comparing additional capacity to the cost of doing it.

St James’ Park – an expert’s eye on expanding Newcastle United’s home!

Or just covert the Gallowgate back to standing like it was in the 1970’s when my Grandad used to take me. You could get 30,000* on it then, most people survived!

* you could get 29,500 into the Strawberry pub just behind, then the doors opened at 2:45 and they made their way onto the Gallowgate!

So how Spursy are Spurs going to be today then?

Is that going to decide who goes down?

I made this prediction earlier in the thread.

Everton and Leicester to win.

Leeds to lose.

Put a couple of quid on it as well.

Anyone else with their predictions (guesses)?

My acca (guesses)…

So probably the opposite of all those is the norm 😂

That’s some acca!

So you are looking at Leeds to survive.

Leeds will survive, just to annoy me and just because Spurs haven’t lost at Elland Road for about 30 years, so it would be the Spursiest thing ever for them to do so today

Luton up. Think they’ll do alright initially, theyre regimented and have a set way of playing, doubt they’ll give any easy points out.

Kane has scored in the first minute.

I’m going for 3-1 to Leeds

Right now Everton and Leeds are down.

I’m going for 3-1 to Leeds

Well you’re nearly right.

Some bonkers scorelines here, just like the rest of the season

Liverpool Southampton 4-4! 😳

Leeds were very poor today.

Leicester don’t deserve to stay up, but I was desperate for a Bournemouth equaliser!

I’m presently with a Scouser who’s gutted Everton haven’t gone down, but as a United fan I’m delighted it’s Leeds and hope it’ll be another 16 years, minimum 😂

Mixed feelings, I have family that are Leeds fans, and I know that as a Forest fan Leicester dropping should be a good thing, but I like Leicester, they’ve always given me hope that it doesn’t need to be a big six (ha ha ha Spurs) to fight for the title.

As for Leeds, I’ll do this here as family won’t see this, Big Sam?! Seriously what a self centred prick, couldn’t have happened to a more successful England manager.

I’m delighted Leeds have gone down. I had a work colleague who was a fan, this was around the time of their success, European runs, etc., and he was a relentless prick about them and in general. So every time they suffer a setback, I think of him and hope he’s miserable. Sadly, I suspect since they stopped being successful, his interest will have lapsed – that’s the sort of prick he was.

Petty, for sure, and sorry to other Leeds fans who might be super chaps, but he was a massive tool, and them’s the rubs.

Also because of Big Sam. Although I defended him that he hadn’t actually said what he was accused of (being a top rank manager alongside Pep, etc.), he’s not all that either so nice to see him fail.

Frank did his best but Dyche and Doucoure to the rescue. Likely be same again next year, especially if Pickford leaves (Spurs or United, both linked?) and Calvert Lewin remains as fragile.

Not sure how Leicester have gone down, they’ve got a better squad than a lot around the bottom.

Leicester need to watch out for going into freefall like so many clubs have done when getting relegated.

They’ve a few players who are out of contract and will leave on frees and we all know the few quality players they have who’s agents will have been in negotiations with bigger clubs who will definitely be gone

Things could be about to go seriously pear-shaped!

I hope not, because we’ve surely all got a soft spot for them after what they achieved but they look rudderless at the moment

Championship could be anyone’s next year, Carrick had a great year at Boro, could be early favourites. Not sure I’d back any of the sides who’ve gone down to come straight back up, it’s a relentless league.

Burnley look to be in a similar position to Forest last year with a lot of loanees on the books, they may need to rebuild to an extent but not sure how much they and the Blades have in the coffers.

Championship could be anyone’s next year

The Championship has to be surely the most insane league in the world. One thing is sure every season… whoever is predicted to go up at the start of the season, rarely does

It’s always absolutely bonkers!

Who would have predicted Burnley walking it this season? Absolutely nobody

Well my acca came in. A massive £7 better off!

Does anyone listen to Nihal on Five Live? He’s a fanatical Spurs fan, with all the misery that entails, and had to announce on air the appointment of Poch as manager of Chelsea.

He described it as ‘like seeing your ex-girlfriend, who you’re still in love with, out with a richer, more successful and better-looking bloke who you’ve never liked’

😂

Play off finals. Windass scoring a brilliant winner. Is it 2004 all over again……

A cracking finish, that!

Was an awesome day at Wembley. The boy’s first trip there and only his third match ever, the second being Peterborough at Hillsborough. He’s had a pretty fantastic introduction to watching matches!

44000+ Wednesday fans, was just a sea of blue and white. To be fair to Barnsley they left everything in the pitch and u almost felt sorry for them but yeah, 122 minutes of largely dull football all forgotten in the blink of an eye.

Don’t think I could have coped with penalties for the second hand in a row! And what a perfect time to score!

So pleased for DM, I really rate him as a manager.

Very happy for the boy as well. He’s had a tough time recently so moments like this mean an awful lot. I’ll never forget the smile and hug he gave me when the final whistle went 🙂

Oh dear. Can’t watch this Europa Cup final more, it’s not a football match, too much simulation and face holding.

Well we should have a bit more of a game today. I still can’t believe this is the first Manchester Derby final.

I’d like to see us stop them doing the treble, but with the form they’re on at the moment it’s going to be a tough day at the office. Dave is going to need to be on top of his game, that’s for sure.

You never know though. Stranger things have happened.

Mrs Binners (Mystic Meg when it comes to football predictions) has put money on it being all square after 90 minutes, which quite surprised me, but then sees us getting ‘absolutely battered’ in extra time, given the strength of Citeh’s bench

I am a bit surprised the teams that Pep has put out for the last 2 games, I had expected him to start with stronger teams and get the job done before taking off the more important players at half time or 60 mins at the latest, rather than the option he did take of resting those players. So I think there is a chance that city don’t play with the temp and fluidity that they do when the are fully at it.

It feels like a big old-fashioned FA Cup final; Saturday 3pm, two huge teams, the sun will be out so it might even look like it used to.
Hope you get the result @binners!

Yeah the FA cup has been devalued in recent years, this does feel like there is something a bit extra riding on it. And thank **** for the 3pm kick of time, later kick of times may be good for the London crowd but screws traveling supporters, and personally I don’t think it makes sod all difference for TV viewers.

Yeah, this really does have the feel of a ‘proper’ old school FA Cup final. The one you used to get really excited about as a kid, watching all the build up on TV. Glad it’s a 3 o clock kick off

Let’s hope it lives up to its billing, eh?

Will be in Manchester this afternoon, can anyone recommend a “neutral” pub to watch the game? Probably a big ask I guess 😉

Well it cannot fail to be better than that horror show last Wednesday. I reckon ManU will put up a decent fight but this City side is special. 3-1 to City and the treble.