Dan

Been quite busy with housemoving lately, will get tables done possibly tomorrow albeit, don't forget this weeks. Aaaargh I was so good at doing this in the early part of the season. I think the constant losses have broken me.

Leverkusen's last loss was at Bochum a year ago. Imagine if this is where it comes again.

Usually sympathetic when most sackings are heavily criticised but do think this one is a bit harsh. But then I also think they've invested quite a bit this season, they have quite a formidable attacking team and they were bang average post January despite the Carvalho / Zaroury additions. It's brutal but I can see why their owner is disappointed to not make the top six. Then again, this was a particularly tough year and you'd have backed them to be up there next time out. I'll be intrigued to see who comes in.

Thought Dortmund did well but my god they were lucky. How they've not conceded over the two legs is remarkable. That's a finalist basically nobody would've called.

Serie B have a pretty good system for this I think. It's something like the top two go up, then whoever of 3rd-10th gets within X number of points of 2nd makes up the playoffs. It's probably the fairest I've seen.

We finished 15 points ahead of Peterborough that season. We made the playoffs and they got relegated.

Norwich are going to be in the right place at the right time here aren't they. I can fully sense a repeat of 2019. Leeds win the away leg 0-1 and then go out at home. It's a fascinating playoffs. You have two sides who are quite a bit better than the others that you would fancy to make up the final, but both of them have shown seriously low floors in recent pressure games and I think that'll act as a leveller. I really can't call it. Practically speaking I want Norwich or West Brom up. I think we need the help.

They're doing exactly what we should've done two years ago. Things have gone stale and it probably suits all parties for a parting of ways. He's done well there, a trophy and generally consistently floating around the top half. But it's been pretty uninspired this season, they're like the majority of the league woeful at the back and quite surprising to me they're sat as high as they are. Goal difference is a real red flag. I think it's possible for him to have both done well but be the right time to move on. Exactly where we were at two years ago with Brendan Rodgers - but we were naive beyond belief and didn't act.

The defending in general in the Premier League has been utterly dire this season. It's made for entertaining games but there aren't many good teams this time around.

Desperation

The Tielemans situation was a pretty good encapsulation of everything that has played out here in the last few years in that he was very good sometimes, ultimately didn't commit to us after the FA Cup win and at that point we should've been looking to sell even if it would've been an unpopular decision. He ended up running his contract down, going for nothing and was largely disappointing in the final two years anyway, so keeping him gained us absolutely nothing. Vardy will stay and at this point I think it's a bit of a no brainer providing the wages are a bit more manageable. I don't think in our situation you can just overlook him getting 18 goals in this league. That's more than he got in 2014 when we got promoted and he was the focal point of everything that year. This last couple of weeks has been very enjoyable. After the Plymouth game I really did think we were bust and stuck in the Championship for the foreseeable, going very much the same way as last years side where they crumble under the pressure. We have been let off the hook somewhat by the dip in form of Leeds and Ipswich, but they did step up in the last few games as well. Worthy winners in the end. I'm under no illusions that next season is going to be for the faint hearted. It's going to be pretty brutal. The hierarchy here haven't exactly done a lot to earn any trust this season. I don't think they're just going to get smart all of a sudden. But hopefully Maresca and our recruitment team can work a few bits of magic. We're almost certainly going to be hit with a points deduction and we're going to have to make some fairly substantial sales soon just to ensure we don't face further punishments. But I would imagine they will see what pans out with Everton and Forest before committing to anything. We're going to make some pretty unpopular decisions in the next couple of months, but ones as a result of our own mismanagement (and the rules which are obviously nonsense as well for what it's worth). Dewsbury-Hall almost certainly will be sold and others will follow. I've got this vision that we end up buying Fatawu and immediately having to sell him. Feels like a job done to me rather than anything groundbreaking. I'd look over to Ipswich for that kind of thing. But the last couple of games against Southampton and Preston were two of the most enjoyable I've been to in years and I'm glad we've got some proper memories out of it.

I'm absolutely never going to be somebody who aims downwards in football and I don't want to become a lower league snob but it is quite something to have everybody going on about more VAR farce in the PL game while I've just watched a fantastic Championship game that didn't have it. It's just so bad. I don't think there's any iteration of it where this won't be the case.

Total waste of time. It was entirely predictable too. They're almost certainly going to hit 100 conceded as well.

Fucking sick of my luck at this honestly. Knew the cunts would bottle it against 'bottom of the league at home'.

I have to hold my hands up on Anthony Gordon. Was quite critical of that signing when compared to Barnes in the summer but he's been fantastic this season. I'd have him at the Euros over someone like Rashford.

I did think one of our best hopes into this run in was that Leeds' ability to choke is genuinely bigger than ours. I've still not forgotten that Derby loss. Barely believable. A job done for us. Been a strange season and experience, but we're there now and we've ultimately done what we had to. Lets get to 100 points and lets get that record second tier trophy because why not.

Never in doubt Job done. Will give a proper post on this when I can be arsed. Been a quite peculiar one this - a weird, but funny way to do it.

I just don't get how losing what were key players on frees has become so normalised here. Do other clubs have this issue? This is going to be Soyuncu, Tielemans, Perez, Ndidi, Iheanacho and probably others I've missed all going for nothing. When did we get this bad at doing this? Had a strange career Ndidi. Like many of them there's been a dropoff from initial promise. Another player who was touted for a lot better, losing him on a free to Palace isn't quite how I envisaged the departure once upon a time.

This time of the season brings around one of my favourite markets and it's the second half goals market. I think this is simply overpriced as they tend to price this as 2/1 for the 1st half and evens for the 2nd half. Well this is very situation driven - Huddersfield v Birmingham given the fact both sides need to win I think is almost certainly going to be cagey in the first half and then chaotic in the second. I think there's a very decent chance it's goalless at half time but hardly any chance it ends that way. Not a guaranteed winner, but I'd say that would play out more than 50% of the time, making 2.05 good value. Sassuolo is a bit of a long shot but I need them at this point. Fiorentina will be throwing everything at their European semi final and will likely rest players for this game, while Sassuolo need a win in the fight against relegation. I expect that price to come down a bit before it starts.

WEEKS 36, 37 & 38 Been really busy lately so not had loads of chance to do these, appreciate its made it all a bit crapper though as you can tell by the lack of uptake in week 37. I've posted another 3 losses which is no surprise, as has @Stan who has joined me in the tirade of cynicism to try and get Leicester over the line, which seems to have actually done the trick. Kudos to both @RandoEFC & @CaaC (John) who profited during this period and real props to Rando for the picks on week 38 which are frankly hilarious. But the obvious winner, and very likely title winner now is @Lucas who posts two big wins and have put him over £100 clear at the top of the league. Me, @Machado, @Storts, @...Dan and @CaaC (John) all have our £25 bet to use. There are six weeks left so it isn't over yet. Some of us are looking great. Lucas is the first player who guarantees to finish in profit this season given he has no £25 left. @Pyfish is very close as well. Some of us need a bit more to go our way, and some of us who will go unnamed need frankly a miracle, so we, all one of us, are entering silly long shot stage.

Ipswich will be wanting a Coventry win tonight and then hope that Coventry drop points at the weekend - meaning that they would face both Hull and Coventry away in essentially dead rubbers. I'd love to see the athletic or somebody do a proper study into 'on the beach' and 'dead rubber' statistics. I'm a bit of a football gambler and I've been wondering if there's actually a bit of an edge in backing those sorts of teams. For example Cardiff at the weekend were 9/1 to beat Southampton at home. We all fancied a Southampton win, but is that price not massively juiced up beyond reality? I think in reality they should've never been 'that' big. I'm buzzing for Preston away on Monday. Funny sport isn't it football. The Millwall and Plymouth week was such a dire pair of showings from us entirely indicative of the sorts of end of season collapses we've suffered in recent years almost habitually at this point. Leeds & Ipswich let us off those results entirely. We got a bit lucky against West Brom but last night was just fantastic - it's added some glory to proceedings again where it felt before almost a bit embarrassing. We've absolutely belted Southampton home and away this season. I do find it interesting how we 'still' seem to be a better team without the ball when we play on the break. That's actually quite encouraging for me ahead of next season where we would have a lot less of the ball. Southampton set up uniquely badly against us in both games which once again vindicates my belief that Martin is a bit of a cretin. I know it's not really his mantra to stifle teams but if they went up under him I could see them getting some absolute spitroastings next season. I mean I can of us, let alone them. *if* we are promoted of course. I'm about 95% sure we're up now but I do wonder if people will get the jitters again should Leeds & Ipswich both win at the weekend. Preston's setup will be the polar opposite to Southampton. No team played further into our hands this season than them. Basically what I'm saying is Preston beating us 1-0 wouldn't flabbergast me.