The Fish

Well they survived in the Premier League by swapping one shit manager for another, maybe they think it's a winning formula?

@Ayatollah Hermione You throwing up as well or is it just the hot snakes? If it's the former you might have the Norovirus? Had that a while ago and lost a shit ton of weight and despite needing to be near the khazi didn't feel too bad. 7/10 would recommend for fatties and boxers.

It's not just West Ham and Huddersfield that have bad run ins to be honest. Southampton play 4 away games (WHam, Ars, Lei & Eve), and 3 home games (Chel, Bou, Man City). Hughes might get them grafting harder and give them a bit of confidence, but you'd only really say Bournemouth at Home is on the easy side of things. Each of the other fixtures are tough as Hell. Stoke need to hope they're not cut adrift during this shocking run of 5 fixtures; Ars (a), Tot (h), WHam (a), Bur (h), Liv (a). Brighton conversely need to get points on the board now, their last 4 games are pretty shocking; Tot (h), Bur (a), ManUtd (h), Liv(a).

I have an idea why.

True enough, but wasn't Sunday Supplement out before Podcasts became popular? It would have been a good show for broader conversations about stuff, and it isn't at a time that a lot of more casual football ... consumers would be watching. It's like BT European football show was very good, but I think the time slot had Frank from Gillingham moaning about "so-called experts boring on and not enough goals".

It's a reasonable idea for a tv show, but they got the details wrong. The kind of viewers who'd be interested in hearing journalists discuss off-field issues affecting a variety of clubs want actual variety. But this is, constantly, discussions on Mourinho's latest misdirection, Wenger, Klopp, Guardiola or the carry-on of players from the top clubs. It's an hour long show, isn't it? So, why not talk about the Oystons, or Ciellini. Talk about how Turkish football is fucking insane. Discuss how well Nolan is doing in his first real managerial role. Don't spend 45 minutes talking about Mourinho doing the same boring shit he does after every disappointing result as if we don't already know that he's just trying to get us talking about anything aside from his inflexibility.

Lick my taint, fucknut.

No, you Dr Dicksplash, that's not what I said at all. But I don't suppose that matters now. You got your lols. I was saying that even though it remains tight I reckon it's WBA plus 2 from 4.

Yeah, there's a group of 5 teams who'd need 3 wins to get to 40pts and 3 that would need 4 wins from their remaining 7-8 games. IMO a couple of wins should be enough for the teams already >30pts and relegation will come down to the other 5 who've not yet passed that mark.

Could give us the chance to build a bit of momentum. As KD says, the other 5 games are winnable, as we're either facing teams who're done for the season after hitting 40pts, or we're facing an erstwhile Championship side and a future Championship side. Leicester, Everton and watford all have the ability in their squad to beat us, but a few more wins gets us to 40pts and I think our desire will get us over the line.

"Battle of Bath Lane"

One suggested that just like Sunderland did, Newcastle would have released merchandise celebrating the 5 in a row if it was a record breaking streak. It was a record breaking streak. YEAH BUT YOU RELEASED STUFF FOR THE 5-1!

Hated it so much you moved there?

The only reason I can think of to explain the amount they try to denigrate Benitez is because it's so obvious he's a better manager than we could have hoped for. He's good enough to necessitate a concerted effort to pull him down. If Hughton had taken charge after our relegation and steered us back to 13th, I guarantee he wouldn't be getting the criticism. It's jealousy, pure and simple. In my life time they've never had a manager as trophied or capable as Benitez. We've had good and great managers and the best they've had is... Steve Bruce? Peter Reid? Sam Allardyce? And the latter could only manage scraping survival after a season played entirely in the bottom 4. I look forward to the glee they show when we're beaten soundly by Man City at St James' Park. Or when Benitez gets fed up of Ashley's shit and leaves. All before they draw 0-0 at home to Fleetwood to drop into the relegation spots at Christmas.

I mean, we've joked about it, but they're genuinely responding to any Newcastle fan's jokes (or apparent sympathy) with "Wiz meyt be reluhgayted agin, but wiz will always be ayble to laugh at yooz. Yooz are still hurtin after the faymous 6 in a rowuh!" If we were getting relegated to the 3rd tier of English football so soon after being a top flight team, if we looked on the brink of financial ruin, if the team was bereft of players I could get behind, I wouldn't give a toss about our league record against our local rivals.

Ah right. In that case, Nuovocastrian is a ornery gobshite and all.

Who's Gene on as?

Is he "Nuovocastrian" on twitter? Whoever that is wonders why people take issue with him calling the players "useless cunts" after a loss or disappointing draw. As if his was the rational behaviour of a grown man.

If they go into Administration and are subsequently wound up, do you reckon there'd be an AFC Sunderland, or Sunderland City Football Club crop up? They've already halved their attendance by dropping into the 2nd tier, and would see a similar exodus in League 1. Should they start afresh surely they'll see huge numbers of fans sack it off entirely, losing them to Shields and maybe the younger kids to us?

They've still got a few big earners, don't they? According to Transfermarkt Jack Rodwell's contract doesn't run out until 30/06/2019. His reported weekly wage (£70k) is worth more than some League 1 club's transfer budget.

Any idea how a second relegation impacts the parachute payments?

Georgie boys version in the Times is better. Obvs

Trouble is, they'll point to their double relegation as proof that an earlier relegation wouldn't have benefited them at all. Getting relegated would have meant fewer jokers on big wages, fewer seasons spent in the bottom 4, and fewer weekends spent leaving the stadium early after another insipid display. But, as has been said, 9-1,6-in-a-row, FTM, Rafa Beneathus and all that.

West Brom 1/66 Stoke 4/6 Southampton 15/8 West Ham 9/4 Crystal Palace 5/2 Huddersfield 5/2 Swansea 4/1 Newcastle 14/1 Brighton 16/1 Bournemouth 33/1 Everton 100/1 Watford 100/1 Shows PpG needed for each team to get 40pts, over time. Omitted those that were already safe 12/02/2018 and so far only Burnley and Leicester have reached the promised land. It shows those who now need to win every game (WBA) and those that would need to win every other one (Stoke & Palace). We’re in amongst a group needing about a point a game (our season PpG is 1.07). This tail end of the season is when external factors become more influential like; goal difference, the quality of opposition they’re facing and what that opposition are aiming for. E.g. Bournemouth are on course for 40pts, needing only 0.88PpG, but they face one of the hardest run ins in terms of quality of opposition. That said, some of the better placed teams they face won’t be playing for anything (Burnley and Leicester e.g.). West Brom and Stoke obviously face teams higher in the league, but they also create fewer and permit more chances than their oppositions. Stoke in particular face an awful April; Arsenal (a), Spurs (H), West Ham (a), Burnley (h) and Liverpool (a). It’s only really Burnley and West Ham where you can see them getting points and even then you’d not call either 3pt bankers. I think it’ll definitely be WBA and Stoke going down. Hughes might drag some performances from Southampton’s talented squad that pull their heads above water, Hodgson might reshuffle his tactics to rediscover his earlier form and Palace have an easier run in than most. West Ham are in a horrible state and their off field problems will not help. I reckon West Ham will be playing at the Hawthorns and the Britannia in the 2018/19 Championship. On who I'd like to go down; obviously I’d like to see the back of Pardew and the Baggies are a bit of a nothing club anyway. Similarly Stoke have existed in the Premier League for a while, but their football has been poor on the whole and their fans fully buy into the myth about them being terrific… I’d love West Ham to be relegated partly because of their fans, partly because it’d be funny to see the exodus of players from the Olympic stadium and partly because I want to see how Gold and Sullivan try and spin it. I don't have any strong opinions on Southampton, Bournemouth, Huddersfield, Swansea so I don't care if they survive... Naturally I’d love Fat Sam’s team to drop, but Everton only need 1 win to get to 40pts (or the Allardyce Constant) so I can’t see it happening. Realistically I want WBA, Stoke and West Ham and I reckon I'll get my wish.