Monday, 28 May 2018

Season 2017/18: For the record

(1) MANCHESTER CITY W32 D4 L2 F106 A27 +79 Pts 100
Manager Pep Guardiola (since July 2016)
FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Winners Champions League Quarter finals
Top scorer Sergio Agüero (21) Clean sheets 18 Failed to score 2
Manchester City secured a record 100 points with a record 32nd win of an incredible campaign on the last day of the season against Southampton - but it wasn't just one game which left Pep Guardiola's side as the best English champions in years. For the record, Man City additionally took most away points (50), finished most points ahead of second (19), gained the most away wins (16), scored the most goals (106), had the best goal difference (+79), and recorded the most consecutive victories (18) in Premier League history. Perhaps the most amazing statistic is that Guardiola's men were only behind for a total of 153 minutes all season in the league - and, only cup defeats to Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup and Liverpool in the Champions League prevented this them from achieving something truly glorious. It is undoubtedly the case, though, that this team can achieve even more next year - perhaps it has been in their interests to leave us wanting more.

(2) MANCHESTER UNITED W25 D6 L7 F68 A28 +40 Pts 81
Manager José Mourinho (since May 2016)
FA Cup Runners-up League Cup Quarter finals Champions League Last 16
Top scorer Romelu Lukaku (16) Clean sheets 19 Failed to score 8
Runners-up in the league, runners-up in the FA Cup, and tactically abysmal in Europe when trying to steal their last 16 tie from under the noses of Sevilla. Yes, it hardly needs saying that this was not a particularly fun season for José Mourinho or Manchester United. In fairness, as frontrunners, the Red Devils continued to provide the stiffest of tests for their opponents - and, in fact, they won all 21 league games in which they scored first. But, despite being able to call upon the likes of Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marcus Rashford and Alexis Sanchez, the same Man United struggled to open up teams who were content to match Mourinho's cautious approach. Ironically, the best day of the season for the Portuguese manager came in an extraordinary 3-2 comeback victory over crosstown rivals Manchester City, a result which delayed the Blues' title celebrations. But the fact that Man City instead won the championship on the following weekend due to Man United's failure to beat bottom-placed West Brom at home could not have better summed up another frustrating campaign at Old Trafford.

(3) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR W23 D8 L7 F74 A36 +38 Pts 77
Manager Mauricio Pochettino (since May 2014)
FA Cup Semi finals League Cup Fourth round Champions League Last 16
Top scorer Harry Kane (30) Clean sheets 16 Failed to score 4
Tottenham Hotspur came, saw, but unsurprisingly did not conquer. It is now over 10 years since Spurs last won a trophy - the 2008 League Cup - and, though they have threatened ever since to win something under Mauricio Pochettino, they have never delivered. This season, for instance, Spurs were a distant third place in the league and never properly in the race after a poor autumn. In the FA Cup, they lost to a Manchester United team in the semi finals who were there for taking - and in the Champions League, they lost to a Juventus team which was also beatable. On the positive side, this is the first time Spurs had finished in the top three of the English league in three consecutive seasons since the 1960s - but a lack of trophies has undoubtedly left fans frustrated. After all, Argentine manager Pochettino must surely turn Harry Kane's outstanding goal return into some sort of tangible trophy-lifting sooner rather than later.

(4) LIVERPOOL W21 D12 L5 F84 A38 +46 Pts 75
Manager Jürgen Klopp (since October 2015)
FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Third round Champions League Runners-up
Top scorer Mohamed Salah (32) Clean sheets 17 Failed to score 7
For Liverpool in Kiev, the dream of a sixth European Cup turned into a nightmare. On a balmy night in Ukraine, the Reds best chance of winning on their seventh final appearance felt like it disappeared when top scorer Egyptian king Mo Salah went off injured on 31 minutes after a falling under a challenge by Sergio Ramos - and then it got worse just after half time as hapless goalkeeper Loris Karius literally handed the opening goal to Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema. Senegal striker Saido Mane quickly evened things up - but, in Gareth Bale, Real always had something extra up their sleeve. Welshman Bale scored perhaps the best goal ever in European Cup final history with a bicycle kick before sealing a third successive Champions League title with a 40-yard pot-shot which Karius could only palm into the net. Crestfallen Karius could not be consoled at full time - and, despite Liverpool having consolidated their position in the top four this season, another big summer awaits Anfield after yet another campaign without silverware.

(5) CHELSEA W21 D7 L10 F62 A38 +24 Pts 70
Manager Antonio Conte (since July 2016)
FA Cup Winners League Cup Semi finals Champions League Last 16
Top scorer Eden Hazard (12) Clean sheets 16 Failed to score 8
For Chelsea, this was a second lame title defence in three years as early season defeats to Burnley, Manchester City, and Crystal Palace left the  London club with next to no chance of defending their crown. From then, matters only deteriorated even further as, in interviews, Italian manager Antonio Conte did not even try to hide his dissatisfaction at what he considered to be a lack of backing from the boardroom. Naturally, the turmoil affected matters on the pitch - the Blues lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth and 4-1 at Watford amid a run of five league defeats in seven. The sequence left Chelsea in fifth place and out of the Champions League places - and, despite four wins in a row, they failed to push their way back in. Conte defiantly claimed the FA Cup Final win against Manchester United proved he was a natural-born winner. Following the last few tumultuous months, however, it really is a surprise he remains at Stamford Bridge, at least at the time of this writing.

(6) ARSENAL W19 D6 L13 F74 A51 +23 Pts 63
Manager Arsène Wenger
FA Cup Third round League Cup Runners-up Europa League Semi finals
Top scorer Alexandre Lacazette (14) Clean sheets 13 Failed to score 6
So farewell then Arsène Wenger - but sadly this was not a fairytale departure for the legendary Frenchman. The Gunners' sixth place is their lowest finish in their 22 years under Wenger and their last chance of any silverware this year was extinguished by a superior Atletico Madrid side in the Europa League semi finals. In fairness, Wenger did say adieu to the Emirates in style as a scintillating Arsenal performance crushed closest rivals Burnley in his final home league game. Then again, home form was never the problem in spite of the increasing number of empty seats - only Manchester City picked up more points on their own turf. Performances on the road, however, were another matter - and Arsenal were, in fact, the last team in England to pick up an away league win in 2018. New man Unai Emery has made all of the right noises on his arrival but the Spaniard will need to be at his inspirational best to make this team consistently competitive again. 

(7) BURNLEY W14 D12 L12 F36 A39 -3 Pts 54
Manager Sean Dyche (since October 2012)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round
Top scorer Chris Wood (10) Clean sheets 12 Failed to score 13
Burnley qualified for Europe for the first time since 1967 following a totally unexpected but fully deserved seventh placed finish. A seemingly difficult summer saw the departure of Michael Keane to Everton and Andre Gray to Watford, and then in early September, goalkeeper Tom Heaton suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. The Clarets, to their huge credit, missed none of them. Nick Pope stepped in between the sticks with such impressive form that he has made it into the England squad for the World Cup, and defender James Tarkowski is on a stand-by for the same squad having marshalled the backline superbly. Club record signing Chris Wood chipped in with 10 goals, meanwhile, and earned his side no fewer than 12 points with his contribution - but this was a fine all-round effort from Sean Dyche's men who will certainly not be written off so quickly again in the future.

(8) EVERTON W13 D10 L15 F44 A58 -14 Pts 49
Managers Ronald Koeman (until 23 October), Sam Allardyce (from 30 November)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Fourth round Europa League Group stage
Top scorer Wayne Rooney (10) Clean sheets 10 Failed to score 11
Everton have been in a mess for the last 12 months, acting like a club without any sense of direction. Last summer, Ronald Koeman splurged the £75m which he received from the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United on defender Michael Keane from Burnley, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford from Sunderland, and attacking midfielders Davy Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurðsson. However, the transfer activity left the squad horribly unbalanced, and young striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was left filling a Lukaku-sized hole up front. Koeman could not survive - and, by the end of October, he was out, seemingly to be replaced by Watford manager Marco Silva who was courted openly by the Merseysiders. The Hornets, however, immediately blocked the move - and, after Everton's options shortened, they turned reluctantly to Sam Allardyce. In truth, the Toffees were hardly in any genuine danger of relegation - their first game under Allardyce, a 2-0 home victory over Huddersfield Town, lifted them up to 10th. Eventually, the Merseysiders finished in the even more comfortable position of eighth - but most of the fans at Goodison recognised they had achieved the position in spite of playing an awful style of football, and Allardyce was unsurprisingly dumped at the end of the campaign. Oddly enough, Silva - now relieved of his duties at Watford - is expected to be the replacement.

(9) LEICESTER CITY W12 D11 L15 F56 A60 -4 Pts 47
Managers Craig Shakespeare (until 17 October), Claude Puel (from 25 October)
FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Quarter finals
Top scorer Jamie Vardy (20) Clean sheets 9 Failed to score 8
The shock 2016 champions returned to the top half after a one-season absence as Jamie Vardy became the first Leicester City striker since Gary Lineker to score 20+ goals in two separate top flight campaigns for the Foxes. As ever, Vardy was indebted to playmaker Riyad Mahrez for many of his chances - and, indeed, the pair were statistically the best combination in the division. Nevertheless, this was an irritatingly inconsistent campaign by the east Midlanders. Craig Shakespeare paid the price for a slow start - and, while there was early improvement under replacement Claude Puel, it did not last. Leicester lost five out of their last seven games, conceding 13 goals, as they eventually settled into ninth place. Mid-table mediocrity, however, is unlikely to satisfy the likes of Mahrez or Vardy - and, if he stays, Frenchman Puel now has a big job on his hands to keep this squad together going into the next season.

(10) NEWCASTLE UNITED W12 D8 L18 F39 A47 -8 Pts 44
Manager Rafael Benítez (since March 2016)
FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Second round
Top scorer Ayoze Pérez (8) Clean sheets 9 Failed to score 14
Rafael Benitez turned Newcastle United into a quietly competent side, with an unexpectedly solid defence, as the Magpies deservedly took a top half place on their first season back in the top flight. This was, indeed, Newcastle's first visit to the top 10 since 2013-14 under Alan Pardew but, by no means, was this a comfortable ride. As a long winter came howling in, the Magpies took just one point out of a possible 27 - and, from that point until March, the bottom three were an immediate threat. Nevertheless, a 3-0 home win against Southampton eased worries massively and prompted a season-best four-match winning run. And so, while a disappointing slump of successive losses followed, there were no concerns at all ahead of a final day 3-0 beating of outgoing champions Chelsea. Now, of course, attention switches back to owner Mike Ashley in the boardroom at St James Park, as Tyneside waits with baited breath to find out if their best manager in years will be in any way backed in the transfer market.

(11) CRYSTAL PALACE W11 D11 L16 F45 A55 -10 Pts 44
Managers Frank de Boer (until 11 September), Roy Hodgson (from 12 September)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Fourth round
Top scorer Luka Milivojević (10) Clean sheets 9 Failed to score 14
Palace scored their first Premier League goal on 14 October. Aptly, it was an own goal but they then scored another for a remarkable 2-1 win over defending champions Chelsea. Those three points were the Eagles' first of the campaign after a run of seven successive losses, which also featured a goal drought of 731 minutes. The statistics verged on the embarrassing - and, even early on, Palace looked like an obvious candidate for the drop. Yet they then appointed a battle-scarred Roy Hodgson to save their season. In the circumstances, Hodgson did an excellent job, and has recovered his own reputation as a manager following the debacle as England boss against Iceland at Euro 2016. In fact, since the start of October, only the top six have taken more points per game than Palace - and only seven teams have scored more times than one which failed to score in any of its first seven matches of the season. For the record, Palace eventually finished 11th, 11 points clear of the bottom three - a genuinely remarkable position considering their start.

(12) AFC BOURNEMOUTH W11 D11 L16 F45 A61 -16 Pts 44
Manager Eddie Howe (since October 2012)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Quarter finals
Top scorer Callum Wilson (8) Clean sheets 6 Failed to score 12
There was no top half finish for Bournemouth this season but this still modest club should hardly be judged by that standard. Instead, Eddie Howe deserves credit for securing a fourth successive top flight campaign at Dean Court, and having done so without having suffered anywhere near the same sort of stress as south coast rivals Southampton. That said, this season was not without its difficult moments for the Cherries who, in fact, fell behind in more Premier League matches (27) than any other side. On the other hand, though, Bouremouth also recovered the most points (21) from a losing position. Such statistics should perhaps come as no surprise given Howe's well-renowned open style of play - but, for now, at least, Bournemouth have shown they possess enough firepower to counter the threat.

(13) WEST HAM UNITED W10 D12 L16 F48 A68 -20 Pts 42
Managers Slaven Bilić (until 6 November), David Moyes (from 7 November)
FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Quarter finals
Top scorer Marko Arnautović (11) Clean sheets 10 Failed to score 9
West Ham United have clearly still not fallen in love with the London Stadium. The 2017 World Athletics Championships in August left the Hammers without a home game until after the first international break - and so they opened with three away defeats, conceding 10 goals. The malaise continued deep into the autumn, and a heavy 4-1 home defeat against Liverpool - perhaps mercifully - brought the curtain down on the era of fan-favourite Slaven Bilić. Replacement David Moyes steadied an ailing vessel after his own poor start - but his limited expectations meant he never curried favour with an understandably frustrated set of supporters. Instead, former Premier League winner Manuel Pellegrini has taken the job - but, before he achieves anything, the Chilean must instill some discipline into a defence which conceded an eye-watering 42 away goals last season - only Stoke City conceded more on the road.

(14) WATFORD W11 D8 L16 F44 A64 - 20 Pts 41
Managers Marco Silva (until 21 January), Javi Gracia (from 21 January)
FA Cup Fourth round League Cup Second round
Top scorer Abdoulaye Doucoure (7) Clean sheets 9 Failed to score 14
Watford finished in 14th place, their lowest position all season - a sign that at least they got the hard work done early. Indeed, the Hornets secured a third consecutive season of top flight football - their best run since the 1980s - with six wins in their opening 13 games. From that point onwards, though, it started to go wrong. Marco Silva, with a decent record behind him at Hull City as well as at Vicarage Road, had his head turned by the vacant position at Everton - and Watford then took four points out of the next 27. Silva was sacked and, on the same day, another little-heard-of manager Javi Gracia took charge. Spaniard Gracia ensured safety with 10 points in his first five matches, including a 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea - but his subsequent sequence of only five points from the last nine games has left genuine questions over his overall quality.

(15) BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION W9 D13 L16 F34 A54 -20 Pts 40
Manager Chris Hughton (since December 2014)
FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Third round
Top scorer Glenn Murray (12) Clean sheets 10 Failed to score 17
Brighton & Hove Albion stayed up in their first top flight season since 1982-83 and commendably hit the magic 40 points mark. Without doubt, though, the Seagulls are home birds. Chris Hughton's men scored only seven away league goals all season and took just 11 points - and their only two away wins came in a two-week period in the autumn. Thankfully for them, though, their home form was far better - and it was no surprise that they reached their safety target at the Amex Stadium. Perhaps it was a surprise that Premier League status was secured in a match against Manchester United but such victories can only serve to encourage even better results from the likeable Hughton and his squad in 2018-19.

(16) HUDDERSFIELD TOWN W9 D10 L19 F28 A58 -30 Pts 37
Manager David Wagner (since November 2015)
FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Third round
Top scorer Steve Mounié (7) Clean sheets 10 Failed to score 21
Once again, Huddersfield Town massively defied the odds as they stayed up in their first season of top flight football since 1971-72 with a game to spare. Last year, the Terriers became the first team to be promoted to the highest level of English football in spite of holding a negative goal difference. And now, this season, David Wagner's men have survived despite scoring a paltry total of 28 goals having failed to find the net in 21 of their 38 matches. Of course, away draws at Manchester City and Chelsea inside the final week of the campaign underlined the fine job which Wagner's has done. However, the west Yorkshire club simply cannot sit back and expect to be able to rely on yet another season of statistical improbability happening again in 2018-19.

(17) SOUTHAMPTON W7 D15 L16 F37 A56 -19 Pts 36
Managers Mauricio Pellegrino (until 12 March), Mark Hughes (from 14 March)
FA Cup Semi finals League Cup Second round
Top scorer Charlie Austin (7) Clean sheets 8 Failed to score 14
Southampton scraped their way somewhat fortunately to safety after securing only seven league wins all season. The Saints - who had finished in the top eight in each of their previous four campaigns - did not appear to be in too much bother in the opening months, and in fact a 4-1 home win over Everton in late November sent them into the top half. Astonishingly, though, the south coast club then won only one of their next 21 matches. Before the end of that run, former Saints forward Mark Hughes had replaced Mauricio Pellegrino as manager - and Hughes himself similarly struggled at first to seal a leaky defence. Fortunately for Southampton, their form returned just in time, as wins against Bournemouth and at Swansea kept the bottom three at arm's length. Hughes has now signed a three-year contract at St Mary's and he will be dearly hoping to reintroduce some spark into the Saints' often tepid performances.

(18) SWANSEA CITY W8 D9 L21 F28 A56 -28 Pts 33
Managers Paul Clement (until 20 December), Carlos Carvalhal (from 28 December)
FA Cup Quarter finals League Cup Fourth round
Top scorer Jordan Ayew (6) Clean sheets 9 Failed to score 18
The relegation of Swansea City felt as if it became inevitable as soon as a they started messing around at the top. Indeed, the trouble for the Swans can be traced as far back at least as last season when their saviour from the 2015-16 campaign Francesco Guidolin was replaced by the hopeless Bob Bradley. The American lasted just 11 games before Paul Clement steered the South Wales club to safety. Clement, however, could not maintain Swansea's form into the new season and he left with Swansea in bottom place just before Christmas. New manager Carlos Carvalhal inspired a short-term improvement but the form failed to last and the return of Andre Ayew in January from West Ham United turned into a goalless disaster. Ultimately, the Swans picked up 14 fewer points in Carvalhal's final nine games in charge (3) compared with his first nine matches (17). However, to be fair to him, the club had badly lost its way long before the involvement of the Portuguese.

(19) STOKE CITY W7 D12 L19 F35 A68 -33 Pts 33
Managers Mark Hughes (until 6 January), Paul Lambert (from 16 January)
FA Cup Third round League Cup Third round
Top scorer Xherdan Shaqiri (8) Clean sheets 6 Failed to score 13
Stoke City meekly surrendered their top-flight status after nine years following a series of terrible recruitment decisions on and off the pitch. On-loan Spanish striker Jesé was the biggest flop - and, though it became increasingly difficult to make a case for manager Mark Hughes to stay, Paul Lambert was clearly never going to be the answer to the Potters problems. Surprisingly, this was the first relegation actually suffered by Lambert as a manager. However, his unconvincing periods in charge of Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, and Wolverhampton Wanderers should have been enough warning to ward off any Stoke advances. Indeed, the Scotsman delivered just 13 points in his 15 games, and new appointment Gary Rowett now has a huge job on his hands to overhaul a squad of players largely well past their sell-by date.

(20) WEST BROMWICH ALBION W6 D13 L19 F31 A56 -25 Pts 31
Managers Tony Pulis (until 20 November), Alan Pardew (until 2 April), Darren Moore
FA Cup Fifth round League Cup Third round
Top scorers Jay Rodriguez, Salomón Rondón (7) Clean sheets 10 Failed to score 13
The Hawthorns will forever wonder what might have been. Perhaps another great Premier League escape would not have been beyond West Brom if one-man managerial disaster zone Alan Pardew had been ditched a bit earlier. Despite the best efforts of Darren Moore, though, the Baggies had left it far too late. Remarkably, Moore as a caretaker gained more points (11) in his five games than Tony Pulis (10) in his 12 games or Pardew (8) in 18, and he has now deservedly been awarded with the role permanently. A tough rebuilding job awaits but his fine late season run will give some much-needed confidence to him - and to the club as a whole.

⚽️
ROLL OF HONOUR 2017-18

ENGLAND
Premier League
ChampionsManchester City
Runners-upManchester United
Champions LeagueTottenham Hotspur, Liverpool
Europa LeagueChelsea, Arsenal, Burnley
RelegationSwansea City, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion

Championship
ChampionsWolverhampton Wanderers
Runners-upCardiff City
Playoff winnersFulham (won 1-0 v Aston Villa)
RelegationBarnsley, Burton Albion, Sunderland

League One
ChampionsWigan Athletic
Runners-upBlackburn Rovers
Playoff winnersRotherham United (won 2-1 v Shrewsbury Town, after extra time)
RelegationOldham Athletic, Northampton Town, Milton Keynes Dons, Bury

League Two
ChampionsAccrington Stanley
Runners-upLuton Town
Also promotedWycombe Wanderers
Playoff winnersCoventry City (won 3-1 v Exeter City)
RelegationBarnet, Chesterfield

National League Premier
ChampionsMacclesfield Town
Playoff winnersTranmere Rovers (won 2-1 v Boreham Wood)
RelegationWoking, Torquay United, Chester FC, Guiseley

National League North
ChampionsSalford City
Playoff winnersHarrogate Town (won 3-0 v Brackley Town)
RelegationGainsborough Trinity, Tamworth, North Ferriby United

National League South
ChampionsHavant & Waterlooville
Playoff winnersBraintree Town (won 4-3 on pens v Hampton & Richmond Borough, after 1-1 aet)
RelegationPoole Town, Whitehawk, Bognor Regis Town

Domestic Cup Finals
FA Cup FinalChelsea 1-0 Manchester United
League Cup FinalManchester City 3-0 Arsenal
FA Community ShieldArsenal 1-1 Chelsea. Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties.
EFL TrophyLincoln City 1-0 Shrewsbury Town
FA TrophyBrackley Town 1-1 Bromley, aet. Brackley Town won 5-4 on penalties.
FA VaseThatcham Town 1-0 Stockton Town

SCOTLAND
Premiership
ChampionsCeltic
Runners-upAberdeen
Europa LeagueAberdeen (runners-up), Rangers (third place), Hibernian (fourth place)
RelegationPartick Thistle, Ross County

Championship
ChampionsSt Mirren
Runners-upLivingston
Playoff winnersLivingston (won 3-1 on agg v Partick Thistle (2-1h, 1-0a))
RelegationDumbarton, Brechin City

League One
ChampionsAyr United
Runners-upRaith Rovers (not promoted)
Playoff winnersAlloa Athletic (won 2-1 on agg v Dumbarton (0-1h, 2-0a aet))
RelegationQueen's Park, Albion Rovers

League Two
ChampionsMontrose
Runners-upPeterhead (not promoted)
Playoff winnersStenhousemuir (won 2-1 on agg v Peterhead (2-0h, 0-1a))

Domestic Cup Finals
FA Cup FinalCeltic 2-0 Motherwell
League Cup FinalCeltic 2-0 Motherwell
Challenge Cup FinalInverness Caledonian Thistle 1-0 Dumbarton

WALES
Welsh Premier League
ChampionsThe New Saints
Europa LeagueConnah's Quay Nomads (third place), Bala Town (fourth place), Cefn Druids (playoff winners)
RelegationBangor City, Prestatyn Town
Welsh Cup Finals
FA Cup FinalConnah's Quay Nomads 4-1 Aberystwyth
League Cup FinalThe New Saints 1-0 Cardiff Metropolitan University

NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish Premiership
ChampionsCrusaders
Europa LeagueColeraine (runners-up), Glenavon (third place), Cliftonville (playoff winners)
RelegationCarrick Rangers, Ballinamallard United
Irish Cup Finals
IFA Cup FinalColeraine 3-1 Cliftonville
League Cup FinalDungannon Swifts 3-1 Ballymena United

EUROPE
UEFA Finals
Champions LeagueReal Madrid (Spa) 3-1 Liverpool (Eng)
Europa LeagueAtletico Madrid (Spa) 3-0 Marseille (Fra)
Super CupReal Madrid (Spa) 2-1 Manchester United (Eng)

Major European league champions
SpainBarcelona
ItalyJuventus
GermanyBayern Munich
France Paris Saint-Germain
PortugalPorto
NetherlandsPSV Eindhoven
BelgiumClub Brugge
GreeceAEK Athens
TurkeyGalatasaray

Saturday, 12 May 2018

Clucking-mad Israel win marred by SuRie stage invader

ISRAEL won the Eurovision Song Contest for the fourth time in history on a night marred by a stage invasion during the British entry.

Netta Barzilai netted the Israeli victory in Lisbon with her gimmicky song Toy which bizarrely featured clucking chicken noises as part of its lyrics.

The competition was tight - and, thrillingly, it was not at all clear who had actually won until the final few seconds of voting.

For many British viewers, though, Netta's otherwise enjoyably quirky success was overshadowed by a shock stage invasion during the performance of United Kingdom entrant SuRie.

Nothing particularly unusual had happened at the Altice Arena until SuRie - appearing ninth in the running order - launched into the second chorus of her song, Storm.

Then, out of nowhere, a rather unkempt man assailed the Essex singer, stole her microphone and shouted some totally unintelligible diatribe.

It was later transcribed as: "Nazis of the UK media, we demand freedom. War is not peace".

The culprit - a London-based Greek national called Konstantin Bouki - goes by the name of DrACactivism on social media. He has previously interrupted The Voice and the National Television Awards.

Far from advancing his cause, though, the actions of this tiresome attention-seeker only serve to alienate himself from the popular support which he presumably craves.

For SuRie, the whole experience must have been absolutely petrifying. For all she knew, the idiot could well have been carrying a knife.

Considering that, she remained amazingly calm on stage, clapping to the beat before immediately picking the lyrics back up once she had a microphone back in her hands.

Nevertheless, her Eurovision experience had been irredeemably tarnished.

In fairness, European Broadcasting Union (EBU) officials offered SuRie the chance to perform again at the end of the running order. Having recovered so well, though, the 29-year-old was perhaps sensible to decline.

The show must go on, after all - and, before long, it was time to tot up the tallies.

Sadly, SuRie finished in 23rd place with 23 points from the jury voting which was announced first and based upon a Jury Rehersal held on Friday evening.

In the public vote, meanwhile, she fared only a little better, placing 20th with 25 points.


Consequently, her overall points total (48) left her in 24th place out of 26, ahead only of Finland's former X Factor contestant Saara Aalto (46) and rock-bottom hosts Portugal (39).

Elsewhere, Norway (144) and Ireland (136) will also be disappointed by their mid-table finishing positions. 

Norwegian representative Alexander Rybak - a former winner in 2009 with Fairytale - was hugely underwhelming this time around and made little impact.

By contrast, the Irish - in a first Grand Final since 2013 - qualified having caused quite a stir in China with its entry Together by Ryan O'Shaughnessy.

Indeed, Ireland was edited out of the Chinese broadcast of the first semi-final on Mango TV because of its representation of a homosexual couple by its on-stage dancers.

As a result of the censorship, the EBU terminated its partnership with the Chinese broadcaster, a decision which pleased O'Shaughnessy himself.

Back to the results - and it was Austria (271) who emerged as the front-runner following the verdict of the jury ahead of Sweden (253) and Israel (212). Cyprus (183) took fifth place behind Germany (204).

However, it was all change when the public vote was announced. Leading nation Austria (71) could only manage 13th place, Germany (136) was sixth - while Eurovision stalwart Sweden (21) surprisingly finished way down in 23rd.

As such, it became a straight contest between two eastern Mediterranean countries - Israel and Cyprus.

Clumsily, it became apparent that Cyprus had come second overall after picking up 253 points in the public vote.

And so, Israel - with 317 votes - could celebrate a momentous victory on the 70th anniversary of the creation of the Middle East state.

Next year then, the Contest will most likely be held in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv - but the stage invasion in Lisbon surely means an unprecedented amount of security will be required whichever city is chosen.

After all, it is not as if Israel keeps a low profile on the international stage.

Of course, in likeable winner Netta, there was a little random joy on Saturday in these troubled political times.

At the same time, though, her victory has left the Eurovision apparatchiks with the sort of headache which will take more than a few painkillers to remove.

2018 EUROVISION FINAL SCOREBOARD


SongArtistPoints
01IsraelToyNetta529
02CyprusFuego (Fire)Eleni Foureira436
03AustriaNobody But YouCesár Sampson342
04GermanyYou'll Let Me Walk AloneMichael Schulte340
05ItalyNon mi avete fatto niente
(You haven't done anything to me)
Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro308
06Czech RepublicLie to MeMikolas Josef281
07SwedenDance You OffBenjamin Ingrosso274
08EstoniaLa forza (The Force)Elina Nechayeva245
09DenmarkHigher GroundRasmussen226
10MoldovaMy Lucky DayDoReDoS209
11AlbaniaMall (Yearning)Eugent Bushpepa184
12LithuaniaWhen We're OldIeva Zasimauskaitė181
13FranceMercyMadame Monsieur173
14BulgariaBonesEquinox166
15NorwayThat's How You Write a SongAlexander Rybak144
16IrelandTogetherRyan O'Shaughnessy136
17UkraineUnder the LadderMélovin 130
18NetherlandsOutlaw in 'EmWaylon121
19SerbiaNova deca (New Generation)Sanja Ilić & Balkanika113
20AustraliaWe Got LoveJessica Mauboy99
21HungaryViszlát nyár (Goodbye, summer)AWS93
22SloveniaHvala, ne! (No, Thanks)Lea Sirk64
23SpainTu canción (Your Song)Amaia & Alfred61
24United KingdomStormSuRie48
25FinlandMonstersSaara Aalto46
26PortugalO Jardim (The Garden)Cláudia Pascoal39

Thursday, 10 May 2018

Family man Williams turns back the clock

WORLD SNOOKER FINAL 
(5) John Higgins 16-18 Mark Williams (7)
Session one (3-5)
23-75, 15-65, 35-72, (55) 60-70, (119) 120-4, 0-133 (95), (52) 98-0, (59) 82-21
Session two (4-5)
46-81 (72), (51) 75-31, (127) 127-8, 12-76, (56) 85-9, (117) 123-15, 0-123 (118), 35-64 (64), 43-80
Session three (3-5)
5-98 (61), 19-73 (56), 0-126 (69, 56), 7-63 (52), (67) 92-29, (72) 76-65 (65), (80) 80-0, 43-80
Session four (6-3)
(131) 131-1, (67) 68-58 (58), (82) 82-47, 91-0, (62) 67-47, 0-74, 14-104 (100), (65) 65-63 (63), 0-71 (69)

MARK WILLIAMS won an incredible third world snooker title - 15 years after his last Crucible triumph - as he beat fellow veteran John Higgins 18-16.

The final was notable for the fact that Welsh Potting Machine and the Wizard From Wishaw both turned professional in the same year - back in 1992.

Yet remarkably, a quarter of a century on, here they both were in the world snooker final, producing the closest contest - in terms of scoreline - since Shaun Murphy beat Matthew Stevens in 2005.

In truth, Williams would have kicked himself if he had not taken the best-of-35 encounter.

After all, the 43-year-old from Ebbw Vale won the first four frames on Sunday afternoon, and was never behind at any stage of the two-day final.

However, far from being one-sided, this was a classy affair throughout from two experienced players - and, in all, there were six centuries with four of them coming from the defeated Higgins.

The 42-year-old Scotsman stroked his first ton home in the fifth frame of the match to get on the board in his seventh final.

But Williams responded with a run of 95 - and, though Higgins then took the last two frames of the first session, he was generally held at arm's length throughout the first three periods of play.

In fairness, Higgins did make it 7-7 on Sunday evening after compiling two centuries in four frames either side of the mid-session interval.

Once again, though, Williams quickly found an answer with a 118 - and his first ton of the match prompted him then to take the last two frames on Sunday as well.

Parity for Higgins had gone in a flash as Williams took a 10-7 overnight lead into Bank Holiday Monday.

In the third session on Monday afternoon, matters only improved further for Williams as again he took the first four frames of the day to increase his lead to a seemingly impregnable 14-7.

Higgins subsequently stopped the rot by winning three of the next four - but the truth was that his Welsh opponent had dominated proceedings in each of the first three sessions.

Trailing 15-10 heading into Monday evening, the four-time champion knew he was going to have to produce something special.

Higgins, of course, obliged. A 131, two fine clearances when under scoreboard pressure, and a shut-out all contributed to an incredible 99% pot success rate in the four frames up to the mid-session interval.

Then, in the 30th frame, Higgins drew level for the first time since the middle of session two with a break of 62 in yet another comeback frame.

Effectively, the final had become a best-of-five. Higgins held all of the momentum but there cannot be anyone who is more relaxed on the snooker circuit than Williams.

Unsurprisingly, he did not panic - even if he took two bites at the cherry to take frame 31. It was almost as if he knew it was going to be this tough.

Nevertheless, the Welshman made it look easy in frame 32 as his 12th century of the tournament - an exact 100 - took him within a frame of the title.

In the next frame, Williams indeed was one ball away - but, after a missed pink, Higgins made yet another nerveless comeback clearance.

Williams, though, was ultimately not to be denied, as he kept Higgins off the table with a match-winning break of 69.

The 2000 and 2003 champion celebrated his third world title by conducting a naked press conference, fulfilling a promise he had made before the championship in the event of victory.

"This was one of the most enjoyable matches and it was always going to be tough against John," he said, while attempting to cover his modesty.

"The occasion was brilliant and the crowd got involved too. It was an emotional experience that I did not think I was going to get again. Twice is brilliant but three times is unbelievable."

Williams then celebrated with an all-nighter before eventually falling asleep on the couch.

But, despite his merry high jinks, the Welshman is a down-to-earth, family man who is appreciated among the professional snooker ranks at large.

Throughout the tournament, his middle son of three, Kian, has accompanied him in his interviews, probably not quite realising what he was witnessing.

Indeed, none of the Welshman's three sons - Connor, Kian or Joel - were alive when he previously won the world title.

But, even if Williams never wins on the baize again, his sons will have now seen something truly historic.

For, no one ever has won a world snooker title after a 15-year gap until Williams this year. His victory is an incredible achievement.

2018 WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIPS
FULL RESULTS
FIRST ROUND
Best of 19 frames


(1) Mark Selby4-10Joe Perry

(16) Mark Allen10-5Liam Highfield

(9) Kyren Wilson10-3Matthew Stevens

(8) Shaun Murphy9-10Jamie Jones





(5) John Higgins10-7Thepchaiya Un-Nooh

(12) Stuart Bingham7-10Jack Lisowski

(13) Luca Brecel6-10Ricky Walden

(4) Judd Trump10-9Chris Wakelin





(3) Ding Junhui10-3Xiao Guodong

(14) Anthony McGill10-8Ryan Day

(11) Marco Fu5-10Lyu Haotian

(6) Barry Hawkins10-7Stuart Carrington





(7) Mark Williams10-5Jimmy Robertson

(10) Neil Robertson5-10Robert Milkins

(15) Ali Carter10-8Graeme Dott

(2) Ronnie O'Sullivan10-7Stephen Maguire

SECOND ROUND
Best of 25 frames


Joe Perry8-12Mark Allen (16)

(9) Kyren Wilson13-5Jamie Jones





(5) John Higgins13-1Jack Lisowski

Ricky Walden9-13Judd Trump (4)





(3) Ding Junhui13-4Anthony McGill (14)

Lyu Haotian10-13Barry Hawkins (6)





(7) Mark Williams13-7Robert Milkins

(15) Ali Carter13-9Ronnie O'Sullivan (2)

QUARTER FINALS
Best of 25 frames


(16) Mark Allen6-13Kyren Wilson (9)

(5) John Higgins13-12Judd Trump (4)





(3) Ding Junhui5-13Barry Hawkins (6)

(7) Mark Williams13-8Ali Carter (15)

SEMI FINALS
Best of 33 frames


(9) Kyren Wilson13-17John Higgins (5)

(6) Barry Hawkins15-17Mark Williams (7)

CENTURIES (84)
12Mark Williams140, 135, 118, 114, 113, 113, 110, 103, 102, 101, 100, 100
11John Higgins146, 136, 134, 131, 127, 119, 117, 104, 101, 100, 100
9Barry Hawkins133, 132, 129, 129, 128, 124, 117, 113, 103
7Kyren Wilson140, 126, 125, 124, 121, 106, 105
5Ding Junhui126, 124, 113, 102, 102
5Judd Trump103, 103, 101, 100, 100
4Lyu Haotian127, 125, 122, 100
4Ali Carter126, 115, 108, 106
4Ronnie O'Sullivan121, 118, 110, 105
3Shaun Murphy137, 102, 101
3Joe Perry120, 109, 103
2Ryan Day145, 141
2Mark Allen133, 122
2Jack Lisowski128, 105
2Jamie Jones124, 114
2Ricky Walden122, 105
2Thepchaiya Un-Nooh121, 112
2Marco Fu120, 102
1Chris Wakelin141
1Stuart Bingham123
1Stephen Maguire101
HIGH BREAK John Higgins (146) v Jack Lisowski, R2

Friday, 4 May 2018

Labour left limited as Tories hold ground

SCOREBOARDCouncils+/-Seats+/-Share
Labour74-2350+77  35%
Conservative46-21332-3335%
Liberal Democrats9+4536+7516%
Independent--97--
Residents' Association--46-2-
Green--39+8-
UKIP--3-123-
Liberal--1-1-
No Overall Control21-2---

LABOUR struggled to make much headway on a mixed night for the two major parties in the English local elections held on Thursday.

Jeremy Corbyn's party gained a net total of 77 seats and took control of three more councils - but also lost control of three local authorities and failed to get near to taking many of its targets.

The Conservatives - as a governing party - had some unexpectedly bright results, taking Redditch directly from Labour as well as Barnet, Basildon, and Peterborough from no overall control.

However, the Tories lost control of Plymouth directly to Labour and lost three councils directly to the Liberal Democrats - including Kingston upon Thames and Richmond upon Thames in London.

Labour's own anticpated London surge never really materialised - there were gains in Wandsworth and four seats changed hands in Westminster.

But, in Hillingdon and in Barnet, Labour actually lost ground to the Conservatives - and, in Barnet, where there is a significant Jewish population, it was enough for the Tories to take control.

Prime Minister Theresa May thus emerged relatively unscathed in what was her first electoral test since her botched attempt to increase her majority in last year's early general election.

It did not seem to matter that, in the intervening 12 months, there have been no fewer than four major ministerial resignations with the most recent of them occurring less than a week ago.

Amber Rudd's decision to step down as Home Secretary over the Windrush scandal was not a surprise.

Indeed, it became inevitable once she had admitted to “inadvertently” misleading Parliament over the existence of deportation targets.

Out of all the resignations from this ramshackle government, however, the departure of Ms Rudd will have hit Mrs May hardest.

After all, many of the problems at the Home Office are historic in their nature and date back to when the current PM was Home Secretary herself.

Meanwhile, the Brexit negotiations continue to be a mess. As it stands, Britain is still no closer to knowing what relationship it will have with the customs union or indeed what will happen with the border in Ireland.

Time is running short. There are now just 328 days until Britain formally leaves the European Union on 29 March 2019 - although even this does not appear as black-and-white as it seems.

One thing which can be said for certain as a result of these elections - UKIP, having already achieved its aim of removing Britain from the EU, is now finished as a political force.

Four years ago, when the vast majority of these seats were last contested, UKIP was riding high and in fact took the most votes in the European elections held on the same day.

On Thursday, however, the Eurosceptic party took only three seats - including two in Derby - but it also lost 123 councillors, a year after having lost 145.

In a remarkable interview, the near-wipeout led Paul Oakley, the general secretary of UKIP, to liken the party to the Black Death, a pandemic which claimed millions of lives in the 14th century.

And there certainly can be no more definitive end than that.

Of course, the Conservatives have been the main beneficiaries of the collapse in the UKIP vote - but this is effectively just the right-wing of the Tory party returning to the fold.

Indeed, neither major political party seems able to break outside of its comfort zone.

For instance, there are still no Conservative councillors in Newcastle upon Tyne, Manchester, Liverpool, or Sheffield.

And, within the capital, Labour now holds all the seats in the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Lewisham, and Newham, and all-but-one of the councillors in Islington.

Outside of the big cities, though, Labour continues to struggle to break through.

There was little progress, if any, in the likes of Dudley, Swindon, Carlisle, or Walsall - and Mr Corbyn admitted he was "disappointed at any places where we lost a bit of ground".

But, if anything, Mrs May should be more worried. For, even with the support of the voters returning from UKIP, the Conservatives' lack of appeal in London and the big cities appears to leave them without a clear path to a majority.

It was quite appropriate that, after all the votes were counted, the national projected share of the vote calculated both parties to be sat on 35%.

Yes, these elections were the definition of political stalemate.
  
Results in full
Labour Conservatives Liberal Democrats No overall control
  
LONDON
Barking and DagenhamBarnetBexley
BrentBromleyCamden
CroydonEalingEnfield
GreenwichHackneyHammersmith and Fulham
HaringeyHarrowHavering
HillingdonHounslowIslington
Kensington and ChelseaKingston upon ThamesLambeth
LewishamMertonNewham
RedbridgeRichmond upon ThamesSouthwark
SuttonTower HamletsWaltham Forest
WandsworthWestminster
Note: Bolded areas show party has gained control

METROPOLITAN AND UNITARY COUNCILS
BarnsleyBirminghamBlackburn with Darwen
BoltonBradfordBury
CalderdaleCoventryDerby
DudleyGatesheadHalton
HartlepoolKingston upon HullKirklees
KnowsleyLeedsLiverpool
ManchesterMilton KeynesNewcastle upon Tyne
North East LincolnshireNorth TynesideOldham
PeterboroughPlymouthPortsmouth
ReadingRochdaleSt Helens
SalfordSandwellSefton
SheffieldSloughSolihull
SouthamptonSouthend-on-SeaSouth Tyneside
StockportSunderlandSwindon
TamesideThurrockTrafford
WakefieldWalsallWigan
WirralWokinghamWolverhampton
Note: Bolded areas show party has gained control

NON-METROPOLITAN DISTRICT COUNCILS
AdurAmber ValleyBasildon
Basingstoke and DeaneBrentwoodBroxbourne
BurnleyCambridgeCannock Chase
CarlisleCastle PointCheltenham
CherwellChorleyColchester
CravenCrawleyDaventry
EastleighElmbridgeEpping Forest
ExeterFarehamGosport
Great YarmouthHarlowHarrogate
HartHastingsHavant
HuntingdonshireHyndburnIpswich
LincolnMaidstoneMole Valley
Newcastle-under-LymeNorth HertfordshireNorwich
Nuneaton and BedworthOxfordPendle
PrestonRedditchReigate and Banstead
RochfordRossendaleRugby
RunnymedeRushmoorSt Albans
South CambridgeshireSouth LakelandStevenage
TamworthTandridgeThree Rivers
Tunbridge WellsWatfordWelwyn Hatfield
West LancashireWest OxfordshireWinchester
WokingWorcesterWorthing
Wyre Forest

Note: Bolded areas show party has gained control

MAYORAL ELECTIONS
HackneyLewishamNewham
South YorkshireTower HamletsWatford

Monday, 30 April 2018

Slick Man City net century of goals




Premier LeaguePWDLFAGDPts
CManchester City35303210226+7693
2Manchester United3524566727+4077
3Liverpool36201248037+4372
4Tottenham Hotspur3420866631+3568
5Chelsea3520696034+2666
6Arsenal35176126748+1957
7Burnley361412103532+354
8Everton36139144254-1248
All final day fixtures begin at 3pm on Sunday 13th May

CHAMPIONS Manchester City equalled the Premier League record for goals scored in a season as they racked up their 30th win of an outstanding campaign.

The Blues won 4-1 against struggling West Ham United at the London Stadium yesterday to bring up their century of strikes with three games still left to play.

Pep Guardiola's men had already been crowned champions a week earlier when cross-town rivals Manchester United lost 1-0 at home against bottom-of-the-table West Bromwich Albion.

It was hardly a glorious way for Man City to win their third Premier League and fifth English title overall.

Indeed, the best chance of unsurpassable glory came and went at the start of April when Man City unfathomably blew a dominant 2-0 half time lead to lose 3-2 to Jose Mourinho's Red Devils.

Man City also went out of the Champions League to Liverpool in the same week - but, since then, they have recovered their scoring touch and their sheer weight of goals makes them the most clear-cut title winners in many years.

Man United - who are in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea - look set to take the runners-up spot following Marouane Fellaini's stoppage time winner against Arsenal yesterday.

But the final two Champions League places are undecided as of yet.

Liverpool, in third place on 72 points, are in pole position for one of them having remained unbeaten at Anfield all season.

The Reds' 0-0 home draw against Stoke City suggested they may have other things on their mind, though.

After all, Jurgen Klopp's side - having beaten Man City in their all-English quarter final - travel to Roma in the semi finals this week with another three-goal lead to defend. An eighth European Cup final is theirs for the taking.

Of course, trophies have once again eluded Tottenham Hotspur this season - and fourth-placed Spurs must now be careful of being caught in the final Champions League place by a resurgent Chelsea.

Antonio Conte's displaced champions have won their last three games and belatedly look a threat - following their highly disappointing defence of the title.

At least Spurs can console themselves that they are guaranteed to finish above north London rivals Arsenal for a second year in a row.

Indeed, it came as no surprise when Arsene Wenger - amid growing discontent at the Gunners' away form - announced his intention to quit his post in the summer after a stunning 22 years at the club.

Defeat at Old Trafford was the Londoners' sixth away reverse in a row - and Arsenal are, in fact, the only club in the English league to fail to pick up a point on the road in 2018.

Yet, remarkably, Wenger's reign could still end in glorious fashion with victory in the Europa Cup final - and qualification for Champions League.

First, though, Arsenal will need to get past Atletico Madrid in the semi finals by repairing the damage of a disappointing 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Emirates. It looks to be a tough ask.

Meanwhile, at Turf Moor, European nights also look set to be on the menu for the first time since 1967 as Burnley pretty much sealed seventh place with a 0-0 draw at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.

The point keeps the Clarets six points clear of Everton - and the Lancastrians' superior goal difference makes it highly unlikely that the eighth-placed Toffees can catch Sean Dyche's men.

The point is also likely to keep Brighton in the top flight ahead of their tough run-in as West Ham, Huddersfield Town, and Swansea City currently lie in more danger just above the drop zone.

West Ham, in 15th on 35 points, are just three clear of Southampton in 18th after consecutive 4-1 defeats have left them with the leakiest defensive record in the division.

Meanwhile, Huddersfield - also on 35 points - have won just three times in 2018 as they aim to stay up in their first top-flight season since 1971-72.

Unfortunately for David Wagner's Terriers, they face Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal in their last three games - and so there does not appear to be much opportunity for the west Yorkshire club to top up their points total.

By contrast, Carlos Carvalhal's Swansea can be more hopeful - despite them sitting 17th after a run of just one win in eight.

After all, the Swans' remaining fixtures include home games against the two sides - Southampton and Stoke - who are immediately below them.

Naturally, those matches will be looked upon as big opportunities by the Saints and the Potters as well.

But Stoke know that, to get out of trouble, they will need at least four points - and probably all six - from their last two games because of their dreadful goal difference.

For West Brom, rock bottom since the end of January, the scenario is even simpler - only six points will do.

Even then the Baggies are reliant on a silly number of results somehow working in their favour - and all of this comes in spite of a decent late run under caretaker manager Darren Moore.

Two wins and two draws - including a victory at Old Trafford - have sent eight points to the Hawthorns since the start of April.

Unfortunately, the upsurge has also left fans wondering just what might have been if one-man managerial disaster Alan Pardew had been jettisoned sooner.

14Brighton & Hove Albion35813143247-1537
15West Ham United35811164367-2435
16Huddersfield Town3598182756-2935
17Swansea City3589182752-2533
18Southampton35614153554-1932
19Stoke City36612183265-3330
20West Bromwich Albion36513183054-2628



Championship
PWDLFAGDPts
CWolverhampton Wanderers4530968236+4699
2Cardiff City45278106939+3089
3Fulham45251377843+3588
4Aston Villa452411107241+3183
5Middlesbrough45229146543+2275
6Derby County451915116647+1972
7Preston North End451816115545+1070
8Millwall451815125545+1069
All final day fixtures begin at 12.30pm on Sunday 6th May

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS turned on the style last Saturday as they beat struggling Bolton Wanderers 4-0 to seal the Championship title.

The Old Gold had already been promoted a week earlier when third-placed Fulham failed to beat Brentford.

And their only remaining aim now is to see whether they can top the 100 points mark in their final match against already-relegated Sunderland.

For Cardiff City and Fulham, however, the last day on Sunday promises to be a far more tension-filled affair.

The Cottagers have produced an extraordinary unbeaten run of 23 games to put behind their customary early season slumbers and rise from 17th in November to third place.

By contrast, the Bluebirds started brilliantly, winning their opening five games and losing just three times prior to the weekend before Christmas.

Since then, the pressure on Neil Warnock's unfancied side has told at times - but three wins out of the last four have kept the Welsh club's noses in front ahead of the final day.

Cardiff face Reading at home while Fulham travel to Birmingham City - and notably both of the promotion candidates' opponents have their own concerns at the other end of the table.

Aston Villa, in fourth, and Middlesbrough, in fifth, have already confirmed their places in the playoffs - but that will come as a disappointment in some ways for Villa considering their run of seven successive wins in the New Year.

Inconsistency either side of that sequence has prevented Steve Bruce's side from mounting a more serious challenge on the automatic promotion places, and a similar failure to string results together could also cost Boro.

At least, Villa and Boro already know that they have extra fixtures to fulfill.

Derby County remain on tenterhooks, as usual, ahead of their final game at home to Barnsley - for defeat could let in Preston North End if the Lilywhites win at home against Burton Albion.

Once again, both of these contenders' opponents have their own issues to sort out in an almighty scramble to avoid the two remaining relegation places.

Reading and Birmingham appear to be in easily the best positions as both effectively need just a point due to Burton's horrendous goal difference.

Unfortunately for them, though, they play the two automatic promotion contenders Cardiff and Fulham respectively.

Instead, Barnsley are first in line to be caught - the Tykes are currently outside the bottom three only on goal difference and, as mentioned, face playoff chasing Derby on the last day.

Not that it will be any easier for Burton away at Preston - though at least the Brewers can point to an extraordinary turnaround in recent form.

Three wins on the spin - including two against rivals Sunderland and Bolton - have provided genuine hope of this Championship odyssey earning a third chapter.

For Bolton, however, hope is receding fast. Defeat at Burton was the Trotters' sixth in their last seven matches and their poor goal difference means only a win against Nottingham Forest will be good enough.

Whatever happens on Sunday, one thing is certain - Sunderland are down and finishing rock bottom, having become only the third team in history to finish bottom of the top two tiers in successive seasons.

Of course, the Black Cats have been in the third tier before - for one season in 1987-88.

But, despite a backdrop of dwindling attendance, this has been an unexpected demise for many at a club whose players remain on Premier League wages.

The Mackems indeed only have themselves to blame having previously thrown bad money after worse in an attempt to stay on the top flight gravy train. They even resorted to playing a known child sex offender in their desperation to stay up.

Yesterday, former Wales boss Chris Coleman was the latest manager to depart from the pit of misery on Wearside with his reputation tarnished.

Coleman's departure came as American owner Ellis Short finally sold the club to Eastleigh chairman Stewart Donald.

And, indeed, it could well be that this ailing club has finally bottomed out.

Debt-free, Sunderland will be hoping to start afresh under new ownership and with a new manager and a more committed set of players. One thing for sure, though, is that it is a long way back. 

19Reading451013224870-2243
20Birmingham City45127263567-3243
21Barnsley45914224768-2141
22Burton Albion451011243779-4241
23Bolton Wanderers45913233672-3640
RSunderland45616234980-3134




League OnePWDLFAGDPts
PWigan Athletic45281168829+5995
PBlackburn Rovers45271268039+4193
3Shrewsbury Town45251286038+2287
4Rotherham United45237157253+1976
5Charlton Athletic452011145850+871
6Scunthorpe United441816106249+1370
7Plymouth Argyle441911145652+468
All final day fixtures begin at 5.30pm on Saturday 5th May

WIGAN ATHLETIC and Blackburn Rovers will battle it out for the League One title with both clubs having already sealed an immediate return to the Championship.

The Latics won promotion on 21 April after their 4-0 thumping of Fleetwood Town made it a remarkable fifth end-of-season change of division in the last six years.

Meanwhile, Rovers' return to the second tier was confirmed three days later in a 1-0 midweek win at Doncaster Rovers.

At the weekend, both clubs surprisingly failed to win. Wigan may have felt they had messed up by only taking a point at home to AFC Wimbledon - but Blackburn suffered just their sixth defeat of the season at playoff chasers Charlton Athletic.

Wigan, now with a two-point advantage and better goal difference, travel to Doncaster on the final day effectively in need of just a single point for the title.

Blackburn, however, should take advantage of any slip ups at home to mid-table Oxford United.

Of course, for much of the season, there was a three-horse race at the top of the division - but inconsistent form since March has left long-time leaders Shrewsbury Town out of the running.

Nevetherless, this has still been an excellent campaign for the Shropshire club - and they could yet reach the second tier for the first time since 1989 through the playoffs.

Fourth-placed Rotherham United have also already confirmed their place in the top six, something which represents a decent recovery by Paul Warne's men following their own tough relegation last year.

However, the last two playoff places remain up for grabs. Charlton - currently in fifth - did their chances the world of good with that win over Blackburn and the Addicks probably need just a point at Rochdale to be sure.

After all, Lee Bowyer's men can only benefit from the fact that their two closest rivals Scunthorpe United and Plymouth Argyle actually face each other in a vital clash on Tuesday.

At the bottom, Bury have long been consigned to their fate, becoming the team in the top four divisions to go down after their 3-2 home defeat by Northampton Town on 14 April.

The Cobblers followed up that result with an impressive victory against Plymouth - but defeat on Saturday at Walsall has left them three points adrift heading into the final day.

Northampton have the worst defence and by far the worst goal difference in the division - and therefore only hold a technical chance of retaining League One status.

But not even that applies to controversial Buckinghamshire side Milton Keynes Dons who return to the basement league for the first time in 10 years following a sixth successive defeat.

Effectively then, there is just one more place left to be decided - and Rochdale, who have now used up a series of games in hand, suffered a highly damaging defeat on Saturday at Oxford to drop into the bottom four.

The Dale replaced Oldham Athletic in the relegation places after the Latics secured a 0-0 draw against Doncaster.

Oldham, looking to secure a 22nd consecutive season at the third level of English football, travel to Northampton on the final day - and, while Rochdale are at home, their task against in-form Charlton appears much tougher.

AFC Wimbledon and Walsall are not yet mathematically safe - but both could secure their League One status on Tuesday in their games in hand against Bradford City and Doncaster respectively.

As such, it seems certain that the real scramble to survive will be between the two Greater Manchester clubs below them.

18Walsall441312195263-1151
19AFC Wimbledon441312194556-1151
20Oldham Athletic451116185673-1749
21Rochdale451018174857-948
22Northampton Town451210234175-4346
RMilton Keynes Dons451012234269-2742
RBury45811263969-3032




League TwoPWDLFAGDPts
CAccrington Stanley45296107643+3393
PLuton Town45251289446+4887
PWycombe Wanderers452312107860+1881
4Exeter City45238146354+977
5Notts County452113117148+2376
6Coventry City45228156447+1774
7Lincoln City452014116347+1674
8Mansfield Town451817106651+1571
All final day fixtures begin at 3pm on Saturday 5 May

ACCRINGTON STANLEY achieved their first ever promotion to the third tier of English football - and sealed the League Two title on Saturday with a 1-0 win over playoff contenders Lincoln City.

Stanley - once derided in a 1980s milk advert - only returned to the Football League in 2006 following the collapse of the original league club in the 1960s.

But every club deserves a day in the sun - and the Lancastrians certainly got theirs when Jordan Clark scrambled the winner in front of a record 4,753 fans at the Crown Ground.

Free-scoring Luton Town also comfortably gained promotion, scoring four or more goals on no fewer than seven occasions across the season.

The Hatters had to settle for three on Saturday against Forest Green Rovers but that was still enough to secure the runners-up spot, as all of automatic promotion places were decided ahead of the final day.

Wycombe Wanderers took the third spot as their 2-1 win over relegated Chesterfield and a shock defeat for Exeter City at Stevenage combined to leave the Chairboys four points clear.

Exeter remain in fourth place - and guaranteed of a playoff place - as Notts County also suffered an unexpected defeat at Grimsby Town, a result which secured the Mariners' League Two status.

And so it was left to the biggest club in the division - Coventry City - to produce the performance of the day with a 6-1 thumping of Cheltenham Town.

The Sky Blues' biggest win of the season increased the prospect of the club finishing in the top six of a division for the first time since 1969-70 and notably pushed their goal difference past their playoff rivals.

Lincoln are currently in the lowest playoff spot, level on points with Coventry, as the Imps aim for a second successive promotion having already tasted Wembley success this season in the EFL Trophy Final.

Mansfield Town are the only other club in contention - and the Stags need to beat Crawley and hope either Lincoln or Coventry lose home games against Yeovil or Morecambe respectively.

Interestingly, the Coventry-Morecambe match is also a massive match for the Shrimps following their awful 1-0 defeat at home to Barnet.

Jim Bentley's men started the day five points clear - and could have killed off the Bees' hopes even with just a draw.

But Alex Nicholls's late winner was enough to push Martin Allen's side to within two points of safety.

Furthermore, Barnet's last fixtures comes against rock-bottom Chesterfield who have fallen out of the Football League for the first time since 1921 amid a sequence of four successive defeats.

The Spireites may have a game in hand against mid-table Newport County on Tuesday but the fate of the Midlands' club - a second successive relegation - has already been sealed.

22Morecambe45918184156-1545
23Barnet451110244365-2243
RChesterfield4498274680-3435




National LeaguePWDLFAGDPts
CMacclesfield Town46271186746+2192
2Tranmere Rovers462410127846+3282
3Sutton United462310136753+1479
4Boreham Wood462015116447+1775
5Aldershot Town462015116452+1275
6Ebbsfleet United461917106450+1474
7AFC Fylde462013138256+2773
8Dover Athletic462013136244+1873

MACCLESFIELD TOWN returned to the Football League after an absence of six seasons following a 2-0 win away at Eastleigh on 21 April.

The Silkmen had been top of the division since December - and, though Aldershot Town closed to within a point of them in January, the Cheshire club lost just once after that to pull away again.

Wirral club Tranmere Rovers finished in second place - and, along with Sutton United, have qualified automatically for a home playoff semi final.

Before then, though, there will be two one-legged qualifiers between the teams who finished between fourth and seventh.

Boreham Wood host AFC Fylde while Aldershot take on Ebbsfleet United - with Dover Athletic having just missed out in eighth place.

The Whites' final day win over Woking was rendered irrelevant as Fylde played out a 0-0 draw at Wrexham.

However, it would have been harsh on the divisional top scorers Fylde if they had missed out on these revamped playoffs - especially as it is the Coasters' first season at this level.

Ultimately then, the result at the Dover-Woking meant far more to the latter as they were relegated following a six-year stay in the non league top division.

Meanwhile, the fate of Guiseley, fan-owned Chester, and Torquay United had all already been determined in advance of the final day.

Salford City - champions of the National League North - and Havant & Waterlooville - champions of the National League South - are two of teams promoted to replace them.

The other two places will again be decided by playoffs in the respective North and South divisions.


20Barrow461116195163-1249
RWoking46139245576-2148
RTorquay United461012244573-2842
RChester FC46813254279-3737
RGuiseley46712274489-45 33