There are two big games that our fans will be watching today.
The first is the Championship playoff final between Fulham and Aston Villa at Wembley where the winner joins Wolves and Cardiff City in being promoted to the Premier League and all the big money.
We are hoping that Fulham win because they were unlucky last season and we are hoping Aleksandar Mitrovic – on loan in London – can score the winner for them.
He’s already helped them out this year by scoring 12 goals in just 19 appearances for Fulham.
Fulham’s talented Serbian manager Slavisa Jokanovic has already said he wants to sign his compatriot Mitrovic if the club gets promoted today and he is also interested in Dwight Gayle.
So we could even see two of our strikers move to Fulham if they can get promoted later this afternoon.
Aleksandar Mitrovic – Magpies’ striker on loan at Fulham
It’s going to depend on how the players react to the big occasion, and at least £100M is at stake for both teams – maybe Villa skipper John Terry can bring that patience and calmness to the Villa team?
Geordie Steve Bruce will lead out Aston Villa, and he’s done an excellent job since joining them as manager in October 2016 – this is his first full season in charge.
That’s one game we are really looking forward to, and it can affect some of our players being sold.
The second game is the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid and will take place in the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine.
Liverpool have won the European Championship (Champions League now, previously the European Cup) five times in their history and the last time was back in 2005 in Istanbul, Turkey.
That’s when current Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez was the Reds manager in his first season on Merseyside – and he produced the “Miracle of Istanbul,” and Liverpool won the game on penalties after the Reds had been 3-0 down at halftime to Milan.
Rafa made one or two tactical changes at halftime.
🙂
Real Madrid have won the European Championship 12 times including three of the last four years, and they won the trophy the first 5 times it was held from 1956 through 1960.
The favorites are Real Madrid – but we wonder about that.
Comments welcome.
Note:
Jack Farish is currently studying for a Master’s degree in sport and exercise psychology at Northumbria University.
His thesis project looks at Premier League fans’ team identification – how well they support and identify with their team.
Jack has put together a relatively short questionnaire of team identification and satisfaction with life; it should take no longer than 10 minutes.
You can help Jack by filling out the survey here.
236 comments so far
ilovetoon8788
May 26, 2018 at 3:02 PM
Comment #1It does look like rafa will not be given the kind of money he wants. Ashley has the club still on sale, so it makes no business sense for him to pour more resources into this club. This also adds to the fact as far as Charnley is concern, rafa has always been backed and we have shown ambition.
I really don’t know how our transfer window is going to turn out. But I’m just going to be patient and see.
lochinvar
May 26, 2018 at 3:07 PM
Comment #2Selling Mitrovich and Gayle should more than cover the purchase of Kennedy and Dubrovka and still have change left over for some other new recruits.
So the suggestions are that we’ll get Tammy on loan and not pay to buy Kennedy. And next season which starlet will Chelsea graciously let us have ? It may have escaped some journalists notes that we beat Chelsea on the last day of the season, they’ve failed to reach the Champions League a minimum target set by Abramovich, their manager is likely to leave, they need to rebuild their lunch box of a ground and the fans ain’t happy. If I was Kennedy I’d be clamouring to get a deal at SJP.
Go on Ashley I dare you before another Kane or Ali slips through your greasy fingers.
Beware Wolves or Fulham, they’ll have £160million for getting promoted – must be about the same money as a top six club in the Premiership., what happened to our wad ?
Essex Geordie Bill
May 26, 2018 at 3:40 PM
Comment #3Lochinvar
I’ve seen around 290m earnings quoted for the winning team in the Championship playoffs, it looks like it’s worth not being in the automatic promotion spots.
Seem to have lost my pound symbol on my keyboard. 🙁
lochinvar
May 26, 2018 at 3:56 PM
Comment #4EssexGB – that’s awful that part of your keyboard has gone missing. Just can’t trust computers these days.
I’ve a spare pound sign here so please feel free to use this one, my treat
£
Dragon64
May 26, 2018 at 3:59 PM
Comment #5as always loads of talk of players we are after but nowt come on you fat twat give Rafa what he wants
clinath@ed
May 26, 2018 at 3:59 PM
Comment #6Where do you get £160M from winning promotion?
Dragon64
May 26, 2018 at 4:01 PM
Comment #7would like to no were u get 160million from as well or do u mean what they could get of were they finish by the end of the new season?
clinath@ed
May 26, 2018 at 4:01 PM
Comment #8Surely the figures bandied about for winning the playoff final is their potential earnings in the following season? Not a winning prize
Dragon64
May 26, 2018 at 4:06 PM
Comment #9got to be cinath@ed
Dragon64
May 26, 2018 at 4:07 PM
Comment #10well lets hope Fulham can beat villa mitro get a couple would be great
clinath@ed
May 26, 2018 at 4:08 PM
Comment #11If villa do not win they are serious financial trouble
Essex Geordie Bill
May 26, 2018 at 4:09 PM
Comment #12clinath
Thats the slant i would take on it but i think there’s a substantial amount that can be garnered from the Wembley final. It’s probably that + next seasons money.
clinath@ed
May 26, 2018 at 4:13 PM
Comment #13It’s possible Essex, I wouldn’t know. Bet the FA swallow a good chunk for playing it at Wembley tho….
Essex Geordie Bill
May 26, 2018 at 4:13 PM
Comment #14clinath
Just to repeat an earler comment by me.
Any team but Villa I’d want to win but you have to admire Fulham’s efforts this season and do deserve be the third promoted team if they win.
Apparently Villa will be in the financial clarts if they don’t win and will probably have to off load their star players, Grealish anyone?
lochinvar
May 26, 2018 at 4:16 PM
Comment #15Winner to pocket at least £160m in revenue
Was the point on the BBC web site but granted it’s rather vague. Sure others will have a better view of what promotion is worth
Essex Geordie Bill
May 26, 2018 at 4:16 PM
Comment #16Lochinvar
Cheers mate but I can’t seem to get it off my screen onto the keyboard, what size hammer would you recommend?
clinath@ed
May 26, 2018 at 4:20 PM
Comment #17Grealish = Big yes
Bobbybee
May 26, 2018 at 4:34 PM
Comment #18Just a question. Anybody else having problems with The Mag? Every time I go on I get a malware warning. Deal with it, but it just reappears.
Bobbybee
May 26, 2018 at 4:37 PM
Comment #19The £160m (?) is based on what it can be worth to the winners when promoted. It’s not a prize of any description, just potential earnings.
clinath@ed
May 26, 2018 at 4:46 PM
Comment #20Hiya Bobby, been a while. Glad you’re back
Ron Knee
May 26, 2018 at 4:51 PM
Comment #21“Wembley hosts the English Football League play-off finals this weekend, with the winner of the Championship play-off final on Saturday set to receive at least £160m in revenue.
“That figure, which has been calculated by Deloitte and is spread over three years, could rise to £280m if either Aston Villa or Fulham manage to survive one season after reaching the top flight.” (BBC)
Ron Knee
May 26, 2018 at 4:53 PM
Comment #22It continues:
“The Championship final has long been billed as the richest game in world football, but the Premier League’s new domestic broadcast rights deal which starts in 2019-20 – worth at least £4.5bn – means a longer-term windfall if Saturday’s victors can avoid an immediate return to the second tier next season.”
Bobbybee
May 26, 2018 at 4:57 PM
Comment #23Now then Clint, been back a while mate, you must’ve been avoiding me. 🙂
Looking forward to watching Villa go broke if they don’t win this.
The reason we don’t look cash rich is because we were paying big wages in the Championship. For a team just coming up, the money looks more because their overheads are so small. Villa will be in the same position we were even with promotion, because their wage bill isn’t small.
Anyway, game on. Come of Fulham!!!!
Jib
May 26, 2018 at 5:00 PM
Comment #24The ideal for us would be
Fulham to lose
then
Swap Mitro and Gayle
for
Sessegnon
JohnJ
May 26, 2018 at 5:02 PM
Comment #25Repost from earlier thread.
Normally I would have preferred a Midland team to another one from London we have enough of those in the Premier League already ……..
But whilst I have a lot of sympathy for Wallsend lad Alex Bruce after his recent bereavements – I’ll never forget how the Villa fans took the p*ss out of us and our team after our relegation at Villa Park a few years ago………
So it’s a Fulham win for me I hope!
Jib
May 26, 2018 at 5:06 PM
Comment #26Alex Bruce plays for Wigan and was born in
Norwich
where his dad STEVE played before he joined
Man Yoo
clinath@ed
May 26, 2018 at 5:08 PM
Comment #27Nah Bobby, seen you been back, been enjoyin* readin* the banter on here…just the first chance to say hello
Essex Geordie Bill
May 26, 2018 at 5:09 PM
Comment #28Knew I’d seen 280m somewhere.
clinath@ed
May 26, 2018 at 5:14 PM
Comment #29Bet we don’t see £280M Essex…
Think I’d prefer Villa to come up, easier meat next season.
Ron Knee
May 26, 2018 at 5:27 PM
Comment #30Potentially 70 mins of stress for Fulham supporters.
Average_Contents
May 26, 2018 at 5:28 PM
Comment #31Those accounts get more and more puzzling as the days go by.
Talk about fiddling ffs!
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/939617242?-11058:809
Fat slug out!
Hwtl
Hwtf
Hail Wor Ashley
May 26, 2018 at 5:28 PM
Comment #32Stop trying to sell Gayle, Ed!
Nowhere have I seen anything credible to suggest he will leave and yet you mention it every other article.
Bobbybee
May 26, 2018 at 5:29 PM
Comment #33Ha ha!!! Get in. Just think, Villa might become another club playing Liquidator before games next season. 🙂 Mmm, get me coat then?
DubaiMicky
May 26, 2018 at 5:38 PM
Comment #34Steve Bruce used to live along the road from me when I lived in Knowle (near Solihull) when he was manager on Birmingham, strangely we regularly used to meet at the petrol garage there – his car was a lot nicer than mine (If I recall he had a Merc S class and I had a Volvo). Anyway, we’d chat and stuff about basically time of day things, I thought he was a decent guy.
Still hope he loses today mind you.
On a similar note, Andy Grey and Suzanne Dando used to drink in “The Boot” in Lapworth, he rarely spoke and she used to have her tits falling out all the time.
Happy days 2000-2004
lochinvar
May 26, 2018 at 5:40 PM
Comment #35How Sessegnon hasn’t been red carded for standing on Greylish’s kneein front of the fourth. official, linesman and referee defies logic. Perhaps they didn’t want to spoil the game for TV sky viewers.
Must be three match ban next season then.
GeordieTwo
May 26, 2018 at 5:49 PM
Comment #36Looks good for Fulham so far I’m happy to say. Can’t stand Villa.
Jib
May 26, 2018 at 5:50 PM
Comment #37I hope the CL final is better than this crock !
Hail Wor Ashley
May 26, 2018 at 5:50 PM
Comment #38Well I thought Villa’s experience would be their strength in a big game, so far been their downfall. All the old-timers looking past it and they’ve got little going forward.
Glad to see Terry having a bit of nightmare performance.
lochinvar
May 26, 2018 at 5:50 PM
Comment #39When Bruce was with Sunderland I think he lived in Pont because he would eat at The Wagon (now a Sea Food pub) and left tips for the staff which was probably on a Mackems expenses account so that was good of them.
GeordieTwo
May 26, 2018 at 5:50 PM
Comment #40Would love to take some big money off Fulham for Mitro.