Who will get promoted from the championship?

Skylinehead

I'm happy as long as Steve Bruce and Hull don't go up again.

blindpilot

This is going to go all the way to the last day. As a Boro fan I'm a little worried about our inability to hammer a few goals in when bossing games. Going to be an exciting and nail biting last 2 weeks!

OldRio

My nerves are shot to be honest.
Boro never do things the easy way. Away to Birmingham on Friday night is on Sky.

Johner

Burnley are as good as up, they will win their next 2 games comfortably even though they don't need to.

Boro - Brighton on the last day is going to be a cracker, Brighton could very well be going there only needing a point as Boro have a tough game next against Birmingham. I think Brighton will see off Derby easily enough, they have the momentum.

LuckyGent88

Some gift of an equaliser Middlesbrough just got from the Birmingham keeper. Keeper making his debut and had made some good saves already.

Borough now need to kick on and win this game

Kiwi_knock

Disappointed for Legzdins, his quick reactions had prevented two certain goals earlier in the match. Absolute howler though.

A draw is a fair score so far on the basis of the play.

Kiwi_knock

Great strike by Davis. Boro did not shore up their defence, and invited Birmingham to attack.

Very unlucky Boro, clearly onside.

L1011

Boro draw. Boro can still go up with a win against Brighton but nothing else.

There isn't a hope in hell of getting tickets for the Riverside but I'm seriously considering going over for the beamback at the Amex. Might book two flight options back!

Boots234

Boro unlucky not to get the win tonight, good game and Birmingham played very well. If Boro beat Brighton they go up regardless of Brighton's result against Derby on Monday

Kiwi_knock

Boro robbed by the linesman, but I think Birmingham deserved a draw. Really enjoyable game, very end to end. Next week's game with Brighton will be a cracker. I still think Boro will go up automatically.

Happy with that Birmingham performance, we have been rubbish the last few weeks but really put in a shift tonight. Certainly didn't play like a team already on their holidays. Add a bit of a depth to the squad over the summer, and we should be ready for another playoff push next year.

Insect Overlord

My memory's gone. Are there 2 legs in the play-off semi-finals?

L1011

An File wrote: »

My memory's gone. Are there 2 legs in the play-off semi-finals?

Yes, ET+Penalties on the second if required.

OldRio

Good grief. Boro should have scored 5 last night. As for that linesman? Words fail me.

Johner

Boro have drawn their last 3 now. I fancy Brighton to get a win on Monday and a draw at Boro.

Iused2likebusts

With boro having to play Brighton it's highly likely due to their marginal better gd that 3 pts will be enough to get burnley promoted.

Kiwi_knock

Brighton get a last gasp equaliser, doesn't really matter as they still have to go to Boro and get a win. Dunk rather stupidly got himself sent off so will miss out next week, so makes it all the much tougher for Brighton.

Johner

1-0 Burnley.

blueser

Johner wrote: »

1-0 Burnley.

https://twitter.com/SkySportsFL/status/727182915092664320

Johner

Burnley are up.

If Boro beat or draw with Brighton on the last day they will go up, only a win will do for Brighton. Should be a cracking game.

Harry Palmr

Well done Burnley, going straight back up is a tough enough ask. The feckers don't need the Ings tribunal money now!

Iused2likebusts

Delighted Sean Dyche is some manager unbeaten since Dec 26. Hopefully they can stay up this time unlike previous times they will be able to spend some money.

Paully D

Well done to Burnley. It's a cracking achievement to bounce straight back and not one that happens very often. It will be interesting to see how Dyche himself has developed, if at all. He was tactically naive last season and didn't show the interest nor nous in changing from his standard 4-4-2 formation despite it never really working.

As for the other spot, Brighton blew their opportunity today. I can't see 'Boro losing next weekend.

Derby will also be gutted as conceding that last minute equaliser means they've blown their remaining chance to get the 2nd leg of their playoff time against Hull at the iPro. That playoff tie is so intriguing.

Harry Palmr

Derby are perennial "chokers" hard to see why they'll be any different this season.

Iused2likebusts

Paully D wrote: »

Well done to Burnley. It's a cracking achievement to bounce straight back and not one that happens very often. It will be interesting to see how Dyche himself has developed, if at all. He was tactically naive last season and didn't show the interest nor nous in changing from his standard 4-4-2 formation despite it never really working.

As for the other spot, Brighton blew their opportunity today. I can't see 'Boro losing next weekend.

Derby will also be gutted as conceding that last minute equaliser means they've blown their remaining chance to get the 2nd leg of their playoff time against Hull at the iPro. That playoff tie is so intriguing.

I don't think he will change or should they just didn't have the players the last time. 442 has worked for Leicester and Watford. Unlucky last time with injuries as vokes did his cruciate. Marney got a bad injury in the new year and they ended up having to play afield a winger as cmid. They have a much better squad than the last time and this time will be able to afford to buy players.

Minderbinder

Paully D wrote: »

Well done to Burnley. It's a cracking achievement to bounce straight back and not one that happens very often. It will be interesting to see how Dyche himself has developed, if at all. He was tactically naive last season and didn't show the interest nor nous in changing from his standard 4-4-2 formation despite it never really working.

I know it would be extremely harsh but I think they should consider replacing him over the summer. Some of the stuff they play is very uninspired and I don't see a big difference between them now and the team that was comfortably relegated last season. With Dyche they are certain to struggle in my opinion.

Paully D

Minderbinder wrote: »

I know it would be extremely harsh but I think they should consider replacing him over the summer. Some of the stuff they play is very uninspired and I don't see a big difference between them now and the team that was comfortably relegated last season. With Dyche they are certain to struggle in my opinion.

I can certainly see this viewpoint and it's a drum I've banged regarding certain managers in the past. I don't necessarily disagree with you on Dyche but I think it's worth giving him the benefit of the doubt as that club seems to really be on board with him and I think it could do irreparable damage to morale considering the replacement managers they're likely to be able to attract. I don't see them being able to attract the Moyes type character that would have them forgetting about Dyche after a couple of wins.

But if he ends up going down again this season he'd be on my list of managers alongside those such as Mick McCarthy, Ian Holloway, Chris Hughton and Neil Warnock that I'd be using for promotion and then giving the axe to that summer if I went up under any circumstances.

blindpilot

What a huge game on saturday. Boro v Brighton. Me nerves are shot already. Confident Boro will get the job done at home. Solid home record. Just need to remember the mistakes from the playoff final last year and not let Brighton have a go in the first 20 minutes. Keep them quiet and there's more than enough quality in the team to see them off. Come on Boro!!

Well done to Burnley too.

Iused2likebusts

I dont think people realise that burnley is quite a small club. They are a town of 80,000 people the smallest population centre to ever have a team in the premier league. Stadium capacity of 22,000 probably only have a core following of 12to13k. In recent years due to success attendances have been much higher. They dont have somebody pumping money into them like other smaller clubs have had over the years. Last time in the PL they couldnt attract players due to having the lowest wage bill by a long way. They came up with qpr and leicester who would have had much bigger resources. What has happened the past 7 years is what the club needed to have a crack at surviving in the PL.
08/09 won promotion through the play offs. Pretty much signed nobody bar steven fletcher 3 million record signing. They had a deal in place that whoever bought an 08/09 season ticket would get a free season ticket if the club got promoted to the PL. So on promotion the majority of the crowd were getting in for free. Any money earned was used to clear loans and do up the training ground and modernise the stadium which is still very old school. No surprise they were immediately relegated.
The parachute payments helped keep their head above water and the sale of players
13/14 again won promotion. At the start of that season charlie austin left for qpr to go to a club that matched his ambition. Hardly any money spent wouldve been massive underdogs at the start of the season. I know when austin was sold most burnley fans thought they would have been relegated.
14/15 Couldnt attract any players. Signed keane from utds reserves and a couple of average championship strikers and kightly from wolves who was on loan the previous season. The wages on offer was obviously a big factor. For the 2nd half of the season arfield a winger played cmid as marney got injured just after the deadline. They had no other cmid in the squad. With the squad dyche had I thought they competed well and he got everyting he could out of the players he had.
15/16 This year is the first time I can ever remember burnley being able to compete for players.Having said that club captain shackell still wanted to leave to go to derby. Andre gray 9 million smashed the transfer record and id imagine they gave barton decent wages. They also spent a few million on a cb from brentford . The club is now in a great place financially and I reckon dyche will be backed in the transfer market this summer to help them compete. With bournemouth and watford staying up and whatever other 2 teams that get promoted there is a chance they will stay up this time.

Minderbinder

blindpilot wrote: »

What a huge game on saturday. Boro v Brighton. Me nerves are shot already. Confident Boro will get the job done at home. Solid home record. Just need to remember the mistakes from the playoff final last year and not let Brighton have a go in the first 20 minutes. Keep them quiet and there's more than enough quality in the team to see them off. Come on Boro!!

Yes I think it's going to be very difficult for Brighton to win as much as I'd like to see it. I think Boro will get the first goal early on and frustrate Brighton from there on in.

I wouldn't fancy Brighton in the play-offs either. Their style of play requires them to be a lot better than the opposition and I just don't see them having the composure to play their game under that sort of pressure. Hull or Derby will go up for me.

Iused2likebusts

I hope both Brighton and boro end up getting promoted. There has been nothing between the 3 teams all season.

L1011

Can't get a ticket for the Riverside (never got down to my paltry level of points) so I've got one for the Amex where they're going to have TVs on the pitch and the bars open etc. 5000 of 7000 currently allocated sold so far.