Crikey that was a waste of time.

You only need a couple of million or so to get out of League 2. Numbers start adding zeros League 1 upwards.

Crikey no quality from either side.

Europa Cup Final worked perfectly well through my VPN set to Docklands so have already got the beer in for watching this evening. Could go out but with Farsons very tasty Belgian-style Victory 1565 on offer at 80p for a 500ml can, why bother? Over 5% proof so a happy drink. Access the football by going onto Youtube then search for BT Sport. Feed starts about 5 minutes before kick off so sadly you will miss out on Danny Murphy's build up...

How often have I got to explain that whereas most football debt is existentially unsustainable, Rovers debt is actually very safe. Yes 2010 to 2017 was off the scale horrendous but currently it could scarcely be better from a sustainability stand point for a club from an impoverished little town.

Sod it, I will own up to being very excited by the prospect of tonight's Final. I know after those two semis its probably odds on being a bore fest but both sides are set up to attack and counter attack at pace. Spurs will be heartened more by what they did to Citeh than their Lazarus act in Amsterdam. I admire both mangers immensely and the teams are packed with players who get you off your seat when on the ball. Damn it- I think it will be a classic- either a high scoring pulsating game or Liverpool thrashing Spurs in style.

and the money...

I posted the finances of all the PL clubs. Parachute payments get eaten by Prem League wages of 25 under performers they come down with and then some.

The key is going to be the loanees we get from Premier League clubs. No way would Villa be going up without Tammy Abrahams.

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/05/29/how-english-clubs-re-conquered-european-football?cid1=cust/dailypicks/n/bl/n/20190530n/owned/n/n/dailypicks/n/n/uk/247665/n

Wait until next March and even then it could be hidden by accrual accounting.

I forgot Everton too. Financial muscle has to come together behind the scenes and on the football field. The Premier League makes all its players multi-millionaires so where does a player want to be? On the park at Molyneux or occasionally making the bench at the Etihad? Signs of Wolves, Leicester, Everton having got their act together at a time when there are clear fundamental issues at Arsenal and Man U while Spurs and Chelsea were hardly invulnerable. Spurs lost 13 games last season- almost one in every three played. West Ham are third in the average attendance rankings by the way.

of European football actually. Quite possibly the likes of Wolves, Leicester and West Ham could begin bridging the gap next season.

That was a brilliant demolition job by Chelsea and Sarri sorted them to cut out their vulnerability to Arsenal getting round them at the back. In the end a good advert for the strength of the Premier League top 6.

I thought this Chelsea v Arsenal game would be sterile and it is.

I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered. In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life. I used to go missing a lot... Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World. The wit and wisdom of George Best

Downing can still cross a ball. Not my first choice by any means. However, I'd be surprised if Mowbray thinks his presence would bring something to a young squad if he is not looking. Had we had brfcs.com back in the day there would have been "past it" comments about Cowans, Wagstaffe, Gordon Taylor and so on before they arrived... Having said that, it is silly season and we are third in the rule of three so doubt there is anything much in it. The Rangers and Sunderland approaches do seem to have legs. 650 career appearances and 60 goals. Was an ever present in his two seasons at Liverpool and didn't play much at Boro this season over issues with Pulis and his contract.

A promotion squad needs four if not five central defenders in it. Mulgrew easily good enough to be in the squad. So Lenihan, New big gobbed big beast, Williams 1st reserve, Mulgrew 2nd reserve, Magliore 3rd reserve....

Derby's defensive weaknesses exposed. One less "big club" to worry about with Villa promoted. They have some players who are Premier League quality from which to build around.

Talk about supporters' lack of imagination while playing Championship Manager...

Just assumed that was what they'd been drinking.

Laugh at Ed Woodward, not me.

Yes the frightening thing- the status quo without transfer "investment" lands us in FFP bother. This is why Waggott is so focused on gate and commercial income. In football terms, these are small numbers.

Nick Harris' estimate of what clubs actually made through winning the play-off final depending on whether they stayed up or not.

I guess Bauer to Rovers extremely unlikely after that. Quietly effective today after his no show against Doncaster.