Middlesbrough v Norwich City (15:00 BST)

We finally have the Middlesbrough team, and their main striker Patrick Bamford is fit to start after overcoming an ankle injury.

Kike is the man to drop out, and that's the only change from the team that beat Brentford in their play-off semi-final second leg.

Norwich City are unchanged from their semi-final second-leg win over Ipswich. Striker Lewis Grabban makes the bench after returning from suspension.

Still waiting for confirmation of the Middlesbrough line-up, providing they make it through the London traffic...

Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos, Whitehead, Ayala, Gibson, Friend, Clayton, Leadbitter, Adomah, Vossen, Tomlin, Bamford.

Subs: Ripley, Kike, Forshaw, Reach, Amorebieta, Nsue, Woodgate.

Norwich City: Ruddy, Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Olsson, Redmond, Howson, Tettey, Johnson, Hoolahan, Jerome.

Subs: Rudd, Grabban, Hooper, E. Bennett, R. Bennett, O'Neil, Dorrans.

Hope Boro get a goal before h/t tbh

Game has petered out

I hope next season we see more Delia trying to hype up the crowd
LETS BE AVIN YA!!

So realistically who do you think will be promoted next year?

Middlesbrough has to win because they have the better emblem tbh

GOAL: Middlesbrough 0-1 Norwich City - Cameron Jerome (12 mins)

Claridge has been slaughtering Middlesborough on the radio for about half an hour now. Sounds like he's had a bet on them.

Are there any Boro/Norwich fans in this thread?
Or are all of them in wembley?

GOAL: Middlesbrough 0-2 Norwich City - Nathan Redmond (15 mins)

second goal was a definite foul.

why is this malaysian guy not showing the footy lads?

HALF-TIME
Middlesbrough 0-2 Norwich City

Anybody else really annoyed at the SkyBet odds ads being displayed on the little fence screens? I think it's pretty tasteless and disrespectful to the players.

>>14
very annoyed
skybet sponsoring the football leagues brings the whole game into disrepute

also lel redknapp's mic stopped working at halftime

Ironic lad culture is worse than genuine lad culture

You're all underclass and irrelevant and as a girl if you ever approached me in public I would feel repulsed

How do these literal who teams draw over 90000 fans?

>>17
day trippers

So does the £120 million squid go straight to Norich or whay?

Been asked to give my thoughts on the first half.

For me, Karanka's got this all wrong. Bamford should not have started and instead have should have started with Kike or played Vossen in his position. He's not match fit, nor is he sharp and to play him in a match of such magnitude highlights Karanka's inexperience as a manager. Neil on the other hand has got it spot on, they're pushing Middlesbrough''s defense to the limit. Dimi and Ayala in particular look to be the weak links in defense.

Can't see Boro mounting a comeback, think Norwich have the quality to see this out.

The Peoples Pundit.

>>19
I think it's spread over a few years in terms of TV revenue and sponsorship and such

Also parachute payments when/if they get relegated

who aasked you?

boro to draw 2-2 and lose in extra time.

>>17
because not all english people are bandwagoners like foreign people

>>23
lel what do you expect me to do?

I don't have any local ties to any English club, I'm exposed to the big ones that win stuff. Does that make me a supporter on the same grounds as someone that was born in London/Manchester/Liverpool? No it does not, but I still support and cheer for >my team even when they lose. I may have jumped on a bandwagon, but I'm still on that bandwagon twenty years alter.

>>25
Boro supporters leaving the arena after 2-0 tbh

>>25
most of the empty seats are in the corporate section

they just give tickets out to rich people for free and most don't bother turning up

Hey guys, Peoples Pundit here, been asked to give my opinion on who I think should make the Premier League's worst XI. As always, my opinion will remain unbiased and truthful.

My keeper would be Tim Howard. Reason being is that I think he's been the worst regular starting goalkeeper this season. He's past his prime and should be moved on in the summer. My center back pairing would be Antolin Alcaraz and Vlad Chirices who have both underperformed massively this season. Alcaraz has never looked like a Premier League standard defender, even during his Wigan days and Chirices has not build on from his decent first season at Spurs and has infact tarnished his reputation in the league. Defenders should be a priority for Spurs this season and I think Chirices should be moved on to make room. As for fullbacks, Danny Simpson and Ryan Taylor would occupy those spots. Both always look uncomfortable when facing a decent winger and are often beat by any player who possesses some sort of skill. They both play recklessly and nervously and it's no surprise that both men played for teams battling for survival.

>>24
If you want to be a faggot foreign bandwagoner thats fine but dont criticise the smaller teams you dont know shit about like these two, prick

I could of sworn Stephen Fry also supported both Arsenal and Spurs?

He's a cunt anyway who probably wanks to himself in the mirror

>>28
My center midfield pairing would have to be Kevin Nolan and Jack Rodwell. Always been a huge fan of Nolan and I think it's absolutley criminal that he's never been capped for England, especially after his 06/07 season for Bolton where he was absolutely immense, but he's past it now and he's a detriment to the West Ham side. He should be looking towards his coaching career now if that's what he wants to do; West Ham have one of the best coaching setups in the league so it would be a great learning environment there for him. As for Rodwell, well due to his injuries, he's become a shell of the player he was destined to be. He looks scared to make a tackle and afraid of putting in a shift in, incase he ruptures his ankle and stagnates his career further. Sad to say, but I think Rodwell's best days are behind him and I can only see him sliding down the Football leagues. Erik Lamela just isn't good enough to play in the Premier League and Spurs should cash in on him, as should Newcastle United with Yohan Gouffran, who also makes my XI.

My strikers would have to be Liverpool's Mario Balotelli and Newcastles Emmanuel Riviere. Balotelli has looked poor and bereft of confidence since his arrival at Anfield. I don't think Brendan Rodgers' style of management is well suited to his personality, I think he is too strict and a disciplinarian, similar to Jose Mourinho and Roberto Mancini, two other managers whom Balotelli has failed to deliver for. I think someone like Klopp would get the best out of him, a character who is also a great people person. Riviere wasn't rated pre Newcastle and now we can all see why. Didn't score at St James' Park this season and only got his first league goal last week. Definitely a shoe in for the worst striker ever to play in the league for me, he misses simple chances and finds it difficult to hold off play, due to the physicality of the league.

Actually a little exited for Norwich now that they have a decent manager and not that retard Hughton. May stick around this time

Whoa. Boro have woken up

Just how badly did the boro players get it in the changing room?

tfw have been watching the same stream uninterrupted since kick-off

Based Championship and their lackadaisical attitude towards illegal streaming

>>35
the only reason sky give a shit is when the big teams are playing because loads of people watch and streams take revenue off them

nobody really watches the footy league in comparison so they aren't really losing much money from it anyway

Middlesbrough is full of child sex offenders. Hope they get fucked over.

I don't want either of these shithouses in the premier league next season tbh

>>37

Committing libel on /sports/

wow, the edge

at least Boro are actually attacking now

>>37
It's well known here in the UK that Middlesbrough is full of paedophiles.

Why are Boro trying this hard to lose?

every Boro keeper I can remember back to Schwarzer has been flappy as fuck at set pieces

I don't understand it

Neither of these teams have a chance of finishing higher than 19th in the Premier League

Neither of these teams have a chance of finishing higher than 19th in the Premier League

3 out of the last 4 playoff winners have been teams relegated from the Premier League the previous season.

Let's all laugh at Middlesbrough; a town full of nonces.

the teams getting promoted should have to face the teams getting relegated to decide if they actually get promoted/relegated

HAHAHAHAHA! Fuck off Boro paedophiles!

>>48
Go away Scotland, nobody understands your promotion system

Boro will never get promoted.

>>51
Panda pops lads

>>48
that sucks balls

why the fuck would you give a useless waste of space like qpr a chance to stay afloat the expense of others despite being gash all season?

The Premiership only need two North East teams.

fuck norwich, can't wait to see them get relegated

second playoff final defeat in a row for Bamford

Thank god Chelsea won't have to play in them in my lifetime

>>53
It's a terrible system that gives shitty teams a get out clause.

If you finish 3rd bottom you should just fuck off tbh.

This league (Championship) is called the "fizzy pop" league.

>>57
maybe they could introduce it for the 4th bottom team, I'm tired of teams relying on 3 teams being worse than them to can survive (Villa, Newcastle and Norwich until last season)