Who is next year's ...?

Hull City v Watford

Saturday 29^th March

We had drawn our seven previous games but the failure of the other teams at the top to do much better meant that before this match and with a game in hand, winning an automatic promotion place was still in our own hands. Hull have been the form team of late, with wins at Plymouth and West Brom in February and five victories in March, and started above us on goal difference.

When Jun and I got to Sarah and Trevor’s, my brother told me were 2-0 down but when I saw the reports a little later I was heartened by the fact that the Baggies were losing and Bristol City and Stoke were only drawing. Things got worse, however, and after we’d conceded another and Steve Kabba had been sent off, West Brom equalised and then went ahead and the Robins got a winner. By five o’clock we were fifth and five points behind the leaders. Automatic promotion is no longer only down to what we do.

In Premiership news, Derby’s failure to beat Fulham coupled with Birmingham’s win meant the Rams became the first team to be relegated from the Premiership before April Fool’s Day and they look likely to record the worst points total ever, conceivably less than half Watford’s 28-point haul of last season. West Brom, despite glitches, should make automatic promotion. The second place could go to Bristol City, Stoke, Hull or us. The others will be trying to make it to Wembley to win the most lucrative single game of football ever (until next year) and the honour of being the bookies’ favourite to be relegated.

Who will be next year’s Derby? I’d still rather it was us than be in the Championship for another year but many don’t feel the same and a significant number feel we are so bad that the manager should go. One defeat in thirteen is hardly cause for sackings but seven points from the last twenty four feels insufficient for a team hoping for promotion. Nevertheless, I am with the Derby fans: there were more than thirty three thousand people at Pride Park watching two likely-relegated teams play. Loyalty may not be reciprocated by results but that is football.

WFC are a middling club who are punching slightly above their weight. Real fans will be happy about that even if they may also want more...What fan doesn't want more? More goals, more points, more clean sheets, more passing, more inspired substitutions, more tackles, more great signings…Hope is the fans’ life.