Nearly there...

First of all, RIP Alan Ball (1945 - 2007)

Another one of the players I grew up with as a kid in the 1970s passes away: Alan Ball was up there with George Best, Bobby Moore and Billy Bremner. If you get a chance to see the 1966 World Cup Final, watch him - red number 7 jersey. That's what managers mean when they talk about 'having a good engine' and 'work rate'.

Now on to the sublime and the ridiculous. This may be the only blog in the e-niverse that features JaMarcus Russell, Tony Blackburn...and The Wurzels apparently playing some sort of demented ska version of 'I Am A Cider Drinker'. You have been warned.

A simple, yet stark truth to today's proceedings:

A win at Millwall will mean City are up with a game left. Unbelievably, there's a scenario where City could lose and still get promoted...see below.

It's difficult to keep focused on the implications of this, so here are some cold hard facts. Millwall can't make the playoffs now, despite a reasonably impressive run of form which saw them lose only three of their last games and beating Swansea and Nottingham Forest at home. However, they fell on their arses last week after Huddersfield Town beat them 4-2.

I don't imagine for one minute that Millwall won't be up for this, it's their last home game of the season and they'll be relishing the spoiler role.

Here's the scenarios:

City and Forest win: City up
City win, Forest draw: City up
City win, Forest lose: City up
City draw, Forest draw: City up
City draw, Forest lose: City up
City lose, Forest lose: City up

City draw, Forest win: goes to last day
City lose, Forest win: goes to last day
City lose, Forest draw: goes to last day

Not bad. Six of nine possible outcomes are positive.

And I'll be at Ashton Gate today anyway: I'm going to watch Bristol play Gloucester at Rugby. I wasn't quick enough to organise Millwall tickets and I don't want to go to Whitchurch Sports Centre to watch the live beamback. I'll be watching a different game, but I'll be outside and I'll be able to buy beer.

And as the sun begins to set on another football season, the sun begins to rise on another NFL season: the draft begins today although it looks as if NASN won't be carrying it over here...probably a good thing as after the first ten picks it gets a bit dull.

So who's going to be wearing Silver and Black next season: JaMarcus Russell or Calvin Johnson? I'll take either...both would be nice ;-)


JaMarcus Russell:


Calvin Johnson:


DEFINITELY more to come today, although it might be a little...unfocused, regardless of whatever happens.