Game 36 for the Mags: W17 D5 L13

Date: Saturday 11 May 2024 at 3pm at St James Park – not on legal live UK TV.

Quizzy Rascal: What year were Brighton promoted to the Premiership and who was their manager at the time?

Football Trivia: Current Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi won the Romanian league twice as a player with CFR Cluj, the first time doing a double with the domestic cup (2009/10, 2011/12).

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This run in is even getting curmudgeonly old me excited.

To misquote the Breakfast Club, in the simplest terms, using the most convenient definitions: if NUFC win their last three games, starting with this home fixture against Brighton, then, Merci Chérie, the Black & White Army will march into Europe again; and probably winning just the next two games with a draw will do due to goal difference, but let’s not go that tight quite yet, please.

However, it won’t be the Cheation’s League (with its last minute Parisian Penalties) next season, but one of the lesser ones – which would still give Euphoria to this and many Travelling Mags. We thought this season had petered out, but a decent run of results had us Rise Like a Phoenix up the table again.

What’s Another Year in Europe, one might ask? Well, in the absence of winning anything domestically since before rationing stopped, I believe that Europe holds the Fairytale ending(start?) we’d all Love, Shine a Light!

Last preview time, I reiterated my respect for Fulham’s Marco Silva, and to be honest, I also quite like Brighton’s Roberto di Zerbi. Whereas My Number One, His Eddieness, gives a studious professorial demeanour on the touchline – which I do admire too – RdZ is far more animated. What better to get fans going, than a Wild Dances manager going mental up and down the touchline after a goal like a Puppet On A String – he certainly isn’t Quiet and Well-Behaved (Zitti e Buoni anyone?) and has had more touchline bans than Stuart Hall.

It looks like RbZ really cares, or at least it did until about 12 games ago when their form dropped off a cliff. Previous to Sunday’s surprise 1-0er win against Villa, the Seagulls had only beaten Sheff Utd and Forest in the League since Valentine’s Day (and Roma 1-0 at the Amex in Europop Cup, but went out 1-4 on aggregate after a first leg heavy away defeat).

The Seagulls like to pass out from the back, and we battered them due to this last season at SJP. A similarly unlearnt lesson was also branded on Burnley away last time out, as the Clarets got the Blues as they tried, and failed, to pass through our high press. Brighton are better than Burnley, but it looks like the seaside-town’s players have their flipflops on already (which is uncomfortable, as it is horrible, pebbly beaches down there, not lush, soft, freezing colds sands like up here).

Anyone can beat anyone in this league, but with zealous wins in the last two aways against Fulham and Burnley, NUFC have ensured they are not Running Scared: Hallelujah after some poor results on the road this season.

I Wanna Believe that the crowd and home advantage can ensure that the Only Teardrops are high up in Level 7 come final whistle on Saturday. The Seagulls do have some tidy players but with their season over, their manager being feted by other clubs, and likely some players too, and others with thoughts of the beach, Eddie’s boys will be the Heroes they can be and the Seagulls can meet their Waterloo.

OK, it’s Making Your Mind Up prediction time: home win, please: Boom Bang-a-Bang – we’ll be 2-0 up by half time and 5-0 at full time. If that comes in at 40-1 on Betfair, you can Save Your Kisses For Me.

Enjoy the game. Hopefully you can spot some Eurovision winners in the above. WARNING: It’s on tonight – whether you like it or not.

Freeman Mag

Answer: Brighton were promoted in 2017, with Comrade Chris Hughton at the Seagulls’ helm. NUFC in second place in that second tier that day lost 1-3 away at Ipswich (Monday 17 April 2017) leaving us 7 points behind BHA with only three games to play each. Then a bit of Rafa magic happened…..can we win three again and hope that Spurs ‘do a Brighton 2017’ – now that would be quite a Ding-a-Dong.