String fellow

Apparently, licences should be renewed every 10 years with a new photo, and there's a potential fine of £1,000 for not doing so. But without a reminder letter from the DVLA, it's easy to overlook.

It's sometimes strange how things work out. Yesterday, I went to vote in the local elections and took my driving licence as id. However, it wasn't asked for by the clerk, but later I spotted that the licence's expiry date had recently passed. The expiry date is on the front and the valid until date is on the back - and they're different! I'd not received a letter from the DVLA to remind me to renew it, so it was just by pure chance that the situation came to light. Anyone who hasn't looked at their driving licence closely for a long time would perhaps be advised to check its expiry date, to avoid possibly being caught out.

With Ipswich winning last night, the combined points of the top 3 now stands at 280. This equals the record set in 2013/14 when City were champions with 102 points. That season, Burnley were second on 93 and Derby were third with 85, although they failed to get promoted. Another comparison with that season is City's overall record of results and goals, which are fairly similar, perhaps not unsurprisingly. Then: 46/31/9/6/83/35/102 Now: 45/31/4/10/89/39/97

It's hard to believe that in the space of less than week, our GD has improved by 12 compared with that of Leeds.

Curiously, Southampton are 5th in both the home and away tables, but easily 4th in the overall table. For me, the ideal pair of clubs to get promoted with us would be Ipswich and Norwich, leaving Yorkshire without any PL clubs.

Sometimes we have bottle and sometimes we bottle it!

That vital 5-0 win against Southampton was quintessential in proving that we do have bottle!

Quite Perfect Result!

When Chelsea helped us to secure the title back in 2016 by preventing a Spurs win, I don't recall too many City fans complaining. So why on earth would we not want a similar situation to occur this evening? In an era when kick-off times aren't all at the same time on the same day (except for the last day of the season), this sort of thing is always very likely to happen. In fact, from a safety point of view, it may even be preferable.

Looking at the total points for the top 3 in the Championship since it began in 2004/5, there have only been 4 instances where the final tally has exceeded what the top 3 have already got between them so far this season. Thus far, 273 points have been accrued, which is only 7 short of the highest previous end-of-season total of 280. That was in 2013/14, when City were champions with 102 points. The average points total of the top 3 over the past 19 seasons is 264, so already that figure has been exceeded, 88 points being the average individual number of the top 3 overall. With 7 games for the 3 clubs left to play, the maximum total would go up to 294, if every game were won. That would mean the top 3 averaging 98 points each, 10 more than the previous average, with the possibility that Leeds in 3rd place on 96 points could fail to get promoted, ho-ho!

To celebrate City getting to 94 points, I've concocted a magic square with 94 as the sum of all the rows, columns, diagonals, corners etc. But to make it more of a challenge, I also wanted to include the number of wins, draws and defeats in the grid. This is the result:- 27 14 10 43 40 13 17 24 23 30 34 07 04 37 33 20

It's on the A6003 between Uppingham and Oakham!

In the space of just over a fortnight back in the autumn, we beat Southampton, Preston and Blackburn all by three goal margins. On that basis, plus the confidence flowing from last night's win against Southampton, it's hard to see how we'll fail to get into the automatic promotion placings probably on Monday, especially as Preston have lost their last three games and will have nothing much to play for. The final game against Blackburn could be trickier if we're up by then, because we may relax and throw away the opportunity to become champions.

Being Saint George's Day, is that a bad sign?

If 'goading' a 'peaceful' protest is about wearing Jewish attire near to a pro-Palestine march where some are calling for a Jihad, then my understanding of those two words is clearly not correct. Tbh, it's hard to see how any march can be described as peaceful if it has the potential to turn to violence through something like this.