No sweat

So in the end, it was alls well that ends well.  Newcastle United stay up and won't have any more 'interest-free' loans added to their holdings by the odious owner in a bid to get back in the Premier League.  Hull City go down and as the Championship is a 'local' league (despite being the fifth largest in terms of revenue in Europe) as opposed to the 'global' league of the top flight, mean their unpopular owner may concede defeat in trying to change the 'City' bit of the name to 'Tigers'.  West Ham United fans get to see the back of Sam Allardyce to whom they never warmed.  And Manchester United reel off another final day result which they didn't lose.
Newcastle beat the drop the right by beating a listless West Ham (an attitude I predicted by knowing Allardyce's contract wasn't being renewed) 2-0 at home.  Jonas Gutierrez, a man who has beaten cancer and in his last day at Newcastle, had a blinder, providing the assist for the first goal and scoring the second via a deflection.  The Dubious Goals Committee may subsequently take it away from him but they'll never take away the elation that accompanied the sealing of the triumph.  This day will always be special for him and for fans because of him.  John Carver got his first victory since the end of February.  It would have been tiresome to have been relegated but not the unthinkable trauma that occasioned 2009, safe in the knowledge that in many ways it would have hurt Mike Ashley greatly.  When the dark place drew with Arsenal midweek, I felt the scales tipped 60/40 against Newcastle (as one relegation rival was removed from the mix and Manchester United would have less incentive), yet all the same, that still meant there was a considerable chance the Toon would escape.  And with this victory, it means Newcastle finish above their bitter rivals for the fourth consecutive season.
Elsewhere, Liverpool recorded their heaviest defeat in over 50 years and against Stoke City at that.  There were rumours that Brendan Rogers' job would be on the line in the event of a loss at the Britannia Stadium and what a rout it was - 6-1.  Steven Gerrard, on what could be his last day in English football as a player, got the consolation goal.  It was also Frank Lampard's last day in England as a player - he was captain, he did score, his team Manchester City won, but he was substituted before the end (ovations are overrated) so we know who really got the most out of today!
I'm glad that Newcastle Utd will be playing Bournemouth next season and not Preston North End (though historically such positioning would have been reversed).  Preston's victory in the play-offs at the tenth attempt and the first in their history condemned Swindon Town to another season in the lower leagues.  As Swindon by curious chance (like Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion) are bitter derby rivals of Gillingham FC, their 4-0 crushing at the hands of the men from Preston was all the more sweeter.