It's all over. Defeat to West Ham saw the near-inevitable come to pass. Despite defeats for Hull and Newcastle, Boro couldn't beat the Hammers on the final day and so are relegated after eleven seasons of Premier League football.

Despite the best attempts of the media to market this as a climactic conclusion to the season, all four struggling sides lost, leading to a predictable end to the season. As such, I won't spend too much time analysing the match at Upton Park, and instead offer a look back at the season as a whole, and analyse what went wrong and why.

Although Man United did beat Hull thanks to a marvellous goal, they never threatened to trounce them, leaving the impetus on the most goal-shy side in English football to win by a considerable margin. It was clear right from the start that none of this injury-wracked side had faith in scoring four goals, and as soon as Carlton Cole slotted home it was effectively over.

Fingernails: we're hanging by them, we're chewing them nervously. Boro are still not relegated yet, although judging by the expanses of bare red seats at the Riverside on Saturday, a lot of supporters just wish we'd just get it over with already.

Amazingly, despite Monday's crushing loss to Newcastle, at halftime in the last home game of the season we were out of the relegation zone, with Hull and Newcastle both losing while we lead Villa. At that point there was real hope in the air, and the crowd were defiantly chanting the Great Escape theme.

So that's it then. Both managers said it, every pundit agreed with it and every player knew it: lose this one and we're relegated. And now we surely are. Newcastle won the battle, and are in poll position to win the miniature war at the foot of the table.

It's still not a certainty, of course, but you'd get fantastic odds on us surviving now. We've lurched through the last part of the season, lacking any consistency or form whatsoever, and with Newcastle now above Hull and West Brom beginning to get results, it would be a safer bet that we finish bottom of the league.