IT could all be over for Manchester City by tonight - or by Monday night. Or maybe, just maybe it might go to the last day.

If Middlesbrough, Derby and West Ham all win today City are down. If the Blues lose at Ipswich 48 hours later they are down. But Joe Royle prefers to look at the bright side.

"'I'm an outrageous optimist and I'm not contemplating relegation,'' he said.

"All I'm thinking of is three points at Ipswich on Monday and going into the last game with a chance.

"If we get to 40 points (which would require victories in their last two games) and it is not enough then that would be very unfortunate."

And Royle picked out a handful of players for special praise over the part they have played in City's late season revival which has brought seven points from the last three games.

"You can only admire the way the players have bounced back from the Arsenal defeat and some of the stronger characters have shone through.

"Shaun Goater has come back with his goals and is scoring at around one every two matches which is excellent and Alfie Haaland has dug in and emerged from a grey period he had not so long ago.

"Paul Dickov has blossomed again and Paulo Wanchope and Mark Kennedy have both returned from injury with a good attitude and there are a lot of signs individuals are getting better with their own games."

Royle also revealed that Ipswich skipper Matt Holland, who will be trying to send City down on Monday, could have been in a lazer blue shirt had the Maine Road boss had his way last summer. s

"I am an admirer of the lad and there was a time when I would have liked him at Maine Road but he was never available," he said.

"You can't just pick names out of a paper and say 'we'll have him' because if it was that easy there would be people here who are not."