But let's be brutally honest here. They've both got Buckley's, and that's quite simply because neither of them have been good enough.

That's not a statement made with the intention of laying the slipper into either team.

It's just the reality of their respective situations.

Newcastle don't deserve to be in the finals and will be post-season spectators for the fifth successive season, barring some sort of divine intervention in the final round of fixtures to be played today.

And Arsenal won't win the Premier League title because the competition includes a team called Manchester City, who are not just the dominant force in England, but probably the outstanding club side in the world.

Supporters clinging to the premise that their teams are still in with a "mathematical chance" could best be described as delusional.

Let's crunch the numbers on the Jets, for starters.

Heading into their last-round clash with Sydney FC, they're in eighth position, trailing sixth-placed Wellington by three points.

They also have a negative-13 goal differential, compared to Wellington's minus-seven.

So to cut a long story short, they need to give Sydney (a team they rarely beat at the best of times) a fair old hiding tonight, at Allianz Stadium, where they've won only a handful of games in their history. Meanwhile, they're relying on last-placed Macarthur FC giving Wellington a decent touch-up, as well.

Oh, and if it's not too much to ask, it would be convenient if Perth and Western United - who are level on points with Newcastle - could play out a draw.

I mean, if we're being fair dinkum here, I'm more chance of winning Powerball, and I haven't even bought a ticket.

Jets coach Arthur Papas, understandably, was staying positive after last week's 3-1 loss to Central Coast, insisting: "It's a long shot, but I just don't give up. If it's mathematically possible, why should we say it's not?"

But deep down inside, with the benefit of hindsight, Papas would realise his team blew it when they conceded late equalisers recently against Perth (2-all) and Melbourne City (1-all).

Had they hung on to win both those games, the Jets would be outright sixth on the points table and in control of their own destiny.

Even if they'd won one of them, a victory tonight might be enough to secure a play-off berth, without having to worry about goal differences.

Instead they are in all likelihood facing another year in the finals wilderness, and I'd suggest it's a valid question to ask whether Newcastle this season are even as good a team as they were 12 months ago.

Last season the Jets won eight games, drew five and lost 13 to finish on 29 points. They scored 45 goals and conceded 43.

This season the Jets have won eight games, drawn five and lost 12. They have 29 points to their name, which obviously they can improve upon with a draw or win against Sydney today.

They have again conceded 43 goals but scored only 30, which probably underlines how much they have missed the quality of Brazilian playmaker Daniel Penha.

It hasn't been the worst season in Newcastle's history. Far from it. But similarly it's not a campaign that long-suffering Jets fans will remember fondly for years to come.

In short, it's been the type of season that you would expect from a team stuck in the Twilight Zone, having spent more than two years under interim ownership, bankrolled by their fellow A-League clubs.

It's hard not to reach the conclusion that until the Jets have a genuine owner, or owners, it will be an ongoing battle to feature in the play-offs, let alone challenge for a championship.

In comparison to the Jets, Arsenal's prospects in the English Premier League appear downright rosy.

With five games to play, the Gunners are two points clear of their nearest rivals and tantalisingly close to their first EPL title since their remarkable "Invincibles" campaign of 2003-04.

The problem is that their nearest rivals are reigning champions Manchester City, who demolished Arsenal 4-1 midweek and have two games in hand.

Chasing a hat-trick of EPL titles and their fifth in six seasons - not forgetting a potential treble that also includes the FA Cup and European Champions League - City were already a class above their rivals.

And then, in the off-season, the richest club on the planet signed striker Erling Haaland, who like some sort of Scandinavian robot has proceeded to obliterate goalscoring records held by great players.

Somehow by mid-January Arsenal had forged an eight-point lead in the race for the crown, and supporters were daring to dream.

I never truly felt that was do-able. City were always looming in the rear-view mirror, a juggernaut continually building momentum and closing the gap.

Like the Jets, Arsenal will be left to reflect on draws against Liverpool and West Ham, after squandering 2-0 leads in both games.

It's never over, of course, until the full-time whistle is blown.

As they say, stranger things have happened. None of which spring to mind at this point in time.

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