Summer Footie

We have a double header this evening as the MLS All Star Game kicks off at 9 PM EDT from KC on ESPN2. This is followed by Everton vs Juventus in the International Champions Cup, which kicks off at 11 PM EDT from San Francisco. Join me if you can.

British Problems Website

Simon found this site that's really funny. Hope you get a couple of laughs out of it too. Click Here!

The Mystery is Solved....

Ever since NBC's capture of the English Premiership rights and the decision of the Fox suits to close down Fox Soccer Channel, all Stateside footie fans have been wondering what was going to happen to the Champions League coverage. Well, fear not, LOBers - you're Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons are safe. Fox have announced the birth of a new channel - Fox Sports 1 - which, although not a soccer-specific channel, will have live coverage of both the Champions League and Europa League starting next month. Here's the statement on their website: "Fox Sports 1 (FS1) is an upcoming American sports-oriented channel. The network will air live sporting events, including Big East basketball, The UEFA Champions League, The UEFA Europa League, The NASCAR Sprint Cup, Major League Baseball (starting in 2014), the UFC, and original programming."

Although it's still to be seen, FS1's footie coverage will likely feature the same crew, including Eric Wynalda and Warren Barton. More information available at their website here:

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsports1

Your thoughts, chaps?

2013/14 Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Make Your Predictions Now!

Believe it or not, lads - it's that time again. With a week to go before the Championship season starts, I'm asking you to put on your thinking caps and make a set of predictions that will help you to wrest the  vaunted LOB Shield out of MUR's sweaty South Texas hands. I've expanded the competition this year to add even more excitement, so please post your predictions in the following categories:

* Premiership Champions (10 points)
* European Qualifiers (Choose those teams that you think will finish #s 2-5 in the Premiership - 3 points each team/1 bonus point for the correct order)
* Relegated Sides (2 points for each team/1 bonus point for correct order)
* Promoted Sides (2 points for each team/1 bonus point for correct order)
* League Cup Winner (6 points)
* League Cup Losing Finalists (if they qualify for Europa League) 2 points
* FA Cup Winner (8 points)
* FA Cup Losing Finalists (if they qualify for Europa League) 2 points
* Europa League Winner (6 points)
* Champions League winner (8 points)
* La Liga (Spanish) Champions (4 points)
* Bundesliga (German) Champions (4 points)
* Serie A (Italian) Champions (4 points)
* First Premiership Goalscorer (2 points)
* First Premiership Player to be Red Carded (2 points)
* First Premiership Manager to be Sacked (2 points)
* Premiership Top Goalscorer (6 points)

Best of luck, chaps - let the games begin!

The Cranky Wisdom of Donald Fagen

It's a Friday evening during a slow week on LOB, so I thought I'd share some excerpts from a brilliant Rolling Stone interview with the typically acerbic Steely Dan front-man Donald Fagen, one of my many musical heroes. Here are some of the best bits:

On Baby Boomer Fans: "People my age aren't that interested in music, period. They're much more interested in sports or the fact that their knee hurts."

On Steely Dan shows: "We're playing county fairs now. It's hard to tell these geriatric people apart from farm animals sometimes."

On Bob Dylan: "I've been to Dylan shows where I just walked out in the middle. He has about a dozen minor-key drone tunes with three chords. I find it very tedious. He actually has songs that are more boring than some early Appalachian songs. It's amazing. He has songs with 512 verses and almost no melody. I think a psychiatrist would be more useful than a throat doctor at this point.

Enjoy the full piece in the current ish of Rolling Stone.

Gold Cup Semi-Finals Live!

I'm settling in for an evening of Gold Cup semi-final action. It all starts with the US against Honduras at 7pm and continues with Mexico v. Panama at 10pm. Both matches are live on Fox Soccer Channel. Pour yourself a cold one and join me for one last FSC hurrah tonight, won't you?

Not The Nine O'clock News

After the passing of Mel Smith, I have been searching the net and Memory Lane to find different sketches from my youth. I did come by "Are You Serious, Ronald Reagan, I like Trucking and many more! I also found this 90 minute "History of NTNON". It took me a couple of days to complete but enjoyed it.
Hope you do the same
Enjoy

UWS

Panini picture quiz

This is pretty easy, but loads of fun. 9/10 for the Gooner. Take the quiz!

Thom Yorke on WTF!

Marc Maron keeps pulling in the interesting musical guests. This week, it's the twitchy front-man from Radiohead, Thom Yorke, in the garage at the Cat Ranch for what promises to be a fascinating conversation. You can download it from the WTF website or iTunes.

Gold Cup Quarters Day 2 in Baltimore

Come join us for the second day of the Gold Cup Quarters if you can. Both matches are in Baltimore, starting with the U.S. vs El Salvador followed by Honduras vs Costa Rica.

Gold Cup Quarters Day One in Atlanta

The Gold quarters start today with a double header in the Georgia Dome, starting with Panama vs
Cuba and concluding with Mexico vs Trinidad and Tobago. Come join us if you can.

RIP: Mel Smith (1953-2013)

Sad news out of Britain today that Mel Smith, one of the original cast members of the Not the Nine O'Clock News troupe, has died of a heart attack at the age of 60. Mel was a bit like the Phil Hartman of NNON, as the straight man that the more outlandish characters played by the likes of Rowan Atkinson would play off of. Here's a tribute from the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2013/jul/20/comedian-mel-smith-dies-actor

Guess whose mullet-hair!

Another cracking quiz from the Guardian chaps. It wasn't just the English language mauling, shocking penalty taking Chris Waddle that rocked this "bizniz at the front, parTAY in the back" hairstyle. I got 8 out of 10, which calls into question of whether I can can manage the business at Stoke on a wet Wednesday.

Take the quiz!

Summer Premiership Moves

We're a month away from the beginning of the new Premiership season and the transfer market is heating up. While all the rumors surround the likes of Roon and El Nino, there have been plenty of consequential moves already. You can keep up with them on the Football 365 site here:

http://www.football365.com/f365-features/8764855/The-Moves

Some of the big ones so far:

Chelski - Andre Schurlle (£18 million from Leverkusen)

Liverpool - Simon Mignolet (£9 million from Sunderland)

Citeh - Fernandinho (£30 million from Shakhtar); Jesus Navas (£15 million from Seville)

United - Wilfred Saha (£15 million from Palace)

Norwich - Ricky van Wolfswinkel (£8.6 million from Sporting Lisbon)

Soton - Dejan Lovren (£8.5 million from Lyon); Victor Wanyama (£12.5 million from Celtic)

Spurs - Paulinho (£17 million from Corinthinians)

West Ham - Andy Carroll (£15.5 million from Liverpool)

So, who's made the best deal/s, gents?

Guess the badge quiz

OK, no prizes for guessing what brilliant Asian minnow walloping football outfit has this badge, but the Guardian has a teasing quiz. The Gooner got 9/10 What about you mob? Click here to take the quiz

Sunday in the Gold Cup!

As usual, I'm taking a mid-day break from my unpacking routine in the new place to follow today's Gold Cup action. Join me for Panama v. Canada at 3:30pm and Mexico v. Martinique at 6pm.

US v. Cuba Live!

I'm taking a well-earned break after the big move today to have a look at the US v Cuba Gold Cup clash. Join me if you're having a look.

More Midnight Footie Madness!

I've barely caught up on my sleep from Friday night and here's another absurdly late US international match steaming along at 11pm EST tonight. I will sacrifice the sleep though, as it 's a rare, rare (possibly first?) match against my Belizean buddies in the Gold Cup. Should be a fascinating encounter. I'll have the popcorn and IPA waiting at 11pm. Won't you join me?

The 2013 Gold Cup Begins!

A very busy day here at the LOB ends with the start of the 2013 Gold Cup. As I type, Canada and Martinique have kicked off. I'll be in and out of this one, as I'm still packing things up in Blue Devil HQ. But I'll be back for the kick-off of Mexico and Panama at 8:30pm EST on FSC. See you then?

Happy Birthday, UWS!

Happy birthday, mate - one short single away from the half ton!

Cheering on Angus Podgorney at Wimbledon...Again!

Join me as I cheer on Angus Podgorney again at the Wimbledon Men's Final this morning. Can he finally defeat the Blancmanges? We'll see.....

Fox Soccer Channel is Dead!

The end of Fox Soccer Channel, our televisual home for the Beautiful Game for the past decade, is nigh. The suits at Fox have announced that as of September a new channel called "FXX" committed to comedy programming will take over FSC's slot in the digital cable universe. Here's the confirmation:

http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/fx-officially-unveils-fxx-channel-to-launch-in-september/

Your thoughts, gentlemen?

US v. Guatemala Live!

The US warm up for their Gold Cup campaign tonight with a friendly against Guatemala in San Diego tonight. It's a late, late night affair kicking off at 8pm PST. Join me on NBC Sports and the LOB for all of the usual chatter, won't you?