Footie Trivia of the Week

Okay, chaps, time to put your thinking caps on again. This one is a real corker of a trivia question for you. Here we go:

* There are 16 permanent managers now managing in the Premiership or Football League (i.e., Championship, League 1 and League 2) who made at least one appearance in the 1993/1994 Premiership season. How many can you name? (Bonus points if you can name either the clubs they played for in the 90s or the clubs they manage today).

Good luck!

Saturday Morning is the Premiership

I'm up early this morning to see if United can bounce back from their humiliating derby defeat during midweek. It's been a House of Horrors rather than a Theater of Dreams for United fans this season. Can Moyesy turn it around against Villa today? Tune in to NBCSports Network and join me here on the LOB to find out.

They Don't Come Any Bigger!

The Manchester Derby? On a Tuesday? Whatever the whims and vagaries of the FA scheduling committee, it's a big one - one of the biggest. So, don't let a little thing like work get in the way of tuning in this afternoon and jumping on the LOB for a natter during the match, will you?

Kate is Back!

Attention all Kate Bush fanatics - after 35 years of shying away from public performances, Kate is scheduled to do 15 performances of a new piece, "Before the Dawn" at an intimate dinner theatre in London in August and September. If we're lucky, she'll take the show across the Pond. Here's a taste of what we've been missing out on all of these years - her famous 1979 show at the Hammersmith Odeon. Enjoy!

A Big Weekend…. Starts with a Bang!

The weekend starts of with the top clash of the weekend. Top of the table Chelsea host title challenging Arsenal. Can Arsenal be the team that finally beats Jose at the Bridge? Can Arsene win his 1000th game in charge for the Gunners?
United visit West Ham in the late match without hat-trick hero RVP… out for 4-6 weeks!!

Join me!

UWS

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 29 Update!

Well, well, well. We're getting down to it, aren't we chaps. Less than ten matches left in the Premiership season and things have definitely settled. The top six places are the same this week and only Sunderland and Cardiff swapping places in the relegation zone changed things. However, the big news is that six of us (Chelskilad, Matt, Sporting, UWS, WHR and Yellows), leaving only four of us (Blue Devil and Gooner - Valencia; MUR - Benfica; and Swansong - Sevilla) left in that one. Here are the latest standings:

1. Gooner71 - 40 points
2. MUR - 38 pts
- Matt - 38 pts
4. Chelskilad - 36 pts
5 The Red Devil FCK1 - 35 pts
6. Swansong - 32 pts
7. Blue Devil - 31 pts
8. Someone Said - 29 pts
9. United We Stand - 24 pts
- Sporting Real Salt Lake United Football Club Juniors FC - 24 pts
- The Red Dragon - 24 pts
12. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 19 pts
13. Yellows - 17 pts
14. West Ham Rising - 16 pts

Will the Real Todd O'Neill Please Stand Up

One of my on-going missions with the LOB has been tracking down old friends. Some are more elusive than others, of course. Over the years, I've employed a variety of platforms (FB, Twitter, email, carrier pigeon) to aid in these efforts. LinkedIn has never been one of my favorites, and I have to admit that I don't always understand it; however, it's the only one that Tina Laurberg (nee O'Neill) has ever reached out to me on - I don't know why. And here's a gem that just popped up on her LinkedIn feed today - a photo that she posted from today's edition of the Jylland's Posten. If I'm not mistaken, in the background (third from left, fourth from right) with thinning hair and glasses is our old LHS chum Todd O'Neill. My Danish is a bit rusty, so I have no idea what the article - "ISS-chefer har faet aktier for millioner" - is on about. But I thought the picture would interest.

Turning into the Home Stretch

Good morning, lads! With ten matches to go (for most Premiership sides) we're heading into the home stretch of this long domestic season. The main "X" factor in this story now is Manchester City, who have two matches in hand on most sides (and three on some). I'm up early this morning to follow their first one away to Hull City. Later we have the regular kickoffs highlighted (for me) by Leeds' trip to Burnley. And then Chelski take on Villa at Villa Park in the late one. Join me for all the LOB fun and games this morning.

Europa League Thursday

I don't often watch the Europa League, the ugly stepsister of the Champions League. It's a really messy tournament with loads of rubbish sides and then bigger sides dumped in from the CL midway after the group stage. But it's a bitter cold afternoon again in WNY and the footer is on, so I'll be manning the LOB dashboard for the time being. Join me if you're equally snowbound or footie starved.

Another One Bites the Dust?

Greetings from snow-bound WNY, chaps! It's a perfect afternoon to sit back with a beer or two and some snacks and watch the Champions League. Arsenal became the first English club put to the sword yesterday. Citeh are likely to face the same fate today, as they travel to Catalonia with a two-goal deficit to claw back at the Camp Nou. PSG are 4-0 up from their first leg against Leverkusen so they're also likely to join Atletico and Bayern from yesterday's fixtures. Join me for all the action this afternoon, won't you?

Well - They Did It Last Season....?!

No two ways about - the Arsenal have given themselves an uphill battle in tonight's Champions League knock-out round second leg. They go into the Allianz Stadium 2-0 down from the home leg. But they did beat a complacent Bayern side last season 0-2 in similar circumstances, so anything's possible in this funny old game. I'll also have my eye on Leeds up against Reading in one of our make-up matches. Can we bounce back from the 0-4 drubbing at the weekend? MOT!

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 29 Update!

Another big weekend in the English domestic season is behind, so time to take stock of the PPP standings. There wasn't a lot of movement in either the Premiership or Championship this weekend. The big shock, however, was City's exit from the FA Cup, which knocked most of us out of the 8 points for that tournament. Arsenal are now the only big club left in the tournament. Here are the current rankings:

1. Gooner71 - 38 points
- Man Utd Rules - 38 pts
3. Chelskilad - 36 pts
- Matt - 36 pts
5. The Red Devil FCK1 - 31 pts
- Blue Devil - 31 pts
7. Swansong - 30 pts
8. Someone Said - 29 pts
9. United We Stand - 26 pts
10. Sporting Real Salt Lake United Football Club Juniors FC - 25 pts
11. The Red Dragon - 21 pts
12. What's Up Wheaton Simon 20 pts
13. West Ham Rising - 18 pts
14. Yellows - 17 pts

FA Cup Sunday

It's an FA Cup quarterfinal triple header as I am up since I could not sleep. The first two matches are on FSC + , which are the Evil Blades vs Charlton and Hull City vs Sunderland disrespectively. The final match is the repeat of the last cup final from the Etihad on FS2. Unless you get those channels you will need to watch on a link. Finally, we lost an hour due to daylight savings time. Rather lovely.

The FA Cup and the Premier League.. what to watch?

The Premier League and FA Cup go head to head this morning as West Brom host the 'champions'. At the same time, Arsenal host the Toffees in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup
More big games to follow
Join Me

UWS

This List Goes to 11!

Ah, Spinal Tap. How much do we love the purveyors of foil-wrapped cucumbers, amps that go to 11 and "Working on a Sex Farm." True - but did you know that the boys were prophets? No, you did not. But the clever clogs at Rolling Stone have put together a list of the future rock trends predicted by Rob Reiner's classic rockumentary. Check it out here:

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/pictures/this-list-goes-to-11-eleven-trends-predicted-by-this-is-spinal-tap-20140306

England vs. Denmark Live!

Join me this afternoon as the Three Lions take on Denmark in a World Cup warm-up against Denmark at Wemberley. It's another chance for Woy to look at a few new combinations and a few players who are on the bubble do to their Premiership form. I'll be manning the LOB this afternoon from 2:30 onward - come on, England!

The Sol Campbell Question

Ahead of tomorrow's almighty friendly clash against Denmark, former England international Sol Campbell has set the cat amongst the pigeons of the chattering classes in Blighty with a number of incendiary interviews ahead of the upcoming publication of his autobiog. Among other things, Sol is claiming that he was, at the height of his career in the Noughties, "the best central defender in the world" and that he would have served more matches as skipper than he did if he'd been white. Your considered thoughts on the matter, gentlemen?

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 28 Update

Hiya, chaps! There were two big winners this weekend: Manchester City, who picked up the first major trophy of the season - the League Cup - and Matt who picked up six big PPP points for correctly predicting the Manuel Pellegrini's side would lift the trophy. He's still not top of the pops this week, as Wigan ascension to the playoff spots in the Championship meant two (or three) more points for several participants. Here are the current standings:

1. Gooner71 - 40 points
2. Man United Rules - 38 pts
3. Chelskilad - 37 pts
- Matt - 37 pts
5. The Red Devil FCK1 - 35 pts
6. The Blue Devil - 33 pts
7. Swansong - 31 pts
8. Someone Said - 29 pts
9. Sporting Real Salt Lake United Football Club FC Juniors - 24 pts
10. The Red Dragon - 23 pts
- United We Stand 23 pts
12. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 19 pts
13. Yellows - 17 pts
14. West Ham Rising - 16 pts

Yay! It's Oscar Night - one of my favorite pop cultural moments of the year. Scoff as you like, but the awards still mean something and certainly influence film production and culture. They may not reward the kinds of small, independent movies that I prefer but - as with the Grammys - there are always one or two "wow" moments during the evening. Join me for a natter about movies and such if you're around and watching Ellen and co. tonight, won't you?

The First Silverware of the Season

The League Cup is up for grabs today. Will City take the first step on the way to winning a treble. United failed at this point in 1994 losing to Villa OR will Sunderland do a Wigan and beat City at a Wembley final. They have beaten Chelsea and United on the way… hope they do!
Kick off at 9 a.m. and then three Premier League match ups at 11:30
Join me

UWS

The Bad Guys vs the Good Guys Early Doors

It's an early start to the day as Happy Harry's evil lot host Bob's Leeds. The match is BEIN shown on the telly.