Fat Sam's First England Squad!

Fat Sam Allardyce announced his first England squad this week and it was full of surprises. Every England fan was dying to see what Allardyce would do with his first squad choice after the abject failure of England this summer. Which players from that capitulation against Iceland would survive? The answer - quite a few, even Joe Hart, who's terrible performance in two of the losses prompted England's lack of confidence. Wayne Rooney, too, keeps his place and will likely skipper the side again against Slovakia on Saturday. West Ham's Michail Antonio debuts.

Here's the squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster, Joe Hart, and Tom Heaton

Defenders: Gary Cahill, Nathaniel Clyne, Phil Jagielka, Danny Rose, Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling, John Stones, Kyle Walker.

Midfielders - Dele Alli, Michail Antonio, Eric Dier, Danny Drinkwater, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Wayne Rooney, Raheem Sterling, Theo Walcott

Forwards: Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy

So, you know the drill - what is your starting eleven for that crucial World Cup qualifier?

Sunday Morning is for Footie!

Anyone fancy a spot of footie this morning? Of course you do! We get started with West Brom v. Boro at 8:30 EST. Saido Berahino is on the bench for Tony Pulis - will he get shopped in the next few days? Later we've got Citeh v. West Ham, a match to grace any Sunday morning. Join me on CNBC and here on the LOB for all the action!

Thank Goodness it's Saturday!

Morning, chaps! It's been a long first week back, so I'm looking forward to some good stuff this weekend. First up is Liverpool at Spurs with Daniel Sturridge on the bench again. Then it's the 10am matches with Chelsea v. Burnley, Arsenal at Watford and Leicester v. Swansea. Then at the end of the day we've got the title decider between Hull and United. Join me this morning, won't you?

Champions League Group Stage Draw!

The draw for the group stage of the Champions League was made this afternoon and it produced some really interesting match-ups. Pep Guardiola will be traveling back to his old stomping groups at the Camp Nou with his Citeh team in Group B play. Newcomers Leicester City have got one of the easier draws in the tournament. Here is the draw in full:

Group A:
PSG
Arsenal
FC Basel
Ludogorets Razgrad

Group B:
Benfica
Napoli
Dynamo Kiev
Besiktas

Group C:
Barca
Citeh
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Celtic

Group D:
Bayern
Atletico Madrid
PSV
Rostov

Group E:
CSKA Moscow
Bayer Leverkusen
Spurs
Monaco

Group F:
Real Madrid
Borussia Dortmund
Sporting
Legia Warsaw

Group G:
Leicester City
Porto
Club Brugge
FC Copenbage

Group H:
Juve
Sevilla
Lyon
Dinamo Zagreb

League Cup 2nd Round Wrap-Up

I didn't have time during my busy workweek to watch any of the League Cup 2nd Round matches this week, so I thought I'd at least round up the action here. Of course, I'm delighted that Leeds escaped Kenilworth Road with a narrow 0-1 win thanks to Tyler Denton. The big upset of the week was Northampton Town's penalty win over the Baggies, which earned them an away day at United.

Here are the 3rd Round fixtures to come on the week of September 19:

Forest v. Arsenal
Leeds v. Blackburn
QPR v. Sunderland
West Ham v. Accrington Stanley
Southampton v. Palace
Swansea v. Citeh
Fulham v. Bristol City
Bournemouth v. PNE
Spurs. v. Gillingham
Everton v. Norwich
Derby v. Liverpool
Northampton v. United
Brighton v. Reading
Newcastle v. Wolves
Stoke v. Hull
Leicester v. Chelsea

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 2 Update

Hi there, PPPers - I'm here on Monday evening to update you on the changes to the standings after the second Premiership weekend. With Manchester City rising to the top of the league, it's all change in the PPP world. Believe it or not, I'm the only one to choose Citeh for the title this season, so that's 10 points for me, ta very much. I'm also benefiting from Sergio Aguero's three goal tally so far this season, putting him else with Zlatan at the top of the goalscoring chart - six points for everyone who has chosen Kun or Ibra for that one. Those who chose Barca for the La Liga title have also earned two points as the Catalan club got off to a winning start this weekend. No points yet for the Bundesliga, which has yet to start, or Serie A where the unfancied Roma sit on top this week. 

All of that is to say that it's going to be a very changeable competition for the next few weeks as things tend to settle. Here are the current standings: 

1. Blue Devil - 38 points

2. The Red Dragon - 24 pts

3. The Saint - 18 pts

4. United We Stand - 17 pts

5. Gooner71 - 14 pts

6. Yellows - 13 pts

7. Someone Said - 12 pts

- Swansong - 12 pts

9. The Red Devil 1FCK - 10 pts

10. West Ham Rising - 7 pts

- Man Utd Rules - 7 pts

12. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 5 pts

Derby Sunday

A very good Sunday morning to all of you in LOB land. We've got a Northeast Derby to start off our Sundays. The teams are gathering at the Stadium of Light as I type. Later, we've got West Ham in their Olympic Stadium opener against Bournemouth. Join me here for all the action today.

An Early Yorkshire Derby and Other Matters

It's been a rocky start for my beloved LUFC, with only two points from four matches, so the last thing we need today is an early away day at Not a Big Club. Here it is, though. At the same time, Stoke visit the Potteries. Later on we've got the usual 10am EST kickoffs, including away matches for both Liverpool and Chelsea. And at the end of the day - Leicester v. Arsenal. Settle in for a great day here on the LOB.

Monday Night Footie!

Monday Night Footie is back and we've got a cracker in store. Chelsea had a wretched season under Jose Mourinho and then Guus Hiddink, finishing a distant tenth from the top, whereas West Ham, their neighbors to the east, had a marvelous, swaggering season. What will these two sides look like this season - we'll soon find out. Join me for all the action next!

Congratulations, Red Dragon!

Congratulations go out to Red Dragon, the winner of our France 2016 Predictions Game and the holder for the next two years of the celebrated Lancer Cup. Make sure to keep the cup nice and shiny for us, won't you? 

The First Super Sunday!

Morning, chaps! It's our first very special Sunday morning in the Premiership this morning. We start on the South Coast with United's opening visit to Bournemouth. How will the new look Mourinho United turn out? Will Bournemouth suffer a sophomore slump? Then it's the big one - Arsenal hosting Liverpool, two of the the perennial heavyweights. The outcome of this one will tell us a lot about their fortunes for the new season. Join me for all the fun here on the LOB!

Welcome to the New Premiership Season!

Welcome to the new Premier League season, chaps! I couldn't be more excited to start the new season tomorrow morning. First up are the champions Leicester City at everyone's favorite relegation side Hull City, who seem to have contrived to have the very worst pre-season in Premiership history. That's followed by the traditional 3pm GMT fixtures, including Everton v. Spurs. And we end up with the tea-time fixture of Citeh v. Sunderland. I'll also have my eye on my beloved LUFC with our home opener against the Blue Noses, Birmingham City.

Enjoy the first full day of the season, chaps. And join me here on the LOB for all the action!!

Capital One Cup Round One Wrap-up

This year's Capital One Cup competition got underway yesterday afternoon with a spate of fixtures. This produced a few surprises (e.g., Ipswich bowing out at Portman Road to Stevenage) and some right old ding dongs (Morecambe and Wise's 4-5 win at Rotherham - cor!).

This afternoon sees a few more fixtures, including BEin's coverage of Luton v. Villa. Of course, I'll be hoping that Leeds rebound from our miserable opening hammering at QPR when we visit Fleetwood Town to have a wee reunion with our old friend Uwe Rosler. Come on, you Whites!

The Annual Curtain Raiser

Morning, chaps - I've had a refreshing shower to wash away the disappointment of this morning's shocking Leeds loss and I'm ready for the curtain raiser of the 2016/2017 Premier League season. It should be a fascinating encounter. Everyone is wondering how Leicester will get on this season as they attempt to defend their improbable title win. The pre-season form hasn't been encouraging and Kante will be a big loss. And what about United. New manager, new striker and new look? United fans were sick to death of Louis Van Gaal's cautious approach - how will they take to The Special One. A lot will be revealed today - join me for a cuppa and a natter, won't you?

The Gary Monk Revolution Begins!

I'm cautiously optimistic as Leeds enter the new season with a new manager, Gary Monk, and nine new signings including Rob Green in goal. We've got a tough start with an away fixture at Loftus Road against QPR followed by a trip to Fleetwood in the Capital One Cup in midweek and then Birmingham next weekend. Within a week, we should know what this new look Leeds is going to be made of. Join me for the beginning early doors tomorrow.

It All Starts Here!

Good afternoon from The Cottage, chaps! The long, long Championship season begins this afternoon with newly-relegated Newcastle starting their Championship campaign - The Rafalution, as they're calling it in Toon Town, after having been able to hang on to the services of Rafa Benitez for the new season - away to Fulham at Craven Cottage. It should be an absorbing opening fixture to the season. Join me for a cuppa and a natter this afternoon, won't you?