Scary Ronny!

Here's an image to put you off your morning coffee, lads - Cristiano Ronaldo next to a recently unveiled, frightening bronze bust of him. Enjoy!

England v. Lithuania Live!

A very good Sunday morning to all of you in the LOB community. We reach the climax of the March International Break with England's vital Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley. Gareth Southgate's men come into this one having suffered a narrow defeat against Germany in Dortmund on Wednesday, but in reasonably confident mood. Join me for all the action from noon onward on Fox Sports 2.

Football's Worst Sitters

Adam Lallana's massive clanger at the death of this past weekend's Man Citeh v. Liverpool clash got me thinking about famous misses. Of course, there is that classic Ronny Rosenthal miss for Liverpool, where the striker rounded the keeper only to somehow contrive to hit the bar with his shot.

I thought you might enjoy this compilation of great footballing sitters. Cheers!

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 29 Update

As we head into the March International Break, it's time to check in on our PPP Game standings. The major happening in the Premiership over the weekend was Arsenal's loss at the Hawthorns, which dumped the Gunners out of the top five for the first time this season, with Liverpool benefiting. That meant that all of us who had backed Arsenal to win the Wenger Cup again this season lost three or four points. The only person who didn't suffer (and actually gained a point this week) was Red Devil, who is looking increasingly like Chelsea as a presumptive winner. It's still a little too early to measure the wall space for that shield, Alex, but it's quite likely now that you'll be receiving a special package this May.

Here are the current standings:

1. Red Devil 1FCK - 41 points
2. Man United Rules - 32 pts
3. Blue Devil - 27 pts
-  Someone Said - 27 pts
-  Yellows - 27 pts
6. The Red Dragon - 24 pts
7. West Ham Rising - 23 pts
-  What's Up Wheaton Simon - 23 pts
9. The Saint - 22 pts
-  United We Stand - 22 pts
11. Gooner71 - 20 pts
-  Swansong - 20 pts

You Pick the England Team!

As we head into the International Break this week, it's time to turn our focus away from the domestic game and toward England's fortunes. The Three Lions have a difficult friendly fixture on Wednesday with the Old Enemy - Germany. That's followed by an honest to goodness World Cup 2018 qualifier against Lithuania at Wemberley on Sunday afternoon tea time.

Here is the squad that England caretaker boss Gareth Southgate has picked for those matches:

Goalkeepers - Fraser Forster, Joe Hart, and Tom Heaton

Defenders - Ryan Bertrand, Gary Cahill, Nathaniel Clyne, Phil Jones, Michael Keane, Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling, John Stones and Kyle Walker

Midfielders - Dele Alli, Michail Antonio, Ross Barkley, Eric Dier, Adam Lallana, Jesse Lingard, Jake Livermore, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Nathan Redmond, Raheem Sterling and James Ward-Prowse

Forwards - Jermain Defoe, Marcus Rashford and Jamie Vardy

Now, since this squad was announced on March 16, West Ham's Michail Antonio has pulled out of the squad through injury. Otherwise, though, these are the choices. So, you know what to do - pick your starting XI for Germany and Lithuania. I'll look forward to seeing your ideas.

Sunday Feast

Three big matches on tap today. First up, a 'tired' Manchester United who will 'probably lose' according to Jose visits the Riverside. We then have Spurs hosting Southampton and then our finale is the biggest match of the weekend as the blue half of Manchester host the red side of Merseyside
Join me
UWS

A Fascinating Saturday

A very good Saturday morning, chaps. Welcome to another weekend of big Premiership footer action.  We get started a wee bit later than usual this morning, due to the four-hour time difference, with Arsenal traveling to the Hawthorns. It's a big day for the Gunners and Arsene Wenger, who's living on borrowed time. We then move on to the regular 3pm GMT kickoffs, including title favorites Chelski at Stoke. Finally, there's a rubbish lower-table fixture between Bournemouth and Swansea at 1:30pm. So, why not tune in to Brighton v. Leeds on BEin. It's going to be a cracker! Make yourself a cuppa and settle in.

Premiership Plus Predictions - Week 28 Update

Greetings from Cleveland, where Kate and I are enjoying a mini-break this Spring Break week. I'm checking in with with this week's PPP update. No lot to report, really. Most of the top clubs were involved in the FA Cup Quarterfinals this past weekend, so the top of the Premiership remains largely the same. Of the top teams picked by all of you, only United went crashing out. In the Champions League, Leicester eked their way through, while Citeh were knocked out.

Here are the current standings:

1. Red Devil 1FCK - 41 points
2. Man Utd Rules - 37 pts
3. Yellows - 34 pts
4. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 33 pts
5. Blue Devil - 29 pts
6. The Red Dragon - 28 pts
7. The Saint - 27 pts
-  Someone Said - 27 pts
-  United We Stand - 27 pts
10. Gooner71 - 25 pts
-  Swansong - 25 pts
12. West Ham Rising - 23pts

FA Cup Quarterfinal - Chelsea v. United Live!

It's the tie of the round, for sure. Chelsea v. United. On offer is a berth in the semi-finals and a trip to Wembley for fans. Chelsea are currently romping away with the Premiership title and United are struggling to retain European interest, so the home side has to be favorite in today's clash. However, football has a funny way of upsetting the odds at times. Join me at the slightly later time (due to daylight savings) of 3:45pm EST for all the action here on the LOB!

Springing Forward!

A very happy Spring Forward morning, chaps. I hope you're not feeling too sleep deprived to enjoy some of the good stuff from across The Pond. Keep in mind that we're now, only four hours behind our friends in Blighty. That means that this morning's FA Quarterfinal between Spurs and Millwall pops up on FS1 at 10am. That's followed with a sole Premiership clash between Liverpool and Burnley at noon. Join me for all of the spring action this morning, won't you?

It's FA Cup Quarter-Final Time!

Cockadoodledoo, lads - we're up very early for the FA Cup Quarter Finals this weekend. The action all starts in a moment with Citeh's clash against Boro. Later, we'll get Arsenal fixture against the non-league minnows Lincoln City. In between that we've got a handful of Premiership matches and a full slate of Championship action, including my beloved Leeds taking on QPR at Elland Road. Join me for all the Cup and league action this morning.

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 27 Update

A very good Friday morning to all of you. It's been a whirlwind week at work here in WNY, so - not only have I not had a chance to dip in to the midweek footer action - I haven't even been able to take a moment to update our scores. Here's your weekly update then just before we get into another big weekend of Premiership and FA Cup action.

Red Devil sits atop our table at the moment, largely due to his pick of Chelsea as champions, but also now as he tipped Harry Kane to be the top goalscorer. As long as those two variables hold fast, only MUR has, who also has HK as his top marksman, has a chance of preventing the shield from ending up in Fredonia next season. Liverpool and Arsenal swapped spots at the top this week, Boro dropped into the bottom three, Newcastle and Brighton exchanged places once again but things largely stayed the same.

Here are the current standings:

1. Red Devil 1FCK - 40 points
2. Man Utd Rules - 38 pts
3. Blue Devil - 29 pts
4. Red Dragon - 28 pts
5. Someone Said - 27 pts
-   The Saint - 27 pts
-   United We Stand - 27 pts
-   What's Up Wheaton Simon - 27 pts
-   Yellows - 27 pts
10. Gooner71 - 25 pts
-   Swansong - 25 pts
12. West Ham Rising - 23 pts

One For the Ages

If you weren't watching the Barca v. PSG Champions League match this afternoon, do yourselves a favor and schedule your DVR to record the match repeat tonight on FS2 at 10pm. You won't be disappointed!

The Spuds vs the Toffees and the Black Cats vs Citeh in a Sunday Double Header.

After a grueling road trip, I'm back for a typical Sunday double header. It starts with The Spuds vs the Toffees at SFL followed by The Black Cats vs Citeh at the SOL. Come join me for all the action.

Another Saturday full of Foooter

Another Saturday in English Football has arrived. Our Bob can sit with his feet up with three points already in the bag after a 3-1 win for his beloved at St. Andrews last night. Today, my beloved will be looking for those same three points that would take them into the top four. The Ten O'clockers don't have a lot eye-popping fixtures but NBCSN will be at the home of the Champions for a six pointer vs Hull. Of course, there is a big one for the late match. The first of the two Merseyside/ North London match ups of the weekend. Liverpool host Arsenal in a match that is must win for both sides.
We here at LOB will be one short with MUR off being a great dad... best of luck Melanie
Join me

UWS