Jose and Arsene Meet for the Last Time!!

So, this is the last time Arsene Wenger takes on Manchester United. He used to be the #1 advisory to everyone at Old Trafford. How things have changed. Jose and Arsene have had their run ins as well and they don't particularly like each other! Will the pizzas fly at Old Trafford.
There is the boring City walloping of West Ham as our curtain raiser.

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UWS

The Business End of the Season

Morning, gents! We've arrived at the end of April, the business end of the season. With three matches to play in the Premiership, Stoke host Liverpool this morning, needing points to survive. The Reds may have an eye toward that second leg against Roma on Wednesday. Then we've got the 10am kickoffs, including the South Coast Derby between Soton and Bournemouth. Then it's Swansea v. Chelski at 12:30pm. Join me for all of the action this morning.

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 35 Update

A very good Tuesday to all of you out there in the LOB universe. I'm checking in a rather boring update of our PPP game. For the first time in my memory, there are absolutely no changes whatsoever to our standings. Not a sausage. Bugger all. That indicates that the tables in England and on the Continent are pretty well baked at this point. Citeh are champions, the Champions League and Europa League slots are fairly well sorted. The three sides at the bottom are all but relegated. In the Championship, Wolves are champions and either Cardiff or Fulham are likely automatic promotion winners in second. Mo Salah added one more goal to his tally, so he's now five goals ahead of Harry Kane on 31 to Kane's 26.

All this means that the PPP title is really down to two competitors - MOT the Hoople and Swansong -  and it will all come down to the winners of final tournaments - FA Cup, Champions League, and Europa League. Three points separates them now - it should be a nail-biter. Here are the current standings:

1. MOT the Hoople - 39 points
2. Swansong - 36 pts
3. Gooner71 - 31 pts
4. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 30 pts
5. Man Utd Rules - 26 pts
6. Yellows - 25 pts
7. The Saint - 24 pts
-  Someone Said - 21 pts
9. West Ham Rising - 19 pts
10. Blue Devil - 18 pts
-   United We Stand - 18 pts
12. Red Devil 1FCK - 17 pts
13. Red Dragon - 16 pts

A Busy Footie Sunday

A very happy Sunday morning to all of you LOBers. We've got an especially busy Sunday morning ahead of us here. It all starts at the Emirates with a London Derby that is now colored by the reality that Arsene Wenger will be leaving the Arsenal at the end of the season. That hopefully won't overshadow the other FA Cup semi-final match, also in London, between Chelsea and Soton at Stamford Bridge. We finish up, then at the Etihad with newly-minted champions Citeh against Swansea. Join me for all the fun today, won't you?

FA CUP SEMI FINAL #1...wish it was the Final!

This day used to be one of my favorite days of the year even though I couldn't watch the matches. Both Semi Finals being played simulataniously with a trip to Wembley on the line. Great memories of wins against Derby in 76 with a couple of goals by Gordon Hill.  Leeds in '77 with a great goal by Coppell(two up after 15 minutes!) and Liverpool in '79 in the replay with the stooping header by my hero Jimmy Greenhoff!!
As for now, not too confident about United getting thru this round. Can they turn the tables on Spurs?


COME ON MAN U
COME ON MAN U
COME ON MAN U


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UWS

Football after Wenger

I'm still reeling from the news yesterday that Arsene Wenger will leave Arsenal at the end of the season. Of course, some Arsenal fans had demanded it for years, but I still didn't see it coming. Today's matches somehow fade into the background with news of one of the longest serving and successful Premiership managers retiring. But we do have some football on today, starting with Liverpool's trip to the Hawthorns. That's followed up with the usual 10am EST kickoffs, including Watford v. Palace on NBC Sports. Finally, it's Cup Semi Final time on Fox at 12:15. United v. Spurs - it doesn't get any better. Brew yourself a strong cuppa and join me, won't you?

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 34 Update

A very happy Tuesday afternoon, chaps. I'm here as usual to update the PPP game standings before we get into the mid-week hurly burly. I have to admit again that there is very little to report. The top six positions seem locked in at this point, with four matches to play, after Arsenal's loss and Chelsea's win at the weekend. With United's loss, the Manchester City title is now official, as well. At the bottom, Boro's loss to Chelsea was a gut punch and now has them five points adrift from the pack. They, along with Stoke and WBA, look doomed. So, the only slight change was in Boro replacing Derby in the playoff slots for promotion from the Championship. So, The Saint, Swansong and Yellows get those three points back that they lost last week.

That means that the race at the top has narrowed to three points between MOT the Hoople on 39 and Swansong on 36. Here are the current standings:

1. MOT the Hoople - 39 points
2. Swansong - 36 pts
3. Gooner71 - 31 pts
4. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 30 pts
5. Man Utd Rules - 26 pts
6. Yellows - 25 pts
7. The Saint - 24 pts
-   Someone Said - 21 pts
9. West Ham Rising - 19 pts
10. Blue Devil - 18 pts
-   United We Stand - 18 pts
12. Red Devil 1FCK - 17 pts
13. Red Dragon - 16 pts

Sunday Morning Duty

A very good Sunday morning to all of you boy LOB boys. As the season winds down, there are going to be some match days that seem a bit like playing out the string. This is one of them. For example, Arsenal host Newcastle first up. Of course, with Chelski dropping points to Soton yesterday, Arsenal have the chance of pipping them for 5th and qualifying directly for the Europa League. Yet, they don't really want to qualify for the tournament that they're currently in - they want to use this year's EL to jump back into the Champions League. Meanwhile, Newcastle are just happy to get to the summer vacation now, safe from the thought of relegation.

Join me for all the fun and games, won't you?

Into the Home Stretch

With this weekend, we enter the final stretch of the long domestic season. Most of the sides in the top two divisions now have four matches left to play. What's left to sort out, you say? Well, admittedly, not a lot. Citeh will have the chance again to win the Premiership today when they meet Spurs in the oddly scheduled Saturday night match. The next three - United, Liverpool and Spurs are pretty much sorted. Chelsea and Arsenal, however, still need to duke it out for fifth and sixth. And, while WBA and Stoke are just about down, that last relegation spot is still a possibility for three or four clubs. In the Championship, Wolves are nearly champions, but everything else is still in the mixer. Join me, starting with Southampton v. Chelsea this early morning. I'm off to brew a cuppa.

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 33 Update

A very good Thursday afternoon to all of you. I've had an especially busy workweek this week, so apologies for not getting to the update until now. We've seen a mid-week period of some shocking results and thrilling matches (Roma knocking Barca out - cor!). As I type, Arsenal are holding Moscow to a 0-0 affair, with a 4-1 lead from the away leg. Meanwhile, the Premiership, top and bottom are exactly as they were last week, with Citeh poised to win the Premiership at White Hart Lane this weekend, and West Brom all but down at the other. In the Championship, Millwall have sadly crept up into the playoff spots, threatening all Premiership clubs with the prospect of having to host their firm of hard-nuts next season. Those who plumped for Boro have thus lost three points in the mix.

That means that Swansong has dropped back to 33 points, which extends MOT the Hoople's lead to six points. Six matches to play - here are the current standings:

1. MOT the Hoople - 39 points
2. Swansong - 33 pts
3. Gooner71 - 31 pts
4. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 30 pts
5. Man Utd Rules - 26 pts
6. Yellows - 22 pts
7. The Saint - 21 pts
-  Someone Said - 21 pts
9. West Ham Rising - 19 pts
10. Blue Devil - 18 pts
-  United We Stand - 18 pts
12. Red Devil 1FCK - 17 its
13. Red Dragon - 16 pts

Top v. Bottom Sunday

We've got two top v. bottom contests in the capital this morning. First up, Arsenal host struggling Southampton at 9:15 EST. Sparky Hughes boys desperately need three points, which would lift them over Palace out of the drop zone for the first time since January. Arsenal's Premier League season is over, of course, and they'll have most of their attention on that return leg to Moscow on Thursday.

At 11:30, Chelsea take on neighbors West Ham who have had a rough first year at the London Stadium. They're a few points clear of relegation right now, but a couple of wins for the bottom sides could well plunge them into it. Who would bet against them playing Championship football in their white elephant of a stadium next season?

Join me for all the answers this morning, won't you?

Derby Day Special in the Premiership!

Morning, chaps! It's an especially big day in the Premiership. I'm up early to enjoy the Merseyside Derby. The Reds are coming off a huge win against Citeh in the Champions League. The Toffees - not so much. That's followed by the usual 10am EST kickoffs, including my beloved Leeds hosting bottom dwellers Sunderland. At the end of the day, we've got the Manc Derby, where Citeh have a chance to win the title at Old Trafford. It should be rather special. Brew yourself a pot and join me early doors.

An All-Premiership Champions League Affair!

The numpties over at Fox may not be giving it top billing this afternoon, but I'm all a-tingle about the all-Premiership affair in the CL tonight between the two best footballing sides in the league this season. It's a show-down between Mo Salah and Sergio Aguero. I'll be racing home in a moment to enjoy all of the action. Join me if you have a chance, won't you?

Never mind the Champions League Bollocks...here come the Leeds!

Sure, Real Madrid v. Juventus is the big marquee Champions League match this afternoon. But who needs Cristiano Ronaldo when you have Caleb Ekuban on display. In other words, I'll be watching my Leeds boys visiting Craven Cottage on ESPN3 rather than the nonsense over on Fox. Join me if you're watching either, eh?

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 32 Update

Hiya, chaps - it's high time for an update on our PPP game after that interminably long international break that we just suffered through. With only six matches left in the Premiership, there are a number of elements that appear baked in. Citeh are running away with the title and have a chance to win it, as fate would have it, at Old Trafford next weekend. And with Spurs' big win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the additional three Champions League qualifiers - United, Liverpool and Spurs - seem set as well. At the bottom, WBA are dead and buried and Stoke and Southampton (3 points and 2 points from safety) are in deep trouble. Yet Palace, Huddersfield and Swansea are very much part of the relegation mix. In the Championship, Wolves are just about up, Cardiff look set to come second and Fulham and Villa seem safely into the playoffs. That leaves two playoff spots up for grabs there. Do I even need to mention Spain or Italy? Not really - Barca and Bayern are running away with those. But the big news for this week is that Juve have finally knocked Napoli off the Serie A perch. That means 2 points for several of our players.

All this means that the table looks very similar but the title race between MOT the Hoople and Swansong has now narrowed to only three points. It should now be an exciting race over the next six weeks or so. Here are the current standings:

1. MOT the Hoople - 39 points
2. Swansong - 36 pts
3. Gooner71 - 31 pts
4. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 30 pts
5. Man Utd Rules - 26 pts
6. Yellows - 25 pts
7. The Saint - 24 pts
8. Someone Said - 21 pts
9. United We Stand - 19 pts
-  West Ham Rising - 19 pts
11. Blue Devil - 18 pts
12. Red Devil 1FCK - 17 pts
13. Red Dragon - 16 pts

Spring Sunday Double Header in London

It's a Sunday double header where the home team has an extremely long undefeated streak vs the visitors. It starts with the Gunners vs second from bottom Stoke followed by Chelsea vs the Spuds, who ould meet again in the FA Cup Final next Monday Join me if you're up.