The Season's Curtain Raiser

Twenty-eight days after last season ended, the new season starts today with the  CHARITY(will always be for me) Shield. The Champions(sigh) Liverpool take on the FA Cup Winners Arsenal in the annual clash of the big two trophy winners. 

The first Charity Shield match was way back in 1908 when the League Champs, Man Utd, took on Southern League champs QPR. The match that we are all used to now only started in 1974 when Liverpool played Leeds in a lovely punch up match between Billy and Kevin!!

I saw a picture somewhere that had Arsenal in red and Liverpool in their new green shirt.....I know it is just for $$$ but the Champions should be the home team!

Join me for the match. Kick off at 11:30 EST

UWS

Congratulations, MOT the Hoople!

Hearty congratulations to MOT the Hoople for his successful defense of his title this year. He has just edged out his fellow Leeds United fan Blue Devil (that is, me) at the final hurdle and joins Man Utd Rules and What's Up Wheaton Simon as our only two-time champions. Doug's correct guesses of Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander Arnold for PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year put him over the top. So, the LOB Shield will be staying in Texas for another season. 

Here are our final standings for the 2019/2020 season: 

1. MOT the Hoople - 46 points

2. Blue Devil - 44 pts

3. Swansong - 41 pts

4. West Ham Rising - 36 pts

5. Someone Said - 35 pts

6. Man Utd Rules - 26 pts

7. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 25 pts

8. The Bee's Knees - 22 pts

-   Pink Kits - 22 pts

10. United We Stand - 19 pts

11. Yellows - 17 pts

12. Gooner71 - 16 pts

-    Red Devil - 16 pts

-    The Saint - 16 pts

15. Red Dragon - 12 pts

The new season is right around the corner, so I'll be reaching out in a couple of weeks to get the new season of the PPP started. 

The Champions League Final

The final game of a very long season!!! Today, the Champions League Final is being played between two teams that were actually CHAMPIONS of their country to qualify for the Champions League. This is the first time that two national champions will meet each other in the CHAMPIONS League Final since 1998!

Join me for kick off at 3

UWS

Europa League Final - Inter v. Sevilla Live!

Hiya, boys! I'm just back from work and settling into my favorite comfy chair to enjoy this evening's Europa League Final. Five-times winners Sevilla take on three-times winner Inter tonight. Remarkably, this is the first meeting of these two sides in European competition but one of them will leave the Stadion Koln tonight with what I reckon is the most attractive of trophy in football.

It's a classic European night and should be spicy affair. Join me for all the fun from 3pm onward on the CBS.com stream. 

Monty Python's Almost the Truth

Since we're taking a break from the footer today, I thought I'd take the opportunity to let you know about a six-part documentary series that's running now on Netflix. I came across it the other week while I was searching for something to watch. The series, which was originally shown in Britain in 2009, features exclusive interviews with the five surviving members at that point (Cleese, Gilliam, Idle, Jones, and Palin). It's definitely worth your time to check out. 

If it's Wednesday, it Must Be Lisbon

Semi- Final #2 on tap today.  Favorites for trophy, Bayern Munich, take on outsiders Lyon today. Will they make duck soup out of the French outfit the same as they did against Chelsea and Barca?

Join me

UWS 

If it's Tuesday, it Must Be Lisbon

Welcome to the Champions League semi-finals, chaps. The fixtures have an unusual feel to them this season, with many of the big boys - Real Madrid, Man City, Real Madrid, Juventus - having fallen away. So we've got two matches between French and German clubs. Today's match-up is moneybags PSG against the lively upstarts from Leipzig. 

Join me at match time on the CBS stream. 

The Democratic National Convention - Night 1!

Hiya, folks - I'm settling in to enjoy the opening night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Like everything else these days, it's going to be a weird one this week, with Milwaukee serving as only a nominal location and most of the speeches beamed in virtually. Let's be honest - that's the only sane approach to take. Regardless, I'm keen to see the Dems, our only hope for restoring any hope to our nation, gets off to a rousing start tonight. The planned speakers will include the Governor or our my fair state, Andrew Cuomo, Amy Klobuchar, John Kasich, Bernie Sanders and Michelle Obama. 

If you're also watching, feel free to drop by for a cocktail and a natter. 

The Other Semi-Final

A very good Monday to all of you in LOB land. Today's Europa League semi-final offering is Inter v. Shakhtar. It won't probably live up to the fireworks that we saw yesterday, but, hey, it's live football in August! 

Go on and join me, eh? 

Third Time's A Charm

So, Manchester United are the last team waving the Cross of St. George in Europe. Can they make it until the end of the week? Can United navigate though the semi final stage at the third time of asking this season? Join me as the Red Devils try and make it into their second Europa League Final.

COME ON MAN U

COME ON MAN U

COME ON MAN U

Join Me

UWS

The Champions League Quarter-finals Wrap Up

 Good afternoon, gents - I've really come to love these daily European footie check-ins this past couple of weeks. Today, the Quarter-final stage wraps up with Man City's clash with upstart French side Lyon. The winner will have the dubious privilege of meeting a rampant Bayern side that murdered Barca yesterday. 

Join me for all the fun and games this afternoon, why don't you? 

The Big One!

Good afternoon, chaps! I'm settling in for what promises to be the marquee match-up of this round - Barca v. Bayern. I'm hoping it will be a real cracker. Join me from around 3pm for all the action here at the LOB! 

Champions League Thursday!

Hiya, chaps - I'm marooned over in the office this afternoon, but I'm using the CBS All Access to tune into this afternoon's match-up between Leipzig and Atletico. Five years ago, this might well have been a Europa League fixture, but both sides have now entered the big leagues and they face off this evening for the prize of a semi-final berth. 

Join me if you're watching today. 

Welcome to the Champions League Quarter Finals!

Afternoon, chaps! Somehow we've gotten to the Quarter final stage of the Champions League. Things kick off this afternoon with upstart Italians Atalanta, who knocked out Valencia last weekend. Today, they take on heavily-favored moneybags PSG in Portugal. Of course, I'll be plugging for the minnows. Forza Atalanta! 

Join me for all of the giant-killing action this afternoon, won't you? 

The Europa League Continues!

 The Europa League continues from Germany today, with two more Quarterfinal match-ups. It's raining here in WNY,  so I've got a temporary reprieve from the afternoon errands. I'll be watching the Wolves v. Sevilla on the CBS All Access site, while Shakhtar and Basel are also playing. 

Join me for all the fun, eh? 

The Europa League Tournament Starts Here.... well in Cologne!

Hate this new format!!! My picture is the wrong size!!! Why do they have to change things that are working!

Join me for the Quarter Finals of the Europa League... one off matches from here on!

UWS

The Champions League Round of Sixteen Concludes Today

It's a Round of  Sixteen Doubleheader that kicks off at 3 PM with Barca vs Napoli on CBSSN and Bayern vs Chelsea on Galavision. Both matches can be found CBS Access thanks to Bob. Barca vs Napoli is tied 1-1 on agg while Bayern won 0-3 ayt SB , making that tie all but done. Join m,e if you can for all the action

The Champions League is Back!

                                    
Hiya, boys! The Champions League is back with two big Round of 16 matches today. Juventus take on Lyon in one match, but I'll be watching Man City's big clash with Real Madrid at the Etihad. Citeh go into this second leg at home with a 2-1 advantage from their first leg back in March at the Bernabeu. 

Join me for all of the big time action this afternoon, won't you? 

 

The Europa League Resumes After a Five Month Break

T

There is some unfinished business in the EL Round of 16. United take a five goal lead to OT after thrashing the Austrian champions in Austria in March. Join me if you can for all the action

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - League Season Update

A very happy Wednesday to all of you PPPers. Before we get into the hurly burly of the rescheduled European knock-out rounds starting later this afternoon, I thought a quick update of our standings was due. 

With Fulham's 2-1 victory over Brentford at a strangely silent Wembley Stadium, we finally reached the long-awaited end of the domestic league season. We now know that Fulham will join my beloved Leeds and WBA in the Premier League to start the weekend of September 12. More importantly for our game, our current league leader MOT the Hoople retained four crucial points with the Cottagers' victory and still leads by two points at the top. The Blue Devil (that's me, of course) is in hot pursuit, having gained a whooping 8 points for correctly predicting both the winner (Arsenal!) and loser (Chelsea) of last Saturday's FA Cup Final and Swansong, only three points off the pace, having correctly predicted a Chelsea loss on Saturday. 

So, what's left, then. Well, play resumes in the Europa League this afternoon, with four points on the line for those who correctly predict the winner. The Champions League starts up again on Friday, with six points at stake. And the PFA Awards may also bring an additional two points here or there. So, it's all very much up for grabs and I'll keep updating as the picture gets clearer. 

Here are the current standings: 

1. MOT the Hoople - 42 points

2. Blue Devil - 40 pts

3. Swansong - 39 pts

4. West Ham Rising - 36 pts

5. Someone Said - 35 pts

6. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 25 pts 

7. Man Utd Rules - 24 pts

8. The Bee's Knees - 22 pts

-  Pink Kits - 22 pts

10. United We Stand - 19 pts

11. Yellows - 17 pts

12. Gooner71 - 16 pts

-   Red Devil 1FCK - 16 pts

13. Red Dragon - 15 pts

14. The Saint - 14 pts

The Most Lucrative Football Match on the Planet!

I'm fully ensconced in vacation mode this week and very much looking forward to watching the Championship playoff final this afternoon. It's Brentford v. Fulham, now that the Welsh contingent has been dispatched. I'm cheering on the Bees, as I've got a soft spot for them and they've never been in the Premier League before. The Cottagers are a boring yo-yo club and have Bad Boy Mitrovic up front. No one needs to see that. 

So, join me with a mid-afternoon snack for the big money match this afternoon on the Plus. 

Cup Final in August?!

In ordinary years, we'd be watching pre-season friendlies on August 1, but - flippin' 'eck! - it's Cup Final Day. Of course, Cup Final Day will never be the same as it used to be when we were kiddies. No more Bob Wilson introducing Football Focus, no more watching the players having their breakfasts in the hotel, no more Morecambe and Wise cracking up the co-hosts, no more Celebrity It's a Knock-out, no more trying to reproduce the Goals of the Season in the backyard. Sadly. 

But we do still have a match today and it's a London Derby between Arsenal and Chelsea. So, let's make the best of it and tune in on ESPN+ from 12:30pm onward.