How About a Spot of Mid-week Carabao Action?

With this condensed season schedule, we're already into what I believe is the Fourth Round of the League Cup tonight. Spurs fought back last night with a penalty kick win over Chelsea, which knocked a few of us out of the Carabao points for this year. Tonight it's the turn of the two Manc clubs, including United who are on the South Coast meeting up with Brighton. So, who are the Academy kids that Ole will run out against the Seagulls, eh? We'll soon find out. Join me from 2:45 pm onward on the Plus.

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 3 Update

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I'm back to update our PPP standings at the culmination of Week 3 of the season and before we get into the hurly burly of the midweek League Cup and European fixtures. Our predictions continue to be confounded by the presence of Leicester (currently top of the league), Everton and Villa, but it's still early on in the season. Leicester and Everton's success comes largely through the goal production of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jamie Vardy, who are now joint top goalscorers. In Europe, the picture is even more emergent with the likes of Augsburg, Napoli and Real Betis top of their respective leagues. So here are the current standings: 1. Someone Said - 23 pts 2. What’s Up Wheaton Simon - 20 pts 3. Swansong - 17 pts 4. MOT the Hoople - 16 pts - Red Dragon - 16 pts 6. Red Devil 1FCK - 15 pts - West Ham Rising - 15 points 8. Blue Devil - 14 pts 9. The Bee’s Knees - 12 pts - Man Utd Rules - 12 pts - United We Stand - 12 pts 12. Gooner71 - 11 pts - Teddy Goalsevelt - 11 pts 14. Anfield Warriors - 8 pts - Pink Kits - 8 pts 16. The Saint - 7 pts

Another Big Match in the Prem!

It's been an absolutely thrilling start to the season, with loads of goals, last-minute winners, contentious penalties and very few draws. Tonight's match between Liverpool and Arsenal is one of those fixtures that, in previous seasons, would be a dour, drab affair with lots of the kind of "modern football" that we hate. I'm hoping tonight will be different. I'm marooned at the office but will be tuning in via Peacock on my phone. Join me if you're around!

Another Early Start!

It's been a thrilling start to the season for Leeds fans, as our team has been involved in two 4-3 crackers. Today, we travel to Bramall Lane for a Yorkshire Derby against Sheffield United. This is a rivalry that goes back a hundred years and is traditionally one of the most tense affairs of the year. Yet, based on my survival rubric, we don't need anything from this match, so a draw would only be a bonus for us. I'm thus going to just sit back and enjoy it. Come on, you Leeds! #MOT!

Early Start

 

Morning Boys,

We start the weekend with United visiting the South Coast for the first time in Five Days! United were horrible in the first match! They were boring, slow, not creative.... and just plain rubbish! Their form didn't  improve much for the the visit to Kennilworth Road midweek but at least we won!!

Join me

UWS

Midweek Carabao Action!

I'm marooned at work this afternoon doing some virtual office hours, but I'm taking a sneaky peek at the Leicester v. Arsenal match on the Plus. If you're around and watching, drop on by for a natter, eh?

Tuesday League Third Round Action

A week after the Second Round of the League Cup was played the week of Third Round matches begins and the seven clubs that qualified for Europe enter at this stage. The match of interest to the majority is Luton vs Manchester United from Bedfordshire. It's early in the season, but this should be an interesting contest as the Hatters are surprisingly challenging for promotion to the Premiership after continuing their good form from the end of last season. Join me for this and a few other matches .

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 2 Update

Happy Tuesday, PPPers! I'm back with the usual update of our standings. With Man City's opening win away to Wolves yesterday, Week 2 of the season came to an end. We're still obviously early on in the season, so the likes of Leicester (1st), Everton (2nd) and Palace (5th) continue to confound our predictions and rob us of points. At the other end of the table, the recently promoted sides (Fulham and WBA) are playing to form, so we're getting plenty of points there. Play has started in Europe, with Bayern predictably on top in the Bundesliga. Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Spurs' Son are our top goalscorers and his teammate Harry Kane has four assists, after that 5-2 demolition of Southampton on Sunday. So here are the currrent standings: 1. Someone Said - 24 pts 2. Swansong - 21 pts - United We Stand - 21 pts 4. Red Dragon - 19 pts - West Ham Rising - 19 points 6. Teddy Goalsevelt - 18 pts 7. MOT the Hoople - 17 pts 8. Blue Devil - 16 pts - The Saint - 16 pts 10. What’s Up Wheaton Simon - 15 pts 11. Gooner71 - 14 pts 12. The Bee’s Knees - 12 pts - Red Devil 1FCK - 12 pts 14. Anfield Warriors - 10 pts 15. Pink Kits - 6 pts 16. Man Utd Rules - 5 pts

The First Big Match of the Season!

I had a long lie-in this morning and gave the Peacock stream a break. But is there any way that I'm going to miss Chelsea v. Liverpool? No way! It's the first big match of the season, a clash between two presumptive title contenders. It's Lamps v. Klopp, a duo that many of us predicted might have a touch-line dust-up. You know you want to watch it. So, join me from 11:30 onward on whatever device you're using for streaming.

The Premier Peacock World

A very good Saturday morning to everyone out there in LOB world. We're waking up on the second Premiership Saturday to a different world indeed. By instinct, I popped on NBC Sports first thing, only to see the Tour de France coverage on. So, this is my first experiment with Peacock, which has most of the matches today. We start with Everton v. WBA. The Toffees had a brlliant start to the season last weekend, with a win away to Spurs. The Baggies on the other hand got off to a loss at home. That's followed sharpish with my beloved Leeds, who dazzled against the champions but finally succumbed to a 4-3 loss. We're at home to Fulham, another fellow promoted side, who got hammered 0-3 at home by Arsenal. United get their campaign started at 12:30, with a home opener against Palace, who won their first match. And we end the day with league leaders Arsenal who have another London Derby against West Ham. The objective with this one is very simple for me. Almost as important to us as a big win against the Cottagers is that the Baggies lose at Goodison, because every loss keeps them rooted on the bottom below us. My Leeds start today at 13th, which would be just fine as a finishing spot. Join me for all of the action. Come on, you Whites!

Hal Willner's Last Project

We lost legendary music producer Hal Willner to COVID-19 back in April. At the time he was working on his latest tribute compilation project, dedicated this time to the music of Marc Bolan and his seminal glam rock band T Rex, which has just come out. Like his tributes to the likes of Nina Rota, Thelonious Monk, Kurt Weill and Charles Mingus, it pairs fascinating combinations of artists such as Todd Rundgren, Beth Orton, U2 and Donald Fagen. I can't wait to hear it. For more information about "Angel-Headed Hipster," check out this NPR piece here: https://www.npr.org/2020/09/09/910679207/a-final-bow-from-hal-willner-the-producer-with-the-golden-rolodex?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR005FMXbBdWFfuZA6w4lju7XYCuSNl-230yiqEcktBkb8SJMgGNXjnbL5s

Midweek Second Round League Cup Action

The Second Round of The League Cup Began yesterday with no major upsets and continues today and tomorrow. This is the Round where there Prem clubs enter the competition , with the exception of the seven clubs that qualified for Europe. The two matches on Plus are the Baggies vs league new boys, Harrogate, who debuted with a 0-4 win at Southend on Sea. That kicks off at 1 PM. The other match on Plus is the Toffees vs Salford which kicks off at 3:15 PM. Bob will be interested in Leeds vs the Tigers which kicks ooff at 2:45 PM. That is  match between the teams that finished top and bottom of the Championship last season. Join me if you can for this and much more on a busy day of footie fixtures.

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 1 Update

Hi there, PPPers - welcome to the new season! This is the first of my weekly updates of the rankings for our humble game. We've got a record 16 partiipants on board this season, including our old friend Steve Caldwell (aka Anfield Warriors) and a teacher friend of mine from Gainesville, FL, Dave Fields (aka Teddy Goalsevelt). Of course we're early on in the season, but after the first weekend, these are our current standings: 1. West Ham Rising - 19 points 2. Teddy Goalsevelt - 15 pts 3. Gooner71 - 13 pts 4. The Bee’s Knees - 11 pts - Blue Devil - 11 pts - The Saint - 11 pts - Swansong - 11 pts - United We Stand - 11 pts 9. MOT the Hoople - 10 pts 10. Red Dragon - 9 pts - Someone Said - 9 pts 12. Pink Kits - 8 pts 13. Man Utd Rules - 7 pts - What’s Up Wheaton Simon - 7 pts 15. Red Devil 1FCK - 6 pts 16. Anfield Warriors - 3 pts

The First Sunday Morning Doubleheader of the Season

It's the first Sunday morning doubleheader of the season, starting with an all midlands match with the newly promoted Baggies at home to the Foxes who finished fifth last season. That kicks off at 9 on NBCSN. The final match kicks off at 11:30 on Peacock as the Spuds host the Toffees with both teams planning to qualify for Europe next season. Join me if you can for the action and banter 

IT'S BACK!!!

 After a very short summer break... the Premier League is back on!! With both Manchester clubs getting an extra week of rest, we still have a Quadruple Header to open the season up!

We start early on NBCSN as the Steve's resurgent Arsenal visit Bob and Kate at the Cottage. We follow that with Palace hosting the Saints.

The big one of the day is Our Bob's beloved Leeds returning to the Big Time with a visit to the the Champions*(sigh).... last time Leeds were promoted to the Top Division...they were 3-0 up at half on Merseyside in their opener!!! This match is on NBC.... the Mighty Leeds got a mention on the NFL match last night!

We end on NBCsports.com or Peacock as the Hammers host the Toon

Join me will ya?

UWS

2020/2021 Premiership Plus Predictions Game!

 Hi there, PPPers! Believe it or not, it's that time again. Because of the pandemic, we only just crowned Bayern Munich as the Champions of Europe (and MOT the Hoople the PPP champions) two weekends ago. Yet, with less than a week until the 2020/2021 domestic season starts with Fulham v. Arsenal on Saturday morning at 7:30am EST, it's time for all of you to consult your crystal balls again. 

I'm pretty happy with the categories as they existed last year; however, I have taken the liberty of adding one (Golden Glove Winner - the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in the Premier League). Here's the basic set-up. 

2020/2021 Premiership Plus Predictions Game: 

1. Premiership Champions - 10 points

2. European Qualifiers (Choose #s 2-5 in the Premiership) - 4 points each plus a bonus point for the correct order)

3. Relegated sides - 3 points each plus bonus point for correct order

4. Promoted sides - 3 points each plus bonus point for correct order

5. League Cup winner - 6 points

6. League Cup loser - 2 points

7. FA Cup winner - 8 points

8. FA Cup winner - 2 points

9. Europa Cup winner - 4 points

10. Champions League winner - 6 points

11. La Liga champions - 2 points

12. Bundesliga champions - 2 points

13. Serie A champions - 2 points

14. Premiership top scorer - 6 points

15. Premiership leader in assists - 4 points

16. Golden Glove winner (the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in the Premier League) - 2 points

17. First Goalscorer in the Premiership (2 points for actual first goalscorer; 1 point for first goalscorer in the PPP pool)

18. First Player to Get a Red Card (including two yellow cards) in the Premiership - (2 points for actual player; 1 point for first player in the PPP pool) 

19. First Player to Score a Hat-trick in the Premier League - (2 points for actual player; 1 point for first player in the PPP pool)

20. First Premiership Player to Get an FA Ban for an Off-Pitch Incident - 2 points

21. First Premiership Player to Get a Second Yellow Card for a Silly Offense - 2 points

22. First Premiership Manager to Get a "Vote of Confidence" (shortly before getting the sack) - 2 points

23. First Premiership Manager to Get Sacked in the Premiership - 2 points

24. First Two Premiership Managers to Get into a Touchline Fight - 2 points

25. Player of the Year (based on the player awarded by the Professional Footballer's Association (PFA) - 2 points 

26. Young Player of the year (based on the player awarded by the PFA) - 2 points

Please get me your predictions in the above categories either by replying to this email (remember not to "Reply All") or on the LOB blogsite by Friday evening, September 11, if you'd like to be part of this year's game. I'll be updating the standings weekly throughout the season both on the LOB blogsite and here by email. Please let me know if there is a better email at which to reach you. 

Good luck to all of you this season!

Even More Nations League Action on the Final Day of the September International Break

 

      It's the final day of September Nation's League action just a few days before the start of the 2020-21 season. Here's hoping that England show a great deal of improvement on and off the field after the trip to Iceland. Also, here's hoping to a higher standard of play after watching some really dreadful matches played at a really low standard. Despite all that , join me if you can

More Nation's League Football Today

  

 There are more glorified friendlies today, AKA The Nation's League , AKA pre World Cup Qualifying this edition.  The highlight today is a noon kickoff EDT from Reykjavik as the Three Lions travel to the Icelandic capital to open their Nation's League campaign in a potentially tricky group that also includes Denmark and Belgium. Join me if you can for the all the action on ABC.

Nation's League 2020-2021 Begins Today

It's the start of the this version of the Nation's League. Despite this being such a nonsensical competition, It does provide us with one marquee match in Germany vs Spain on ESPN 2. Join me for the banter as we endure this competition.

What the Hell is Going on with the Nations League?

The Nations League returns tomorrow and will continue with matches through the weekend. As you'll remember, I was never a fan of the competition, which struck me as a glorified series of UEFA friendlies. The first round of these matches culminated in a mini-tournament that led to Portugal grabbing the inaugural trophy. Yet, who actually remembers that Portugal are the current holders? 

In light of COVID, this bogus tournament makes even less sense. I'll be honest, I have no idea what the teams that are lining up to play starting tomorrow are playing for - will there be another mini-tournament in summer of 2021 to rival the Euros that actually do matter to people? Will it in some way affect the seeding for Euro 2020 (erm, 2021)? I honestly don't know. Of course, I'll be watching the Iceland v. England match on Saturday because it's a match and I'm a total hypocrite. 

Back in 2018, MUR was a font of information about the ins and outs of the tournament. Anyway, I thought I would start a thread to discuss these and other issues.