Leeds on a Tuesday!

My beloved Leeds United's busy pre-holiday schedule continues this evening with an absolutely crucial home match at Elland Road with Crystal Palace. Palace were a bottom half side last season, so you know what that means. We needs three points for sure today. A win today and another on Sunday at home to Brentford will put us on 18 points and we can then relax over the brutal holiday period with games against the top three sides. Come on, you Whites! #MOT! 
 

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 13 Update

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm here earlier than usual this week, as we've got a busy Premier League schedule that starts tomorrow and continues throughout the week. This will be a quick check-in, as very little has changed the tables this week that affects our scores. Chelsea are still top, Newcastle are still bottom, Mo Salah is still the top goalscorer and so on. The only slight change that affects our standings is that Alisson has now joined his pals Ederson and Edouard Mendy as the Golden Glove leader, as Liverpool had a clean sheet and Ederson and Mendy conceded goals this weekend. They're all on 7 goals. This benefits Swansong, Teddy and Simon to the tune of 2 points. Otherwise, we're where we were last week with now a third of the season complete. 

Here are the current standings: 

1. MOT the Hoople - 51 points 

2. The Bee's Knees - 38 pts

-  Red Dragon - 38 pts

4. West Ham Rising - 36 pts

5. Swansong - 30 pts

6. The Saint - 28 pts

7. The Red Devil 1FCK - 27 pts

8. Man Utd Rules - 26 pts

-  Teddy Goalesevelt - 26 pts 

-  United We Stand - 26 pts

-  What's Up Wheaton Simon - 26 pts

12. Blue Devil - 22 pts

-  Gooner71 - 22 pts

14. Someone Said - 18 pts

15. Pink Kits - 17 pts

16. Yellows - 14 pts

 

A Cocked Up Sunday

 

Morning, gents - I hope that you're enjoying a relaxing weekend. Since all of the matches are on Peacock, I thought I might have a nice lie-in. Brentford v. Everton, City v. West Ham and Leicester have all kicked off, while Burnley v. Spurs has been delayed because of a frozen pitch. Aren't all clubs supposed to have undersoil heating in the Prem? Someone seems to have missed that at Turf Moor, but surely that's reason enough to relegate the Clarets. 

All of those matches are serving as the undercard for the marquee match-up between current league leaders Chelsea and Michael Carrick-led Man Utd. That should be a fascinating encounter, albeit also on Peacock. Join me for all of the fun. 

Post-Thanksgiving Footer!

 

Morning, chaps! I hope you all had a marvelous Thanksgiving. I'm settling in for the usual early Saturday morning footer watching. It all starts in a moment with Arsenal v. Newcastle. Of course, I'm hoping that the Gunners can do my Leeds boys a favor by hammering the Magpies. That leads up to our usual 10am kickoffs, including third-place Liverpool v. Southampton. The big one for me at least is the late one on NBC featuring my beloved Leeds visiting the South Coast to meet Brighton. The Amex hasn't been a happy hunting ground for us of late and Graham Potter really had Marcelo Bielsa's number last season. But I'm hoping that we can turn that around starting today. 

Join me for all the action, won't you? 

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 12 Update

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Before we get to Turkey Day, I thought I'd chip in with the weekly update on our PPP Game. Not a lot of changes this week, to be honest, and most of them negative for our scores. Chelsea's reign on top continues to benefit those who were wise enough to back them at the start of the season. At the bottom of the table, Norwich's big win over Soton moved them off the bottom. In the Championship, Fulham and Bournemouth have swapped places, with the Cottagers now on top. And in Europe, Napoli have taken over from AC Milan at the top of Serie A. Mo Salah continues at the top of the scoring chart with 11 goals and also shares the spoils in assists with Paul Pogba on 7 assists. Ederson and Edouard Mendy added one more clean sheet to their totals and are now 7 clean sheets from 12 matches. 

That all means that our pal MOT the Hoople continues on top of our standings - here they are: 

1. MOT the Hoople - 51 points

2. The Bee's Knees - 38 pts

-  Red Dragon - 38 pts

4. West Ham Rising - 36 pts

5. The Saint - 28 pts

-  Swansong - 28 pts

7.  Red Devil 1FCK - 27 pts

8. United We Stand - 26 pts

-  Man Utd Rules - 26 pts

10. Teddy Goalesvelt - 24 pts

-  What's Up Wheaton Simon - 24 pts

12. Blue Devil - 22 pts

-  Gooner71 - 22 pts

14. Someone Said - 18 pts

15. Pink Kits - 17 pts

16. Yellows - 14 pts 

Sunday in the Prem

Morning, everyone! I'm getting to my chair a little late for this morning's action after a bit of a lie-in. First up is City v. Everton, with City trying to bounce back from their loss to Palace before the international break. Everton will just be happy to be participating, as usual. 

That's followed by the big one for the weekend for me - my beloved Leeds United's visit to the new Shite Fart Lane to meet Spurs. This one could go either way. Spurs have been in really poor form of late, but Harry Kane is coming off having scored seven goals in two matches for England. It should be entertaining, nonetheless. Come on, you Leeds! MOT!

The Premier League is Back!

 

After the last interminable international break of the year, we're finally back to Premier League action this morning. And we start with a bang at the KP with Leicester hosting table-topping Chelsea. That's followed by the 10am EST kickoffs, including Watford v. Man Utd on Peacock. Finally, we have truly marquee match-up for the late one on NBC. It's Liverpool v. Arsenal to finish off our day. Join me, won't you? 

The 2022 World Cup playoffs UEFA section Explained to the Best of My Ability

Seed	Grp	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Seeding
1	A	Portugal	8	5	2	1	17	6	+11	17	Seeded in semi-final draw
2	F	Scotland	8	5	2	1	14	7	+7	17
3	C	Italy	8	4	4	0	13	2	+11	16
4	H	Russia	8	5	1	2	14	5	+9	16
5	B	Sweden	8	5	0	3	12	6	+6	15
6	E	Wales	8	4	3	1	14	9	+5	15
7	G	Turkey	8	4	3	1	18	16	+2	15	Unseeded in semi-final draw
8	I	Poland	8	4	2	2	18	10	+8	14
9	J	North Macedonia	8	3	3	2	14	11	+3	12
10	D	Ukraine	8	2	6	0	11	8	+3	12

Source: FIFA, UEFA
Rules for classification: Counting only matches against teams ranked first to fifth in the group, 1. Points; 2. Goal difference; 3. Goals scored; 4. Away goals scored; 5. Wins; 6. Away wins; 7. Lower disciplinary points total; 8. Position in 2020–21 UEFA Nations League access list.^[40]

UNL	Rank	UNL group winner	Qualifying group
A	1	France &	D
	2	Spain &	B
	3	Italy	C
	4	Belgium &	E
B	17	Wales	E
	18	Austria	F
	19	Czech Republic	E
	20	Hungary	I
C	33	Slovenia	H
	34	Montenegro	G
	35	Albania	I
	36	Armenia	J
D	49	Gibraltar	G
	50	Faroe Islands	F

Unusual times call for unusual explanations.  The top chart  is a list of the ten Group Runner Ups and how the rankings for the seeded and unseeded teams were determined . As stated below the graphic only results against the top five teams in the group were counted as some groups had five teams and some had six teams. 

  Next the two NL teams and why only two instead of four as in the Euros. Well, only thirteen European teams qualify for the WC compared to twenty four for the Euros. As explained in the NL graphic the top teams in League A finished in the top two of their qualifying group, so next to group B . Wales finished as a group runner up , so the the next best teams in League B were Austria and the Czechs , who qualified as the two best NL teams since they finished lower than second in their group. These rankings are the results of the Nations League played last year  and continued after the break due two the pandemic. 

   That is how the dozen playoff teams were decided . The ten runners up and Austria and the Czechs as the two NL teams . Now the question of Paths A, B , and C for the playoffs. Below is Path A. Each Path has four teams consisting of two seeded and two unseeded teams . The semis are one off matches as is the final. In the semis , the seeded teams are at home and in the final the host team has yet to be determined.Listed below is the bracket for Path A with the dates of the semis and the final in late March. Paths B and C work the same exact way and are played on the same dates.In each Path the winner qualifies for the WC, which determines the three playoff teams that qualify. Any questions?

Path A[edit]

Bracket[edit]

	Semi-finals				Final
	24 March 2022
	Seeded team
					29 March 2022
	Unseeded team
					Winner semi-final 1/2
	24 March 2022
					Winner semi-final 1/2
	Seeded team
	Unseeded team

Summary[edit]

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Semi-finals
Seeded team	24 Mar (SF1)	Unseeded team
Seeded team	24 Mar (SF2)	Unseeded team
Final
Winner semi-final 1/2	29 Mar	Winner semi-final 1/2

Semi-finals[edit]

24 March 2022

Seeded team	Semi-final 1	Unseeded team

---

24 March 2022

Seeded team	Semi-final 2	Unseeded team

29 March 2022

Winner semi-final 1/2	v	Winner semi-final 1/2

Jamaica vs U.S. of Paramount Plus Importance

 It's another important World Cup Qualifier  for the  U.S. as it's an unusual teatime kickoff at 5 PM in Jamaica. The U.S. has a slim lead at the top and needs to continue winning , especially as second and third place Mexico and Canada face each other this evening .Join me if you can . The match streams on Paramount Plus

San Marino vs England World Cup Qualifying

 

England needs merely a draw tin San Marino to clinch a spot in WC 2022. However, England should win handily , but the job needs to be done. A professional performance is the minimum requirement. Join me for the match on Plus. Also Northern Ireland vs Italy , near neighbors of the teams we will be watching, is on TUDN in a key match for the Italians. The Italians win the group as long as they don't have a winning margin to fewer than the Swiss. Any questions?

The Biggest Rivalry in the Region World Cup Qualifying

 It's the U.S. vs Mexico  from Cincinnati with kickoff at 9 PM. As expected these are the top two teams in the qualifying group and both will probably qualify for next year's World Cup.If Mexico wins then they have a commanding lead in the group . If the U.S. wins then they will be joint top in the group with the group being more competitive. Add in that this is one of the fiercest rivalries in  football. A great way to start the weekend with kickoff at 9 PM on the deuce.

England v. Albania Live!

 

TGIF, chaps! I've got my week's work done and am looking forward to this afternoon's festivities. We've got some football to attend to. Gareth Southgate's England side need four points from two matches in the next few days in order to book their flights to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. Today's it's a home match at Wembley against Albania. Ordinarily this would be an occasion for England's strikers to fill their boots, but I suspect that it might be a more nervy affair, with Southgate running out a defensive starting XI, as a loss would be disastrous. I'll take a professional 2-0 win. 

Come on, England! 

The Managerial Merry-Go-Round

 

It's been a whirlwind period of managerial changes in the Premier League over the past few weeks, with loads of teams making major changes. Claudio Ranieri has taken over at Watford. Antonio Conte has taken over at Spurs. Eddie Howe has taken over at Newcastle. News in tonight suggests that Steven Gerrard will be announced as the new manager at Villa, while Frank Lampard is in advanced talks with Delia Smith and the Norwich board to assume the reins at Carrow Road. 

So, the question for the evening is - who's made the best change? Your thoughts, gents? 

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 11 Update

Hiya, PPPers! As we head into the November international break, it's time to take stock of the standings in our humble predictions game. With 11 matches now played in the Premier League, Chelsea are still top of the pops, despite dropping points this weekend. In-form Arsenal have replaced Man Utd in the top five and West Ham have risen to third due to their big win against Liverpool on Sunday. The bottom three, meanwhile, remain the same, but with Norwich now having moved off the bottom with their first win of the season.

At the top of the Championship, Bournemouth and Fulham are romping but Stoke and QPR have joined the trailing pack in the playoff spots. Mo Salah failed to score at the weekend, so he's stuck at 10 goals from 11 matches but still at the top. Paul Pogba is still on top of the assist chart but Mo is closing on him. And Ederson has joined Edouard Mendy at the top of Golden Gloves category. 

In Europe, AC Milan and Real Madrid are back on top, alongside Bayern, so there are more points around due to that. 

It all means that our current leader MOT the Hoople now has an impressive 11 point lead. Here are the current standings: 

1. MOT the Hoople - 52 points

2. The Bee's Knees - 39 pts

3. Red Dragon - 38 pts

4. West Ham Rising - 37 pts

5. The Saint - 29 pts

6. Swansong - 28 pts

7. Red Devil - 26 pts

-  United We Stand - 26 pts

- What's Up Wheaton Simon - 26 pts

10. Man Utd Rules - 25 pts

11. Blue Devil - 24 pts

- Gooner71 - 24 pts

- Teddy Goalesevelt - 24 pts

14. Pink Kits - 18 pts

15. Someone Said - 17 pts

16. Yellows - 13 pts

 

The Managerial Merry-go-round Rolls On!

 

In breaking news out of Blighty this morning, Dean Smith has followed Daniel Farke out of the door at Villa. So, it's clear that life at the bottom of the Premier League table is an uncomfortable place. We've got several matches have implications for the bottom of the table today. We start with Arsenal hosting 16th place Watford; obviously I'm hoping that the Gunners can do us a favor there. And of course, my beloved Leeds, currently 17th, host Leicester City. My patented rubric says that we don't need anything from this one but I'd like to see a point today to stay ahead of the throng at the bottom. 

At the same time, Everton take on Spurs in a mid-table clash. And later on Liverpool host West Ham. Join me at the top of the hour. 

Derby Day in Manchester

Ten years ago, this was a match between the two best teams in the land. Before that, it was a Big Club vs a Little Club. Sadly, it is becoming that again..... the wrong way around!!

Usually, I feel that United, no matter what the form, would always give it a good game. After the Liverpool match...not sure about this lot!!

Join me

UWS

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 10 Update

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I'm checking in as usual with an update on our PPP Game. Not a lot of change in our game this week. The majors factors are Man United joining the top five again, after that big win at Spurs, and Edouard Mendy's sixth clean sheet against Newcastle moving him out alone of Alisson and Ederson in the Golden Glove category. The first added four points to several players, while the second deprived a few players of two points. 

It all means that MOT the Hoople remains on top of our chart after 10 matches played: 

1. MOT the Hoople - 47 points 

2. Red Dragon - 38 pts

3. West Ham Rising - 33 pts

4. Swansong - 32 pts

5. The Bee's Knees - 30 pts

6. Man Utd Rules - 26 pts

-  The Saint - 26 pts

-  Teddy Goalesevelt - 26 pts

9. Gooner71 - 25 pts

10. Pink Kits - 20 pts

-  Red Devil 1FCK - 20 pts

-  What's Up Wheaton Simon - 20 pts

13. Someone Said - 19 pts

14. Blue Devil - 17 pts

-  United We Stand - 17 pts

16. Yellows - 12 pts