Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 38 Update

 

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! I'm checking in after yesterday's culminating round of matches in the Premier League to take stock of our PPP game. In the end the dye had been set weeks before, as the top five clubs ended up the same, albeit with ManYoo and Newcastle switches 3rd and 4th places on the last day, benefiting Bee's Knees, Red Dragon and West Ham Rising by one point. Below them, Brighton joined Liverpool in the Europa League spots and Villa claimed the Conference League spot that no one really wants. In the drop zone, the bottom three going into the last day - Leicester, Leeds and Soton were all relegated in that order, with my beloved Leeds United going out with a whimper 1-4 to Spurs. 

Harry Kane scored two on the last day in what might well be his last match for Spurs to notch his best ever career total of 30 Prem goals, but it wasn't enough to top Erling Haaland, who was the run-away winner of the Golden Boot with a whopping 36 goals. His mate KDB obviously took the Most Assist prize with 16. And David De Gea earned another clean sheet on the last day for an impressive 17 clean sheets in 38 matches this season. 

In Europe, Barcelona and Napoli ran away with their respective leagues, but Bayern pipped Dortmund on the last day on goal difference to take the Bundesliga title (again!). That gave most of us two points more this week but robbed our Dortmund fan AZ Kicker of two vital points. 

So what's left. The Europa League Final between Sevilla and Roma this Wednesday (5/31) is followed by the FA Cup final between the two Manchester clubs next Saturday, with a lot riding on it, including either a domestic cup double for United or a treble for City. That's followed by the Europa Conference League final the following Wednesday (6/7), and finally the biggie, The Champions League final on Saturday, June 10. I'll also be adding in points for the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards. 

So, with just a few matches and awards to go, Red Dragon has a two point lead at the top. Here are the full standings: 

1. Red Dragon - 40 points 

2. Bee's Knees - 38 pts

3. Man Utd Rules - 37 pts

4. Blue Devil - 36 pts

-  Teddy Goalesevelt - 36 pts

-  United We Stand - 36 pts

7. West Ham Rising - 33 pts

8. Red Devil 1FCK - 30 pts

9. oticoN - 29 pts

10. Gooner71 - 28 pts

11. Swansong - 24 pts

12. MOT the Hoople - 15 pts

13. Someone Said - 14 pts

14. AZ Kicker 2 pts

The End of the Road

 

Morning chaps - it's the end of another long Premier League season. I can't say that it's been a fun one to watch for me as a Leeds fan. We've only won seven matches in 37 and have gone through three managers. We've still got a shot at survival but it's a long one. We'll need to beat Spurs at home, of course, but that's just the start. We'll also need both Everton and Leicester to draw. Or there are some permutations involving goal difference and goals scored. Chances are that we'll be relegated today and I'll go right with them as always, hoping that we can turn it around in the Championship next season. So, for the last time this season and perhaps for the last time in the Premier League for a while - come on, you Whites! #MOT!

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 37 Update

Happy Hump Day, LOBers - I'm checking in with the weekly update on our PPP Game. With merely one more match left in the Premier League schedule, things are certainly starting to gel in our league standings. Two big changes have shaken up our table this week. First, Man Utd Rules reached out this week to remind me that the Championship Playoffs, which I had completely ignored, had been settled with Luton and Coventry defeating Sunderland and Boro in order to make the Wembley final. So, I've eliminated the points for having backed either of those Northeast sides. Also, Dortmund have taken a two point lead over Bayern in the Bundesliga, which has benefited Bee's Knees but has taken two points away from most of the rest of us. 

The result is that we've got a new leader - Red Dragon - who is two points ahead of Bee's Knees and MUR. What lies ahead is the last round of matches on Sunday, the FA Cup Final in a fortnight and then the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League finals. At the moment, though, here are our standings: 

1. Red Dragon - 37 points

2. Bee's Knees - 35 pts

-  Man Utd Rules - 35 pts

4. Blue Devil - 34 pts

-  Teddy Goalesevelt - 34 pts

-  United We Stand - 34 pts

7. West Ham Rising - 30 pts

8. Red Devil 1FCK - 28 pts

9. oticoN - 27 pts

10. Gooner71 - 26 pts

11. Swansong - 22 pts

12. MOT the Hoople - 13 pts

13. Someone Said - 12 pts

14. AZ Kicker - 4 pts

Win or Go Down

 

Morning, chaps! Yesterday's results clarified the job of my beloved Leeds United in our last two matches. With Everton drawing late on at Wolves and Forest claiming an improbable 1-0 win over Arsenal mean that we must get two wins against West Ham and Spurs. Yeah, I know, I know - that's a tall order from a side who have only won seven matches all season. But funny things happen at the end of seasons. West Ham are fresh off their Conference League exploits in Alkmaar with barely any time to prepare for this one and loads of injuries. And Spurs just lost their last home match of the season with Harry Kane signing off his Spurs career with a goal but a 1-3 loss. Get them in front of a full house at Elland Road and they will wilt. So, come on, you Whites - you can do this! #MOT!

Do or Die Weekend

 

Morning, chaps - it's crunch time for those at top and bottom of the league again this weekend. City have just about wrapped up the title but there is still a lot to play for at in the European competitions qualification race. At the bottom, Soton are down, leaving Leicester, Everton, Forest and my beloved Leeds trying desperately to avoid the drop. 

We start with Spurs v. Brentford early doors. Spurs are just about out of the Champions League race but will want to secure their Europa League spot. At 10am, the match I'll have my eye firmly on is Wolves v. Everton. Of course, I'll be hoping that the Midlanders can do us a favor. Similarly, Gooner's Arsenal side could do us a solid against Forest at 12:30. It will be nailbiting. Join me for the agony fest, won't you? 

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 36 Update

 

Evening, PPPers. I've been waiting until the end of the European midweek action to update our standings, so that I could include that data for you. One of the reasons for that is that almost no one moved in the key parts of the table. The top five in the Premier League are the same, as are the top six in the Championship. Bayern, Napoli and Barcelona are still on top in Europe. Erling Haaland is running away with the Golden Boot competition, now on 36 goals, as is his mate KDB who now has 16 assists. David De Gea has quietly accumulated 16 clean sheets and is unlikely to be matched. The one exception is that my beloved Leeds swapped places in the relegation zone with Leicester, as we drew and they lost. That benefited both oticoN and Red Dragon, who had the temerity to pick my Super Whites for the drop. 

So, now that we know that Inter Milan will face Man City in the Champions League Final, that Roma will meet Sevilla in the Europa League Final and that Fiorentina will meet West Ham in the UEFA Conference Final, I've updated the worksheet with that information. 

All that means that UWS is still riding high on top, leading by six points with only two matches to come. Here are the current standings: 

1. United We Stand - 46 points

2. Red Dragon - 40 pts

3. Blue Devil - 38 pts

4. Bee's Knees - 37 pts

-  Man Utd Rules - 37 pts

7. oticoN - 34 pts

8. Red Devil 1FCK  -33 pts

9. Gooner71 - 33 pts

-  West Ham Rising - 32 pts

11. Swansong - 28 pts

12. MOT the Hoople - 15 pts

13 - Someone Said - 14 pts

14. AZ Kicker - 6 pts

Every Match is a Cup Final!

 

Morning chaps! With only three matches left for most sides, every match is a Cup Final. That certainly applies to my beloved Leeds, who take on Newcastle at the sacred Elland Road ground in the early kick-off this morning. New boss Sam Allardyce has said that this one is a "must win," and the side must rouse itself to get at least a point against a team that is flying at the moment. 

After that, we'll sit back and watch the other relegation rivals in their matches, most notably Forest on the road to Chelsea. 

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

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 35 Update

 

Evening, LOBers - I'm back on Tuesday night to account for the changes in our PPP Game after an unusually busy Week 35 round of the Premier League, which included a crazy Bank Holiday Monday of matches at the bottom of the league. As a result, Man City are still at the top, which really benefits those who picked the Citizens to retain their title. Everton and Forest vaulted their way out of the relegation zone with big wins on Monday, which dropped Leicester and my beloved Leeds into the dropzone. In the Championship, UWS picked up points as Sunderland have crept back into playoff contention. 

It all means that UWS is our new league leader, with those points propelling him over his son Red Dragon. Here's confirmation of our current standings: 

1. United We Stand - 46 points

2. Red Dragon - 39 pts

3. Blue Devil - 38 pts

4. Bee's Knees - 37 pts

-  Man Utd Rules - 37 pts

- Teddy Goalesevelt - 37 pts

7. oticoN - 33 pts

8. Red Devil 1FCK - 33 pts

9. Gooner71 - 32 pts

-  West Ham Rising - 32 pts

11. Swansong - 28 pts

12. MOT the Hoople - 15 pts

13. Someone Said - 14 pts

14. AZ Kicker - 6 pts

The Rubber Meets the Road

 

Morning, chaps! With only four matches left in this domestic season, we're nearing the business end of the matter, with crucial matches for both top and bottom clubs. We start with a bang this morning with my beloved Leeds United, now graced by the presence of Fat Sam Allardyce taking on the Manchester City juggernaut at the Etihad. It could get grim for the boys in white pretty quickly. Pray for us! 

At the same time, Bournemouth take on hapless Chelsea, Wolves host Villa, and Spursy Spurs tackle Palace. Later on, Liverpool try to mount a late bid for the Champions League against Brentford in the tea time fixture. 

Join me to suffer through another woeful Leeds outing, won't you? 

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 34 Update

 

Evening, LOBers. I decided to wait until the whirlwind of midweek Premier League fixtures had been completed to post this update. It was all change in the leagues (and consequently in our standings). For example, Man City finally caught up with Arsenal and overhauled them with a 3-0 win over West Ham on Wednesday. Liverpool have now overtaken Spurs for the Europa League spot and Forest and Everton have swapped places in the relegation zone. In the Championship, Millwall have replaced Sunderland in the final playoff spot. Bayern are now a point ahead of Dortmund and back in charge in the Bundesliga. Erling Haaland is now on 35 goals while his mate KDB is on 15 assists. Cor! 

So, here are the brand new standings, with Red Dragon our new leader: 

1. Red Dragon - 43 points

2. United We Stand - 42 pts

3. Blue Devil - 41 pts

-  Man Utd Rules - 41 pts

5. Bee's Knees - 40 pts

-  Gooner71 - 40 pts

-  Teddy Goalesevelt - 40 pts

8. Red Devil 1FCK - 33 pts

9. Swansong - 32 pts

-  West Ham Rising - 32 pts

11. oticoN - 30 pts

12. MOT the Hoople - 22 pts

13. Someone Said - 18 pts

14. AZ Kicker - 6 pts