Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Holiday Update

 

Season's greeting, chaps! I hope that you're enjoying the holidays as much as I am. I've been rather busy and the matches have been coming thick and fast virtually every day, so I've held off on posting an update until now. The busy holiday fixture has brought some significant changes in the tables and in our standings. Liverpool are now on top of the Premier League, for example. And Luton are closing in on Everton above them. In the Championship, Southampton have now vaulted over my beloved Leeds into third. And in Spain, Real Madrid are once again on top of La Liga. 

With half of the season gone now, here are our standings: 

1. United We Stand - 42 points

2. Blue Devil - 36 pts

3. Red Devil 1FCK - 33 pts

4. Red Dragon - 32 pts

-  Teddy Goalesevelt - 32 pts

6. Bee's Knees - 31 pts

-  MOT the Hoople - 31 pts

8. oticoN - 29 pts

9. Gooner71 - 26 pts

-  Man Utd Rules - 26 pts

-  Someone Said - 26 pts

12. West Ham Rising - 20 pts

Music of 2023

 

It's that time again; a moment to take note of the cultural artifacts that enriched our lives. I have to admit that I didn't have a lot of time for reading outside of work and I haven't seen a movie in a theater since Covid. However, i did consume a lot of music this mainly because I finally caved in and starting streaming music through the Amazon Prime Music service. That opened my ears to a lot of music that I might not otherwise have come across. Here are some of my favorites: 

1. boygenius - "the record:" Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers', and Lucy Dacus' supergroup debut was my favorite album of the year. More than the razor sharp songwriting. More than the tight harmonies. The main appeal of the album is the way that it feels like the joyful expression of best friends coming together to make music. It was the only rock record I really cared about this year and "True Blue" was one of the songs I sang the most in the car.

2. Everything But the Girl - "Fuse:" After 24 long years, it was a real pleasure to have an EBTG album around again. Of course, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt had made plenty of solo albums over the years, some of them very good, some of them rather average. But there is something magical about the way that Tracey and Ben collaborate on these songs. In many ways this was a sequel to the house-music influenced 2000 album "Temperamental," but at heart EBTG is a singer-songwriter outfit, as songs such as "Karaoke" underscore.

3. Bebel Gilberto - "Joao:" Bebel Gilberto became a big star on the international scene in the 2000s but has been noticeably silent for many years. This was a welcome return in the form of a lovely tribute album to her late, lamented father Joao Gilberto, who along with Tom Jobim virtually invented the bossa nova style in the early 1960s. It's clear from her takes on classics such as O Pato" that Bebel knows her way around this music. 

4. Jenny Lewis - "Joy'All:" Jenny Lewis showed us all how to do a break up album (and indeed) how to do a break-up on her latest albums. Unlike Kacey Musgraves' dour break-up album from a couple of years back, Jenny approached the material with a sense of joy and sass, especially on stand-out tracks such as "Apples and Oranges" and "Puppy and a Truck." 

5. Jose James - "On and On:" Jose James is one of several jazz singers and instrumentalists who has injected the form with hip hop in the last few years. On his latest, he pays homage to Erika Badu's body of work by stretching them out both in terms of length and ambition. Badu has always had a yen for jazz but hearing a proper jazz band reimagining her songs, especially the epic "Green Eyes," really brings them to life.

6. Cat Power - "Plays Bob Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert:" In a year of great tribute albums, nothing was a more daunting project than Cat Power's note-for-note interpretation of Dylan's electrifying performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London at the height of his powers in 1966. The funniest moment is when Chan Marshall recreates the audience member heckling Dylan by shouting out "Judas!" to which she/he retorts, "Yes?" 

7. Jessie Ware - "That! Feels Good!" The most charming element of British dance music diva is that, unlike, say, Dua Lipa, she's not a twenty-something model but rather a middle-aged mum who likes to bake. She also has house music pipes for days, as she amply shows off on this collection of bangers. The title track starts off the set with James Brown style funk. 

8. Nkosazana Daughter - "Uthingo le Nkosazana:" I've recently become fascinated with the sound of Amapiano, the jazzy dance music of South Africa. This album is a great example of the form, a party record of the first order with essentially the same hypnotic rhythm track throughout but with different artists helping Akosazana Daughter to elevate it. This is the sort of album that I was able to listen to on repeat as I was cooking or doing work. 

9. Soccer Mommy - "Karaoke Night:" Over the years, Sophia Allison has released a wealth of clever, lyrical rock music under the moniker Soccer Mommy; however, this year, she release an EP of covers of by artists that have influenced her, including Taylor Swift, Sheryl Crow and REM. The whole set is eminently listenable but her take on "Losing My Religion" is revelatory. I only wish she'd do something with Peter Buck. 

10. Brad Mehldau - "Plays the Beatles: Your Mother Should Know:" Brad Mehldau, my favorite contemporary jazz pianist, has been interpreting the work of Lennon and McCartney for more than a decade now, so it came as no surprise to hear that he was planning a full album of Beatles music. I would have preferred to hear him with his trio but a solo piano album is what was in his head, so I'm happy with that. 

Other Notable Albums: 

* Gracie Abrams - "Good Riddance"

* James Blake - "Playing Robots into Heaven"

* Cat Power - "Just Like a Woman"

* Charlie Crockett - "The Man from Waco:" 

* Dinner Party - "Enigmatic Society"

* Brad Mehldau - "Golden Slumbers"

* Madison McFerrin - "I Hope You Can Forgive Me"

* Arlo Parks - "My Soft Machine"

* Caroline Polachek - "Desire, I Want to Turn Into You"

* Margo Price - "Strays" 

* Chris Stapleton - "Higher" 

Favorite songs: 

* Gracie Abrams - "Amelie"

* boygenius - "True Blue" 

* Burna Boy - "Sitting on Top of the World" 

* Luke Combs - "Fast Car" 

* Charlie Crockett - "I'm Just a Clown" 

* Olivia Dean - "Dive"

* Dinner Party - "Insane"

* Mr. Eazi - "Fee ne Fefe"

* Bebel Gilberto - "O Pato"

* Jason Isbell - "Strawberry Woman"

* Jose James - "Didn't Cha Know"

* Stacey Kent - "Postcard Lovers"

* Jenny Lewis - "Apples and Oranges"

* Madison McFerrin - "(Please Don't) Leave Me Now"

* Kylie Minogue - "Tension"

* Roisin Murphy - CooCool" 

* Arlo Parks - Impurities"

* Caroline Polachek - "Bunny is a Rider" 

* Post Malone - "Chemical"

* Margo Price - "Time Machine" 

* Troye Sivan - "Can't Go Back, Baby" 

* Soccer Mommy - "Losing My Religion"

* Chris Stapleton - "Think I'm In Love with You" 

* Mae Stephens - "If We Ever Break Up" 

* Jorja Smith - "Little Things"

* Jessie Ware - "Pearls" 

* Jamila Woods - "Practice" 

I'd love to hear what you've been listening to this year. 

Boxing Day Footie!

 

Jingle bells, Leicester smells, Ipswich ran away. Oh, what fun it is to see Leeds win on Boxing Day-ay! Happy Boxing Day, everyone - it's that time of year again that we all love, when the matches come thick and fast throughout the season. We get started early this morning with my beloved Leeds paying a visit to Deepdale to take on Preston North End. At the same time, Newcastle take on Forest. At 10am, there is the relegation dogfight between Luton and Sheffield Utd. The late network match is Burnley v. Liverpool and then we wrap things up with Man Utd. v. Villa. 

Join me for a chat, won't you? 

I Don't Need a Lot for Christmas...

 

To paraphrase that great sage Mariah Carey, "all I want for Christmas is a home win for the Superwhites against the Tractor Boys." Yes, it's a big seasonal clash this morning, with six big points in the Championship on the line. If we win, we can close the gap with Ipswich to seven points. A draw keeps us 10 points behind them - not good enough. A loss, though, would mean a 13 point gap going into the New Year, an unassailable gap between the teams. So, come on, you Whites! #MOT!!

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 17 Update

 

Happy Monday, everyone - I'm back with the regular service after taking last week off to grade my final exams. And to be honest, not a lot has changed in the various leagues we account for in our humble game. The top six in the Premier League are the same, as are the top six in the Championship. Leverkusen and Inter are top of their respective leagues and Erling Haaland is still streets ahead of others. 

So, the changes somewhat in the periphery. Everton have gone on a streak and wiped out their 10 point FFP penalty, so that Luton are back in the relegation mire, benefiting most of us to the tune of 2 points. In Spain, Girona are improbably back on top of La Liga, robbing most of us of those very 2 points. And then Andre Onana is now, also improbably, top of the goalkeeper charts alongside Jordan Pickford, giving half of us those two points back. The PPP giveth and the PPP taketh away...

That means that UWS has now extended his lead at the top to an impressive nine-point lead. Here are the full standings as we head into the busy holiday season: 

1. United We Stand - 42 points

2. Blue Devil - 33 pts

3. Bee's Knees - 30 points 

-  Red Dragon - 30 pts

5. MOT the Hoople - 29 pts

-  Red Devil 1FCK - 29 pts

-  Teddy Goalesevelt - 29 pts

8. oticoN - 28 pts

-  Someone Said - 28 pts

10. Man Utd Rules - 25 pts

11. West Ham Rising - 24 pts

12. Gooner71 - 23 pts

Early Morning on the Old Farm

 

Morning, boys - I'm up at the crack to follow the Old Farm Derby on ESPN. That's followed at 10am by the usual slate of Premier League and EFL fixtures, including Citeh v. Palace on USA. I'll be following my beloved Leeds United's home match with Coventry. The late one is Burnley v. Everton.

Join me for all the fun here on the LOB. 

LAKENHEATH HIGH SCHOOL"S FUTURE

 Hello All You LOBers,

I have been meaning to add a post on LOB since Kathy and I returned from England. We were over there for two weeks and had a grand time. Spent time with my family in East Anglia. Drove up to Scotland to visit Kathy's niece in Glasgow. We then went to the border town of Hawick. The town that Kathy's mom was born. We then went off to Manchester for a couple of nights. Stayed in Hotel Football and went to see United beat Luton 1-0(they were awful) It was a great time tho. Met Alex Stepney after the match and had my picture taken with him and got his autograph. Later in the evening, I bumped in to Sammy McIlroy in Cafe Football and had my picture taken. After Manchester, back to EA then went to Portsmouth, had a private tour of Fratton Park. Next day off to Wembley to watch England v Malta(they were awful). It was a great time tho. The last day, we had a great family reunion in Sevenoaks, Kent with all my cousins. It was a great end to a great trip. I drove over 1500 miles!

Anyway...I do babble on...the main reason for this post is about my trip to Lakenheath. I had tried to send emails to administration about being allowed on the base to visit the plaque and tree for my father. I never heard back from any of them. While I was there, I called the school and was able to set up a time for us to visit the school. Sadly, the tree that was planted for my dad caught a disease and died a few years back. When were there, I asked if there was a way we could have a new tree planted. It then that she told me that the school as we know it is closing down by the year 2030! It is being moved to the space behind the old commissary and bowling alley. The football field has already moved there. There is a big building on the old field! She said that they would take the plaque to the new school. She wasn't sure about a tree.

Anyway, I thought you guys would like to know this bit of information and here are some pictures of the day

Take Care 

Dave

The Holiday Season Heats Up!

 

Hiya, boys! We've officially entered the busy holiday season. Fresh off a casual stroll at Blackburn on Saturday morning, my beloved Leeds United pitch up at the Stadium of Light to meet Sunderland tonight. Daniel Farke's young team have won seven of the last eight matches and need to keep winning in order to close the gap on the top two teams in the league. So, come on, you Leeds boys! #MOT!

Saturday Morning's Alright For Fighting

 

Morning, everyone! I'm up with the chickens to follow this morning's action. We start early doors with my beloved Leeds United's trip across the Pennines to Ewood Park to visit Blackburn. At the same time,  Palace are hosting Liverpool. Then at the 10am hour, we've got the usual Premier Legue and EFL matches, including United v. Bournemouth. The late one is an intriguing with Arsenal visiting high-flying Villa. 

Join me if you're watching. 

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 15 Update

 

Happy Hump Day, PPPers! I'm here after the mid-week Premier League action to update the standings in our game. Not a lot of movement in our standings this week, as not a lot changed in the domestic leagues. Arsenal's thrilling 3-4 win at Luton keeps them on top this week. The real shocker was Villa's win today against champions Man City, which lifts them to third and Man City down to fourth. But since most of us picked City to repeat at champions and none of us picked Villa to be in the top five, it doesn't affect our game at all. 

Everton's win yesterday lifts them over Burnley into 18th, but again doesn't affect our standings. In the Championship and in Europe, it's as you were. Erling Haaland is still top of the Golden Boot race on 14 goals from 15 matches, Kieran Trippier has joined Pedro Neto on 7 assists and the same there keepers - Johnstone, Onana and Pope - have five clean sheets. 

Where several of us picked up two points was in the inevitable sacking of Paul Heckingbottom at Sheffield Utd, who are marooned on the bottom, as they should be. In comes Chris Wilder, so that assures that the Blades will be enjoying away matches against Rotherham next season. 

All of that means that United We Stand has extended his lead at the top to five points. Here are the full standings: 

1. United We Stand - 37 points

2. Teddy Goalesvelt - 32 pts

-   Blue Devil - 32 pts

4. Bee's Knees - 29 pts

5. MOT the Hoople - 28 pts

6. Someone Said - 27 pts

7. Red Devil 1FCK - 26 pts

8. oticoN - 25 pts

-   Red Dragon - 25 pts

-   West Ham Rising - 25 pts

11. Man Utd Rules - 24 pts

12. Gooner71 - 21 pts

Up Early for the Footer

 

Hiya, boys - I'm up early to follow this morning's footer action before the twins wakey wakey. No Prem action early doors but there is the key Championship clash between WBA and Leicester where I'm obviously hoping that Carlos Corberan will pull out something for us against the Foxes. 

At 10am, top of the table Arsenal take on Wolves at the Emirates. At the same, I'll be glued to the goings-on at Elland Road, where Leeds host Boro. Finally, at 12:30pm United have the stiff challenge of traveling to St. James' Park. 

Drop on by for a cuppa this morning, won't you?