Merry Christmas Everyone

Merry Christmas to all, no matter which team you follow :)
Especially Longy for being a loyal supporter of this blog :)

Premier Predictions (Week 19)

Early post for games starting next Friday.
I'm back at work on Wednesday :( but if your having a proper Christmas Longy you might be too pissed to remember this next week :)

Friday 30th December 2011
Liverpool v Newcastle

Saturday 31st December 2011
Man Utd v Blackburn
Arsenal v QPR
Bolton v Wolves
Chelsea v Aston Villa
Norwich v Fulham
Stoke v Wigan
Swansea v Tottenham

Sunday 1st January 2012
West Brom v Everton
Sunderland v Man City

Premier Predictions (Week 18)

Here's the Boxing day and Tuesday fixtures.

Monday 26th December
Chelsea v Fulham
Arsenal v Wolves
Bolton v Newcastle
Liverpool v Blackburn
Man Utd v Wigan
Sunderland v Everton
West Brom v Man City
Stoke v Aston Villa

Tues 27th December
Swansea v QPR
Norwich v Tottenham

The Arsenal and Chelsea games might be switched to Tuesday due to the tube strike?

Premier Predictions (Week 17)

Getting this one in early, these are next weeks pre-Christmas games.

Tuesday, 20 December
Wolves v Norwich
Blackburn v Bolton

Wednesday, 21 December
Aston Villa v Arsenal
Man City v Stoke
Newcastle v West Brom
Everton v Swansea
Fulham v Man Utd
QPR v Sunderland
Wigan v Liverpool

Thursday, 22 December
Tottenham v Chelsea

Premier Predictions (Week 16)

The games come thick and fast over the next few weeks so I've split them up and will post them 10 at a time.
Week 16 - Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th
Week 17 - Tuesday 20th to Thursday 22nd
Week 18 - Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th
Week 19 - Friday 30th to Sunday 1st January
Week 20 - Monday 2nd to Wednesday 4th January

Here's this weeks (week 16)

Blackburn v West Brom
Everton v Norwich
Fulham v Bolton
Newcastle v Swansea
Wolves v Stoke
Wigan v Chelsea

QPR v Man Utd
Aston Villa v Liverpool
Tottenham v Sunderland
Man City v Arsenal

What A Bad Week

The Hammers lose 2 on the trot but even after Saturday's disaster I'm still confident we can get promotion, But my local side Southend have had the week from hell :(
Going into the Johnson's paint semi final at home to Swindon last week they had a record equalling 17 games without defeat, a record equalling 5 straight away wins in the league and were also top of the table, and faced a replay in the FA Cup which if they won meant a trip to Anfield in the 3rd round.
7 Days later and 3 defeats see them out of 2 cup competitions and off the top of the league.

Last weeks 2-1 defeat at home to Swindon was harsh after leading especially as if they had won only Barnet stood in the way of a Wembley final (which I'm sure I could have got a ticket for), Saturday was a terrible performance at Cheltenham which saw a 3-0 defeat and a drop to 2nd in the league.
Tuesday's cup defeat at Oldham was a shame as a trip to Liverpool was there for the winner and up until Mohsni's sending off Southend were bossing the game.
Bilel Mohsni (pictured) rarely has a dull game, he is mainly a centre back but in 23 appearances this season he has played nearly everywhere, he's got 5 goals this term and always loks a handfull upfront but the guy is a total loose cannon :(
In the pre-season friendlies he was given a "final warning" and told to attend anger management as he lost the plot and got sent off again.
Last night after his 5th sending off in a season and a half at Southend it looks like it was the final straw, according to a friend who was at the game the whole team rounded on him in the tunnel at the end and manager Paul Sturrock accused him of costing the club £200,000 for missing out on the Anfield tie, also the story goes he was last seen outside Oldham's ground asking directions to the station?

Premier Predictions (Week 15)

This weeks "how many will Longy beat me by" competition :)

Arsenal v Everton
Bolton v Aston Villa
Liverpool v QPR
Man Utd v Wolves
Norwich v Newcastle
Swansea v Fulham
West Brom v Wigan

Sunderland v Blackburn
Stoke v Tottenham

Chelsea v Man City

Socrates

RIP Socrates :(

Another footie death although this one not as much of a shock as Gary Speed.
Socrates was the captain of the Brazilian team in the early eighties which was probably the best team not to win the World Cup.
I remember watching the World cup of 1982 when it looked like they were going to eclipse the Brazilian team of 1970 until they came up to the Paolo Rossi inspired Italians.
Socrates even in his peak was supposed to have been a 50 a day ciggie man, which was always an inspiration for all us smokers out there though his early death maybe proves it shouldn't be!! although it seems a lot of his recent health problems had been more down to alcohol and the final straw was actually food poisoning.
So the only certain thing in life is death :(

Premier Predictions (Week 14)

Back to the predictions game :(
I'm on the losing streak from hell and this lot probably won't break it.

Newcastle v Chelsea
Blackburn v Swansea
Man City v Norwich
QPR v West Brom
Tottenham v Bolton
Wigan v Arsenal
Aston Villa v Man Utd

Everton v Stoke
Wolves v Sunderland

Fulham v Liverpool

You can have first go Longy, I promise not to play for the draw :)

A Brucie Bonus

Now I can stop hating Sunderland in the same way I've stopped hating Birmingham and Wigan after he went (still not keen on Palace though) :)
Anyone that knows me will know I really can hold a grudge and after Wor Brucie slagged off the Hammers many years back I have detested this guy with a vengeance, so I am less than sorry he's been booted out again.
It will interesting to see which team I have to hate next? as no doubt like most failed useless managers he'll get another high paid job before the season is out.

Gary Speed

RIP Gary Speed :(

What a shocker, a great player for many years and he was turning out to be Wales best manager in many years.
Really saddened by this.

Gone To The Dogs

Premier Predictions (Week 13)

Got to end this serious losing streak :(

Stoke v Blackburn
Bolton v Everton
Chelsea v Wolves
Man Utd v Newcastle
Norwich v QPR
Sunderland v Wigan
West Brom v Tottenham
Arsenal v Fulham

Swansea v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Man City

Huddersfield

Congratulations to Hudderfield Town on breaking Nottingham Forest's record of 42 unbeaten football league games today.
They still need another 7 to break Arsenal's all time English record of 49 unbeaten which was achieved in the FA Premier league a few years back, but still a brilliant achievement so far.

One trivia fact from my youth - many years back around 1970? I collected footie cards in packs with bubble gum and had most of the cards from 21 of the 22 of the teams, for some reason no Huddersfield players were available?

Premier Predictions (Week 12)

Back to proper footie again and hopefully I can stop the rot :)
This weeks games over 3 days and sadly for me the Tottenham game could be the decider again (I might tip them to win so I won't feel so bad if I get that one wrong again).
Big games this week are Man U going to hard to beat Swansea, and Newcastle taking their unbeaten record to top team City also Torres v Liverpool :)

Norwich v Arsenal
Everton v Wolves
Man City v Newcastle
Stoke v QPR
Sunderland v Fulham
West Brom v Bolton
Wigan v Blackburn
Swansea v Man Utd

Chelsea v Liverpool

Tottenham v Aston Villa

A Rare Treat

England friendlies are usually pretty dull affairs and I expected this to be the same.
Odds were that Spain would play the ball about and probably snatch a winner after England had given the ball away on countless occasions but it ended up as a really good contest.
The first half was pretty even and a bit predictable, but the second half was probably England's best performance for a long while.
Lescott, Jagielka and Cole looked solid at the back and Parker despite him being a money grabbing judas was excellent.

Good Luck

Good luck to East Thurrock United who take on Macclesfield later in the 1st round of the FA Cup, it's the first time the Rocks have got this far so hopefully they can put in a decent display.
My interest comes from the fact they used to be the nearest club to where I grew up, although I've probably only seen them play half a dozen times as the Hammers, Southend, Grays and Tilbury were the teams I followed in my youth.

Premier Predictions (Week 11)

All the top sides play Saturday, and they should all win?
But it doesn't always work out that way :)

Newcastle v Everton
Arsenal v West Brom
Aston Villa v Norwich
Blackburn v Chelsea
Liverpool v Swansea
Man Utd v Sunderland
QPR v Man City

Wolves v Wigan
Bolton v Stoke
Fulham v Tottenham

Premier Predictions (Week 10)

Week 10 and it's all square 3 wins each and 3 draws.
Last week looked an easy one to predict but I only managed 1 point!! so I might have to go for a few results that I wouldn't put money on.
Games over 3 days including a Halloween special with scary Stoke and Newcastle who must have done a deal with the devil to be as high as 4th.

Everton v Man Utd
Chelsea v Arsenal
Man City v Wolves
Norwich v Blackburn
Sunderland v Aston Villa
Swansea v Bolton
Wigan v Fulham
West Brom v Liverpool

Tottenham v QPR

Stoke v Newcastle

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