Thursday, 25 June 2020

Premier Predictions (Week 32)

Week 32 - 10 Premier League Games + 4 F.A Cup Games
(all 14 games count, Cup ties 90 minute score only


Games spread between Saturday 27th and Thursday 2nd July.

Aston Villa v Wolves
Norwich v Man Utd (FAC)

Sheff Utd v Arsenal (FAC)
Leicester v Chelsea (FAC)
Watford v Southampton
Newcastle v Man City (FAC)

Crystal Palace v Burnley

Brighton v Man Utd

Arsenal v Norwich
Bournemouth v Newcastle
Everton v Leicester
West Ham v Chelsea

Sheff Utd v Tottenham
Man City v Liverpool

Good Luck All  😃

Thursday, 11 June 2020

Premier Predictions (Week 30 + 31)

Football is back, and so is the predictions competition.
Hopefully everyone is still healthy and haven't lost any loved ones 💟

It's going to be a bit weird with no crowds, even with the TV companies offering artificial crowd noise to give the impression it's not just a training match kickabout. Watched a few of the German games and it's just going through the motions to placate the money men 😕

The teams are a bit of a mystery with some players not coming back yet due to fears about the virus, a lot of players who were loaned to leagues that have called it a day back with their teams.
Also rule changes like 5 substitutes each, and I don't think the home fixtures are guaranteed to take place where they should be?

Week 30 - 12 Games (From Wednesday 17th June to Monday 22nd June) 

Aston Villa v Sheff Utd
Man City v Arsenal
Norwich v Southampton
Tottenham v Man Utd
Watford v Leicester
Brighton v Arsenal
West Ham v Wolves
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace
Newcastle v Sheff Utd
Aston Villa v Chelsea
Everton v Liverpool
Man City v Burnley

Week 31 - 10 Games (From Tuesday 23rd June to Thursday 25th June)

Leicester v Brighton
Tottenham v West Ham
Man Utd v Sheff Utd
Newcastle v Aston Villa
Norwich v Everton
Wolves v Bournemouth
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
Burnley v Watford
Southampton v Arsenal
Chelsea v Man City

Week 32 games are due to start on Saturday 27th June, but will include 4 F.A Cup Quarter Finals.
All in all it's going to be a hectic end with the season not finishing till the end of July, or later if Cup Finals still take place? and the new season originally scheduled to start the week after?

Good Luck All  😍


Monday, 18 May 2020

Sexy Football

I remember seeing a blow up doll being bounced around by the crowd a few times in the English leagues, but the South Koreans have taken it to a whole new level.


Saturday, 16 May 2020

Football On TV

Two months without any live football on TV, and to be honest it's flown by.
Last decent game I saw was the Liverpool v Athletico Champs league game, although I did watch the Wolves Europa game the day after but that was behind closed doors so it was boring.
All the channels have been putting on various old games in highlight packages, which have all been spoiled by having to listen to current pundits waffling.
Gary Lineker is dull as ditchwater most of the time, and Jermaine Jenas is mind numbing.
But it was good to see BBC's World Cup rewind today, just showing highlights of classic matches without the need to listen to pundit's thoughts.

Great to see one of my all time favourite goals, Dennis Bergkamp's late winner against Argentina in the 1998 Quarter final. One of those games where you pick a side even though neither are "your" teams. Always loved watching Holland because of a history of talented players and their passionate colourful fans, and hate Argentina because of all the cheating b'stards who have played for them.
Very late in the game with both teams down to 10 men a stunning long pass to Bergkamp who controls it brilliantly, steps inside the defender and flashes it past the keeper with the outside of his foot. I went mad at the time and it still brings back the memory of that moment.

Thursday, 7 May 2020

Future Football

Crowds
Games
Matches

Sunday, 3 May 2020

My Thoughts

I know it's a really old fashioned view, but football used to be the people's game.
If we go ahead with the season playing all the remaining games behind closed doors at neutral venues, it is only for the benefit of all the businesses that have got fingers in the pie like advertisers, betting companies and TV etc.

Football without fans is really boring, like all your favourite rock bands playing without any music alright as a novelty one-off acapella, but you don't want to sit through that every time.

The more sensible predictions around are that things are unlikely to go back to anywhere normal this year, with a possible second wave when the first one eventually ends.
So why not just put the season on hold for the rest of the year, and continue if and when it is safe to do so next year.

There are still 9 or 10 games to go for Premier League teams, the F.A Cup has only reached the Quarter Final stage, and Europe is only at the last 16 stage.
So Man City for example could still have 19 games to fit in.
So even if we started in June and they played twice a week, they still wouldn't finish until mid August just in time for the start of next season.

If they have to play at neutral venues I suggest the Ottmar Hitzfeld Stadium in Switzerland, no fans in or around the ground as you have to take 2 cable cars to get there 😁

Monday, 27 April 2020

Peter Bonetti R.I.P

Another player who died recently was former Chelsea and England goalkeeper Peter Bonetti, he was 78 and had suffered a long illness.
I hadn't realised until today he had died as it didn't get as much coverage as Norman Hunter?

Probably missed the best of him as I didn't watch much football when I was little, the first game I remember watching all the way through was the 1970 F.A Cup Final with Chelsea against Leeds.
Sadly the only real memory of him I have is the 1970 World Cup when he was called in as a late replacement for Gordon Banks in the Quarter Finals against West Germany, and my Dad saying we would have beaten them if we'd had a proper goalkeeper 😔

He obviously had a fine career apart from that game and will be a sad loss for Chelsea fans 😢

Friday, 17 April 2020

Norman Hunter R.I.P

Sadly Norman Hunter became the first high profile ex-footballer to die of the Coronavirus today at the age of 76.
In interviews he seemed like a nice fella, but obviously during his playing days he was one of the most disliked players (outside of Leeds) in the infamous "dirty" Leeds team of the late 60's and early 70's.
Known as Norman "bite yer legs" Hunter by most after a famous banner in the crowd at Wembley at the Leeds v Sunderland F.A Cup Final in 1973 as far as I remember.
I'm pretty sure I did actually see him play in the flesh a couple of times in the early 70's remember us beating Leeds 2-1 but not sure if Hunter was playing?
In my memory 2 incidents stand out but neither were good for Norman, one was when he let the ball go under his foot leading to Poland scoring against England which knocked us out of World Cup 74.
The other was his famous fight with Franny Lee as they were both being  sent off (look it up on You Tube).

Here's the title winning Leeds team from 68/69 season and that banner.




Tuesday, 7 April 2020

Alan Shearer

If you've got 2 hours to spare? this is a really good interview.

Sunday, 29 March 2020

Time Wasting

At least another month (probably longer) before we get any more football 😕
Hope everyone is well, my corona symptoms came and went (or it might have just been flu?) although I did get through 2 bottles of Cavonia cough medicine for that really annoying persistant dry cough when I usually never touch medicines, and that appears to be classic Corona symptoms?
Wife out of hospital with her non Corona problems, but now on a cocktail of drugs every day.

Anyway lots of time on my hands to catch up on music, films and other less important stuff 😆
I've now got over 1,300 football songs in the collection (95% pretty awful), when I started this blog there was an intention to post footy related music here, but music sharing was always a problem when I used to do it back in the day because hosting companies were always shutting down or demanding payments, and the ever present threat of having the blog shutdown because somebody didn't want me to share a song that hardly anyone bought when it was in the shops?
Also there are a few blogs/websites that do a nice collection already, see 45 Football and Football and Music .

Actually sat and watched the 1966 World Cup Final again, hadn't seen it in a lot of years 😁
One thought at the end was considering the fuss over our third goal which was probably justified as I reckon current goal line technology would have ruled it out, nobody seems to mention that West Germany's last minute equaliser in normal time was offside? considering the offside rule was a lot simpler back then with no first phase, second phase, was the player interfering etc.
The linesman was clearly flagging but nothing was made of it?


Everybody stay well, will most likely be back with something to fill my day and keep this blog ticking over in the next week 😃


Friday, 20 March 2020

Stir Crazy

At least another 6 weeks without football to take our minds of all the doom and gloom.
Might have to start all that decorating I've been putting off for years.

Tuesday, 17 March 2020

Virus

Well I guess we're on hold for the forseeable future?
Officialy games will restart on the 4th April but I guess that is unlikely.
The 2020 Euros and Copa America have been put back to next year, so possibly the season could be extended into June or July if and when it restarts.
Although as I'm leading the predictions table I would be happy if they cancelled the rest of the season 😆
Stay safe everyone.

Thursday, 12 March 2020

Premier Predictions (Week 30)

10 games scheduled for this week, 7 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday and one Monday.
I'm guessing this could be subject to change due to the Pandemic, with Arsenal players "self isolating" and Wolves and Man U flying into Europe today?
If the games happen it's mostly about the relegation battles, Norwich getting into the "must win" stage of the season, Bournemouth, Brighton and West Ham need to take 3 points from Winnable home games, and tough games for Villa and Watford.
Near the top another Mourinho derby looks like an easy win for Man U with Tottenham falling apart, and Monday is the scouse derby which if Everton play like they did last week will give "super Adrian" a break from facing shots 🤩

I'm quite liking a few comments from managers this week that health is more important, and the league should be scrapped this season and replayed when the crisis is over, obviously Liverpool supporters disagree hahaha 😁

Watford v Leicester
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace
Brighton v Arsenal
Man City v Burnley
Newcastle v Sheff Utd
Norwich v Southampton
Aston Villa v Chelsea
West Ham v Wolves
Tottenham v Man Utd
Everton v Liverpool

Good Luck All  😀

* All games postponed *

Thursday, 5 March 2020

Premier Predictions (Week 29)

Bonus game this week, 11 matches in all.
7 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday, 1 on Monday and a re-arranged game on Wednesday.

Tough week for the teams fighting relegation with the bottom 7 all away from home.
If Liverpool drop points to Bournemouth they really are having a wobble :)

Liverpool v Bournemouth
Arsenal v West Ham
Crystal Palace v Watford
Sheff Utd v Norwich
Southampton v Newcastle
Wolves v Brighton
Burnley v Tottenham
Chelsea v Everton
Man Utd v Man City
Leicester v Aston Villa
Man City v Arsenal

Good Luck All  😃

Wednesday, 26 February 2020

Premier Predictions (Week 28) + F.A Cup Predictions (Part 3)

Just to confuse you, this weeks predictions take in 3 competitions.
The Premier league predictions include 8 games and the League Cup Final.

Premier games are spread over 3 days, starting on Friday plus 5 games on Saturday and 2 on Sunday.
The Aston Villa v Sheff Utd and Man City v Arsenal games have been postponed due to the League Cup Final.

So the Week 28 games are these:

Norwich v Leicester

Brighton v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v Chelsea
Newcastle v Burnley
West Ham v Southampton
Watford v Liverpool

Everton v Man Utd
Tottenham v Wolves
Aston Villa v Man City (LCF)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Totally separate is the F.A Cup Predictions (Part 3)  🏆

Games on Monday (1), Tuesday (3), Wednesday (3) and Thursday(1).
Usual cup rules apply - 90 minute score not including Extra time or Penalties.

Portsmouth v Arsenal
Chelsea v Liverpool
Reading v Sheff Utd
West Brom v Newcastle
Leicester v Birmingham
Sheff Wed v Man City
Tottenham v Norwich
Derby v Man Utd

Good Luck All  😃

Thursday, 20 February 2020

Premier Predictions (Week 27)

For a change it's a "normal" week, with 6 games on Saturday, 3 on Sunday and one Monday.
Chelsea v Tottenham throws up the most interest with Mourinho v Lampard, Chelsea needing to rest players for Tuesdays Euro game and Tottenham having no strikers in the 4th/5th place battle.
Man City go to Leicester in the 2nd/3rd place battle.
In the relegation battle the bottom six are all away from home with tough games.
I guess West Ham will be about 100/1 to get any points (might be worth throwing a few pennies on the miracle? 🤯).

Chelsea v Tottenham
Burnley v Bournemouth
Crystal Palace v Newcastle
Sheff Utd v Brighton
Southampton v Aston Villa
Leicester v Man City

Man Utd v Watford
Wolves v Norwich
Arsenal v Everton
Liverpool v West Ham

Good Luck All  😃

Wednesday, 5 February 2020

Premier Predictions (Week 26)

A long winded affair this time due to the new "winter break", so the games are spread over 10 days.
The first 4 games are this weekend, Saturday and Sunday the 8th and 9th.
The rest run from Friday 14th till Monday the 17th. + Wednesday the 19th.

Everton v Crystal Palace
Brighton v Watford
Sheff Utd v Bournemouth
Man City v West Ham - Postponed

Wolves v Leicester
Southampton v Burnley
Norwich v Liverpool
Aston Villa v Tottenham
Arsenal v Newcastle
Chelsea v Man Utd

Man City v West Ham

Good Luck All  😃

Post when you like, just make sure it's before the kick off's

Updated

A West Ham Post

Just posting my thoughts 😕
West Ham's under 21's (or second XI) are top of Premier League 2 with 12 wins and 3 draws from their 15 games while scoring 48 goals in the process.
In all competitions they have 79 goals in 28 games.
Top Goalscorers - Anthony Scully 18, Nathan Holland 17, Dan Kemp 13, Joe Powell 9.

So what do we do in January? we either loan them out or give them away.

Anthony Scully (Ireland U21 International) - Permanent move to Lincoln
Conor Coventry (Ireland U21 International) - Loan to Lincoln
Dan Kemp (scored against League opposition) - Loan to Stevenage
Joe Powell (U21 Captain, scored against League opposition) - Permanent move to Burton
Kai Corbett (Under 18 talent, scored against League opposition) - Permanent move to Man Utd
Martin Samuelsen (Norway Full International) - Permanent move to Hull
Nathan Holland (England U19 International) - Loan to Oxford

Added to these earlier in the season
Ajibola Alese (England U17 International) - Loan to Acrington
Grady Diangana (England U21 International) - Loan to West Brom
Jordan Hugill (£9m Signing) - Loan to QPR
Josh Cullen (Ireland Full International) - Loan to Charlton
Nathan Trott (England U21 International) - Loan to Wimbledon
Sead Haksabanovic (Montenegro Full International) - Loan to Norrkoping

Meanwhile teams like Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal, Southampton etc. give youth a chance.
But we get rid of ours and  hang on to players like Sanchez?

Tuesday, 4 February 2020

January Transfers

The January transfer list, not too much spent (in football terms) this time.
Premier teams spent £236m with only 3 players signed for over £20m.

Main transfers (In)
Bruno Fernandes [Sporting Lisbon - Man Utd] £49.5m
Giovani Lo Celso [Real Betis - Tottenham] £27.2m
Steven Bergwijn [PSV Eindhoven - Tottenham] £27m
Sander Berge [Genk - Sheff Utd] £19.35m
Jarrod Bowen [Hull to West Ham] £19.17m
Daniel Podence [Olympiakos - Wolves] £17.64m
Mbwana Samatta [Genk - Aston Villa] £9.45m
Josh Brownhill [Bristol City - Burnley] £9m
Takumi Minamino [R B Salzburg - Liverpool] £7.65m
Ignacio Pussetto [Udinese - Watford] £7.2m

Main transfers (out)
Christian Eriksen [Tottenham - Inter Milan] £18m
Ivan Cavaleiro [Wolves - Fulham] £10.62m
Uriel Antuna [Man City - Chivas] £8.91m
Michael Hector [Chelsea - Fulham] £5.31m

Most spent - Tottenham £58.25m, Man Utd £49.5m
Most received - Tottenham £19.8m, Wolves £13.32m
Most players in - Aston Villa 5, Sheff Utd 5
Most players out - Wolves 14, Chelsea 10, Norwich 10, Tottenham 10


Tables And Fantasy Football

Table Updates

Overdue update of the current positions in the Fantasy footy leagues and the full predictions table.

NBTF Predictions League


Fantasy Premier League 

Liverpool fan Mike doing pretty well but I'm hanging on.


Telegraph Fantasy Football

I'm finally starting to get somwhere in this after a really rough start, Mike was ruling it but Colin has come up on the rails.
The league of leagues is really weird this season with the perennial winners FISO dropping as low as 90th in the table and even now outside the top 10.


Telegraph Fantasy Football European Super League

Doing well in this with the NBTF League sitting 15th and 7 teams in the top 1000, would possibly be higher but as the score is based on the 5 highest scoring players only 4 of us are doing well.
The others seem to have given up :(