20230407 Raven Newsletter

April 07, 2023

Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers filled with joy. My parents, Val and Judge Ivor are over in New York for just their second trip since the Pandemic. It is time I will never take for granted; having them in my own home for copious cups of tea and to be attacked on the daily by Martin Scorsese. Tomorrow morning at 7.30 AM ET, three generations of Bennetts will rise, sit around the television and be completely and utterly disappointed by the futility of Everton Football Club. The air in my living room will be filled with curses from mouths of different ages, and multiple accents, and it will feel truly magnificent.

This has been a magnificent week at MiB. The Fabrizio Romano podcast “Here We Go” launched on its own feed. We have spent a lot of time talking through the Women’s World Cup planning as well as the digital side of our Crap. It is our hope to develop some YouTube originals in the next six months. If you have a deep intense knowledge of social media planning and know your stuff about TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and platforms like that, and are soccer-curious, we would love to hear from you.

PS. MiB was nominated for a Webby Award for World Corrupt, our Collaboration with Crooked Media delving into why FIFA would award Qatar the 2022 World Cup. We were nominated in the “Podcasts: Features - Best Collaboration category.” Winners are determined through online voting which is open now through April 20, so please vote at vote.webbyawards.com. If you want to listen the entire series, which we created with my mate Tommy Vietor, you can hear it here. Vote Early, Vote Often. 🏆🏆🏆

2. To the Football

i. Wolves vs. Chelsea (Saturday, 10 AM ET, USA)

Everton Legend Frank Lampard returns to Chelsea like an English Billy Martin. GFOP @keylorhalbour called Frank “The Romford Hiddink.” Lamps is under contract until the end of the season and making all the right noises as he attempts to triage his team’s impotent form and stare down Carlo Ancelotti’s eyebrows in the looming Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid to come. “I’m not getting ahead of myself,” he said at his unveiling. “I want to do the best I can to impact the club in this period and we will see what happens afterwards.” Lamps is an extremely nice man. He was a Premier League legend as a player, but is damaged goods as a manager, having stalled out in his first spell at Stamford Bridge, then tailspinning at Everton (this clip continues to terrify us, btw). Ask yourself this: 801 days ago he was fired at Chelsea with the team leaking goals for fun. The players that saw him off then – how will they feel seeing him walk back through that door? (Refresh your memories about the scenes around his exit by reading this).

Then wonder… Can Lamps fix 11th-place Chelsea? This 31-man squad, with near $740 M blown on it by American investors who have whacked two managers inside their first season and turned up at training to watch their creation: an unbalanced squad so large that a number of players have to change in the hallway outside the locker room and sit on the floor in team meetings.

In truth, Lampard’s return feels more like, “get a club legend in and use his goodwill to protect ourselves as we try and get a grip on ‘this football thing.’” A strategy ripped straight out of Serie A where chaotic owners pay former club legends to act essentially as Casino Greeters to inoculate them from fans’ ire. Whoever will truly replace Potter — be it the unproven genius of Nagelsmann, the heft of Luis Enrique, or the hilarious outside prospects of the return of Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho – there remains a good team in this bloated Chelsea squad. They want a full pre-season to find it.

PS Pulisic had the finest spell of his career under Lampard: 25 games 9 goals 4 assists. Lockdown Puli Back?

ii. Liverpool vs. Arsenal Big Game Preview, Presented by Bud Light (Sunday, 11.30 AM ET, P’Cock)

Anfield has long been Arsenal’s Sunken Place. They have not won there in over 10 years. The statistics are gruesome: 37 goals leaked during beatdowns aplenty including two 5-1 obliterations. All or Nothing aficionados will remember that despite Arteta wheeling out the loud speakers and playing “You’’ll Never Walk Alone” at full blast during training did not prevent his charges from being smashed 4-0. Liverpool stumble in after their eyesore of a 0-0 draw midweek against Chelsea. Since smashing Man United 7-0, Klopp’s mob have played four times. In that 360 minutes, they have scored just once, in defeat at Manchester City. Good news Thiago and Virg are back. Luis Diaz is finally fit after six months out with knee injury though is unlikely to feature. There can be no greater symbol of title-winning intent than Arsenal emerging from that Anfield cauldron with all three points.

More: Our friend Meg Swanick delivers this fine Matt Turner interview. 

iii. Manchester United vs. Everton (Saturday, 7.30 AM ET, USA)

Casemiro-less United as they are now officially called, will hope to ruin my weekend, and strengthen their grip on fourth place, after clipping Brentford midweek by dropping Wout Weghorst and relying on Marcus Rashford to summon their first top-flight goal since Feb. 19 – his 20th since the World Cup and 28th of the season. In comparison, Everton’s entire squad have summoned just 23 goals all year. That statistic tells you all you need to know about this match-up and my prospects of happiness come 9.30 AM ET Saturday morning. Sad Nap Incoming.

iv. Tottenham vs. Brighton (Saturday, 10 AM ET, P’Cock)

A shoot-out between two of the greatest strikers in the game: Harry Kane vs. Evan Ferguson.

v. Manchester City vs. Southampton (Saturday, 12.30 PM ET, NBC)

City versus their Youth Academy. Southampton have invested in so much City youth: Gavin Bazunu, Romeo Lavia, Juan Larios and Samuel Edozie. They have all flickered this season in a squad shorn of the balance of experience. And yes for the real City, Haaland Back as Pep declares, “if we drop points, Arsenal win the Title.” 

vi. Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa (Saturday, 10 AM ET, P’Cock)

The pressure on Forest manager Steve Cooper is at 11. What an insane season of emotional whiplash he has experienced. From Darkness. To Triumph. Back to Darkness. A spiral which has left the 43-year-old English teeth model muttering, "I always think of the greater good of the football club." Forest gave him a limited vote of confidence, but he has some brutal run of games: Unai Emery’s Europe-dreaming Villa, then Manchester United and Liverpool. Godspeed.

vii. Leeds vs. Crystal Palace (Sunday, 9 AM ET, USA)

Weston McKennie had his best game in a Leeds shirt midweek in a delirious 2-1 victory over Forest which has left Leeds fans seeing quasi-messianic/Bielsian tones in the stoic Javi Gracia who has won 10 points in five games. Roy Hodgson will hope his Old Man-New manager Bounce continues.

More: Full Premier League schedule HERE.

3. MiB remembers when you were Driving, Driving in my Car

i. This weekend: a half hour television special with USMNT and Crystal Palace center back Chris Richards. Such an emotionally intelligent young player who talks about growing up in the Friday Night Lights country that is Alabama, why it was an honor to have Arjen Robben yell at him during his time at Bayern, and his transition to Premier League life. It is impossible to watch this and not root for Chris. May he go from strength to strength. That drops Sunday on Peacock TV, where you can currently binge every MiB television show from the last two seasons.

ii. A NEW MARCUS RASHFORD INTERVIEW ON OUR YOUTUBE PAGE. To be able to speak with this singular human while he is in the form of his life was truly an honor. And prove just how hot he is right now, he defied the curse of Rog, scoring the winner in United's vital 1-0 midweek win over Brentford shortly before this interview went live. One of the highlights, Marcus talking about his childhood hero... Tim Howard. That is right, one of Marcus Rashford's very first footballing idols was the USMNT No. 1. So much in this conversation. Watch it. Share it. And then make sure you subscribe, rate and review our YouTube. It helps us bring you more like this, and full weekly versions of our regular Pod with Rog and Davo, which now live on YouTube.

iii. Also this week, my mate Fabrizio Romano launched his very first "Here We Go" Podcast on the Men in Blazers Media Network. Our latest signing - a man with his finger perpetually on the pulse of football's comings and goings - will Pod twice a week. And this week, a little something special for USMNT fans as he talks Ricardo Pepi's future. Fab going proper El Paso. LISTEN TO "HERE WE GO." Important note: it is on a different feed than the regular Men in Blazers Pod, so be sure to smash that subscribe.

iv. Talking of Americans Abroad, this week's American States United Newsletter - our weekly roundup of our men, women and managers plying their trade in the world's biggest leagues - brings you two under the radar, must-read stories this week: Glasgow Rangers’ (on loan from Bayern Munich) Malik Tillman and St. Pauli manager, Houston-born Fabian Hürzeler. READ AND SUBSCRIBE HERE. PS - if you like free MiB swag, check out the referral incentive program in this newsletter. Easy way to snag those Courage socks you've always wanted.

4. More Football, Did Ya Say?

iii. The Dying Art of Shooting From Free Kicks. This piece made me feel a bit sad.

iv. Stunning piece on how the sky will fall on Napoli when they clinch their first Serie A title in 33 years.

v. Arsenal Fan TV Walked so West Ham Fan TV could run. This is Gold.

5. A Brand I Adore: Universal Workwear

The ratio of the clothing this Nottingham-based label releases to garments I covet is almost 1:1. I wear so many of their hard-wearing designs, cut in tweeds, seersuckers, and all the fabrics I adore during interviews. Their creations are such a slice of magic that even when they released this fake dog/owner collab on April Fool’s Day, I keep clicking back on the page in hopes they will actually make it for me and Martin Scorsese. Their collab with Finnish sports brand Karhu is both real and beautiful. This brand is small yet surging. Give it a look. Support it. I was in their store in Coal Drops Yard, London two weeks ago and can attest, they are proper, proper football.

PS. While I am on the subject of top quality stuff… Big Thanks to Hawk and Griffin for sending us their incredible pies.

6. USWNT Avenger Assemble 🇺🇸

The USWNT will play their last two friendlies before the World Cup Squad is chosen. The pair of matches against Ireland (Saturday 2.30 PM ET, TNT and Tuesday 7.30 PM ET, HBO Max) will see both Julie Ertz and the magical Tierna Davidson battle for playing time.

ii. England Women beat Brazil on penalties in front of 83,132 fans at Wembley. Ella Toone scored a fine goal for England. Richarlison was there to cheer on Brazi. The football was not always dazzling but England have now beaten six of the world’s Top 10 since the start of 2022 as we hurtle towards the World Cup.

iii. Kate Parker is one of my favorite photjournalists. Her book Strong is the New Pretty is a modern classic. It thrilled me no end that she was selected by Nike to shoot the US Women for their new jersey reveal. Her work is truly stunning.  

7. All Hail Bay Area. NWSL’s new $53M dollar Team 🙌🙌🙌

Magical news this week that the Bay Area will have a 2024 expansion team to rival California thriving kingdoms at Angel City FC and San Diego Wave. The new franchise, led by investor group Sixth Street, former Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg and former Golden State Warriors president Rick Welts – as well as USWNT legends Brandi Chastain, Aly Wagner, Danielle Slaton and Leslie Osborne – will invest $125 million from the start, including the expansion fee and a $40 million practice facility. The club is set to begin play in 2024, and we caught up with Aly Wagner, founder and co-chair of the club’s board: (Interview edited for brevity)

Rog: You have been working on bringing an NWSL team to the Bay Area for the last several years. What is it about this area, specifically, that made you want to bring a team here?

Aly Wagner: The opportunity to build a club that unites the Bay Area through a clear mission and entertaining soccer has always been the dream. Nine of the current 26 players on the USWNT roster have Bay ties. From the excitement in the youth system, to the best university teams in the world, to what we’re going to bring at the pro level – this is one of the world’s cradles of football. We have some of the world’s top companies within a small radius of our home that have already told us they want to partner with us.

R: The investment made by Sixth Street group is the largest to date in global women's football. What conversations did you have with them about your vision for this franchise in this region? What was it about the women's game that they were most excited about in investing?

AW: We’ve always had mission clarity that a women’s football team could be a leading global sports brand. Build best-in-class facilities, provide an environment that allows these incredible athletes to maximize their potential, tell their stories and engage the community in such a way that makes this their team. Invest. Invest. Invest. Sixth Street has strong conviction that women’s football is structurally undervalued and we are at an inflection point in the sport.

R: The Bay Area is something of a hotbed for developing young football talent in both the men's and the women's game. Do you have plans to invest in youth and academy levels as part of this expansion?

AW: One-hundred percent. The pay-to-play structure needs to be reformed, and we are committing to providing greater access to the game across different communities around the Bay. We’re building this from the player’s perspective, which Sixth Street and we are all aligned on, focused on helping players and everyone else in our organization become the best versions of themselves. And that’s before, during, and after they play for us.

R: Any early contenders for a team name yet?

AW: Oh I cannot wait to share! We have done some heavy lifting throughout this whole process but building a brand from the ground up has been so much fun. Soccer has been in the Bay for a long time and we want to make sure we’re representing our history, while building something new that all of Northern California can be proud of and maybe fall in love with. Seriously, we’re excited to get to work. Stay tuned.

8. Not Football, and All the Better for It

i. GFOP Jason Isbell HBO Documentary about to drop. A Poet-Warrior who writes about brokenness, hope, hopelessness, loneliness and love. Along with Primo Levi, Tracy Chapman, Philip Larkin, LeBron James, Jason was top of my list to Pod with. His appearance on the MiB podcast, still one of my favorite interviews ever.

ii. Is the Old-School Jukebox Poised for a Comeback? I can still remember the numbers of my favorite Juke Box at the Toledo Lounge where I met my wife. Radiohead’s Let Down (43, 05) Stevie Ray Vaughn Little Wing (17,04).

iii. 'A love letter to the world of curries' should come with a PS entitled “Ring Sting”.

iv. The first teaser for The Bear Season 2 is upon us. #TeamRichie

v. Just in time for Easter, A Visit to the Peep Factory. Happy Marshmallow to all who celebrate.

(Sees Tim Ream once…)

vii. Baby’s First Social Media Handle. Making your first absurdly embarrassing social media handle should be a rite of passage.

I don’t want it that way.

ix. "Horrified" Sainsburys shopper demands they rename "sexist" and "wildly inappropriate" steak called Big Daddy Beef Rump Steak. Use of quotations for maximum effect.

x. I love this song: Joy (Guilt) by Dust. Give it two listens and you can fall in love.

xi. I read this book and thought it was wonderful: EASTBOUND, by Maylis de Keranga. A booklet really. But one rife with emotion. A terrified Russian conscript meets a lost French tourist on the Trans-Siberian Express. A deeply human story. A tiny interaction speaks the volumes of worlds. Written in the French original in 2012, this story carries all the more weight post-invasion of Ukraine. More here

That is it for today. One final note: Tracy Chapman’s debut album came out 35 years ago this week. Anyone who has read my memoir knows how much it changed my life, as it has for millions of others. Tracy remains the one human being who is alive (the others are Primo Levi and Philip Larkin) that I wish I could have on the show. Huge thanks to her though. She is the creator of a moment of human perfection. The Michael Keane of music.

Savor the act of watching football with people you love. Never take a moment for granted. Let’s make great memories together.

Big Love.

Courage.

ROG