230113 Raven Newsletter

January 13, 2023

HAIL GFOP

I type with fingers giddy at the prospect of all that is to come. Derby Weekend. Forty-eight hours in which entire cities cleave into two to ride or die behind the team which a quirk of fate, and often not much more, has forged their family’s very sense of being. This weekend’s games could not be more finely balanced. Not just the six-point swing at the top that hovers deliciously. More that each team is exquisitely poised between destiny and doom, full-actualization and self-immolation, perfection and vulnerability. Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester's City and United. Perfect white canvases against which we project a sense of narrative, mythology, and meaning. Everything matters too much. Everything means nothing. Let’s revel in every second together and drink it in.

🗣️Programming Note: The Men in Blazers TV Show. On Network TV?!?! That is right, GFOPs. This Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET, we sully Network NBC with a very special recap of our World Cup Tour. John Oliver, Matthew McConaughey, Rebecca Lowe, Sir Mix-A-Lot. This episode has everything. And don't forget, you can binge all episodes from this season on Peacock TV. WATCH HERE 

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2. To the Football

i. Manchester United vs. Manchester City (Saturday 7:30 AM ET, P’Cock)

What difference does three months make? City obliterated United 6-3 in the reverse fixture back in October. Ten Hag though has now imported the beginnings of an idea of football, and Casemiro’s arrival has brought the resolve. The stoic Dutch manager just became the fastest United boss to rack up 20 wins, doing so within just 27 games. In contrast, City, strangely DOA against Southampton midweek (albeit in the Carabao Cup) have been borderline human since the World Cup, with their high line appearing vulnerable and Haaland and KDB still in mere mortal form. Marcus Rashford will be salivating.

More: On the bellicosity of Lisandro Martinez and its impact on the United defense.

ii. Tottenham vs. Arsenal (Sunday, 11:30 AM ET, P’Cock)

Score twice and Harry Kane will not only break the 200 Premier League goal mark but also become Tottenham’s all-time all-comps record scorer with 267, eclipsing the tally of iconic 1960s English star Jimmy Greaves, who had 266. A silver lining in the inevitable Arsenal 4 Spurs 2 scoreline then… I jest… I jest. Although Conte-inspired chaos churns at Tottenham, every Arsenal fan I know is terrified of this game as the Gunners have lost five out of their last six at Spurs. For Gooners, this weekend feels like a moment even I cannot exaggerate enough. Manchester United await next weekend. Feb. 15’s clash against City lingers on the horizon. Big Boy Points.

More: Arsenal's new artwork around the stadium is a masterpiece. Their history depicted on the men’s and women’s side. They got this right and it is beautiful to witness.

More: Qatar continue to hover over Tottenham investment possibility.

iii. Aston Villa vs. Leeds (3 PM ET, THIS AFTERNOON, USA)

That ever-spinning Emotional Wheel of Fortune that is Leeds United charge down to Aston Villa. Much improved under Unai Emery, but humiliated by Stevenage in last weekend’s FA Cup calamity. Jesse Marsch continues to battle opponents on the field and the always elusive American-accented fight for respect off it.

More: Jesse Marsch took a lot of flak this week for saying how the perfect manager would make himself obsolete.

iv. Chelsea vs. Crystal Palace (Sunday, 9 AM ET, USA)

Todd Boehly’s Chelsea in Crisis. Big Todd’s first seven months as Premier League owner have been akin to witnessing him winning Roman Abramovich’s Fabergé Egg collection at auction, then taking a sledge hammer to one bedazzled creation after another. Graham Potter looked like a decent, everyday man lost in the maze of a gilded palace as he helplessly watched his team capitulate at Fulham for the first time in 17 years. A debacle which began with the optimistic presence of new loanee João Félix, who initially delivered a spark plug performance before unfurling the footballing equivalent of grandpa Simpson entering a bar, spinning round and exiting immediately, seeing red on his Chelsea debut. Kung fu fighting on Tete is proof you can take the boy out of the Simeone but you can't take the Simeone out of the boy. Straight red means the Portuguese prodigy will be suspended for the Liverpool game next weekend. Will Potter be there?

More: Miguel Delaney on Chelsea’s suffering.

v. Everton vs. Southampton (Saturday, 10 AM ET, P’Cock) GULP

Everton. A team permanently staggering drunk and fearfully from one do-or-die Must Win to another. A club on the brink of Civil War. Fans angrier with the board than Shakira is with Pique after a run of nine defeats in 12 games. Frank Lampard is on the precipice, though in truth this is not his fault. A rot culture has devoured every aspect of the club from the reckless board on downwards. Sham Owner Farhad Moshiri could not be more to blame if he dressed up in a hot dog suit and shouted "We're All Trying To Find The Guy Who Did This." Worse, fellow stragglers Southampton arrive with the taste of Manchester City’s Carabao blood in their mouth and will be feeling themselves. Cue Fast Car.

vi. Newcastle vs. Fulham (Sunday 9 AM ET, P’Cock)

Stealth Best Game of the Weekend? Newcastle imperious and proud. Fulham fresh off smiting Chelsea for the first time in 21 games. Mitrovic BACK. Almiron’s boys will seek to run rampant. Tim Ream, whom I am filming with next week, will hold the line.

Savor Fulham’s winner against Chelsea in which the Vinicius they told you not to worry about rose like an ersatz Mitrovic.

MORE: Full Premier League television schedule here.

3. Men In Blazers starting 2023 with DCL-level Fatigue 😜

i. Yesterday, we dropped a piece of content that we are so proud of here at Men in Blazers World Headquarters. Tyler Adams: Road to the Cup, Powered by Volkswagen. LISTEN HERE. A very special World Cup review episode in which we sat down with the USMNT captain to talk through the tournament game-by-game. The experiences enjoyed. The lessons learned. And, yes, THAT IRAN PRESS CONFERENCE.

We cannot tell you how much of a joy this series has been to produce. To trace Tyler's story from our first episode last April to now is truly incredible. Just nine months ago, he was grinding it out in the Bundesliga, fighting tooth and nail for minutes. And over the course of eight episodes, we've seen him grow into Our Captain and a week-in, week-out Premier League standout. Binge all episodes on our Pod feed. And WATCH THE YOUTUBE VERSION HERE.

ii. We are putting so much content on the Men in Blazers YouTube channel these days. The Weekly Podcast. Interviews with Premier League stars (like Sonny!). And so, so, so much more. If you like this, please subscribe, subscribe, subscribe and share. It will help us produce more content like this. Next up on YouTube? Trent Alexander-Arnold who tells us a classic story about underpants. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE HERE.

iii. New Men In Blazers Feature: No one calls anymore. Twitter headed down the toilet. WE NOW JUST TEXTING. So instead of just calling random GFOPs, Rog, we now reach out via text. That is right, the MiB text line is now LIVE. Just text RAVEN to 513-572-3171 or, if you’re on mobile, click THIS LINK to get started and begin receiving messages from Rog (football, musings, MiB announcements, etc.). And we'd love for you to text us as well. Whether you have a question for our next guest, a comment on the past weekend’s matches, or just want to say hello to Rog, we ready.

iv. The World Cup may be over, but as Tyler Adams told Rog, this was the start of something special. And as we turn the page on the 2022 World Cup, you can keep the Baby Eagle-induced Good Vibes going by hitting the Men in Blazers Shop. And to celebrate the new year, we're offering up to 60% off + free shipping for orders over $65. Grab your favorite shirt or snag a pint glass perfect for your Third First. Act fast, because this sale only lasts until 1/22.

4. More Football, Did Ya Say

i. Saudi Arabian money changing football continues at some clip: Spanish rumors link Saudi club Al Hilal, rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo's new club Al Nassr, with an insanely-monied bid for Lionel Messi at $300 million per year. Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish.

ii. US Men’s Striker Haji Wright is linked to a gaggle of Premier League clubs.

iii. Off White have done AC Milan’s gameday suits. Serious cut at the front. Joy at the back.

5. History is made in the NWSL Draft

Eighteen-year-old phenom Alyssa Thompson was selected #1 in the National Women’s Soccer League draft last night by her hometown team Angel City, becoming the first high school player ever to be selected in the history of the league. Thompson turned down Stanford after graduating from Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles. She made her debut for the USWNT aged 17 at Wembley. Some achievement-loaded start to a career.

Other big moves of note: the Kansas City Current traded Lynn Williams to Gotham for the 2nd overall pick; the North Carolina Courage traded Diana Ordoñez, who broke the record for most goals by a rookie last season, to the Houston Dash; and Emily Sonnett was traded by the Washington Spirit to join Rose Lavelle at OL Reign.

Note: USWNT kick off 2023 on Tuesday night v New Zealand 10 PM ET on HBO Max 🇺🇸

6. THE WAR FOR FOOTBALL: New Series Debuts tonight on Apple

Apple TV+ launch a new documentary series “Super League: The War for Football” tonight, directed by Jeff Zimbalist, whom you may remember from The Two Escobars. It re-tells that roiling Super League narrative, featuring interviews with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, ex-chairman of Juventus Andrea Agnelli, and president of Real Madrid Florentino Pérez. I am also in it. A bit like when Mike Tyson was in The Hangover. Trailer is here.

Director Jeff Zimbalist sat down with us for this Q&A. Watch the film tonight and spread the word.

ROG: What was it about the Super League's 48 hours that made you think "This! I want to dedicate my bandwidth to covering this"?

JEFF: When the European Super League story broke, it was shocking – a coup d’etat attempt targeting the highest offices of power within the world’s biggest sports industry. Presidents spoke out. The Royal Family took up the cause. Britain’s prime minister threatened to “drop a legislative bomb.” Middle Eastern sheikhs, Russian oligarchs, Chinese tycoons, and American hedge fund owners were entangled. Outraged fans took to the streets and raided stadiums in violent protest. In the weeks that followed, it became clear our production would have unprecedented access to the top decision makers on both sides of this war for football, some who have never publicly told their story before. Here was a rare opportunity to use this power saga as a lens through which to examine the inner workings of a $30 billion per year industry amidst a historic identity crisis. And to ask big questions -- Is football a social democracy or a capitalist utopia? Can culture be owned?

ROG: UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is the undoubted star of the film. Did he reach out to you or you to him? How was your impression of Ceferin changed by working with him?

JEFF: I was connected through my co-Executive Producer Connor Schell and producer Libby Geist who had requested a conversation through mutual acquaintances in the sports world to President Ceferin immediately after the story broke. Along with Connor and Libby, we expressed to Aleks from the get-go that we were only interested in balanced investigative journalism that advances the reporting on all sides of the story. Aleks agreed he would have no editorial control and understood that the series would not have clear-cut villains or heroes, no easy answers. Aleks gave us once-in-a-lifetime access to UEFA and was willing to be open and vulnerable on camera. These four days in April 2021 weren’t only a life-changing career moment for him, but were also life-changing on a personal level. It’s important to mention that the architects of the Super League also gave us unprecedented access to their lives and experiences, from president of Real Madrid Florentino Perez to president of Barcelona Joan Laporta to ex-chairman of Juventus Andrea Agnelli, who invited us into his home and office and private life. Among our over 30 interviewees, other notable voices in the series are president of Paris St Germain Nasser al-Khelaifi, President of La Liga Javier Tebas, and fan group leaders and activists. The goal is inside-out storytelling, from the voices of those calling the shots and most affected by the controversy.

ROG: Is football doomed?

JEFF: Perhaps it’s only in an identity crisis. One gets the feeling it’s clinging to the ideals of the past whilst reluctantly accepting the inevitability of the present. On the one hand, football is no longer the people’s game of its working class roots. A question the series debates is how much of a voice the fans actually have in writing the future of the game. But on the other hand, the Super League saga also suggests the sport’s not yet been fully appropriated by private interests either. The backrooms of football dealings are a microcosm, a mirror of human behavior. This is a prime battleground where our shifting values as a globalized society are being fought out. I’m fascinated to see what happens next.

7. Not Football, and All the Better for It

i. NYC Slice Prices 2014 to 2022. This is the kind of economics worth studying.

ii. How to Stop Falling Asleep on the Couch During Movies. Start Falling Asleep on the couch watching Men in Blazers.

iv. Jennifer Coolidge is a great sayer of things. Forget Messi v Ronaldo. Coolidge is The GOAT of all GOATs.

vi. Predictions for 2023, from 1923. In December 2019 I had all my friends submit predictions for the decade and my friend Maria went with "devastating pandemic" and we all laughed at her because that seemed like a really big swing as compared with Taylor Swift getting married. Big enough to admit we may have miscalculated on that one.

vii. Millennial humor now considered cringe. "Now" is doing a lot of work in this sentence.

viii. TikTokers are putting potatoes in their socks. The reason has doctors weighing in. If I'm being honest I didn't read beyond the headline because I didn't want to spoil the mystery but my knee jerk reaction says this is a positive turn for TikTok culture.

Ix. The Girls of Forever Magazine Have No Editorial Standards. In stark contrast to the Men in Blazers links section, which maintains an iron grip on editorial standards at all times.

x. Mum won't tell Dad baby's gender as he missed scan to go to chippy with his mates. Gender is a construct but french fries are forever babe. On one hand: LIFE. On the other: Chop suey roll, chips, curry sauce on the side.

xi. It was Don Letts’ birthday this week. The iconic DJ, music video producer/director is 67. This video of one of his reggae sets is a stunning listen.  

xii. This Book is Incredible: Bournville by Jonathan Coe. A personal, haunting, poetic, heartbreaking multigenerational British history through the post-war era, as told through the intertwined lives of one family. One of the best books you will read this year.

That is it for today. I will end with a lovely letter we received this week from Amy in Brooklyn who told us that she is now using a photo of herself and me at the Men In Blazers post-show drink as one of her Hinge profile pics. She wrote: “True football fans have recognized Rog and used it as a way to make a meaningful conversation.” This is a frightening strategy I would not recommend to anyone. Using me as Bald catnip is a dangerous game. I would recommend photoshopping Mike Dean’s face over my own for instant 100% better matches. Big Love to you Amy, and big love to all who have been sending us Ravens post-World Cup. The ideas, insights and creativity of this community never cease to amaze and thrill me. Our email is [email protected] and we are always here for you.

Big Love

To better days ahead for all

Let’s Make memories Together through football

Courage

ROG