20230512 Raven Newsletter

I type with fingers still crackling with the unfamiliar emotions caused by Everton Football Club playing sizzling lights out football. The kind of collectively overwhelming, clinical play we witnessed in Brighton 1 Everton 5, I have not seen in decades. What was it exactly? Still unclear. My best bet is that we glimpsed a piece of outsider art. The kind created by self-taught or supposedly naïve artists with little contact with the conventions of the art world, like Howard Finster, the Georgia-based preacher who painted what he believed were visions of god, built a surreal 46,000 piece sculpture in his backyard, then gained fame as his designs were featured on the covers for R.E.M's “Reckoning” and The Talking Head's “Little Creatures.” Was this Sean Dyche painting his masterpiece of Outsider Art?

We have had a fine week at MiB HQ. I spent some time yesterday with USWNT’s Zen-Center Back Naomi Girma, who spoke about her family’s journey from Ethiopia to the brink of the World Cup. On Tuesday, I had the true joy of talking with Simon Hallett, the Bucks Country, Penn. GFOP who enjoyed listening to our podcast so much, he went out and invested in his boyhood club, Plymouth Argyle, then languishing in the bottom of League 2. As Chairman, he has just led them to promotion to the Championship, one tier below the Premier League. A magnificent story fuelling passion with savvy strategy, and the NHL’s Victor Hedman.

This week we return to Twitch for the Champions League with my friends Brendan Hunt, Larry Nance. Jr and the great Janine Beckie (more below). We will also shoot with Becky Sauerbrunn and the returning Julie Ertz… Please, send me questions for either or both. 🇺🇸

2. To the Football

i. Leeds vs. Newcastle Big Game Preview, Presented by Bud Light (Saturday, 7.30 AM ET, USA)

Big Sam against one of many teams to have dumped and slighted him. Allardyce lasted eight months at Mike Ashley’s Newcastle in 2007. He was rejected like a donor organ by a hostile host body. The experience became an enormous dent to his career aspirations, dooming him to be perceived as a relegation fire-fighter for bottom-feeding clubs. An Allardyce, like an Elephant, never forgets. He has warned his Leeds, who are second-bottom and two points shy of safety, that they “cannot lose.” They will draw strength from the curious statistic that the four previous times they have woken up in the relegation zone this season, they have won.

More: The Allardyce method. “He’s humble, like Grandad.”

ii. Chelsea vs. Nottingham Forest (Saturday, 10.00 AM ET, USA)

A desperate team with the Premier League’s worst away record travels to the team who are struggling with more self-inflicted existential issues. Hot off Monday night’s win against Southampton, Forest will feel emboldened, eager to extract points at a far-from-fortress Stamford Bridge, before having to face Arsenal. P.S. Pochettino’s arrival is said to be imminent. Pulisic is poised to decamp.

iii. Manchester United vs. Wolves (Saturday, 10.00 AM ET, P’Cock)

Ten Hag’s season suddenly feels like a needle falling off a record. All of that good work, all those good vibes, yet as the endless ongoing “sale” of the club grinds on in the background, United are slumping at the last, reeling off two straight shock losses. Marcus Rashford is said to be a “question mark” to play as United seek to win 3 of their last four and see off Newcastle and Liverpool in the race for the crucial last two Willy Wonka Golden Tickets to the Champions League. They are two points behind the Toon, and a thin one ahead of Liverpool, who have played one match more but are experiencing a late, great burst of peerless form.

More: David De Gea may not be the complete modern keeper, but United should back him.

iv. Everton vs. Manchester City (Sunday, 9.00 AM ET, USA)

Fear not, Arsenal Fans. We Got This. Iwobi Masterclass incoming. I jest. I jest. Manchester City may be slumming it in a game sandwiched between two Real Madrid glamor ties, but they are a buzzsaw, more than a football team: 10 Premier League wins on the trot, 21 games unbeaten, all comps. They have more than enough to obliterate us off the face of our own park. Spoiler Alert. Here is how this game goes. Haaland is rested, and left at home, plugged into his charging unit. Alvarez scores twice. John Stones scores once (and celebrates wildly). Dwight McNeil misses a golden chance when the score is still 1-0. Jordan Pickford has one slapstick error but makes two transcendent saves. There is an awful late refereeing decision that sees one of our most important players red carded. I will hate myself by 11 AM ET Sunday morning. It Is Known.

More: If you only watch one thing, make it this: 60 seconds of pure Everton fume. Magnificent.

v. Arsenal vs. Brighton (Sunday, 11.30 AM ET, USA)

Arsenal attempt to follow up their most tenacious performance of their season up at Newcastle, but their joy has been dimmed somewhat this week by news that that leadership-spark plug Oleksandr Zinchenko may have joined William Saliba in being out for the season. Brighton have won at the Emirates in three of their last four meetings. They will hope to heal the pain of being slapped by Everton and return to the form that powered them past Manchester United and break Arsenal fans’ hearts.

vi. Leicester vs. Liverpool (Monday, 3.00 PM ET, USA)

Jamie Vardy said that Leicester staying up would better even the fairytale feat of the 5000-1 Foxes Premier League title victory. Of all the teams muddied in the Relegation Zone mire, Leicester undoubtedly have the most talent, yet after winning just one in their last 13 games, appear to lack the will to fight. Liverpool roll in with their six-game winning run and outsider hopes of a Champions League place which Klopp has attributed to belated big changes he now wishes he had made earlier in the season. Liverpool will hope for upsets elsewhere as this remains a must-win for both teams for very different reasons. Leicester winning feels like a freak result. Their own Brighton 1 Everton 5 moment.

MORE: Full Weekend Broadcast Schedule HERE.

3. 🗣️ This Wednesday: “WE TWITCH AGAIN, LIKE WE DID LAST SUMMER” 🗣️

Emmy nominations will not stop us: We return to side casting Wednesday’s epic civilization defining semi final rumble between Manchester City and Real Madrid Live on Twitch. FOLLOW US HERE. We will be joined by a host of great friends as special guests, from the New Orleans Pelicans, proper football’s Larry Nance; from your Portland Thorns and the Canadian Women’s National Team, it’s the great Janine Beckie; and also joining us, you know and love him as Coach Beard, co-host of our Go! Go! USA! Podcast here on the Men in Blazers Network. The one and only Brendan Hunt. We will break down every one of Pep’s wild gesticulations and Mr. Carlo’s eyebrow yoga as these two footballing civilizations clash. Paramount+ on the main TV. Men in Blazers on your streaming device. Come and raise a beer or three with us. Make it happen.

4. More Football, Did Ya Say?

i. If you are still trying to understand why Liverpool fans booed the national anthem last weekend, this piece explains in a nuanced way.

ii. Sergio Busquets announced he is about to leave Barcelona. Sid Lowe on a giant who changed the club and the game.

iii. Rory Smith was in Milan to watch AC Milan and Inter war. His piece is a fascinating insight into that clash and what it says about the current state of post-Super League European Balance of Power.

iv. Never seen a penalty taker put off like this. It works. Will it catch on?

5. Men in Blazers Headquarters, Like Loverboy. Workin’ For the Weekend.

i. We etch another dash onto the cave wall, looking like Tom Hanks about two-thirds of the way through “Castaway.” And what a week it was. We welcomed back European Nights with Rory Smith, Presented by Paramount+ with a deep dive into Pep Guardiola's Ahab-esque quest to win the Champions League, sans Lionel Messi. A Pod that is actually made more intriguing by this week’s 1 - 1 draw in the first leg of their tie with defending Champions Real Madrid. LISTEN HERE. And we’re back next week ahead of the semifinals talking about that fight between Inter and AC Milan, two brothers who share the same bedroom. Look for it on our Pod feed Tuesday morning.

ii. In the wake of Milan 0 - 2 Inter, Rog recorded Champions League Instant Reaction Pod, which also includes the aforementioned interview with Simon Hallett, the Bucks County Penn.-based owner of League One Champions Plymouth Argyle. LISTEN TO HIS INCREDIBLE STORY HERE (begins at 24:27).

iii. And do not forget, you can watch every episode of The Men in Blazers Podcast ON VIDEO via our YouTube Channel. THIS WEEK’S EPISODE IS HERE. A massive thanks to the GFOPs at Camarena, the most awarded Tequila, who make this content possible.

iv. Coming up next week on our Pod feed… an interview with the quite incredible San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma, who talks about her parents’ journey from Ethiopia to America and how it shaped her worldview. Plus, her ascendance from rec soccer to Stanford to the USWNT. Do not miss this conversation. Drops Wednesday.

6. 🥾 Men in Blazers x New Balance Boot Giveaway🥾

We're teaming up with the GFOPs from New Balance to give away a pair of signed boots from Bukayo Saka. Yes, THAT Bukayo Saka. 😱

All you have to do is fill out this short form. That’s it. One lucky GFOP will go home with Arsenal starboy Saka’s signature boots signed by the man himself. We’re so happy to bring GFOPs things like this as a thank you for sharing football memories with us.

7. Not Football and all the Better for it

i. ‘I relate because I’m also that uncool guy’: inside Ed Sheeran’s mysterious fanbase. Essentially, the intersection between Ipswich Town fans and Aitch obsessives.

ii. Incredible Piece: “Generation Connie” – a generation of Asian-American women who were named for Connie Chung.

iii. I adore Cillian Murphy and leap at any interview to hear how he thinks. Here he talks about his enormous record collection and teenage band and hints at a road not taken in this month's Rolling Stone.

iv. Fascinating look into the exorbitant economics of running a movie theater. Having said that, nothing I see here justifies charging $23 for a box of Nonpareils and a medium Diet Coke.

v. A decade of advanced data and statistics have led to this: There are more nut shots than ever in this NBA season.

vi. For those traveling to the Women's World Cup this summer: Air New Zealand will let you book a bunk bed for less than $400.

vii. Italy is convening a crisis meeting to address soaring pasta prices, reports say. MiB had an all-staff meeting on this last week, because this is how the world ends.

viii. Succession is just show about jackets now, and yet Yellowjackets barely touches on the subject at all.

ix. I don’t do a lot of Royal news, so when I do, you can tell it is truly important: Britain's Got Talent star creates portrait of King Charles made out of Marmite and Toast. 

x. A story of six teenagers who stole a boat, got lost in a storm, and lived in relative harmony on a South Pacific island. Like Dele Alli’s career but with a happy ending.

xi. How to clean your Grill. Just in time for BBQ Szn. Because nothing kills a vibe more than a little salmonella.

xii. Archaeologists find a 7,000 year old road under water. Also found alongside it... Tim Ream's birth certificate.

xiii. This Song Made My Week: “Fairlies” by Grian Chatten. Fontaines D.C. fans assemble.

xiv. A Fascinating Book: Russian Criminal Tattoo Archive edited by Damon Murray and Stephen Sorrell. A new, giant version with some previously unpublished material in a cult classic series grounded in a fabled archive of secret Russian criminal subculture – Arkady Bronnikovin dedicated a huge amount of his life to photographing the complex symbolism Russian prisoners’ tattoos so that the police could decode the meaning of the beautiful but menacing artwork. This book collects and explains the photographs. It is both intimate, and terrifying in equal measure. A Deep dive into a secret world you cannot believe exists.

I want to end with a beautiful story sent to me by GFOP Marcus Geist from Alaska who wrote: “I am writing to forward an article in our local newspaper the Anchorage Daily News about Ukrainian refugees here in Alaska who have formed a football squad to help them build a community. I hope that we as a city, as a state, and as a country can continue to welcome and receive those in need for it is a tremendous quality as a people.”

The article is amazing. “Soccer is like a balm for the soul,” one of the players explains, describing how the squad members all come from different cities and paths in life, but that the sport we love is a “uniting and steadying force for each of them.”

Marcus finishes by saying “You are great messengers of the power of football for global peace. I can personally attest to being humbly humiliated by Palestinian and Arab students in small side matches while at university in Germany during the Gulf War in 1991, or losing my breath at 9,000 feet playing Ethiopian kids on a rocky pitch, or tackling Kyrgyz kids while on a Habitat for Humanity builds.”

Marcus. This piece reminds us of the power of the game we are all watching. Even us dead-inside Everton fans. To you, your state, and the Ukrainian footballers.

To better days ahead for all.

Let’s make great memories together watching football and not take a second for granted.

Big Love.

Courage.

ROG

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