We Back for 2024 🙌

Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers filled with FA Cup 3rd Round wonder. After the hectic feast that was the Premier League’s stuffing-filled Holiday schedule, we now revel in the singular pleasures of this distinguished, yet quasi-anachronistic tournament. The oldest in the world, founded back when Roy Hodgson was merely a streetscamp in 1871. 

The mention of Roy Hodgson reminds me that my eyes are still bleeding after watching his Crystal Palace hold Everton 0-0 last night in the amuse-bouche of the round. A turgid eyesore of a game played in thunderous rain that darkened the door of anyone who chose to watch it. The biggest talking point – the first red card of Calvert-Lewin’s career - in the 79th minute for a tackle on Nathaniel Clyne, at which not an eye was blinked when it went down in real time. Take a look at it. There were no complaints. No theatrical, flailing rolls by the injured party. Not a single Palace player cried to the heavens whilst surrounding the referee in a Biblical attempt to demand a tooth for a tooth. Indeed, the game went on without incident until VAR interceded. It all felt so Kafka-esque until Referee Chris Kavanagh was dispatched to the sideline television screen. That moment of officialdom performance art that is football’s portent of doom. I watched as confused disbelief crackled across poor Dom’s still handsome face as he awaited his fate and was reminded of the Scottish fan who so wisely said, “the trouble with VAR is that when you slow things down, a peck on the cheek can look like a porno.” 

Everton will appeal the card, but our season feels like it is becoming a quest to find things even more unjust than that 10-point deduction. Once again, the question has to be asked: Why Always Everton? The answer is only this: Because Everton aren’t we. 

PS. Men in Blazers Merch is BACK. We are delighted to be partnering with WorldSoccerShop - North America’s largest soccer retailer - to bring you new merch that celebrates the game we love. It’s more than just a new store location, as this new shop will constantly bring you handpicked limited edition, custom collections from some of our favorite independent designers around the world. Something you’d like to see included? We love your suggestions and really enjoy hearing from you. Just write us at [email protected]. I loved this suggestion from GFOP @Jason Williams who tweeted “You all need some more Arsenal-themed merch. Maybe like a Saka hat with a halo attached. Or a Lego set that lets you create Arteta’s hair.”

2. To the FA Cup Football 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

i. Tottenham vs. Burnley (This afternoon, 3 p.m. EST, ESPN+) 

Let the “How will Spurs fare without Son” narrative begin. The club captain heads off to the Asian Cup to lead Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea. Spurs are fifth in the table, but only Mo Salah and Erling Haaland have netted more than his 12 league goals this season. Ange Postecoglou also loses AFCON-bound Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma, but was on magnificently pugnacious form in yesterday’s press conference. Take a minute to watch him violate this woefully ill-informed journalist. 

More: Trophies matter for Postecoglou but he is playing the long-game at Spurs.

ii. Sunderland vs. Newcastle (Saturday, 7.45 a.m. EST, ESPN +)

The vaunted Stadium of Light hosts the first Tyne-Wear derby since 2016. How Sunderland have suffered since then. How their fans will relish welcoming dread-rival Toon Army who have not beaten them since 2011 and arrive, flailing after a dismal run of seven defeats in eight games since Dec. 7. To lose a game of this symbolic meaning would be devastating for Eddie Howe. Sunderland are now sixth in the Championship and will relish the chance to humiliate their Saudi-backed neighbors. Manager Michael Beale watched Liverpool cut his opponent apart on the counter last week and said with a laugh, “We could do some of those things on Saturday… but then you realize you don’t have Mo Salah.” 

More: Eddie Howe needs a turning point as he faces crunch moment in Newcastle reign.

And: This, by Sunderland’s owners trying to make a buck off visiting Newcastle fans, is genuinely unfathomable. 

iii. Arsenal vs. Liverpool (Sunday, 11.30 a.m. EST, ESPN+)

An ersatz big game. Liverpool are already in the Carabao Cup semi-final. With the league title-race front of mind, will Jurgen Klopp really want to clutter the fixture list further with an FA Cup run for his now Mo Salah-less side? As the home team, Arsenal have more impetus to show up and win, particularly after weathering that sour holiday gauntlet of three league losses out of five. Can their impotent attack turn around their “platinum bed shitting.” 

Love this: Arsenal to wear all-white kit at home for first time in history as a statement against knife crime and youth violence.

iv. Shrewsbury vs. Wrexham (Sunday 9 a.m. EST, ESPN+)

A massive game with seismic local repercussions. The Red Dragons will make the 35 mile journey south to nearby Shropshire – proper grudge clash – to face 13th place League One rivals Shrewsbury Town. Lot of grudge and gripe between the two fanbases. The Shrews may have won five of their six last meetings with the Welsh side, but it needed the arrival of the Wrexham fanbase for them to sell out their stadium for the first time in four years. Wrexham will be without winger Jacob Mendy, who will be on AFCON duty following a call up from the Gambian national team, but fans will be buoyed by Elliot Lee and Paul Mullin back in action after signing extended contracts at the new year. 

GET READY FOR THE MATCH with our interview with Wrexham's Executive Director Humphrey Ker. He sits down with Rog to discuss his evolution as a football executive at Wrexham and how his involvement with the city has grown to a fondness. 

v. Wigan Athletic vs. Manchester United (Monday, 3.15 p.m. EST, ESPN+)

Wigan is a mere 27 miles away from Manchester. Their team, 17th place in League One, will present a banana skin for rubberneckers, Mark Goldbridge aficionados, and lovers of Schadenfreude alike. Sir Jim Ratcliffe was at United today visiting Ten Hag with “efficiency expert” Sir David Braislford in tow. More than 20,000 Wigan fans will pack the stadium and bellow their team on. They have beaten United exactly once in their history, in April 2012. Their goalscorer that day, Shaun Maloney, is now manager. 

More: The Glazers non-exit of United is the future of football. 

3. AFCON and Asia Cup Wonder Overfloeth 🏆🏆

The historic Africa Cup of Nations starts Saturday, Jan. 13 in Ivory Coast. Runs till Feb. 11 with 24 nations competing in four groups of six. The Asian Cup will be in Qatar, with a similar format, starting Jan. 12 and goes to Feb. 10. 

Here is what you need to know now: Which Premier League sides will suffer most with AFCON and Asian Cup call-ups? Pray for Liverpool and Spurs. Somehow Manchester City lose ZERO players! 

4. The Top 3 Meals I had in Italy 🇮🇹🤌

I was blessed over the holiday to spend some time in gorgeous, gorgeous Italy. My Lord, I love that country. No place in the world feels like it has more stories packed into its earth per acre. Here are the three best restaurants I went to while I was there:

i. In Naples - Italian Liverpool - Concettina Al Tre Santi, for the Nine-Course Pizza Tasting Menu which will become your new Death Row Meal. Thanks to my friend Rory Smith for this recommendation which changed my life. From the arrival on a street that felt like the set of Gomorrah. A huge line of Italians were waiting to get in. A man on the door who looked like Richarlison calmly managed the chaos, gave us the nod to enter, and the restaurant's soundproof glass suddenly shut out the madness of the city and let the sheer joy of the restaurant takeover. It is such an immensely happy place. 

ii. In Rome, Roscioli is the renowned leader in the clubhouse, but on this trip, the experience of the Carbonara-fest at Eggs on Christmas Day was magnificent. At night I have twice since dreamed of their Tortellini en brodo. 

iii. And in my favorite, soul-filled city of Siena, Osteria Le Logge, which feels like you are eating lunch on a Wes Anderson set. 

PS: AC Milan look to make it three wins in three Sunday (6.30 a.m. EST Paramount +) after finishing 2023 with a Christian Pulisic-powered victory against Sassuolo in Serie A and beginning 2024 with a thumping 4-1 win against Cagliari in the Coppa Italia. In their way, a desperate Empoli side looking to avoid going winless in seven. The Rossoneri will travel to Florence confident they can beat manager Aurelio Andreazzoli's 19th placed Blues. Incredibly, they are the 70-year-old Andreazzoli's 15th different team managed over the course of the last four decades. Lovely news for those unwilling to watch Serie A without the guarantee of at LEAST two Americans on screen, Yunus Musah returned to training this week after being out with a muscle issue and is set to feature in Sunday's match. 

5. This Week at Men in Blazers World HQ 🍻🍻🍻

A busy week at MiB as we prepare for one more revolution around the sun, filled with footballing goodness. And what a way to kick it off. 

i. Rog and Davo were BACK with a brand new episode of the Men in Blazers Podcast. If you missed any of the football over the festive period, GIVE THIS A LISTEN to get caught up on all the big storylines.

ii. Talking of the year ahead, there is no better to portend all that is to come than atop a Welsh mountain. And that’s just where our Wrexham correspondent Tomi “Cheese” Lewis spent New Year’s morning, before watching Wrexham backhand Barrow to start 2024. Think Welsh “Free Solo,” but with more football. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE PAGE AND MAKE SURE TO NEVER MISS AN EPISODE OF “THIS WEEK IN WREXHAM.”

iii. Not enough life force for ya? Then be sure to check a brand new episode of VAMOS, Presented by Bud Light with Oklahoma and West Brom’s Daryl Dike. A must listen convo between magnificent human beings. 

iv. And a reminder - as if you needed one - it’s TRANSFER SZN and there are two MiB Media Network Pods you need to be following for the latest and greatest on where the biggest names in global football, and all our American men and women, are heading. The first is, of course, Fabrizio Romano’s “Here We Go” Podcast. SUBSCRIBE HERE. The second, Men in Blazers Early Kickoff, which is available every morning and features global football’s biggest headlines in just 10 minutes. SUBSCRIBE HERE. 

6. More Football, Did Ya Say?

i. Inside the FIFA World Cup data revolution which has allowed underdogs to soar. 

ii. Football's Tactical Third Age. Not possession football. Not pressing. A game deliberately designed to create imbalance and transition. 

iii. Why is everyone – especially fans – in football SO ANGRY? A really good piece that asks the question, what has happened to joy?

iv. Wayne Rooney’s doomed managerial arc perfectly captured by Barney Ronay: “Any assessment of Rooney’s capacity as a manager has one key flaw, what we might call a Wayne-22 situation, which states that Wayne Rooney has only ever been employed as a manager by the kind of board that thinks it’s a good idea to employ Wayne Rooney as a manager.”

v. On Flo Balogun’s struggles at Monaco. Just one goal in his last nine games. 🇺🇸

vi. What has happened to the United States Golden Generation? This piece asks an interesting question as none of our “stars” have truly flourished at the apex, but 10 years ago, we would never have imagined a time in which so many of our players were on squads in the biggest leagues in the world. One step at a time.

7. So much good news from the Women’s Game 🙌

i. Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett join the glut of talent flocking to champion Gotham FC. GOOD VIBES.

ii. Immense: $63m Portland Thorns sale to Bhathal family, investors in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.

iii. Seven Biggest Women’s Football Stories to look forward to in 2024

8. Not Football and All the Better for it

i. Yorkshire Kardashians is magnificent Kardashians. 

ii. I watched this Sinead O’Connor documentary over the holidays. It is so beautiful and so painful because she was such a brilliant talent. Find it on Showtime subscription through Hulu or Paramount Plus. 

iii. How to reclaim your free time by looking at your phone less. Great idea for anyone who has Salah, Sonny, and Mohammed Kudus on their fantasy team this month. 

iv. The Amazing Story of How Philly Cheesesteaks Became Huge in Lahore, Pakistan. It appears Philadelphia Magazine has hired a correspondent solely to report on Cheesesteaks. Long overdue. 

v. The secrets of a Secret Hotel Shopper. One of the best endorsements for Craiglist I've ever read. 

vi. Who was Aaron Clark, anyway? Meet the Con Artist Who Deceived the Front Range Tech Community. I await the inevitable Netflix miniseries.

vii. Minor jump scare warning for the top photo: Man who founded Chipotle, now "obsessed with vegan burgers cooked by robots". 

viii. Pennsylvania couple recovers $3550 after dog eats $4000 in cash. Carrie Law, our thoughts are with you. 

ix. A Father’s Disappearance, Dark Family Secrets, And The Hunt For Bigfoot. I feel like this headline implies his father might actually be Bigfoot. 

x. How an Academic Uncovered One of the Biggest Museum Heists of All Time. Hard to have sympathy for the victim of stolen artifacts when that victim is the BRITISH MUSEUM.

xi. I loved this book: Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. No better way to put yourself in a heavily melancholy Rome state of mind than by reading this stunning collection. Breathtaking human writing. I am already wondering if I will read a more emotionally taught book in 2024. 

xii. I fell in love with this song in my headphones in Italy: La luce che sfiora di taglio la spiaggia mise tutti d'accordo by Colapesce Dimartino. 

That is it for today. I am going to leave you with a lovely Raven sent to me (via [email protected]) from GFOP Sandy Hartwiger:

“Dear Rog, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the holiday pods which provided the strength I needed to find some light and not wallow in the darkness. What I appreciate is that all of your guests fight off cynicism and continue to believe in our better selves. To hear each of them affirm this through the joy they find in football and other places was indeed a delight, but it was Becky Sauerbrunn, the People’s Captain who summed up what many of us feel at the end of this year - We are stronger than we thought. 

I am reminded of an essay by Nigerian author Chris Abani in which he writes: "One of my earliest spiritual advisers told me that to be human is to accept that there will never be world peace, but to live life as though it is possible. This is the core of my aesthetic: belief in a deeper humanness that is beyond race, class, gender, and power, even as I know that it is not possible. And yet I strive for it in every way, even when I fail. In the end, we may never know. Perhaps it is enough ... to know that it will always be hard. May we cry, but may we never die of heartbreak.

Courage,

Sandy”

Sandy, your message filled us with joy here at MiB Network. To better days ahead for all.

Big Love.

Courage.

ROG