Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers determined to deliver Riveting Storytelling for All of America. It has been some week. I was in Chicago overnight on Monday, visiting the John Hughes-inflected suburb of Northbrook for the first time since I was there for the summer as a 16-year-old (the story at the heart of my memoir). I found it immensely moving, and the place has not changed at all. 

ii. I landed just in time to savor David Moyes 2: Electric Boogaloo. After 4,266 days, The Moyes Are Back in Town, Old Davey returning to coach Everton once again. The rapturous reception he received was a reflection of just how emotionally overwhelming it was to watch him in our hour of need. His hair, whiter. His palette of experiences, all the richer. His face somehow even more battle worn. I experienced a flood of emotions: Nostalgia. Memories of Moyes’ moments past. Of Everton valor, fight, and collective overachievement. I also thought about my late Dad and how much he adored David Moyes for his humanity and decency, and would have loved this moment. 

But there was also the nagging fear born of our grim present day predicament, hovering one point over the Moon Door of the relegation zone. And the numbing agony when seeing that the starting line-up was unchanged, as if Sean Dyche had posthumously picked the team. Just as the new Walmart logo looks eerily like the old one, in defeat against Aston Villa, Everton’s challenges remain the same, the blunt inability to score goals. The gnawing ill-decisions at the back. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s ongoing torment during 1,212 goalless minutes (but who's counting?). By the final whistle I was swamped by the harrowing feeling that for now, being an Everton fan is the same as it ever was: watching our boys toil through the trauma, in the hope of cohesive football, and rooting for three teams to fare worse than us. To better days ahead for all. #UTFT.

Ii. I am rocked by news of the passing of David Lynch. That singular, mad creative dreamer. His work influenced us all, whether you watched it directly or not, because his surreal thinking became mainstream, which is some incredible legacy. “I would love to be in that state [of a waking dream] all day long, but you have to have some quiet. The world is getting louder every year, but to sit and dream is a beautiful thing.”

P.S. Chris Wood is coming on! Can you let me know what you want to ask the Kiwi Goal-Scoring Sensation who is a late-career inspiration? 🇳🇿

This Week at MiB HQ

The highlight of my week came yesterday morning, which I spent with the singular Emma Hayes. We talked about her experience of the 73-day overhaul of the USWNT – from self-doubt to Olympic Gold. The greatest act of transformational leadership US Soccer has ever seen. We also chopped it up, as two grateful English-born people madly in love with America, about how this nation has changed our lives. Our conversation will drop Wednesday on The Women’s Game Pod feed and YouTube channel, and I hope it brings you uplift.  

ii. Next Wednesday, on the Men In Blazers YouTube, the quite singular Ryan Reynolds joins me. He is such a magical bloke. I was so mortified when we began, and it turned out he and I were both wearing similar shirts. The single most-one-sided “who wore it better?” of all-time. 

iii. Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori joined me to talk about just how hard it is to learn the Gunners’ Corner Kick Set Play Book.

To the Football 🍻

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

The Title chase lives. Just. After a week on the edge, and near certain elimination from both domestic cups, Arsenal survived the North London Derby, and remained four points back in the league. Proof, nothing heals a run of wobbling results, a glut of agonizing injuries, and a forward line whose touch has collectively turned to stone more than a Tottenham clash at home. Forest and Liverpool will already have played by the time this kicks off. Can scrappy Arsenal find a way to win once again with their sterile possession and elite corner game? In come Villa, who just snapped a five-game away losing streak by winning… at Everton. 

More: Good piece on why the Arsenal fan base is so fractured. It is more complicated than you might think.

Newcastle vs. Bournemouth (Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, USA)

Can Newcastle’s historic pair of runs continue in the Eddie Howe Memorial Derby? A club record nine straight wins. Swedish Assassin Alexander Isak has scored in eight consecutive games, blasting goals 14 times in Newcastle’s last 13 league matches. Or can Bournemouth, Howe’s first crush, play spanner in Geordie works?The Chez are a club record nine games unbeaten, have an incredible league leading 11 goals from substitutes this season, and this Tyler Adams statistic is 🔥. Can I just say, what American owner Bill Foley has done this season with his team, building them into a mini-clenched fist, four points off the Champions League places is Strategic Alchemy.  

Brentford vs. Liverpool (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock) 

Liverpool’s halo has slipped, a little. A nagging worry: Diogo Jota is possibly out. Liverpool’s most reliable scorer but also Liverpool’s least reliably fit player: The Portuguese wonder has started just two matches since October. Wissa and Mbuemo live to strike on the counter in games like this. 

More: Lovely piece on the Trent predicament. 

Ipswich v. Manchester City (Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET, USA)

Bad news City fans: Your team continued their shockingly vulnerable form by letting a 2-nil lead slip against Brentford on Tuesday. Good news: Today Erling Haaland signed a new 9-and-a-half-year deal, worth a reported record $610K-a-week – the longest current contract of any player in the top five European leagues. Fitting then, that this weekend, the discarded Liam Delap returns, to prove, like Cole Palmer, that City should never have let him go.  

Nottingham Forest vs. Southampton (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, Peacock)

Forest’s admirably tenacious 1-1 draw against Liverpool may of snapped their club-record six-match Premier League winning run, but it did deliver the chant of the season: Forest fans using the Cranberries classic “Zombie” to sing to Arne Slot: "We're in your heeeaaaad, in your heeeeaaaaddd, Arne Arne Arne-Ne-Ne.” 

The fact they have no European football to shatter their squad will give them the belief their “Leicester-esque fairytale season” is for real. Southampton’s historically meager six-point total makes me laugh, until I remember half of those were won against Everton. This song will make your day, Chris Wood fans.

More: Are Forest a new Leicester?

Manchester United vs. Brighton (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, Peacock)

United fake-swagger in after beating Southampton 3-1 yesterday. Let history forget they trailed 0-1 entering the 82nd minute. A stunning, 12-minute hat trick from Amad—the first of his young career—rescued Amorim from the jaws of an embarrassing defeat, and left me wondering what Aaron Ramsdale had done to piss Diallo off in a past life. 

More: rats on field, in-game at Old Trafford. A season of Shakespearean-level symbols.

Everton vs. Tottenham (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, USA)

The Super Bowl of Sadness. Everton have scored just five goals since November. Young, injured, tailspinning Tottenham have six defeats in their last eight, including the self-soiling heartbreak of Wednesday night’s North London derby loss. “It’s not who we are,” said Ange Postecoglou. But what if it is? Rest assured, there is only one truth in football: nothing ails ye, more than a trip to woefully impotent Everton. No matter how sick, tired, or beleaguered you are, We Worse. This Stat tells you all you need to know.

And: Farewell Sean Dyche. This is AI at its best. 

Finally: Entire Premier League broadcast slate here. 📺

New Episode of the Men in Blazers TV Show on Peacock this Saturday ♟️🦚

The Men in Blazers TV Show returns on Saturday with an ALL NEW episode with chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen. The Grandmaster talks football's greatest chess players, FPL, and more. ♟️

📺 The new episode will be available Saturday, January 18th on Peacock.

📧 Enjoying The Raven? Check out our other Men In Blazers newsletters.

More Football, Did Ya Say?

• The enigmatic James Rodriguez, the rare world class player who saved his best for the international game. 

• Lazio fire far-right eagle mascot handler over his social media penis posts.

• How Luton fell from Premier League Davids to Championship Relegation mire in the blink of an eye.

• New Greenland shirt is “Daddy Wants.” I know they applied to join CONCACAF. With this design, they should be allowed to play anywhere they want. 🇬🇱

PrizePicks: Best PP Since the Pepperoni Pizza

Charlie Kipp writes: I love talking soccer on WGFOP weekly and tune in this afternoon for the latest slate of Premier League picks, but in this column I’ve tried to maintain a specific principle: value is king. To that end, if you open up the PrizePicks app, you’d be remiss not to immediately jump on their Promo offering - Will Howard MORE than 0.5 Passing Yards.

If you’re like me and navigate to the “soccer” tab every time you open PrizePicks - stop. Head over to their College Football section and make sure you include the Ohio State QB in your entry, getting you halfway to a winning ticket before you’ve even had to think. Look - is this the most inventive, creative write-up in the history of The Raven? Absolutely not. But am I delivering on the promise of getting cold, hard winners into your life? I’d like to think so! Add in any soccer (or any other sport) pick of your choosing, and you’re on your way to a payday. Will Howard MORE than 0.5 Passing Yards.

If you haven’t joined PrizePicks, CLICK HERE and play $5 to get $50 instantly when you use code MiB.

Some More Magical Football to Savor

Juventus v. AC Milan (Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇮🇹

The Serie A American Bowl may not be that American. After an injury scare last weekend against Como, Christian Pulisic is questionable for this weekend’s game against Juventus. Tim Weah is coming back from a hamstring injury, while Yunus Musah is slowly returning from a muscle strain. God bless the healthy Weston McKennie who is likely to start and represent. Three points separate Milan in 7th and Juve in 5th after the Turin-based side picked up their 13th (yes 13th!!!) draw of the season Tuesday. 

More: Does the new manager bump apply to transfer rumours? AC Milan face Marcus Rashford - Kyle Walker choice as Brexit means they cannot sign both + Report: AC Milan makes contact over Gio Reyna transfer.

🇮🇹 Gear up for the SerieUSA Bowl.

Wrexham v. Birmingham (Thursday, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

After missing a chance to go top with yesterday’s 2-1 loss to cross-border rivals Shrewsbury, Wrexham host league leaders Birmingham for the “EFL Celebrity Derby” (sorry Salford). Last time out, Tom Brady’s side took all three points in a dominant 3-1 win that saw them finish the game with 10 men. A win for the Blues this Saturday against Exeter City (10 a.m. ET, Paramount+) would mean they start Thursday’s tie five points clear of Wrexham with two games in hand. 

Manchester City v. Manchester United (Sunday, 1.45 p.m. ET, ESPN +/WSL Youtube) 🏆

The Women’s Super League returns this weekend after a 33-day long winter break with just 12 games left for any team to stop perennial winners Chelsea from running off with their sixth straight championship. Closest challengers City can do their part this weekend in Sunday’s derby with United, a win at The Etihad would keep them within six points of Sonia Bompastador’s Blues. Also: Naomi Girma to Chelsea would be an incredible tip in the balance of power between the NWSL and WSL.

USMNT v. Venezuela (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, TNT/Telemundo) 🇺🇸🇻🇪🦩

January's Camp Poch Lite culminates with friendlies against Venezuela, and Costa Rica on Tuesday. The USMNT squad set to Avengers Assemble in the House That Messi Built on Saturday is almost exclusively made up of MLS players, as both games fall outside of an official FIFA international break. One notable U.S. withdrawal: John Tolkin and his famous hair, as the former New York Red Bulls left back officially signed with Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel on Thursday.

MiB Mad Libs

This week’s phrase is: “After eight goals and six assists in his last 16 games, Manchester United without Amad are like ______ without _______”

Email me your entries. Winner gets a coveted MiB Patch. 

Last Week’s Winner: Dave Zaffrann

“Everton should have considered appointing… Mike McCarthy as their new manager.”

Dave writes: “Full disclosure: I’m a Packers fan and Liverpool FC supporter. Mwahahahaha.” Dave. Savor the patch you sick bastard.

Not Football, and All the Better for It

• Tokyo Drift. What happens when a city stops being the future?  Tokyo, akin to Pep’s Manchester.

• Your brain is lying to you about the “good old days”. Sorry I can't read this, the Moyes nostalgia train is going too fast.

• Loved this: ‘It’s been life-changing’: meet the adults making big changes later in life. Do it. 

• Little Free Libraries have spread to other community-run opportunities, like Little Free Bakeries, Little Free Seed Libraries, and Little Free Art Galleries. OK, but which one can I put 18 copies of 'The Da Vinci Code' in?

• 2024 Word of the Year Is “Rawdog”. Listen, I just report the news. 

• I'm Done Optimizing my Life. "Is trying to be less optimized a form of optimization?" is probably something David Moyes asked in his first team meeting. 

• Miss him already: David Lynch Saw the Nightmare Beneath the American Dream. "Keep your eye on the doughnut, not on the hole."

• This song helped me through the week: The Song You First Showed to Me by Dominic Johnson. 

• I read this book this week and would recommend it to some of you: ’The Propagandist’ by Cécile Desprairies. A French family telling of lives shaped by the act of Nazi collaboration and the secrets kept in the wake which warp everything. A novel based on the author’s true experience. It is a miserable read in the best, most human of ways. More here.

Dear Rog... GFOPs Write ✍️

We have had so many letters from GFOPs suffering in LA. I am so touched by you having the time to write to me in your hour of fire and darkness and have tried to write back to you all in the fullest of ways. This one from Jacob Long is harrowing: 

“Dear Rog, 

Long time GFOP here. Your words and sensitive insight have accompanied me through marriage, the birth of our daughter, countless moves around California and now three fire evacuations. 

We are fortunate to have not lost our home to the Eaton Fire but our community is shattered like so many shards of broken glass, that scatter and slip far and wide into the most unlikely places. It will be months and years before we comprehend the damage, the loss and the changes that are inevitable. Like all of the many times I have moved, my first and best friendships made here were through soccer and the local pickup game. I was welcomed with generosity and warmth and soon found comfort in the routine of Sunday afternoons spent at the park on a terrible field with a group of chubby dads. My young daughter often joined me and played on the playground or read a book under the Eucalyptus while we huffed around and shouted in despair and occasional joy, when something like football arose out of the general chaos. 

It gives me joy to know that eventually, the pickup game will resume, and for some, will be a single point of stability required for health, healing and recovery. And it gives me hope to know that wherever I end up, I will find another game to join, more laughs to share and more bruises to inspect from an accountant's ill-timed tackle. We will likely move and probably never see these men again and I have no idea how many of them will also leave. I don't know a single one of their last names, nor do I have their phone numbers and never met their families. Like the greater community of Altadena and others similarly affected, the game will recover but never be the same for all the pieces that are lost, and for those that stay, are forever changed.

To hope, courage and never taking a moment for granted, 

Jacob in Altadena, California.“

Rog writes: Jacob. Your letter contains multitudes. The fragility of the lives we build. The power of the sport we love. The enormity of the challenge ahead. We send our love, and wishes for health, and strength. And readers, please support Stu Holden’s initiative to get lightly used sports gear to those affected by the wildfires. 

Keep sending your stories and questions to [email protected].

To Better Days Ahead for All.

Let’s not take a moment of watching football together for granted and make great memories,

Big Love,

Courage.

ROG