Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers thrilled to be back in the Magical Kingdom of Liverpool. I have come home to lift the spirits of my beautiful Mum, Val, and am typing once again, from my younger sister’s old bedroom in the magnificent city of my birth. 2024 has been a professional year of incredible growth – we have produced over a thousand shows at MiB this year. Yet, personally, it has been bruised by the loss of my Dad. What I have come to realize through grieving is that the life moments we all share – the births, deaths, birthdays, weddings, baptisms, bar mitzvahs, whatever, are the ones in which we must be most active, consciously present, and willing to throw ourselves into with all of our hearts, whether joy-filled, or painful. These are also the very moments that reflect the meaning and challenge I actually believe we really are spending our time together picking through when we talk about football.  That is what we are trying to put out into the world in everything we do at MiB: The wonder, pain, hope, sadness, optimism, shattered optimism.  The whole delicatessen of emotions. Thank you all for journeying along with us. 

How rarely do I get to type this: MAGICAL NEWS FOR EVERTON FOOTBALL CLUB. Yesterday, Everton’s takeover by the Houston-based Friedkin family was approved, bringing to an end eight years of purgatory and self-inflicted chaos under Mad King Farhad Moshiri. Dan Friedkin, who also owns AS Roma, made his fortune in the automotive industry, via Gulf States Toyota Distributors, and is also known for his vintage plane collection which featured in the movie Dunkirk. As @akpgh posted on our Instagram: Best Toyotathon ever.

Honestly. It feels so long since the club I love has had anything positive to savor. We have danced while dodging relegation, in overcoming points deductions, in seeing off the 777 Partners Ponzi Scheme and cheating death. To have a real cause to celebrate, and leadership who can usher in a period of stability for the club is an ecstasy. Everton and Stability! A pairing which is almost as unfathomable as the idea of me with hair. The Everton fans – who have for too long been the good thing about the club – deserve to savor the emergence of this once great team from the wilderness. To better days ahead for all. 

I will be at Goodison Park on Sunday: TO SEE IF THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A NEW OWNER BOUNCE (More below). My brother Nige is joining me, and as a Red, will be fleetingly cheering for our boys. 

This is who we are now: Analyzing what it means when Richarlison likes an Everton post on instagram.

Blues fans, let me know how you feel via [email protected].

This Week at MiB World HQ 💙

• My interview with Trent Alexander Arnold is here. Trent has been on our show four times before. The thing that really struck me here is just how much he has grown. How comfortable he is in his own skin. Liverpool fans in the chat are now left to debate whether he is trying to message us he is staying or going…Next up, Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, the Nobel Prize Winner for Shithousery, who goes deep on his mental game, Messi, and his approach to penalty shoot outs. That drops Monday. (And to all of you who are worried how ill I look sometimes – it is because a couple of these are shot at four in the morning, and I have not had my coffee yet because I don’t want to wake up my dog.) 

By the way: Follow us on Tik Tok.

• OUR HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA IS UPON US!  🎄

• I loved this week’s show with Rory. So many of you got deep into your Terry’s Chocolate Orange stories. We have heard from so many of you who have found a place to buy them in the United States. This incredible article was sent in by Mark Dolce and I love it. Big goal for 2025: We gots to work on that Terry’s Chocolate Orange Sponsorship. 🍫🍊

• It was amazing to witness Becky Sauerbrunn retire in her own style – humbly, and quietly – after 16 seasons, 219 USWNT caps, and two World Cup trophies. With no fanfare and the minimum of spotlight seizing. It was even more amazing that she chose to announce the news on our network, by taping one of the most emotionally-laden shows we have released this year, with the mighty Sam Mewis.  God Bless you Becky. Throughout your career, you proved Quiet is the new Loud. The impact you made in your career as a towering defensive force on the field, and as the moral heart of the national team in their fight for equality off it, means, you will always be, the People’s Captain.

More: Great piece – USA legend Becky Sauerbrunn was worthy of a spotlight she never sought by Meg Swanick.

To the Football

Aston Villa v. Manchester City (Saturday, 7.30 a.m. ET, USA)

A letter from GFOP Chris Ivens in Shorewood WI sums up City’s current predicament after last week’s gobsmacking Manchester Derby meltdown:  “When was the last time you saw a City player look like they enjoyed playing football? Maybe winning brings joy, but what if joy leads to winning? I think Pep should uncoach, put forth an anti-system, and let these men play like the boys they once were. How much worse could they be?”

Chris. City have lost five of their last seven Premier League games. Contrast that to last season when they lost three times, total. This is a group of elite footballers, led by Pep, the most inventive, driven, hungry tactician in world football. Now, not just losing – and becoming reduced to the level of only Southampton, with whom they share the joint-fewest number of points since November 1st – but experiencing what it means as a collective to be stripped of their very identity. Until November, everything at City was about imperious winning. Without that, what are they?  

Crystal Palace v. Arsenal (Saturday, 12.30 p.m. ET, USA)

A London Derby that is also a sequel to midweek’s Carabao 2: Electric Boogaloo in which a Gabriel Jesus hattrick enabled Arsenal to survive an exquisitely deft Eddie Nketiah header (and subsequent goal celebration) to win 3-2. Palace have re-summoned their resilience in the league, clipping Brighton last week. Arsenal are struggling to find goals and goal scorers. Other sides are working out their corner shenanigans, leading to back-to-back draws, and sliding six points behind Liverpool. We are nearing must-win territory for Arteta who rings up five years as Arsenal manager, and yet to have a single hair out of place. As impressive as that feat is… sadly, no trophy comes with it.

More: How other sides are working out the corner ploy.

Everton v. Chelsea (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, USA)

Cole Palmer swoops into Goodison so I am able to watch the crown prince of Chippy Chips break Everton fans’ hearts in person. In truth, I cannot wait to return to Goodison Park, that shabby old grande dame. A time capsule that is both a vessel of collective memory, and a crumbling symbol of Everton’s faded grandeur. The Friedkins arrive at a profound moment of transition and hope for the club. Fresh air to cleanse the bad breath of the Moshiri era and the Utter Woke Pragmatism of Sean Dyche football. Chelsea won five straight league games and suffered just one loss in their last 15 games. They are not, I repeat, NOT IN A TITLE RACE. Whatever.

More: These are the stats that now fill my day.

And: Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk fails a drugs test and is suspended from football.

Manchester United v. Bournemouth (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, Peacock)

The good: United just clipped City in the most breathtakingly inspiring way. Yet, the achingly bad still lingers so close to the surface at Old Trafford. Forget losing in a Carabao shoot-out to Spurs. Let’s give Amorim the benefit of doubt in that one — it’s just the Carabao. But the back and forth with Marcus Rashford this week has been hard to watch. Not just because it has been played out so publicly. But because of who Rashford is. A local lad who has been at the club since he was seven, became a national hero for courageously taking on the Government during lockdown, and is suddenly a tabloid piñata, bounced from the squad as rumors of a cut-price exit in the January transfer window abound. In this way, Rashford has become to Amorim what Ronaldo was to Ten Hag. A high-stakes, potentially explosive piece of man management, the optics of which will define the tenor of his tenure.  

More: He may be ready to leave, but Marcus Rashford is still beloved in his home city.

Tottenham Hotspur v. Liverpool (Sunday, 11.30 a.m. ET, USA)

The only thing that is consistent about Spurs is their inconsistency. This quip from Ange might be my favorite of the season: “Football ​​​​Management is a harder job than prime minister. He has an election what every few years? I have one every weekend, mate.” Arne Slot’s Liverpool continue to break records, yet, I am old enough to remember when they had a nine-point lead at the top of the table. After two-straight draws, it has been reduced to two points (plus a game in hand.) Indeed, unless Everton do them a favor, they might be in second place by the time they kick-off. Narrator's voice: Everton will not do them a favor.  

More: How have Liverpool changed under Slot.

And: Entire Weekend Broadcast Schedule HERE📺

Balancing Life On and Off the Pitch: PULISIC presented by Michelob ULTRA

As his stardom reaches new heights, follow USMNT Captain @cmpulisic with unprecedented access to his life on and off the pitch in the new docuseries PULISIC presented by Michelob ULTRA. Now streaming exclusively on Paramount+.

📺 Watch “PULISIC” presented by Michelob ULTRA exclusively on Paramount+.

America’s Best Soccer Bars: Top 10 Voting

AMERICA - We asked you to nominate your favorite soccer bars in a nationwide search, sponsored by our friends at Michelob ULTRA. Thousands of votes poured in from across the country and now we need your help in crowning the one true champion of America’s Best Soccer Bar. 

Listed out below, in no particular order, are your 10 Most-Nominated-Bars. Use the link below to vote on who you think should be the champion. Voting will close on Friday, January 10th, so be sure to cast your vote and share with your friends. Following the voting, we will have a special announcement for the winner, which involves us coming out to have a pint, or two or three. So follow along in The Raven and our social channels for more.

VOTE HERE: https://mibcourage.co/4fv3y72

• AJ Hudson’s (Chicago, IL) - As Chicago as Dick Butkus or The Bear. 

• The Black Hart (Saint Paul, MN) - A kaleidoscopic canvas for the cold Minnesota mornings. 

• Bluefoot Bar & Lounge (San Diego, CA) - Where ‘Supersonic’ is the factory setting, thanks to visits from Noel Gallagher. 

• Football Factory (New York, NY) - Be transported around the footballing world without leaving the shadow of the Empire State Building. 

• Brewhouse Cafe (Atlanta, GA) - To the town that Brad Guzan built, this place is the Lemon Pepper Wet of football. 

• The Londoner (Addison, TX) - Just north of Dallas, where they are proper Arsenal. 

• Gol PDX (Portland, OR) - One of America’s truly great soccer cities, Martin Scorsese will use the footage from outside Gol PDX for his upcoming film on soccer bars. 

• Amsterdam Tavern (St. Louis, MO) - The Tim Ream of soccer bars, and a beautiful place for watching football. 

• The Queen Vic (Washington, D.C.) - Imagine if Jürgen Klopp was a bar. 

• Villa Capri (Doylestown, PA) - Scenes powerful enough to make me shed denim clad tears. 

MiB Mad Libs

Last Week’s Winner: 

"I don't mean to be hyperbolic, but______________." 

Was GFOP Elie Zwiebel who conjured "I don't mean to be hyperbolic.. but Jack Grellish's calves." 

Yes, Elie. I mean. Totally.  

This week’s phrase is: “Big Ange is to Tottenham as_____ is to ______”

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

More Football to Savor This Weekend

Wrexham v. Bristol Rovers (Saturday, 7.30 a.m. ET, Paramount +)

Two points dropped in a dramatic last-gasp draw with Cambridge sees Wrexham fall to third behind Brady’s Birmingham. Phil Parkinson’s mob will have plenty of opportunities to put points on the board with a whopping FIVE games in the next 15 days. Their first comes Saturday against a Bristol Rovers side whose recent run of poor form saw manager Matt Taylor sacked on Monday. 

AC Milan v. Verona (Today 2.45 p.m. ET, Paramount +)

With Yunus Musah out with a muscle injury, and Christian Pulisic’s knackered calf, Milan will be without their entire American contingent for today’s make or break match for their under-pressure manager. Last week’s 0-0 draw with Genoa leaves the club slumming in eighth place, 14 points off leaders Atalanta. Just four days after fans protested the club’s 125th anniversary celebrations, a defiant Paulo Fonseca must come away with a result in Verona if he wants to keep the crackling rumors of his ousting at bay. The one player who WASN’T booed: Christian Pulisic Is Doing Things In European Soccer That No American Has.

PrizePicks, Best PP Since Peter Parker

Charlie Kipp Writes: The holiday season is well and truly upon us, and with it - the Festive Fixtures that help us survive “enjoy” long stretches of time with our families. If football is the much-needed distraction for you, like it can be for me, there’s no better way to convince those around you that you have to keep watching that Southampton-Wolves match, because you’re following your PrizePicks entry. (And if they still don’t believe you, maybe they’ll believe the nice present you can get them with your winnings.) This week we test the theory that everybody loves a comeback story and grab Rico Lewis MORE than 0.5 Shots.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, and read the Raven newsletter, and don’t skip this column - I have some news: Manchester City are struggling. But I, like so many others, cannot shake the notion that they will rise soon, like that horror villain who cannot be killed. Part of this narrative involves 20-year-old defender Rico Lewis, who was controversially sent off vs. Palace. He is back in action this weekend and I expect him to get involved. Lewis has totaled five shots in his last five matches for City, and this time - my guy is motivated. Even if he blasts it into Row Z, it’s still a winner, baby. Run, don’t walk, to grab Rico Lewis MORE than 0.5 Shots when City face Villa on Saturday morning. 

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

Not Football, And All the Better for It

• This is both beautiful and heartbreaking: Volunteers building fake snow drifts for Finland’s pregnant seals.

• Where to start with: Claire Keegan. The important thing is that you DO start. 

• Location Scouting With Robert Eggers, Who Knows a Great Bone Church in Prague. I get all my bone church recs from Robert. 

• Why does Netflix look like that? Casual Viewing.

• "When I look over my shoulder, I see a pyre, still blazing, of Incubus CDs, inflatable furniture, and back issues of Maxim." New Books.

• Dua Lipa's Keeping What's Coming Next A Secret. She's running...

• The Year in Micro News. Very demure. Very mindful. Very cutesy.

• The NYT's 25 most popular recipes of the year. Weirdly does not include 'Standing over the sink, pouring shredded cheese into your mouth and revisiting every bad decision you've ever made." 

• A list of the World's Top 1000 restaurants. Weirdly does not include "Standing over the sink, pouring... etc. etc." 

• Inside My Memorable Week As a Member of the Vikings’ Grounds Crew. Hope FPL includes Fantasy Groundskeepers next season. 

• The race to write the children's book is on! A Runaway Dog Has Captured a City (sub, I'm sorry!)

• How Stone Island became the official brand of Football Fan Subculture. Best Stone since Rob.

• All of Us Strangers was my favorite film of the year. I found it so affecting. If you watched it and loved it too, this interview with the noble Andrew Scott is a true treat.

🗣️ Here are the Best Songs I have heard in this 2024 year. A playlist for you with my love. I hope they bring you the joy and uplift they have me 🥁

My 10 Best Books of 2024 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

Here are the 10 Best Books I read in 2024. It has been a year of so many great reads by so many incredible writers. They have given me such joy and made me feel things at times when I am really dead inside. 💙

Thank you all for your suggestions also you GFOPs. So many of you email me suggestions. You are all so well read. It is inspiring. 🍻

Dear Rog... GFOPs Write ✍️

Logan Hearne wrote: 

“Good Afternoon Rog

I want to say thank you. I’ve been following MiB for over 10 years now, and while you have all deepened my love for football, you have done something even greater, you have helped me accept myself as a Bald. 

When I started listening, I was a young college student, with a head full of hair. Over the years my hair started thinning and for a long time I couldn’t accept that I was going… bald.

Three years ago I made the decision to accept myself for the bald that I am, and shave my head. It’s been the best thing I’ve ever done and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the many years of “Balds Win!” and self acceptance that you have taught me. I’m getting married in May and my fiancée loves that I’m bald, and frankly, I do too.

Thank you both for all you’ve done for me and the many other GFOPs. 

Balds win!”

Rog writes: Logan. Your email means so much to me. This is why we do what we do. Using football to send secret messages to our fellow members of Bald Nation. Letting them know they are a beautiful people and should rise up and shake off the shackles of Haired-Hegemony. Love yourself, and remember this: Baldness is Truth. 

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

To Better Days Ahead for All.

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

Big Love,

Courage.

ROG

ROG’S HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE 🎁

The holiday season is upon us — a time of joy, wonder, and huddling around the television to watch hungover footballers grind out 0-0 draws in the snow. With the wonderful folks at WorldSoccerShop, all of the Men in Blazers gear you’ve been eyeing – and almost everything on WorldSoccerShop – is on sale. ⚽ SHOP NOW.

🚨 Use code SLEIGH at checkout to get 25% off your whole order 🚨

🎁 Need some ideas? We’ve got you covered with Holiday Gift Guides from Rog, Sam Mewis, and Herc.

Make this holiday a belter. Treat yourself, treat others, make memories through football, and above all else...

Courage. 💙