North London Derby-ocalypse Weekend 🔴⚪️

I type with fingers still buzzing after last night’s NFL draft and Wednesday night’s Scouse Dos A Cero. Forty-eight hours of surging optimism and victory. The Caleb Williams era is now upon us. “Up the Effing Toffee Bears.” Victory feels inevitable. In the same way it did the moment Dominic Calvert-Lewin transformed himself into his superhero alter-ego Big Dunc Calvert-Lewin and posterized Van Dijk as if he was just some kind of footballing Frédéric Weis. My Beautiful Zombie Club Everton Football slapped the local bully who had forever been kicking sand in their face on the beach, and it was scintillating. Tracksuit Sean Dyche has two wins on the run. Heady heights. 

Last Sunday, I actually took three of my kids to Goodison Park to watch the “Ashley Young Hattrick” Forest game. We stopped in to see my father in hospital before kick-off. In his current state, there are days when my Dad does not really speak and so I just held a one-sided conversation for about 30 minutes or so. Then I told him we were going to Goodison, and my old man just instinctively smiled, turned to my kids, and said, “That’s a bit dark.” A life truth that every Evertonian carries with them in their deepest recesses so that it emerges on instinct as one of the very last things to go. 

b. Today is also an emotional one for me professionally. My friend Michael Davies is going to step back from doing weekly podcasts, and crop up in sporadic appearances instead of on the weekly – which pretty much means whenever Cole Palmer leads Chelsea to do something positive. A day that has – with all of his professional commitments to Jeopardy and Good Morning Football – been long coming. But remains one to which all of us raise a sad-glass filled with gratitude and memories at the same time. First of all, Michael is a magically singular bloke. One of the last of the truly great English eccentrics. I am so lucky to have found him at a remarkable moment in time and taken the early steps on the MiB journey together. We began to cover football just at the moment it began to surge in this nation, and at the very first moment podcasts became something more than just talking into two old cans tied together with a piece of string. 

In the early days of Men In Blazers there was so little football on US television, you just had to watch the one or two games that were broadcast and you had seen, and could talk about it all. The rise in the popularity of football in America after the World Cup in Brazil 2014 changed everything. We became tiny surfers who had caught the massive wave of footballing growth that has ensued. Watching football of all kinds became an overwhelming 24/7 level demand. We leaned into it with all of our hearts and a passion for the game, and the conversation with you, our fast-growing audience, that we shared. Through it all, Davo was a hard-charging gent who kept doing the football as a side-project to his real life running television shows. His dedication, passion and commitment has been James Milner-esque. Charging back between LA and New York City and somehow making the tapings happen. 

The third World Cup we covered in 2018 transformed our reality – we began to grow and grow, from a podcast and a television show into a start-up full-throated media network. One that produced 480 shows a year in 2023 covering every facet of football – men’s and women’s, domestic and global, club and international with hours of content across our platforms, speaking to multiple audiences through so many different voices. Something so much bigger than the two of us. That journey from one place to the other has been the joy of my life and meeting Davo was such an important step. When I met him, being a football fan in the United States was an incredibly lonely existence. The British writer C.S. Lewis once said that “Friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another ‘What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .’” Davo will forever be that person. The first new human I met in the United States who loved talking about the football as much as I did. In this moment I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for how the sporting landscape has changed beyond our wildest dreams, and then some. 

2. To the Football

i. Tottenham vs. Arsenal. North London Derby-ocalypse 🔴⚪️ (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, USA)

A double must-win: Anne Hathaway’s boys know any point dropped could be terminal to their fragile, yet still intact title dreams. Their erratic North London rivals, Spurs, are six points and two games in hand behind 4th place Villa in the fight for Champions League football. Richarlison and Pedro Porro are back for a team who have had 15-days of rest to mull over their impotent 4-0 defeat at Newcastle. Arsenal have played four games since then, culminating in a rapturous, fan-dance-inducing, 5-0 obliteration of Chelsea. They have lost just once in the last six North London Derbies. Tottenham are still to face Liverpool and they also host Manchester City in their penultimate game and have the air of kingmakers about them. What could possibly go wrong now?

More: The link between Arsenal and Spurs… is Manchester City. That is how influential City are.

ii. Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City (Sunday, 11.30 a.m. ET, USA)

Who can stop football’s ultimate closers, Manchester City from ticking off the wins? Manchester City are guaranteed to win the title if they win out, and Brighton last night was meant to be a tough test. But City rolled on without remorse, KDB scoring his first-ever Premier League header, and Phil Foden netting his 50th Premier Leagye goal, cantering to their biggest away win of the season, 4-0, notching up 30 unbeaten all competitions, 18 unbeaten in the league. Like Death, they feel inevitable. Whatever you feel about the club, their relentless ability to summon invincible mortal-lock-league football amidst the exhaustion of the backleg of a season is remarkable. 

iii. West Ham vs. Liverpool (Saturday, 7.30 a.m. ET, USA) 

Fresh off self-soiling humiliation in Jurgen Klopp’s final Merseyside Derby, this listing Last Dance must now face up to David Moyes’ West Ham who will have viewed tape of the Reds’ inability to defend Everton set pieces like footballing porn. The Liverpool backline better prepare for an aerial barrage of flailing limbs and foreheads from Tomas Soucek, Kurt Zouma and Michail Antonio. A month ago this Liverpool team were Quadruple-hunting. Now they seem physically and mentally shattered, defensively vulnerable and wildly uncalibrated in attack. 

More: Great profile on the man now looking likely to be Liverpool’s next manager – Arne Slot. “The Overachiever and good guy who can spark a revolution.”

iv. Manchester United vs. Burnley (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock)

United have a new modus: Excruciating victories. With Ten Hag now at the stage of the season where he is refusing to take questions from journalists critical of his team’s FA Cup semi-final near-implosion against second-tier Coventry, and poor Marcus Rashford letting the world know that he is suffering after months of abuse, the club are limping to the end of campaign. Jonathan Liew captured the essence of this United when he wrote: “This is a mood ring of a team and you rarely have to wait long for the colors to change.”

More optimistic United News: The club celebrate their 250th academy graduate making the first team.

v. Everton vs. Brentford (Saturday, 12.30 p.m. ET, NBC)

After that forever-agony of 13 matches without a single victory, Everton have somehow won three in four, and that last victory, against Liverpool, felt like more than a win. My Liverpool supporting brother Nige texted me after the final whistle to quip that might be as close as Everton get to winning the Champions League or Premier League title. And he was right. I daresay, it will be as close as we come again even to that sweet, sweet memory of lifting the prestigious Florida Cup. The honest truth is, the secret of football – the secret of life - is to celebrate and make memories when you can. And as hellish as Everton’s season has been, if Luton fail to win at Wolves earlier in the morning, Everton could secure their top-flight status with a win which, after eight-point deductions, the 777 looming disaster, and the massed transfers out is an immense collective human achievement. In the most perverse, twisted, masochistic of fashions. This was stealth one of the loveliest moments of it all: DCL re-setting Sky’s narrative agenda. What a man.

More: Out of Light Comes Darkness. Tough but honest read this: Worst-Run Club in World playing for its future.

Full Broadcast Schedule is HERE.

Also: The Permutations for Championship, League 1 and League 2 Playoffs.

PrizePicks: Best PP since Pepperoni Pizza

Charlie Kipp writes: We all love ways to take things we adore and make them better - adding Ice Cream to Apple Pie, adding a cold Michelob Ultra to a day at the beach, and adding PrizePicks to your Premier League-watching experience. A few more-or-less selections are a surefire way to add thrill to your weekends, and maybe some extra pocket change for when the football ends (Editor's Note: the football never ends). So, to the pick… we’ve caught a bit of a heater on goalkeeper saves and I see no good reason to deviate from that. Let’s grab the MORE on Bernd Leno, 2.5 saves.

How many goalkeepers who were formally the #1 for Germany’s national team are now playing for a team in the bottom-half of the Premier League? That would be one: a 32-year-old who spent a decade at now-invincible Bayer Leverkusen, before joining Arsenal on his way to the banks of the River Thames with Fulham, Mr. Bernd Leno. The German netminder has been a rock for Fulham, starting in 70 of Fulham’s 72 matches since he joined the Cottagers. A fascinating human being (seriously, if you have time - listen to his interview earlier this season with Fulham teammate Tim Ream) who became the youngest ever goalkeeper to start a Champions League group stage match in 2011 when he donned the gloves for Bayer Leverkusen. When making a pick, it’s equally important to consider the opponent, in this case the soarin’ eagles of Crystal Palace. Maybe the hottest non-Big Six team in the Premier League rolls into Craven Cottage this Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on Peacock where they will look to pepper the Fulham net, which tells me that Leno will be called into action early and often. Will he stop them all? Sadly, as a Fulham fan no - but he’ll stop enough. Bernd Leno MORE than 2.5 Saves.

If you haven’t joined PrizePicks, CLICK HERE and use code MiB for a first deposit match up to $100.

🚨 LAST CHANCE TO SHARE YOUR VOICE WITH US 🇺🇸📝🙌

Our 2024 GFOP State of the American Fan survey closes IMMINENTLY. We know that surveys often come across as dull or tedious, but trust us when we say your input matters immensely. Your opinions shape the direction of Men in Blazers and influence everything that we do. By taking just a few moments to share your thoughts, you're contributing to meaningful change and helping us to serve you better. Your feedback is invaluable, and we genuinely appreciate your time and effort in helping us serve you better. Your answers will help map out the uniquely singular contours of American Football fandom as it explodes across our nation.

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Your input and insights mean more than you know.

2. More Football, Did Ya Say?

i. Why Xavi U-Turned on his desire to quit Barcelona.

ii. Criminals and oligarchs in EU’s sights with new bill targeting football fraud. Football can lift your spirits. It can also crush your soul. 

iii. How League 2 Fleetwood Town became massive in the United Arab Emirates.

iv. Incredible: Listen to the VAR conversation over a Chelsea penalty. Holy Crap.

3. We are launching a new Broadcast Channel on Instagram. Come and Join Us GFOPssssss 💪🍻

I am immensely excited to let you know WE LAUNCHING OUR MIB BROADCAST CHANNEL on Instagram. I love this platform -- it has been such an unbelievably joyous way for us to connect with all of you over the years and we are thrilled to create another way to communicate with you all on the regs in what I hope will be a really personal way.

In this Broadcast Channel we will send you the least suboptimal bits of MiB original content, give you a chance to ask questions for future guests, and so much more. Beyond the world of Men in Blazers HQ, we will also share with you stories and content from outside our organization that make us laugh, cry and experience the full spectrum of human emotions.

To join us on this journey, you just have to opt-in. We can't wait to have you alongside us as we make memories through football.

4. Wrexham finish off a season o’wonder. Watch out Vegas 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🐲

The League 2 Chapter of Wrexham’s glorious odyssey ends this weekend with a low-stakes match up with title winners Stockport County (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, iFollow). With promotion already secured, expect this to be a celebrity-filled town-wide celebration. The Red Dragons are playing for pride: a win against the Champions could leapfrog (USA bound) Wrexham over Mansfield Town into second place. It has been remarkable to experience this magical season through the eyes of our Wrexham correspondent, Tomi Caws. We have a number of massive interviews to come to close this season – and raise a glass to all that is to come. 

#1 in iMDB credits, you’ll never sing that: Has Reynolds cast Wrexham striker in Marvel film?

5. AC Milan face Juventus in the American Bowl 🇮🇹🇺🇸

With six games left in this season’s campaign, AC Milan remain in second going into this weekend’s USMNT v USMNT matchup with Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah’s third placed Juve (Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, Paramount +). In what must have been a ~humbling~ experience on Monday, the Rossoneri lost to rivals Inter (can’t relate), who claimed the Scudetto for a record 20th time. A win in Saturday’s match would take Stefano Pioli’s side eight points clear of Juve, whose inconsistent results of late have dropped them 22 points below the Inter side they were challenging for the title up until early this year. 

We love to see it: Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, longtime friends, are thriving in Italy.

6. The Women’s Game 

After a frenetic trade deadline week, tonight’s NWSL offerings feature the league’s top two teams as second placed Washington Spirit host the Orlando Pride (7.30 p.m. ET, NWSL +), followed by league leaders KC Current traveling to Angel City FC (10 p.m. ET, Prime Video). 

In England’s WSL, Manchester City sit top of the table after their victory last weekend against West Ham, and could extend their lead with a result Sunday at bottom of the table Bristol City (1.45 p.m. ET not streaming). Emma Hayes’ Chelsea face up to Barcelona in the Champions League (Saturday, 12.30 p.m. ET, DAZN) with a 1-0 lead from the first leg. In the other all-French semi-final, PSG host Lindsey Horan and Lyon (Sunday, 10 a.m. ET, DAZN.)

7. This Week at Men in Blazers World HQ

👨‍💼 It’s been boardroom week at Men in Blazers as we’ve had to trade in our cardigan and sweatpants for more formal attire as we sat down with two changemakers in British football. Monday, it was Wrexham executive director and the gent who helped jumpstart this entire Wrexham revolution by initially suggesting Rob McElhenney watch “Sunderland ‘Til I Die”, the magnificent Humphrey Ker. We cover everything from Wrexham’s back-to-back promotions, to how they’ve changed the town itself, to what it is like to have a curry in a bath (that is right, a curry in a bath). LISTEN HERE | WATCH HERE.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Also, Tomi “Cheese” Lewis heads for an away day/Carnival-style celebration at Crewe Alexandra. WATCH HERE.

📈 The second “who let US in here” offering of the week came Tuesday when we sat down with that agent of change, Brighton CEO Paul Barber. A gent who has played such a key role in Brighton’s move from the bowels of the Football League to the Premier League. This is a case study in leadership, changing organizational culture and preparing for the future. Like we just earned an MBA… without any of the school. LISTEN HERE | WATCH HERE.

💪 The Women’s Game keeps delivering heaters. This week’s Friendlies is with Jamaica and Man City superstar, Bunny Shaw. It is a must-listen. And if you’re not subscribed to The Women’s Game, do you even Mewis? All the best coverage of The Women’s Game is ON YOUR POD FEED AND ON YOUTUBE.

🎧 Want football’s biggest headlines delivered to your Pod feed five days a week, in 10 minutes or less? SUBSCRIBE TO OUR “EARLY KICKOFF” PODCAST.

8. Not Football, And All the Better For it

i. This was also the strategy at my middle school: Farmers using Axe body spray to keep their rams from fighting each other. 

ii. A new enemy has emerged: Why You Can’t Get a Restaurant Reservation. 

iii. Incredible read about the forced retirement of the world's best bull rider. Man actually broke his neck and still went down less dramatically than Bruno F. trying to draw a penalty. 

iv. What was tween culture like in the ‘90s? Reddit remembers.

v. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME: I Emptied My Retirement Account to Buy Basketball Cards. It Was Thrilling. It Nearly Ruined My Life.

vi. How is this not an Olympic sport? London Marathoner drinks 25 glasses of wine during run, raising $24k for charity.

vii. Most people are disgusted by these animals. These New Yorkers are filling their homes with them. Landlords LOOK AWAY!

viii. "It was just after 3 AM on a Saturday night in South Philadelphia, and I was watching an angry inflatable chicken fight a Japanese otter mascot in the middle of a hastily assembled wrestling ring." The Glorious Proletarian Theater of Pro Wrestling

ix. I really must insist you watch this: Boy, 9, from Derbyshire, wins European gull screeching championship.

x. Librarians suggest 20 tips to improve your reading regimen. Read more books. Live more life. 

xi. This Song Helped Me Through the Week: A Bee without Its Sting by the Go! Team. Pure joy and energy 

That is it for today. I want to end with a quote from Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles who said something last night that I found really fascinating, as a gent who supports so many truly rotten teams: “The Bears’ history is the Bears’ history. Like I'm kind of done talking about it. You go back so much all the time and those days are over. So we're bringing players in here that want to really just change everything up and do things a different way. Obviously, we love our history here, but it hasn't been smooth recently and it's time to change.” To all of you who support teams that cry out for change. May we all dream it is possible. 

Big Love,

Courage.

ROG