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From the Men in Blazers studios in the Crap part of Bedford, New York at the Crap part of
the South Fork of Long Island, it's the Men in Blazers podcast, Raj.
We back!
Oh, I'm a mate, Duncan Robinson.
How are you doing?
Davey.
Ah, great weekend.
I know you enjoyed the PGA Golf, the performance of Michael Block.
What a story.
PGA club professional from Southern California.
Ah, just warms the hearts of millions.
Have you beautiful?
It's a Dwight McNeil of Golf, but this is our first part of the internet.
It's really the first time you've used Dwight McNeil in a nice way in your life.
Yeah, I'd used his nickname Dwight as opposed to his given name, Shite.
But this is our first part and we have to deal with the serious news up top since really
American history, the American nation was forever changed.
We kind of saw the next top American strike, you know, Phil.
Yeah, I mean, we hope so.
Phil Aaron Balagan comes in just scoring for fun in the French League.
Ah, Dad, he wants our nation.
Let's put this into context.
He's scored all the three goals total in the Interity of the Last World Cup.
One a good one, one off of politics ball bag.
Yeah.
And one a total fluke.
Now have following Balagan riding with us.
And if the name is new to you, I'm shocked because it's been headlined.
It was in my New York Times front page above the fold.
The 21-year-old Brooklyn-born Arsenal bread striker on loan this season at Rem, where
he's really just had a breakout season.
At the weekend, he scored his 20th goal of the season and became the first US men's national
team play in history on nation's history.
Isn't that 20 goals in the top five league?
God bless you, Flo, who tweeted yesterday, I love this.
I really did.
This gave me so much bloody pleasure.
Today I became the first American player in history.
I love this so much.
Just scored 20 or more goals in the top five league without my teammates.
This wouldn't be possible.
And I know he's used for rarers listening and no doubt you don't have to tweet us.
Hey, just smiling through this.
But I read that and was like, I can't get enough.
As a newly made American, I can't get enough.
A follow-in's use of the word American here.
We are lucky to have Baligan ride with us.
And I've talked a lot last week on YouTube in the reaction video that I made on at least
two podcasts I think about this news following Baligan who could have played for England,
could have played for Nigeria, but committed to play with the United States ahead of the
World Cup on whom turf here in 2026, which I think is quite a draw.
But what do you make of it, David?
I mean, look, I'm not going to, I don't want to pour cold water on this because I do think
it is significant.
I think it's significant for a number of reasons.
He obviously is the best possible striker, I would say, available to play for the US.
And that's who they've got.
But we do tend to crown US players before they've quite achieved what they need to achieve
for the team that we're actually crowning them for.
He has to put on a US shirt.
He has to score goals in a US shirt.
And Liga is definitely impressive.
But Jonathan David scores plenty of goals in that league.
I think maybe even more than Flora and Baligan.
Laccazette, who I don't think many Arsenal fans were sad to see leave Arsenal, has scored
more goals in Liga.
There are other strikers.
It's not like Habib Diallo of Senegal.
We're thinking, oh, like Senegal have got Diallo.
This is a huge move, has scored more goals.
Let me just step in here because I know Diallo listens to that.
If you are interested, if you are America curious, Diallo, have a word.
So yes, it's a big story.
But let's allow a player to actually do it in a US shirt.
And then let's all get behind him.
So that's my name.
That's surely the wrong way round.
Hope trains don't leave the station like that, Diallo.
But I agree and I don't agree.
I've got to say big picture in context.
Top line, it feels so bloody good to have great news, positive news, joyous news emanating
from our US men's national team after the leadership conference of Doom that we've
been really just buried for.
Did I miss a leadership conference in the middle of there?
I'm sorry, I might have missed one.
That's the funny thing about Ballega.
And he didn't even announce it at a leadership conference.
And I found really odd.
And we've got to go off the record at leadership conferences on the record.
That's how we do it.
But here's a super capable striker.
No mistake, number two in a position that cries out on the US for a massive, massive
upgrade.
Ballega is a very good footballer right now.
But I think as you're hinting, so raw still.
So much upside, we pray to come.
I think that's the way to frame it.
And yes, Arsenal are probably going to deal him.
It'll be fascinating to see where he ends up over the summer.
And he's not a messiah.
That we have to acknowledge.
We have to acknowledge you in the YouTube instant reaction video that I taped.
I did talk about, and I'm going to say I can't wait to speak to Ballega because this story
is amazing.
I love his confidence too.
I love how much being wanted, both by the US players who made that very clear on social
media and the US fan base made him ride with us.
But on the YouTube instant reaction video that I taped, we have to be self-aware as
United States fans.
And by the way, as I say that, I'm completely aware that you're almost the worst offender.
Well, that, yes, true.
True.
But as we United States fans, and we dream so big, we've suffered so much.
It's been a long time in the world.
And they're saying that we US fans should be self-aware as me saying, you know, I should
get a new hack.
Maybe we just are the way we are.
But we do dream so big.
We do tend to ricochet between roughly, would you say, two settings, Dave?
No, like a self-destructive, wallowing and utter shared despair.
And the other mood we have is win it all, you know, way out of reality, overconfidence.
Give us the trophies now.
Is that fair to say those are our two general moods?
Yeah, these are two settings.
I've got a name for both of them.
And weirdly, the name is exactly the same.
And that name is Raj.
It applies to both.
It's fair.
It's fair.
I do try and be a bit more nuanced here.
And I will say.
We always won that silver bullet to flick the switch from gloom to glory.
That silver bullet has a name.
Its name is Breckshade.
And we've got to admit, football, light life does not work like that.
You only need to look at the career arcs of, of, of politic, of GEO, of Tyler, of Western,
currently, Sejino, Dest, where we've seen soaring ups, incredible moments and true moments
of challenge.
Nothing is straight line.
And I say that, as I say, let's welcome following.
Let's say for the prospect of him playing against Mexico, June the 15th.
That is a date to pencil.
But I do believe the decision over who will be our next manager, which should be imminent,
is a real news to obsess event.
Yeah, I feel like that decision has already been made.
It just hasn't been announced yet.
No, it's great news.
It's Sam Allardice has got to finish his four games.
And I would say that, like, lots of England fans make the point, which is legitimate,
that, you know, England can't guarantee a guy, a place in their starting level, let alone
their squad, because they've got so many strikers available to them who have to compete to go
and get it.
And yet, I still do admit, as an England fan, I feel a loss.
It would be nice to have selected him, and I think any England fan who says otherwise
is not telling the truth.
Can I come up following USA, USA, USA?
And England.
OK, before we get to the football, a quick word from in places, World Headquarters, we're
in the words of every Bundesliga fan, third or fourth favourite band journey.
The wheel in the sky keeps on turning.
We don't know where we'll be tomorrow.
Rod, we've got pods dropping every day from now through Memorial Day weekend, including
Becky Sabrens, Road to the Cup, an incredible conversation with the captain of the USM International
team and talking in conversations with sagacious US players.
Wednesday, it's a championship playoff pod special with none other than your mate Tim
Reem presented by ESPN+.
Oh, that's right, Dave.
We're ahead of Saturday's clash between Coventry and Luton.
We're going to preview the game.
We're going to get to spend some time with Tim.
Beautiful bloke, who was actually played in the championship playoffs.
That strange surreal, kind of the most American game in British football.
He's played it three times and he's going to talk about this, the singular experience
of this football winner take all sword fight, a preview podcast with an American Premier
League hero designed to tell you everything you need to know about Saturday's clash.
And talking of great Americans this weekend, a very special episode of the Men in Blazer's
TV show on Peacock, for which you travelled up to the NBC studios in Stamford, Connecticut,
to hang with Rebecca Lure and Robbie Earl and present the first ever Men in Blazer's
American Football Awards presented by Bud Light.
Am I reading this correctly?
It is our season nine finale.
You are reading that right, Dave.
Capping off the ninth season.
By the way, we never take it for granted that we're able to do this in this moment of
time in the United States.
The Men in Blazer is going to celebrate this moment by launching these awards with you.
Listeners, the Men in Blazer's American Football Awards, which present the American Premier
League Player of the Year and the American Premier League Player of the Year as voted
on by you, dear GFOPs.
It's a magical half hour in which I got to allude security briefly.
They did find me on set and evict me halfway through the show.
But I got to spend time with Bex and the Robbie suspense, which Robbie to reflect on this
remarkable season.
Right now, the TV show, we are taping this week, accepting speeches from both winners
who received their respective awards.
We will be launching the women's version of these later in the year at the end of the
NWSL season and the women's World Cup.
But the price for all of these awards may or may not be an enormous WWE Star Giant belt.
Sorry, Roger.
I think I might have revealed which Robbie, during my intro, it all goes down this Sunday
on Peacock where you can watch every episode of the Men in Blazer's Show from the last
two seasons.
Roger, can we start this pod with a twist?
Oh, I want to raise my third first Bud Light of the day to Venetius Jr. that 22-year-old
Wunderkin at Real Madrid who's thrilled this all season with his football.
But this weekend, in the most terrible scenes, has ended up confronting the racism in La
Liga and the entirety of Spain after he was racially abused from the stands throughout
Real's 1-0 defeat at Valencia on Sunday.
During the game, the Brazilian attempted to point out to the referee the fans who behind
the goal were racially abusing him, the ref ignored him.
By the end of the game, he'd been red-carded and cost us a villain after wrestling with
an opponent who charged at and choked him.
We're going to say, in context, Vinny has been a magnet for racism in Spain.
He tweeted after the game, it was not the first time, or the second, or the third.
Racism is normal in La Liga.
The competition considers it normal.
The federation considers it normal and the rivals encourage it.
These are hard words to read.
The championship he wrote that once belonged to Ronaldinho, to Ronaldo, to Cristiano and
Messi today belongs to the racist.
I could have credit Real Madrid's manager, Cola Wenschilotti, one incredible human being
here, who instantly stepped in to speak up nobly.
I think, importantly, about the dire state of the Spanish game, this is unacceptable.
La Liga has a problem, he said.
La Liga's chief executive, Javier Tabas, then engaged in an ill-advised back and forth with
Vinny Jr on Twitter, in which he stood by his league's attempts to tackle racism and scaldingly
try to mansplain to Vinny Cius about the whole incident.
Really a terrible look.
I'd just say the outpouring of support for Vinny Cius, Jr shows where the right side
of history lies and Bape, even Brazilian president Lula stepped in to support him.
We've always said football is just a mirror that reflects the politics, the culture of
the society that surrounds it.
In this case, the darkness of all of that and to Vinny Cius, we wish you strength and love
and to better days ahead for all.
I think he handled himself beautifully, Roger, in the toughest situation.
Okay, to the football and the Premier League title race that has been run and it ended
not with a bang but with a Tyro and Woe New Gold this weekend, a goal that saw Nottingham
Forest claim a massive one-nil win over Arsenal this Saturday.
Because Arsenal lost, it meant that Man City had secured their third straight Premier League
title without having to kick a ball.
Let's go back to the beginning and relive at All Rod starting on the banks of the River
Trent with still not entirely safe from relegation Nottingham Forest taking on an Arsenal team
whose title challenge was on life support.
Magnificence scenes before the game, the pump at the Nottingham Forest fans, the belief,
the vibe, the immense passionate support which more than anything has given this team left
for dead at least twice this season.
That's given them life, 30 points from 19 home games, Nottingham Forest, just a paltry
seven from the 18 so far on the road and with that supreme motivation behind them from
the off-forest smashed into the gunners who were un-calibrated and out of position and
with Jacques filling in at full back and white looking out of whack in the middle.
Morgan Gibbs White, a player who sounds most likely to have come from the Arsenal Academy
who never went there, blew Arsenal apart.
And it really had to be a Whoney, the gen who scored so many important goals down the stretch
two in the 4-3 win over Southampton, two against Chelsea.
And on the run here with Gabrielle trying to mop up a one-year, stuck out his leg, the
ball bobbled off Gabrielle and into the goalless slight fortune about it but Ramsdale rooted
to his line was helpless.
Game winners, point winners, most Premier League goals since the start of May, five for
Tyweo, four-field-kind gunner, that is enormous.
A Whoney is essentially Forest with Charleson or what he was to Everton last season.
Forest reach out for safety.
Hello Peter Duroy, we are staying up, but it was probably the City fans who were most
delirious in that minute, right David?
Yeah, I mean Pep had said before the game that he would rather Arsenal get the win and
City would have to have something to play for in front of their home fans on Sunday.
But I don't imagine many Man City fans felt that.
I mean, you just want to get over the line, you want to go and win the title.
You know, and as evidenced by the crowds that turned out for the for the bus making its
way to the head on Sunday, I think this was a very, very welcome for those Sky Blue fans.
Arsenal tried to up their urgency.
Remember, they beaten Forest 5-0 in the reverse fixture and they did have all the possession
but they had none of the intelligence that we associate and have come to admire for them
this season.
The Forest fans gave their players all the energy they needed to replenish.
Arsenal just, they just looked frustrated.
They looked shattered on us.
They kept thinking of that blur song, no distance left to run.
It's hard to love in life dear listeners when you've got a broken heart.
And I think it's hard to play winning football when Manchester City have shattered and broken
you.
Is that the conclusion you can take from this?
Yeah, I mean it's tough to play and it's tough to compete when you've already lost.
And yet, I imagine that Michel Artetta is trying to get the completely opposite reaction
from his squad.
You know, the narrative of, oh, we just got pipped by Manchester City for the title is
sort of going out of the window.
This looks like the league is going to be won by nine, maybe ten points by the time
we're said and done, which isn't, it's not a squeaker.
They have been way squeakier Premier League titles over the last few years.
So yeah, I think it's disappointing the way they've performed in the last few weeks.
And I think particularly on Saturday, this was a disappointing performance.
We've got a credit, Nottie and Forrest, who have managed to harvest ten points from the
last five games in that period for Arsenal.
I think they've taken just six from the same spell and Newcastle Jewel.
Remember that one?
That seemed to be just a bug, a detour, misdirection amidst the claps.
And Forrest, what an atmosphere, what a fan base.
Steve Cooper been on the brink of being fired in his Paul Smith gear at least three times.
He's looked death in the eye and said, not today.
He's built a squad, they go incredible.
Out of so many pieces of flots and magettes and washed up.
I just imagine so many hello, my name badges that he's trying to organise into tactical
shots.
Incredible.
Also incredible, they go.
That approach, by the way, does not empower long time sanity at Forrest.
Incredible.
This season, full and safe, warm and safe.
Now, Forrest safe for the first time since 2017-18, just the fourth time ever.
All the newly promoted club stay up.
When you said Steve Cooper looks death in the eye, death is in the eye of Greek Todd
Burley, Raj, a man that we have not discussed enough.
Evangelos Maranakis.
Yasu, wonderful.
Her Stute Greek owner.
And every time they cut to him in the stands, he seemed to be combing either his mustache
or his beard, which I think was a great look.
Yeah, I think they come from the same river comes from a source.
I think they're beard and mustache.
They have the same resistance.
He's a remarkable man.
He is a remarkable man.
I can just imagine him singing in a very deep voice in some acapella group.
When I just imagine being like, oh, just constantly, just bringing it.
He looks like one of the three tenors who decided to sod singing and get into the football
game.
I'm not a terrifying human being, but I am Will Marsh tweeted as folks.
I haven't seen a forest this relieved since the Amazon when Lula was real.
We're going to talk quickly about Arsenal before we get to city David, the bottle job
narrative emanating out of every English tabloid.
It's now going to pick up steam.
This is a team that led the Premier League for 248 days this season, most ever for a
team that fell to win the title in English top flight history.
This squad out of energy January 3st, I'm old enough to remember tweets like never has
a Premier League club of as many points as Arsenal at this stage of the season 43.
Not gone on to win the league, but it's ended with a limp series of performances.
Sure, all the strengths, everything we marveled at, the creativity, the intelligence, the
confidence, the collective belief that we've just we've just bowed down to seven weeks
ago, also were eight points clear.
I feel for that.
I don't believe in the bottle job narrative.
I do believe this is just a squad too thin, ultimately down the stretch mentally, physically.
But you do end up with the aftertaste of disappointment.
Speaking to Arsenal fans in my life, it sounds like they've just had an incredible meal,
one of the best restaurants in the world, and then been forced to eat a dog turd for
dessert.
That feeling, that dog turd breath is now the stain.
It covers over all the joy.
It's the hangover that goes into the transfer window, the negative, David, the weaknesses
rather than the strengths that will be.
I fear the memory that clouds the postseason.
I think the defense to the bottle job from Arsenal fans is that, wait a minute, we're
learning so much from this season.
You just wait and wait to see who we are next season and what we've learned from it.
And I think also that's where we have to defer our judgment of what's happened, that we've
got to see if that defense is accurate.
I think if Arsenal do bounce back next year and get even stronger, we can say this was
an important lesson learned.
This is a young squad that have probably a little slightly thin squad, not quite enough
depth.
They need a bit more help in the off-season and this is how they get to the next place.
If they don't do this, if they don't manage to bounce back, if they don't get stronger,
if next season is not as strong for them, then I think you've got to revisit it and say,
yeah, do you know what, this was their chance to go and win it last season.
This is where they had the chance and wow, I bet they wish they had another chance like
this again.
This is the most important conversation right now for Arsenal fans.
Summer investment, who comes in?
That bench looked so thin yesterday.
Vieira, I'd say arguably a mistake, Tini, I love that man.
I love his just the face-ness.
Seems to have lost his way at the club.
A Mill Smith row, really a lost boy.
Artetan, these options, and the rumor mill now links them to this morning.
Declan Rice, Mason Mount, even intriguing Lehielke, I gunned the one.
But the only one in coming this weekend was a chocolate Labrador named Win.
Artetto has brought to live.
Do you see this already in the Gunner's training facility to quote, show love and develop a
family atmosphere at the club.
Emotional support dogs are the best.
They don't think they might need more than one.
Yeah, I think we've got to check the Premier League handbook and see if the chocolate lab
is available to play back everybody up in multiple faces of the field.
Or if he's just there on frisbee catching duty, we have no idea.
I think that's the difference right there between Artetto and Pep.
Artetto's like my players need comfort, they need emotional support, they're emotionally
stunted, they need the dog to pet, they'll make them feel better about life.
Pep would bring in a dog but make it mate with Gunner'saurus and try and breed some,
you know, maybe a Phil Foden, even better than Foden could be bred if Win is forced
to make love to the Saurus.
He's been working on Gunner'saurus doodles.
Yeah, we will have to see certainly two very different managers with very different approaches
to emotional support dogs.
I think we can agree broadly there.
God, now I can't stop thinking about Gunner'saurus when he's in the mood.
He might change colour.
OK, Raj, so the next day, Sunday, fresh off working on a short game, Pep, he took a break
from the golf course, headed down to the Etihad to see City defeat Chelsea, one nil,
felt like 10 in what was less of a football and more of coronation.
Three Pete, just like the Chicago Bulls, I bet with all that Abu Dhabi oil money.
I do think I bet the schedulers pat themselves on the bat when they develop the fictionalist
David, they were just like, we're saving this bond stormer for the end of the season,
right?
And little did they know it would have almost no meaning.
Manchester City have been that dominant, that pulverising, this non-happy flowers team,
eight points back just over a month ago.
So that entire title chase was just making a fool out of all this.
They were just so hungry, they were so ravenous down the stretch and they walked out yesterday
to we are the champions, knowing that they'd already won a third title in three seasons
through a guard of honor given by Chelsea, Paul Raheem Sterling, those feelings.
Pep then walked out late, dressed head to toe in black and afraid to signal to all of
us really, that if he was a guest at Westworld, he'd be a black hat.
And against Chelsea, feeble one win in the last 11 Chelsea, 12th place Chelsea, really
serving little purpose than to remind us that just spending obscene amounts of cash idiotically
doesn't necessarily lead to glory.
City rested all of their big guns, Edison, Dias, stones, Gunderwan Harlan, Greelish
Rodgeri, De Bruyne, Bernardo on the bench.
And Peter Dury said this game with all of City's backups on the field, including Calvin
Phillips ripped out of Leeds, but finally making his lead debut for City was a game without
Jeopardy!
But David, hasn't City's whole season at times felt like a game without Jeopardy?
And look, you do feel that for those City players, they are playing to get noticed and
you know, Pete's jury brought up this point with Lee Dixon and Grandma So that they are
playing to get noticed by their manager.
And you don't feel like their manager isn't focusing on every single action in the entire
game.
Phil Foden playing for, you know, a place in the FA Cup starting lineup, playing for a
place in the Champions League starting lineup.
All over the field, there are players playing to get noticed and playing for that.
And you would think on the other side, the Chelsea players would be playing perhaps to
increase their value to the Parent Club or to a Future Club that they may go to.
And it was really, you know, quite striking.
I've rarely seen a game in which it was more striking that there were some players really,
you know, making an effort, running after the ball, trying to do something and other
players doing almost nothing and just looking incredibly pissed off the entire time.
It's not clear to me all the Chelsea players were in Schimpad's David.
I mean, we should do the one, but my just trade is just talking around there.
Well, the one goal of flowing move, Palmer jumped on some slot Fed Alvarez rifle at home,
17th goal of the season for a footnote of a player, magnificent footballer won the World
Cup and now the Premier League in the same season.
But so deep is that squad.
Yeah, you know, city, city will splash the cash occasionally on the likes of Greelish,
but it's a number of 40, 50 million dollar players.
They stockpile plus it's got to be said incredible recruitment, both in ability and the professional
mindset that they bring plus the fact that when players do go wrong, like Phillips, there's
just no pressure, no reverberation.
Pep, who was one of the 11 titles in 14 incredible working years as a manager, is in total control.
He's never threatened.
In the same way as Chelsea barely threatened, six time in a run, city have kept them schoolless
all comps.
Let's be honest, this game meant nothing.
It really warrants not a moment more of conversation in the game itself, but it should be noted,
Chelsea, your Chelsea will end in the bottom half of the table, worst finish in 27 years.
I think the lowest number of points they've gleaned in the Premier League era too.
We've talked about them a lot.
It feels like a lot of repeat.
I don't know if there is more to add on this really lost season of Foley.
Nothing.
I mean, the only thing to say is I think similar to what I said about Arsenal earlier, I think
we don't have to defer judgement on Chelsea.
I think we can't judge this season incredibly harshly and say this was really appalling at
every level.
Ownership, management, players, I don't want to criticise the backroom staff, but I imagine
there were some poor jobs starting up.
Don't remember why not?
Probably the people in catering did a horrible job in the executive suites this year.
Horrible.
I mean, condiments, they have bloody condiments out, ketchup.
But I mean, look, the thing for me is that Chelsea fans are like, oh, many are, oh, just
erase this season.
Just like the season before Mourinho came back and won the league, the season we finished
10th.
It's all going to be fine.
We're going to get everything sorted out.
Mauricio's coming in.
We'll get rid of some players, sell them for lots of money.
I see potentially a darker off season.
I see a bunch of players who they aren't able to sell or have to sell either at such reduced
rates or they have to subsidise their incredibly bloated weekly paychecks in order to get
them off the books.
I see Mauricio Pochettino having a lot of the same problems that Lampard and Potter and
Tukal had with this club.
I don't see an enormous amount other than the young players who are still coming through,
this fantastic young Italian player we have is on loan at Reading scored this weekend
at the under 20 World Cup and that was great.
There's lots of good things coming up on the youth level and the women's team, what it
can be incredibly optimistic about.
But around this squad, I could see this continuing to next season and actually getting worse.
Based on the form we've been in for the last half of this season, we'd be in the relegation
battle.
We actually, based on a current form table, we actually deserve to go down.
And it's a, I could see this getting worse before it gets better.
I know that will seem like heresy to many Chelsea fans, but I'm just realistic.
These are, there are some major issues.
We may bounce back.
It could just be that one man, Mauricio Pochettino can come in and with less players, we can
do it.
It would be a tough ask to say that the underlying conditions all go away.
Potch is going to bring in Eric Dyer.
He's going to bring in Dali Ali.
It's going to be magnificent.
I mean, the reality is the warm man you do have to obsess about really is Todd Burley.
You know, the disease, gentleman, equity investors who know that they can invest sagely and they
know the difference between investing and operating.
You're watching a gentleman try and operate.
Everybody I speak to is just like, he said, not, he's not an idiot in any stretch of the
wood, but he's just having such a giddy, great time being in the spotlight, you know, pressing
that adrenaline buzz up.
Oh, headlines when I buy a transfer that he keeps hitting that button over and over and
over, knowing he's just an investor and at football, knowing what you don't know, needing
others to step in and operate.
Whether that occurs over this pause in the summer will determine the two different scenarios
for your team.
But I mean, it is stock.
There's huge amounts of money been spent on both clubs and we have to say one so sagely,
whatever you think about Manchester City and we'll talk about that right now, the huge
amounts of money they spent have been spent with a clinicality, a strategy, a vision,
a professionalism.
David Conr who was a lifelong Manchester City fan wrote a book, Richard and God, about
how, you know, his city is ramshackle city was taken over by every Debbie.
And even he, for everything he didn't like about the change had to admire the ruthlessness,
just the smarts that they put into that transformation.
Chelsea are showing you that the opposite can be true.
Huge money just, you know, in a garbage can set on fire this season.
Their learning will be fascinating.
But the city won the title, city deserve the conversation and the trophy celebration that
followed third one in three seasons.
J. Dub's text, a city title pitch invasion, almost becoming a yearly festival like Mardi
Gras or October 1st, only with 100% more oasis and the occasional Jack Greelish haircut.
And as I say, Jack Greelish was to me the joy of the proceeding.
So giddy, John, when it was a bit part last season, talked about it, how he suffered without,
he's been so resplendent this year.
And to watch him as he walked down the line of all of city support staff lifting so many
into the air with just glee and calf muscle, David, that man like LeBron, he's got a handshake
for everyone.
Yeah, he absolutely does.
He's got that little personal relationship going everywhere.
I just want to make one point, Roger, about what you were saying about the Abu Dhabi ownership
is that this is a little bit different.
This highlights the difference between the long term ambitions of sovereign wealth ownership
and the shorter term ambitions of private equity ownership.
You know, Clear Lake and Burley have come in in order to bring value to the club, shoot
it up quickly and sell it to somebody else for more money.
I don't think Abu Dhabi are ever going to sell the club.
You know, they just want to expand it into a global empire of sorts.
And therefore, it's long term planning versus short term planning that makes all the difference.
And this long term plan established almost since they got there to me just watching.
I think I've become a little bit more romantic about Manchester City than I ever expected
to based on the quality of their football.
I know to some it's been, even to myself, it's seen as somewhat robotic, somewhat, you
know, difficult to watch in seasons past now, I just marvel at the beauty.
I love watching Manchester City play football and I love all of their stars.
Everybody seems able and they just got these great characters.
And you mentioned Jack Greilish.
The fact that Jack Greilish, that personality, that character can work in this locker room
under a manager like Pep, and he's thrived this season and got better and better and
better.
It just is, it's a testament to the club and the manager.
I find Jack Greilish genuinely fascinating and a whole until we've talked enough about
him this season.
So we do not need to go on.
But watching him roar with the trophy, a gen who showed the haters, you know, who said
that City made City worse, even though he's scoring goals to be completely alert to Lee
Bonkers.
Didn't need a season to bed into the Premier League that so many did, Tierri Henry, Didier
Drog, but both incredible greats.
Didn't need that year.
Didn't have to wait a season to bed into Guardiola.
Once KDB tuned into his frequency, City became unstoppable.
Not even the loss of Zack Stephan could stop them.
Just a speed bump.
Here we are, only four teams have ever done what City have done win three English titles
in a row.
Had this field town in the twenties, Arsenal in the thirties, Liverpool in the 1980s and
Manchester United twice in the early part of the 2000s.
And as a football team on the field first, the football they play, the collective harmony,
the idea of it, the domination, the mindset, the utter, the utter pulverising force.
Manchester City and the Pep Guardiola, they're in art form, right, David?
Yeah, and just think about when Harlan reaches the level, so I don't know, like Darwin Nunez,
I mean, it's going to be amazing to watch when he gets that good.
And we joke about it that Manchester City used to score the same goal again and again
and again and again, Goal 3.1-x0 to the power of three.
The one where David Silva gets down to the edge of the box and just kind of does a deep
ball pullback.
Yeah.
It's shocking and beautiful.
Now they almost seem to attempt to score different goals every single time they take
the field.
They're just going deep, deep into the playbook for what they're attempting to do.
It's a complex playbook.
That is exactly, it's a, it's okay, NFL quarterback playbook of options.
And here's the issue is that the dark side of that art form, because it is an art form,
it's levels above the complexity, the subtlety, the ability to execute of everybody else,
there's no doubt.
But you know, this squad, this peerless, indentable squad, where even KDB being out, either with
former injury, doesn't impact the results.
It almost knocks the jeopardy out of football.
As we said, you know the result before kickoff, really.
The only question is, will Harlan score the opening goal?
Will it be KDB or Morris or Gundewan or Foden or DJ Greels or maybe, maybe Tiny Bernardo
Silva will do one of those incredible headers.
It's almost like when you eat a great chocolate, like, like a cabarese fruit and nut.
Oh, I love them.
As good as it tastes so, David, take it from me.
When you eat a whole family size by yourself, you're too much fruit and nut.
Yes, start to make you feel a bit sick.
And I feel the same.
Cities football is like incredibly beautiful chocolate.
Like a little of it is unbelievable.
But a lot of it, you kind of just become numb to it.
There was a moment, yes, I don't know if you noticed this too, where they cut in the stands
to Gareth Southgate, England manager, watching what was going on.
And it must be so confusing to him, sitting down, watching Phil Foden play, who he'll
always going to go and play on the left or the right.
And Phil Foden comes in playing number 10.
You know, occasionally taking the ball deep in his own, you know, center circle in order
to go and propel the attack.
John Stones, you know, who routinely played by Gareth Southgate, you know, center back,
suddenly playing in central midfield and doing these things.
It's almost, it's, Pep is drawing diagrams that other managers could not imagine drawing
with the same personnel.
And that's just what makes him so unique.
That is what makes this asymmetric warfare.
And yes, perhaps there can be a little bit too much asymmetry for anybody at a certain
point.
It's difficult to even focus even Gunduan, who now we routinely will talk about our Gunduan,
one of the most valuable players, one of the stars.
The fact is six months ago, we didn't talk about Gunduan in that way.
Gunduan has become like at the level of a KDB, at the level of a Harlan, at the level
of one of these, you know, great, great city players.
And just what he does, he just, there's always another one of them coming out behind
the unveiling their mask and saying, ah, it is I.
I just love this about this team.
That's fascinating.
Because when you think about that award ceremony, the medal ceremony, apart from watching Pep
blank the Premier League, um, CEO as he went to get his medal.
Um, and a lot of the players have not quite sure whether to shake or not to shake his
hand.
It was that Pep, the player he dwelled upon on that, you know, how land he gave a huge
hug to, grills he gave a huge hug to, but it was Lewis that he just made a point in just
wrapping his arms around hugging him 18 year old, the gentleman with, with played a lot
this season will no doubt play more as if he was telling us take whoever you want from
this.
I have more coming.
I have more children.
I've been, I've, you're making Gunna Sura some win.
Wait till you see what I'm doing in my laboratory.
We don't want to know, Pep, but we do need to talk about, we need to acknowledge this.
And it honestly doesn't get acknowledged enough in the game.
We just give me a minute, I'm sorry to, to talk, this is complex and I want to get this right.
Um, but it has been so much behind that perfection that does feel eerie.
Um, a city stand accused of over a hundred charges of the Premier League's financial rules,
some of which include falsifying accounts, um, over a long period on that journey from
being a team who were a true fearless joke before the owner transformation to one that
has won the title of five of the last six seasons.
Dinesque, you know, once Sheikh Mansour of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family took over the club
and poured over two billion into the team, um, financial fair play was instituted in 2009
around the same time.
It was designed to make sure that clubs could only roughly spend as much as they are.
Um, and city have long been accused of doing the opposite.
Um, they constantly announced that they are somehow making more money from commercial
sponsorship than any other team in the world and expose, there was the expose in the German
newspaper, the Spiegel, uh, revealed over inflated sponsor deals, sponsors who were connected
to Abu Dhabi, like, like Eddie had airlines, which led the club almost to steroid its
revenue so it could spend more.
UEFA investigated, found that city had overstated sponsor revenue.
They banned the city from European competition for two years.
City took the ruling on appeal to cast the court of administration for sports.
I'm sorry to go so deep into this, but I want to get this right and accurate and fair because
if I don't, then it looks unfair to Manchester city, but it's important.
And this is not why we watch.
We don't watch to talk about cast the court for a arbitration for sports, but they gave
a verdict in favor of city ruling said city at the same time had failed to cooperate with
authorities and that a number of the breaches had been time barred hadn't been considered
because they've been brought by UEFA too late, essentially a loophole.
City fans will tell you we won that case, but they didn't, but their team did keep on
winning and this February in an unprecedented moment, which was talked a lot about the time,
but it's kind of fallen away.
Um, again, we don't watch to discuss legal charges.
They were hit with 115 charges by the very Premier League, which hands out the title,
which they covet and failure to report financial reports, sponsorship revenue, not giving full
insight into player salaries from 2019 to 2018.
We don't know how long this process is going to take.
There's so many unknowns.
City denied the charges.
They've pushed back.
They've questioned the very legality of the process.
This is all very political.
The outcome could take years, could be fines, could be point deductions, could be, but
won't be, I imagine, expulsion yet to be adjudicated.
Pep said he feels condemned already.
He very much plays that victim card as his team celebrate the title.
They're at a domination.
They've ruined a surreal, but it is a surreal situation, David, in which city are resplendent,
careless, powerful, but also standing charged in the dock.
That's what we, we've got this historic football on the field as they try and get four titles
in a row for the first time ever.
There's also the possibility of fingers on the scale.
How do we square this?
Can we even square this?
It's like the emotional and the rational and the legal.
You know, it's interesting.
You know, I never intended to read as much about financial fair players I have in the
last month.
But I think what's interesting about financial fair play, and we criticize justifiably UA
for a lot, but I think one of the good things about financial fair play that UEFA have done,
it's there not to necessarily punish teams like Manchester City who have enormous amounts
of wealth, but it's in order to protect smaller clubs across Europe, you know, less wealthy
clubs from, in order to compete, spending so much money that they put themselves at
risks of even survival, you've talked about that with Everton that in some ways, Everton,
who haven't reached the level of accusations of breach of financial fair play rules, but
they have been referred to an independent commission and they are no doubt breaking financial
fair play rules or skirting financial fair play rules in order to survive and in order
to compete.
And so what happens when a team like Manchester City who can certainly afford, they're not
in danger of going out of business.
But by doing it, it forces the entire European pyramid to overspend on, particularly on player
wages to, to, to overestimate or over, over impute sponsorship deals that give them justification
for doing these things.
And so it is so important, not so much for what happens at Manchester City, but it's
important for what happens in the lower reaches of each European Premier League or the lower
reaches of the entire pyramid system of leagues and the amount of money being lost to, you
know, by owners means that, you know, we are starting to see clubs throughout Europe go
out of business and never return.
And that is terrible for the communities which they serve.
By the way, I do need to disclose, yes, Everton have been charged, I am fully aware,
for their own malfeasance in financial fair play.
I think they've done ridiculous things and I have no doubt that they also will be punished.
But in terms of Manchester City, this dominance, I've never seen the like, never see, you know,
other clubs have been dominant, but never in this era of such cutthroat competition and
never so clinically.
This is incredible.
City have only felt the chance of defeat for 10 minutes.
It's incredible, it's 10 minutes down the final third of the season.
Ultimately, some of which raises questions about the very competitive health of the Premier
League that we watch week in week out and we'll leave a last word to two comments, one
from our friend, my great mate John Green, who tweeted, I mean, I guess congrats to City
on achieving the impossible dream, winning three consecutive Premier League titles simply
by turning carbon emissions into sporting success, thereby creating the most obvious
possible metaphor for our shared 21st century predicament.
A GFOP at Cranley Tran tweeted us, congratulating Manchester City is like congratulating a billionaire's
kid for having a nice house.
Not every billionaire has the stamina, the dedication, the fire to become the most unpopular owner
in sports.
But not everyone's James Dolan, the dreaded owner of the New York Knicks, introducing
Reign of Error, a new podcast series that gives you court side seats for the bench clearing
free for all of controversies and scandals that JD has brought on.
Are you embarrassed by this?
I'm sorry.
We're all embarrassed.
Yes.
Here's a guy who inherited a fortune and a basketball team.
I mean, he could be playing golf.
Instead, he's made it his hobby to consistently mismanage one of the most beloved franchises
in pro sports.
Along the way, Dolan battles his own players, fans, celebrities, the media, politicians,
even the Girl Scouts.
Absolutely shocking.
It's almost too bad to be true.
I'm like, really?
I'm David Green.
Join me for Reign of Error as we ask the $6 billion question, why doesn't he just sell the
team?
Follow Reign of Error wherever you get your podcasts.
You can listen early and ad free on the Amazon music or Wondre app.
OK, now to the battle for the rest of the top four, starting with Bournemouth, Nill, Manchester
United One, United strolled down to a sun drenched, saffh, cosclad in their finest
vault and earn a one-wheel win over the cherries in a ho-hum game decided by a moment of Brazilian
genius in the form of a ninth-minute swiveling, first-time Casimir O'Voli, just a stunning
piece of artistry.
One that means United need just one point from their final two games against Chelsea
and Fulham to return to the Champions League under Eric Tenharg.
An emotional moment pregame, Bournemouth David Brookes, 25-year-old Cherries midfielder,
not the New York Times Blue for eating or bed writer, maybe it's the same person, made
his first star for Bournemouth in five other 98 long days after recovering from stage two
Hodgkin lymphoma.
It was incredible to witness.
What a human being, what strength, what a wonderful club, Bournemouth-R, Godspeed and
MNF fans, almost is incredible.
Casimir O's feet of human physical wonder in the United team that, again like Marcus
Rashford out with illness, Casimir O, that human cube, clearly spent the week reading
Ilchlei Gunderone's Big Book, I believe it or not, physical feats of torso contortionism.
Ericsson, Dink won over the Bournemouth bat-line, took a slight deflection on the way, but Casimir
O was locked on it, spun upon it.
As if he'd been expecting it, span, watched, swiveled, slapped, really an improvised stunning
bicycle swivel situation into the roof of the net.
It was brilliant, David.
Beautiful goal and a team who, you know, you look at Rodge and you think, yes, I think
Arsenal are going to be a team who think they're going to come back and be way stronger next
year.
They're not going to be a team in the United fans and they look at their own squad, they
look at their own team, they look at their own spending power in the off-season and they're
thinking they can get closer to their cross-town rivals next season.
Yeah, a couple more players like Casimir O, that ability, that mentality and wow, fuse
out with Eric Tenharg.
I admire that, man.
His leadership, his tactical acumen, his man management, so bloody much, but Casimir O,
we just say, so dense, he's like a Brazilian refrigerator with legs to see him do a gunder
one.
It's akin to watching a battleship have the jet ski turning radius.
It was just an amazing human bloody moment.
It's like watching one of those magic pet Instagram reels, but we should note, David
Dehaer, smart when called upon, much derided down the stretch.
She's only gone and locked down his second Premier League Golden Glover, his career, 17th
clean sheet at the season, and a magical day really for a United a relief, an out breath,
ten hogs, late season wobble, those fears seem to be banished, fret no more, one point
from two games, Champions League football back.
Really, after filling to win their last three on the road, huge, huge win for ETH.
Now because United won that match, it meant Liverpool had to get at least a draw at home
against Aston Villa to keep any semblance of Champions League hope alive, and that looked
very much in jeopardy thanks to a really well taken Jacob Ramsey goal in the 27th minute,
but after entering the game as a substitute, making his final appearance at Anfield, a
player who is a hero of this show, the one and only Roberto Firmino did what he has done
so many times before and scores a vital goal at the deck, latching onto a most salable
to make it one one and give Liverpool a glimmer of Champions League hope, all hail King Bobby
Chompers.
Jürgen Klopp, watching from the stands, because he's too much banned for questioning the integrity
of Premier League referee Paul Tierney, remember during that bonkers hamstring pulling climax
to the 4-3 Tottenham game, he and a packed Anfield looked on at Liverpool's attempt to
wedding crash that top four, seven game wind tear, but it was Emery's reborn Villa immense
in the sun.
Liverpool had a reprieve first when Ollie Watkins kissed the Canate a given penalty before sending
it wide, but their failure to hold out, you know, they couldn't, they repeated barrage
almost from Villa, led to Douglas Louise, dispatching a stunning archibald ball, Jacob
Ramsey swept it in emphatically, credible way to mark a hundredth game for Villa at the
tender age of just 21, still flies under the radar, that gent, Q Villa fans marvelling
at their organised back line, held Liverpool at Bay comfortably and the away end started
to say, I love this Davo, if it wasn't for Gerard, we'd be top.
Villa did look comfortable in the face of Liverpool's response until three substitutes
changed the energy.
In the 72nd minute, two great servants Bobby Firmino, James Milner both leaving, entered
the fray for the last time and filled along with Timi Cass and Villa started a sag, hang
on, led by Emi Martinez, proceeded to get more bookings for time-wasting than shots on
goal the entire game for time-wasting yellow cards, you almost have to admire that, but
89th minute, most Alacaresse and exquisite Arch of a Cross, flicked with the ricest
beauty.
The outside of his boot, Bobby Firmino, red is mine, this is a beauty team sport, right
Davo, one man born in Nagrig, Egypt, the other born in Alagoash on the east coast of Brazil,
who've bonded in that moment, my meld, it's stunning, Bobby had always begun his run before
the ball had even been thought of being passed.
That's amazing, that's amazing.
I mean, yeah, what a mindset to be playing this well when he knows that he's leaving,
he knows that he's going, it's his farewell tour and just a fantastic, I would say, example
A, Roberto Firmino goal.
Signature, I mean two feet in the air as he stabbed it home and then got absolutely
levelled, no smiles, no joy, this is just business to attend to, an attempt to get a
leadly winner, emotions repressed, he simply dropped to his knees in prayer, final goal
at Anfield for this charming man, big verge offered this tribute by Alacian Firmino, signature
Kung Fu goal celebration, right over his head, and Liverpool pro for a winner, but not to
be, bonkers finish, means the Red State fifth, three points off Newcastle United and Manchester
United, Unai Emery's side, we've got to say Mr Chance to leapfrog Brighton into six,
they can still make Europe two, big, big love to them, we've talked a lot about admiration,
incredible job Unai Emery's done, legacy changing for him, but the scenes that will be remembered
for this game for me now, coming back onto the field after the game, sobbed his way around
Anfield, the place resounded one last time to the sound of Ce Senor, signed every last
signature, shook every hand, soaked up every last memory of the day, and the previous 360
appearances and 100 night goals at Liverpool, but you kind of got the senses he walked
around, it was more than the partnerships, more than the friendships, more than the lessons
learnt, more than the trophies, incredible trophies, just watching him go from beaming
to the verge of tears in milliseconds, it was humanly beautiful as the fans stayed forever,
their chance echoing in the background.
Yeah, no, it was beautiful, it's hard not to be emotional about sport, I found myself
on the edge of tears several times this weekend, culmination being Michael Bloch's performance
at the PGA, but this was one of them, it just is wonderful moments like this, human moments
in sports.
It's the ultimate court jest that turned people's prints, a cult hero, he's a lethal
winning weirdo, and I mean that in the most wonderful way, I've talked a lot about him,
I talked about him on WGFO P on Friday, so you can gain my sense there of this man who
played the game with this surreal, almost a dada spirit, absurdist, appreciated the life
of firming values of a no look goal, but also channeled the naive joy we all experience
as kids playing this game, and took it all the way to the elite level, played as if he
knew how transcendent football can be and how stupid it all is in equal measure.
We're going to release a video that John Green, my good friend, has recorded a tribute
to really I think one of his favourite players all time will release it this week, I'll just
say see Senor.
And Hank Green, while we're on that subject, we wish you health, happiness, strength.
Tottenham 1, Brentford 3, Ryan Mason's graduate thesis looking more and more like he bought
it online after Spurs capitulate in their final home game of the season, despite an
eighth minute Harry Kane goal, a brace from Cameroonian King, Brian and Bomo, and a third
from that Congolese King of calm, Joanne Wiesa, cap an impressive win for a B's team that
know they will finish inside the top half of the table.
Spurs meanwhile, Roger, a real mess as they limp towards the finish line of the Premier
League season.
God, it really is a mess, the football director, the lack of manager, Harry Kane, so many,
just question marks around well everything led his team out at home, possibly the last
time in a Spurs shirt, Tottenham had filled a mural of him outside the stadium, GFO P
at JK 461 tweeted us, no Champions League next season, but maybe this big painting of
you will get you to stay.
Kane's taught them two wins in the last nine, limp into the end of the season.
This Spurs dream of modern stadium propel glory, really in the crapper right now, just
a malaise, sense of lost direction.
Harry Kane did what he does, which is why the thousands of fans go to watch, free kick,
dead centre, quick roll back from Kool-O, Harry Kane just picked the top corner, lashed
at home, goal number 30, he scored in 25 different Premier League games this season, which is
a record, no one's done it, 10th goal in London, no players done that, I feel like every goal,
I've said this for him, is some record, some milestone of note, and it felt like for a
second that Romayton is a football genius, but half time changed for Brentford, Dammsguard
on, suddenly Brentford so much faster than Spurs back for this Brentford without Ivan
Tony until January, meant to be their own everything, starting his eight-month ban for
over 200 charges of gambling or doing the thing the sponsor on Brentford shirt encourages
you to do.
In the second half, very first shot on goal, Wiese found on boom, he lashed home so smartly,
it really seems to thrive when no longer second-fiddle, late to the season, soon get worse for Tottenham,
but those words should be the official name for Spurs this season, 12 minutes later on
boomo again, charging down the left, a cute angle, incredible finish, also sloppy defending
AF, GFO P at Tim Rants tweeted, when they've Tony had on boomo to score two goals plus 5,000,
late on though, even though he's on a hat trick, he fed Wiese for the knife first time, Brentford
went away at Spurs, can still finish in the top six, Man City awaits, Super B's, Brentford
within a point of Spurs now, could St. Totteringham's day tot them for the first time since 1947,
credible truth at Tiny Brentford have now been each of the traditional big six since they came
up last season, but they've heard Spurs commentator said, a club that seemed to be going in the
right direction, somehow gone off the rails, there were boos at the final whistle, European football
prospects and said, what do you think Harry Kane fight, he came back on the field, black balloons
with Levy out, flew to the round the turf as he walked around with his family, his wife, his three
kids, as many managers of Spurs have had in a very dower season, just misery, pain, Sissifers
football club, just the Spurs fans clapping him on the Virgityas, big sad Kendall Roy energy in
the stadium, what do you think, what do you think he was feeling his 28 goals, you can be actually
the case as many commentators have that his 28 goals were more impressive a feat than a Harlan 36
because of the context, the squads, the quality of the assist he's been getting, what do you think
went through his head as he weighed possibly one last time at the front?
What is, oh, he's talking about Harry Kane or Daniel Levy, what is Daniel Levy thinking would
be like one of the greatest, it would be one of the shortest books of all time because nobody knows
rather than Kendall Roy energy, I think it's like Roman Roy energy at the end of last night's episode.
I mean, for Harry Kane, you know, it's tough to, it's tough to think of a comparison, of a,
of a player who continues as everything has fallen apart around him, a Tottenham this season,
a player who has continued to play so well, a player who's continued to score so many great goals,
it's almost like his setting is set to whatever it's set to, no matter what's going on around him,
he is the consumer elite professional footballer in that respect, but you know, those, you know,
Antonio Conte's words must be just, just swarming around his head, that is he ever going to achieve
what he no doubt wants to achieve as an elite professional footballer in that environment?
It's hard to think that the answer is yes.
Can I, as I watched him, I just imagine a great Oreo speed wagon classic just
humming it as he was with his kids, you know, I can't fight this feeling anymore.
He played the, wouldn't sing it like that. That's more like the Greek owner of,
of Nottingham Forest with the singer that beautifully, but you know, I've forgotten what I started
fighting for, time to bring that ship back to the shore, throw away the oars forever.
Tottenham without Harry Kane, I'm not even going to go there, Spurs friends.
Brighton three, Southampton one, the Seagull secure European football in this dream season,
swatting aside their South Coast rivals thanks to a first half, double from Irish
and Ireland. Evan Ferguson always have won to watch the Saints pulled one back and at one point
even looked to have levelled via Theo Walcott, but the equaliser was vard off Pascal Gross added a
third and the Seagulls are taking flight for the continent next season. Just a wonderful Premier League
story. First time ever in their history, Brighton and look at their history. There's been some true
darkness, I mean recent just near bankruptcy's evictions from their own stage, you're wallowing
in the lowest levels of English football in an era of billionaire-fueled 11s. This side,
constructive via immensely intelligent investment and strategy and data analysis,
really proved that romance, that hope can still burn bright in football. I admire them so greatly,
we've got to say for Southampton already relegated significant news at a weekend at Russell Martin
of Swansea, reportedly going to be their next manager, fourth permanent manager since the end
of last season. I've signed the want move towards a possession style, away from that red ball model
of Ralph Hasson Huddle and talking to managers. I'm interviewing Brighton's Roberto D'Zerby tomorrow
and I can't wait, due to me, to be clear, it's manager of the year for what he's done.
And the fact he's done it all while looking like a minor recurring character in the sopranos,
like a guy who meadow runs into at a club, which is underage and doesn't want him to tell her dad
makes it all the more amazing.
Fulham 2, Crystal Palace, to a London Derby with summertime good vibes as both teams are solidly
mid-table and exempt from the stress of finals. Palace took the lead via Odsen Edward only for
the cuddly cottages to go in front thanks to an Alexander-Mitrovich brace. But in 80, it feels
like the word brace always follows Alexander-Mitrovich, but in 83rd minute,
Joel Board equalises a C's things end, honours even, and Roy can head home to iron that speedo
for the Maldives. God, you think, but what now for Palace is the question. And the answer,
the future is almost certainly their past, though Roy Hodgson was only brought in as a
relegation firefighter. This man took them for the brink of the relegation zone,
two sweet, sweet mid-table. This team had scored 22 goals in 28 games before Roy arrived,
proceeded to blast 17 in 9, which included five wins, Coke's the best out of a lise,
and he's a Roy is 76 years young, starting to feel he will be back for one more season.
It's almost like the Betty White of football. Yeah, brilliant interview with him and owner Steve
Parrish on Gary Neville's The Overlap on YouTube, really enjoyed it. And Roy talking about
offensively, he never gets credit for being an offensively minded coach, but it's the first
thing he focuses on when he comes into a team. The easy thing to do is to focus on the defence.
He wants to do the interesting thing, which is focus on getting shots and with all these incredible
players. So yeah, I think Crystal Palace ending this season, feeling better about themselves and
better about their youthful mid-70s year old manager than they ever have before going into
another season. Roger now to the relegation Zun, the bad place Zun, where two out of a
possible three teams will see the guillotine drop on their Premier League hopes. But we learn a bit
more this weekend. We're going to start with West Ham 3, Leeds 1, Big Sam Lead, relegation,
threatened Leeds United, jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Texan shot put King Western McKinney,
launched a throw-in, the length of Little Elm, right to Rodrigo. It's got a side spin on it,
Roger. It's amazing throw-in. He lashed it home on the volley, but from there, as they've done so
many times under so many managers, Leeds just folded, allowing goals from Danny Inks, Jared Bowen,
and Manuel Lanzini, the proud Yorkshire outfit must now win on the final day of the Premier League
season against Tottenham to have even a chance of survival. You don't hear a lot about Major
Leeds soccer in the Leeds United States of America anymore. It's dark, man, Sam Aladise,
third of his four-game cameo. Leeds really, you realise you made a deal with the devil. I don't
know if any of you have ever done business when your business is failing and you've had to do a
deal with the Albanian Mafia about watching it. That feels a bit like this. May or may not have
done it myself. But a busload of Leeds fans in there, Sam Aladise, Marce, reveling in the London
Sun, against West Ham. They were hoping for a hangover. This team had been on the lash since
qualifying for the Europa Conference League final. Hoping for a bit too much emotion. Declan Rice,
farewell to this hero six years ago. He'd made his first West Ham senior debut. It was meant to be
they didn't care. They had too much emotion. They were hungover. And Leeds opened brightly.
We're listening to Get Behind West Ham. Will Bamford, one man crusade to prove he could put last week's
dismal penalty, fairly behind him. Long throw, quarterback style from Western McKinney. Yorkshire,
that could have stopped. Rodrigo. Yeah. Rodrigo. Got to say, timed lash their home just perfectly.
On the rocket, Fabianzka couldn't even flinch 15th goal of the season for him.
Shirts off for Leeds fans all over the bloody stadium. But my god, that throw. Tell me that wasn't
the moment of the season, possibly one of the great all time moments of the Premier League season.
And assist with your hands? You know, it's so good that throwing. I honestly think it might
lead to a rule change where you can't put that side spin on the ball when you throw it. It is
amazing the power he gets. I went out into the back garden and actually tried to do it and saw
how much further I could throw the ball. And the truth is not any further at all. But it's an amazing,
amazing throw in and tried it again a couple of other times in the game. And every single time,
it looks dangerous. God, it felt so good. There was time for Bant's big Sam found five pounds on
the floor. He's been looking for that for years. Every game he's managed finally found it.
Jokingly offered it to the match official. Bribe Money Bantz ended up pocketing it.
As if Leeds reported $3.5 million survival bonus was being paid early in instalments.
And the game really revolved around World West Ham up for a fight because Leeds have been so
defensively suspect all bloody season. And then Peketa took the game over, sort of glide past all
comers. Series of Hammers corners led to a ball into the box and bow and who was there to sweep it
in. Beautiful Declan Rice. And I was like on my couch. I was just like, I am not quite sure if
that is actually how you do it or not. But I spent a lot of time this weekend. Thank you,
West Ham. Thank you. Come on, you irons. Second half, Leeds, so meager. Robby Hill called them pathetic
post game, not a single shot on target. Just fear kicking in. West Ham scored. At the end,
they scored three times. Could honestly have done five or six. There was Bowen
playing, finishing so smartly when played through. I think Verba kept him on side,
essentially by man spreading. They've barred the goal. But I don't think legally you can
bore a goal. Can you, Davo, when West Ham have already officially unleashed the bubbles,
does that not make the goal final? Yeah, I need to read once again, refer you to the Premier League
handbook. I haven't read all the details about the bubble exceptions, but that may well be true.
GFOP at AC Milan Club DSM explained the bubbles are actually injected directly into the vah
booze, making it impossible for the officials to see anything. It's incredible. That explains a lot.
God, it was just an agony. 74 goals leaked by Father Wurst in the League for Leeds. Second road
that they they've scored first and then conceded a, you know, a will to do this against West Ham.
We're on the on the lash and to probably Saturday morning. I got to tell you, David, I'm trying to
be a big man. I'm trying not to experience Sheldon Freuder when I watch because I'm well aware
it could well be and it could be Leeds fans experiencing that next week. But my God,
when West Ham scored, there was just this emotion that was intoxicating and sweet,
even though it was by all tinge, filling my bloodstream in that one, West Ham.
They just flipped the script there. You found European happiness, moist last hurrah, but Leeds,
31 points were one game to play. Big Sam. Do you remember a big Sam that proclaimed himself
Pepinart et is equal? Yeah, it was several. Oh, no, it wasn't several seasons ago. It was last week.
It's yeah, it's amazing. I'm not sure how he's I'm sure he's still advancing that argument.
I'm not sure that it is playing any better now. Maybe even a little worse.
It's three games and one point ago that post match pie will have tasted of ashes and fury.
But I've got to say this, Leeds, yes, you watch your team go with almost no fight in this game.
You've got such loyal fans. They do deserve more than this chaotic club's giving them down this
stretch. Pray for Rodrigo's health. Pray maybe for Bamford's health. But you've got to know this,
your final opponents of the season. Oh, lads, it's Tottenham. And I can think of few teams who
will crumble quicker in that feral bear pit of Ellen Road to make no mistake.
All three relegation contenders have life and death ahead of them.
Yeah, but they've got to win. Okay, another game with implications at both ends of the table.
It's going to be kicking off right around the time that this pod is released. New Castle versus
Leicester with Leicester currently on 30 points with two games to go. They need to win in one of their
last two to have any chance of survival. I feel like they're going to need to win in both of them,
which brings us to one of the teams that they're chasing. Wolves won Everton won. Perhaps you've
heard of Everton, Raj, a draw that feels it was a win. Sure, it doesn't just feel like a win. It
was a win after trailing much of the game to a Huang Hichan rebound strike in the 99th minute
with the wolves of relegation baying at the gates, none other than Colombian king of comedy.
Yeremina answers the call, sliding home and equaliser and rescuing a valuable point for your mob.
What could be a valuable point? What could just be an inspirational point that they don't even need,
but it makes them feel like winners, Raj. That's the important thing. It was a momentum changer.
We need it. We don't know how important it will be until this dread week is over.
But I went to this one trying to do something new. I rooted for something called, you know this
word, they have a euchatastrophe. No, is it a catastrophe involving a ukulele?
I wish it was. God, I'd love that. I would involve two of my greatest passions, but
a word that I've just found out about. It was created by Tolkien. It refers to a sudden turn of
events in the story, which ensures that the protagonist does not meet some terrible impending,
very plausible doom. Also, a sort of a positive vendor-punked.
Yes, a euchatastrophe. I love it. That's what I was just saying. It's not great for football
chance. You could testify, but that's what I need it all week. By the way, this is a weird one.
You know, well-meaning GFOPs and a lot of friends, Danny Higginbottom often text me,
positive crap. I'm always like, Danny, please stop. It never works. And I wrote in my newsletter,
how much I hate being told, you got this. Don't worry, you got this. You got this, because I know
that normally means Everton most definitely do not got this. It's so funny you say this,
because I had to stop George. George wanted to text you after that. My son George wanted to text
you after the game. I said, don't do it. Don't do it. It's not going to be read positively. I
don't even text you after Everton results anymore. I just leave it and save it for this pod.
Yeah, George, please. I love you. Do not. I mean, a great raven from a GFOP,
Jeffree Petter, who's wrote me a beautiful note about how annoying it is to run a marathon,
hit a wall at mile 23, and then have hundreds of well-meaning spectators shout,
you got this, as he says, as you quote, try and stave off cardiac arrest. And that's what I felt
like watching this. Everton had gone three at the back because of injuries. I mean, it was all full
pattice and limped off. It was even worse. Michael Keene came on, who's like, if Harry Maguire and
Phil Jones spore the bastard offspring, he came on. I felt sick and must-wing gay,
okay. Podents had a Darmatra away. Everton hemmed walls in. Gay lost it. It was on the edge of
the walls, Harry lost it. And even my 12-year-old Oz knew in that second started screaming,
foul him. Foul him as a Darmatra away burns up the whole field. We knew we'd seen this against
Liverpool. We do not foul players on the break. Tritour a shot, Pickford saved, but Huang, whose name
is actually Korean for completely unable to score against normal teams, slotted into the open
net. With a face that showed even he was shocked that he'd done a big boy goal. David, why does
every crap player only score against us? Why, scientifically? Well, he did have quite a lot of
time and space. If you're going to score a goal, you need that amount of time and space in order to
do it. Yeah, it was a bad moment. Everton got worse. Yeah, Everton got worse. It's sort of been the
dominant team in the game up until that point. Yes, because there's a cossack behind every door
and then the worst I could fear came to pass. Everton, credited them with endeavour,
with fight, no quality. Obviously just kept coughing the ball up straight into Wool's counterattack
plans. Then right at half time, the darkest darkness that has ever darkened darkness.
An innocuous challenge. DCL running onto a ball suddenly slumped to the turf,
shook his head. You can see the agony in his face. He knew. He knew that. He knew. It
was over. His race was run. Not very long race if we're being honest, David. Here's why I screamed
at that moment. I was like, I would give that man my own groin. If I could. I'd honest it, I
would have cut in that moment. I would have cut my own groin. I don't need it. I would have cut
my own groin. I've got four kids. Don't need my groin no more. I would have medivacked it. I
imagine like on helicopter, the medivacking it on ice, two Wolverhampton and giving him the world's
first groin transplant. David, here's one I need to know. Is that medically possible? Because
if it is medically possible, I imagine there would be other groins that would be ahead in the pecking
order for most Everton fans to take rather than your 50-year-old groin.
Don't, don't, don't, don't. Don't, don't. Don't, don't. There's be no nagging groin. There'd be none
of that groin nagging on these. Put that on a t-shirt. Yeah, there'd be no groin dismissal here. You
can't shame my groin. But I do want to make clear, DCL, if you're listening, you take it, man. You
take it. I need you. We need you. We need you. Second half, Everton tried, but man, it was sad
trying. Wolves laughed. They derided. They mocked. We had no striker. They left back, no right back.
Five central midfield. It's just impossible to watch. We'll start at the last shot after shot at us.
It was just whistling past our goal. And I realized in that second half, it's a little like we were
going down with all hands. Everton are like Napoli, David, but like an upside down Napoli.
But like a Napoli of darkness. We are the Napoli of losing.
Ilo pan would be an upside down Napoli. Yeah. That's what we are. But we're worse shirts.
We're shirts. It was a poorly sad. We, you know, it really was a full hour. It stuck in Tracy Chapman's
fast car. And I couldn't get the door unlocked. It was just moupe, whole gate, put on to save our
season, which is the equivalent listeners of if you're in a boat that's just drifting at sea,
deciding, you know what? I'm going to drill a hole in the bottom of this boat.
Game finished with us having Michael Keen as our striker. Wolves shit-housing us.
They had nothing to play for just laughing at us. That's all they had. And they did it. They had
Ruben Nevers. This was key. Took 12 minutes to leave. Possibly last game for walls. Took 12
minutes to leave the field. Hence the agony of injury time. Nine minutes added. Honestly,
Everton was so poor. I'll admit this. I didn't even want nine minutes. I was like, give us less.
Yes. I was like, yes. I was like, why would you just let us out of here with a one-nil loss?
You know, there's an, I'm going to say this. There's an Everton fan meme of official club merch
with the Everton Creston and in big letters across the shirt, it just says, and I'm paraphrasing,
it says, I effing hate my dad. And I spent the first five minutes of extra trying to find out
if it was real. So I could put in a group order for my children. But then it happened. I still
don't know what happened, David. Can you describe objectively? What did you see? What did you see?
What, what, what happened? Well, I've got to be honest. I was watching this entire game. I'd
given up hope at the end. I did feel that during injury time, walls were playing somewhat naively,
you know, still racing forward, still allowing Everton space on the ball. And of all the people
to end up on the end of, of that ball, I can't even think who that ball came from. But I'll tell
you, I'll tell you, I'll tell you. I mean, this is what so amazing was keeper Bentley. I've been
so dodgy the whole game flailed under a cross under pressure from Tarkovsky who headed it back
across David to Michael bloody keen. And in that moment, I've got to tell you, there are 7.88
billion people in the entire world. And I'm not going to lie, Michael keen deaf would be in the
bottom 7 billion of people I'd want on the ball in that moment. So now he managed to think
vaguely football and passed it to Yerry media. That's right. Who slotted home.
August, arguably the biggest goal of Everton's Premier League history since that last big one
that DCL scored against Palace. Yereld King Yereld, the gen who disappeared, who who who
promised Everton fans when we blocked off the players in a disgusting fashion after we lost
the Southampton in January, he they were angry, surrounded his car. He got out to chat with them
and he said, I will give my life for this club. And he did. I did this, this hilarious character.
It was like watching him move from Adam Sandler slapstick to suddenly like appearing in,
in a couple of moving and getting an Oscar was this is the fluid front three, David,
that's going to save us. Tark, keen, meaner, David football like life makes a full of all of us
Robert Plant's walls up there in heaven, looking down on us, Robert Plant, thank you for your mercy.
Thank you for giving me happiness, my darkness, not being relegated since 1951. If we avoid
relegation, maybe the closest we get to a trophy. I'm so tired. I'm so shattered. Atward get
tweeted at my face at full time. My god, Roger looks like you just came out of an SNM dungeon.
You didn't mean to wander in. Tell it feels this is it, Everton now, a go-ship of a team,
no fallbacks, no striker, home form miserable. I think it's third worst in the league,
no preordained safety at all. So much darkness still to come.
Deutsch play 10 centre backs and a keeper. Perfect Deutsch sports. The only thing
that's going to get us out of here, David, I do not know what I will do without Everton football
club in my life. They're like air, water, Everton, polluted air, toxic water, Everton.
Yeah, I mean, Everton are still going to be in your life, whatever happens,
Roger, wherever they are. The amazing thing now though, Everton sitting in 17th outside the
relegation zone, I actually think that the most likely thing that's going to happen is all teams
lose the remainder of their matches by Everton and Everton. Everton stay up with 33 points.
It'd be absolutely remarkable. Here it is. Before we go, a quick reminder about everything we got
happening at Men in Blazers this week powered by Bud Light. Easy to drink, easy to enjoy.
Tomorrow, a new episode of Becky Sauer and Road to the Cup, Wednesday, a championship playoff
pod special with Tim Reim presented by ESPN+, and this weekend, the season nine finale of the Men
in Blazers TV show and Men in Blazers American Football Awards presented by Bud Light, available
on Peacock TV. Just search Men in Blazers on Peacock, Roger. Can we get a toast to close us out?
I want to raise this shot of Jagan Mice at this bolt of human emotion in a shot glass to the two
teams facing each other out Wembley in this Saturday's championship playoff with a place in the Premier
League on the line worth up to $328 million. Winner gets that. Loser gets a swift kick in the
downblows, belly full of broken dreams, turf back to the championship. And the two teams competing
are truly fantastic stories in their own right, unexpected guests in equal measure,
Luton Town, the hatters face up to Coventry, the sky blues. True wonder of this clash lies in the
fact that five years ago, Coventry were playing Luton in lead to the fourth tier,
deep in the bowels of English football. And on Saturday, two clubs will walk at a Wembley to
decide which will be the first to go from the top flight down to the fourth tier and back up again.
The two things can coexist. I mean, they may end up playing the lakes in Manchester City and
Newcastle, these tiny teams, Luton's entire squad, their wage bills just $7.5 million,
less than one of Manchester City's substitutes cost. And Godspeed to both of these teams and
their fans. They are coming from towns that have suffered in the decline of post-industrial Britain,
Luton, historically the hat industry, Coventry, the car industry,
City's bleakness was captured in the 80s by that great scar ban, the specials,
that song, Ghost Town, more at stake for both chants in the global spotlight, economic regeneration
for both the club, the towns, to all of them, to both of you wishing you glory, making memories
that last forever. Courage. Absolutely. You can follow us on Twitter at many blazers at Embassy
Davies at Roger Bennett on Instagram at many blazers at Embassy Davies on Facebook,
where many blazers twitch twitch.tv forward slash men in blazers, we're on YouTube,
where you can see a video version of our podcast, including this podcast, which we will release
in full. And also our TikTok look for it at Men in Blazers. You can always email us at meninblazers
at gmail.com, vendorpunk, Raj. War Pig. Was that a roboner? I like snacks. Ball to win, ball to win.
Take that, Gloria. Ball to lose. To tweet. Abrogado, rock on make. Kung Fu fight in America. Love
you, Davie. I love you, Roger. Oh, great for Everton Football Club.
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