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Hi, I'm David Brown, the host of Wondery's podcast Business Wars, and in our new season,
two of the world's leading hotel brands, Hilton and Marriott, stare down family drama and
financial disasters, listen to business wars on Amazon Music or wherever you get your
podcasts.
We're listening to the Men in Blazers media network, suboptimal radio.
Any important teams take us some distances now, and I do know how strong these arsenals
are.
Yes, they're so they're going to lose some practice.
They're exceptional and Liverpool again.
The mentality's continued there.
I'll just be happy.
That evil chuckle is from one pep guardian, when asked if Manchester United are true
title contender, pep of course, a bloke who knows, one laugh is worth 10,000 words.
Oh bad news, I'm just here for the 10,000 word part, because it's roach, it's Friday,
and we've made it to the end of another week, so much football, charging into our loving
arms to save us this weekend, it's not just any weekend, it's North London Derby Sunday
and my Lord, I can't remember a time when so many good vibes were up for grabs for
the winner.
Oh Manchester United, flailing in a must, must win against Czechsnotes Burnley, two American
heroes set to start for AC Milan, and two American heroes set to retire.
Forever from the game we love, we will dive into it all, on WGFOP weekend preview, I
do need to say, as any avid listeners amongst you will know well, we launched a new show
this week, men and blazers early kick off.
It's fairly seismic undertaking, even though it is just the product is a daily tennis
minute, I guess it was a micro pod, which we designed to tell you, to give you, to give
you a real sense of exactly what's happened overnight in the football world, I always
feel bewildered when I wake up, I already feel like I know nothing, everything has bloody
changed.
Players at once away are now signing three year contracts at full of managers who seem
irreplaceable, a resigning so they can go and manage another national team, everything
we thought we knew, almost on a daily basis, oh my God, changes as a football world in
this era of information overload is just so bloody, confusing.
In this product to be clear, we do an annual survey of you dear listeners, which you fill
in with real detail, and this year is the one thing that spoke so deeply when we analysed
your responses, was that feeling of just overwhelming sense of how to keep up, and so we identified
this problem and then created this resulting series, unleashing it held by the mighty Samu
from Surrey, and it's been crazy to build because what we've done for the first time, tiny
little men and blazers, we've set up studio capability in Europe, we're building one in
the south of England, one up north for reasons that will become clear, imminently, and our goal
is to create content on the ground across Europe, especially for your listening and viewing
the light, more on that to come, but I do want to thank all of you, you're incredible,
this remarkable first week, it's been phenomenal, and it's been propelled by so many of you
sharing early kickoff with your, let's call them Saka Curious Friends, please keep spreading
the word amount, I've loved your reviews, many of you have dropped on Apple, on the podcast,
called Jay Heritage wrote another banger, Roger and co have done it again, when it comes
to pod creation and content, they subscribe to Kendall Roy's philosophy of bangers only,
something about the word, bangers only, the main thing not of Kendall Roy, it just seems
to be two words that can only be said in, in all their white tax, and bangers only, oh thank
you to you, Jay Heritage, and to everybody that's given it five stars, and spread the
word, we are bloody grateful, I do need to know, this has been a week of conflicting emotions,
my dad, a judge-yver, who is an avid listener to this show, he's been my hero this week,
he's experienced let's just say a spot of hospital action, dad, I send you my love, and
know that in best of times, and in the worst of times, you're still much healthier than
everton football club, big love to your dad, and to the football, sting me up, producer
Sophie, that was talking it out with Roger by the fantastic Marcus Ritchie in Seattle,
and you are listening to WGFOP Weekend Preview, the show this is hard working and is well
organised, as Manchester United's current midfield, the show in which we tie and break down
all the big storylines you will need to enjoy this weekend's football, call in your questions,
646-450-9472, and it could be your voice on next week's show, but before we start,
I want to raise a glass, my third, third spotlight of the day, to Eunice Musa, a gent who
is set according to the Italian media to make his first start for AC Milan tomorrow morning
at 9am eastern time, he and Christian will, they both came off the bench against Newcastle
midweek and Champions League action against Newcastle, Eunice has to be said, look bloody
sprightly in his late cameo, Christian, let's just say he needs to resummon the assertive
football which he opened the campaign, and we wish both bloke's joy and courage to question
number one.
Hello my name is Morgan, and I live in Atlanta, Georgia, US to me, and they not sound like
it, so I'm an Arsenal fan, I'm very proud though of our neighbours to the north,
and I think the Mr. Savlaki seems to have done a very good job of attempting to build
a sense of bonding a community with those men in white before the North London Derby,
I don't know how they're going to replace the man who was once in a lifetime talent,
best in the world, backing into people in the penalty area and then falling over, nobody
could do it like him, and I think Bayern Munich have got themselves a bargain at something
I didn't really pay attention.
So yeah, my question is do you think that even without that, do you think that Harry Kane
was kind of bringing down Spurs in a way that Terry Henry was doing so for Arsenal many
years ago, in that everyone had to pass to him, he was always kept in, everything had
to go around him, and now those many white have been sent free, so Angie Fulafel is now
getting the best out of the team rather than a one-man show and a bunch of bandits.
Either way, I'm looking forward to our four-nil victory on Sunday for the men in Red and
White.
Thank you.
Morgan, oh yeah, you do sound like Georgia's finest, respect for the way, I've kind of
been saying that question.
I do believe you pack more new nicknames for the great Anged Poster Coglu into one single
question pound for pound than we've ever had in before, Mr. Souvlaki, not sure if that's
one that's going to catch on, but it is proper Arsenal fan that, yes, Arsenal do face
up to Tottenham Sunday, 9am, Eastern Time, on Pickock, and that noise had faintly all around
the world, is Arsenal fans and Tottenham Hotspur supporters salivating at the prospect of
this clash of epic nature, one in which both teams enter, undefeated in the league.
Both teams are capable of collectively joyous football, and they're going to clash and mention
this up top.
It's not just, you know, we're just going to have local bragging rights are on, er,
up for grabs.
It's more than that, it's about the good vibes.
I mean, both teams, they just feel utterly abulliant, and I took about spurs in a moment,
but Arsenal first, they swagger in after savoring their first Champions League night in seven
long seasons.
It's got an early gun inside, and we'll line one up, saved by Bonita Sacka!
The gunners are up and running in the Champions League, and it had to be him, the Starboy delivers
yet again, Arsenal won PSV now.
And an ecstatic night against PSV, each goal, almost attempting to one up the one which
preceded it, in terms of beauty and just your dropping aesthetic execution, it got even
better for Arsenal fans this morning.
You have all a joy, young captain, Martin Erdogard announced today he signed a new contract
for the next five years, but the big story for Arsenal going to this one, it is a complex
one.
He because, well, it's a self-inflicted, QB controversy, that's what it is, it is like
a quarterback controversy but in goal, that Michaela Teta in his, I mean, in his, what is
it, is it a search for perfection, or is it just musing over the wreckage, the trauma
of that last fifth of a season, just that collapse?
Whatever it is, it is self-inflicted, and what we don't know is, is this really a job
share, as Teta is kind of awkwardly hinting between David Raya and Aaron Remstale, or as
David Raya stealthily supplanted Aaron Remstale as the number one.
When we say Aaron Remstale, we think of a goalkeeper, yes, but we think about all the bloody
intangibles that man brings.
Remstale was one of the faces of this team last season, a real leader, a vocal leader,
and in game, a conduit between the fans and the team almost, a conductor, and Matt Turner
came on our show last season and called him himself, Remstale is one of the most competitive
goalkeepers he's ever come across, and Matt Turner couldn't supplant him, even as the team
wobbled down the stretch, and it's got to be said, the confusing thing about it is,
Remstale has been bloody solid this season too, it's not like Remstale O'Nanard, and this
is a reaction to this, it's kind of come out of nowhere, nowhere apart from that lingering
memory of a handful of mistakes down the stretch, mistakes, that's just unreliability,
it's slight imperfection, slight flaw which has led Michaela Teta to the size of the act,
and I've got to say, when he comes back, Michaela Teta, we constantly like to laugh at him
because he's slightly manic, he's got that hair helmet, some of his analogies when he
explains why he's doing things, in his second language seem almost naive, but they're
not naive, he does know what he's doing, you just look at his substitutions this season,
Michaela Teta's substitutes have scored 40% of his team's goals this season, he understands
truly the culture of his team, the tactics of his team, but what we don't know is this,
is Michaela Teta really trying to invent the notion of a battalion, a battery of goalkeepers,
or is this just that he doesn't want to say, I remember Zelda's dropped, David Rowe
is now my new number one, in the same way as two seasons ago, we entered the season
with Bunt Laney as the number one very quickly supplanted by our Remstale, so what is it,
is he inventing a new normal, whether it's goalkeepers, plural that switch interchangeably
like in the NHL, or is it just trying to hide something devastating, if true for our
and Remstale, that he's no longer the Arsenal number one, I will say it was interesting
to hear Matt Turner, X of Arsenal, who knows Remstale so well, our Teta two, he also knows
that it's a dog fight out there, dog taught this morning about how Michaela Teta's goalkeeping
tactics may be crazy, well they might just be the future.
I can see, I can see like I think there's things that people have done in the past that
a lot of people rolled their eyes at that are now common practice, so maybe it is one
of those things, as a goalkeeper you never want to see your number come up on that board,
I think most goalkeepers, I speak for myself, but in my mind most goalkeepers appreciate
clarity, understanding their role, going into a game, what it might be, and if that role
is that if this is the game state, you're going to come into the game at the 75th minute,
then that's your role and you can buy into that, so I would just say like the biggest
thing when it comes to that is making sure that you have goalkeepers that are bought into
that scenario and that are clear on what their role is, and that definition of what that
role is, they know so that they can do it to the best of their ability.
Love Yamati clean sheets and good luck to you King, going up against Perfect Manchester
City this weekend, but in terms of your question Morgan, essentially our Tottenham better
off.
Blast for me, without Harry Kane and I guess the answer is how would you say youwing
theory in German that a team can get better after losing their best player, yes we know
that's true, and Tottenham may be canless without that one of their own, a gen who scored
a record 14 goals in 19 North London Darby's, but the fascinating story of their first five
games of this season, under Ange, Angeball, is that they might just be better off as a
collector without him in that the players are looking to define themselves, to assert themselves,
rather than just dump the ball off to Harry in moments and pray that he can make some magic happen.
In terms of this question, I actually spoke this week to Spurs Whisperer, Alistair Gold,
fantastic journalist, who on his YouTube page just delivers these incredibly beautiful
analytical essays almost where he stares into the camera and talks deeply about Tottenham.
We talked for a YouTube preview of this game which launches today on our YouTube page,
Men in Blazers YouTube, and I asked him this very question, and here's Alistair Gold's answer.
First off, I have to say, Harry Kane is one of the best players I've ever watched at Tottenham
Whisper in my time, and I have no doubt that even just seeing him in the friendly against Shaktor
and Esk just before the season started, that in a Postercoglued team he would score the most
unbelievable amount of goals in the season. I genuinely believe that, however, the kind of
the post script, what's happened since I think has to have shown that as a collective it's a
different Tottenham Whisperer. Whether it can be a better one, we'll see in the long term,
but definitely as a collective I think a lot of players not suddenly, I don't want to say in the
shadow of Harry Kane, maybe more so that they've got now more responsibility, and that's bringing
more out of them, even like Sonny. Sonny is one of the world-wide names, one of the biggest players
in the game, yet I still think he was always maybe feeling or people were seeing him as playing
second fiddle to Harry Kane. Whereas now Sonny's the captain, he's the star, but there's also so many
other players. Madison now is a big player in the game as well. Basuma has come out of his shell,
even players at the back like Christian Romero emerging as a new leader as well, one of the
vice captains, and I think collectively sharing this responsibility rather than constantly thinking,
I'll give the ball to Harry and he'll make something happening. I think naturally that brings a
different side to a team, and we've seen it in the past, like with Katini or Liverpool, you know,
sometimes taking someone who would still be bringing in that team, but taking them out of that,
it just allows others to step up that game a little bit more, and as a collective you get a better
thing. God bless Alistair, that again, that whole interview must listen on our YouTube channel today,
you do not miss it. I've got to say I do love Alistair Gold so much. He talked about how that
demigod angiposter coglue, essentially what he's seen has empowered the spurs players simply to
enjoy their football, made them, and this is important, feel free to make mistakes, not fearful,
but to go just enjoy yourselves, and this abundant collective tenacious style has been the result,
and it's been remarkable to witness Alistair for the record predicted a two-two draw in this game,
in which fearless football will be unfold by both sides. Next question.
Hey Rods, this is Mike Steeinstra, I'm 36 years old, I live in Rothville, Maryland,
up the Bobcat. My question is, if you were to swap lines right now with Arteca or Ames,
who would it be and why? What a question, two remarkable blokes to be honest, this is Sophie's choice
tough. Arteca's journey, I've talked about it a lot, how much I admire that man, not just as a manager,
to be clear, I mean, Arteca was washed up when he arrived at Everton, after failing at Barcelona
and PSG coming to Everton from Real Sociedad, at Gooderson Park under David Moise, he resummed his
focus and led us fiercely back into Europe and then decamped for Arsenal, and I kind of say,
it always pisses me off that he is seen and claims, you know, the Arsenal kinship. If Arteca
got into the Hall of Fame, he'd definitely wear the Arsenal baseball cap in his bust. He did revel
there, but it pisses me off, there's an Everton claim on that man, and I'll go to my grave saying
that, but watching the Arsenal heroes journey last season, even in failure, I did admire it so much,
the character, the values, the intelligence, the optimism, with which it was soaked, but Angelo,
Angelo is just different gravy. A football manager who knows, the football is not about winning,
it is about winning, but it's not about winning, it's about, and he says this a lot, it's about the
memories that are made by watching that feeling of connection, you experience the other human beings,
for him, his late dad Jimmy. Remember, he came on our show, beginning of the season,
talked about just that feeling of connection to his dad, it was the only time he saw his dad feel
happy watching football, his dad was an immigrant to Australia from Greece,
worked so bloody hard, he said it was the only time his dad felt anything was watching a football,
and this is what I believe, and we'll talk more about it in this show, but to watch Ang,
in his words, he said today, it took someone to look beyond the norm to change Tottenham,
to lead differently, and I just love that so much, because his style is different. Yes,
with passion, he leads, yes, with joy, yes, with confidence, a lot of managers do that, but for
Ang, what is different and what sets him apart is his empathy. And I do, I do think that that is
the most important value in life, the ability to see things, not just from your own perspective,
and they have feel like impulse, that we all feel to act on it, self-interest, but to think for a
second about how others are feeling, whether that other is sunny, whether that other is
jolless, whether that other is spurs fans who have suffered and then some over the past couple
of full-start dead rubber seasons of agony. As for Ang, when asked about it this morning,
he avoided all praise. I'm just trying to be who I have been my whole life, and there's famous
college coach once again, I never would be proud about doing the right thing, just do it.
Oh, I'm loving Big Ang instead.
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Or why is it an Everton? We need some anti-Everton Venom immediately.
Maybe we could work with the Everton physios to get blood samples of all the Everton players,
and then reverse whatever they're doing, and I don't know, add some scientific things to that
blood sample, then jack it in every one of Manchester United players. Maybe Eric Tenhog needs a wig.
I don't know. A nice wig on Tenhog could lighten everybody's spirits, make the players more
comfortable, make him more approachable. I'm not sure. But right now, we are in shambles.
I mean, look at the goals we scored against Bayern Munich, Casamiro on the ground,
Casamiro on the goal line, headflick into the goal at the end of the game.
I mean, it's just sad. And the goals we're giving up, oh my gosh, the goals we're giving up
are just atrocious. But anyways, anti-Everton Serum. Get on it right now. I know you know the people
can get this done. Maybe we can work with Parliament and the UK, some of the finest scientists,
get M16 involved. Hell, get James Bond involved. Hell, get getting a Craig involved. We need someone
involved immediately for anti-Everton Serum, and we need that delivered to Old Trafford ASAP.
Thank you, Raj. Top. Tommy, pay yellow gorgeous. I do like your theory, because it is clear
everything Everton touches turns to crap. I don't know if you've seen this week,
but Kazoo, do you remember Kazoo? There are shirts, sponsor, last couple of seasons. We were
Kazoo twins with Aston Villa. Kazoo, whatever that is. I think it's like some car website,
cut dodgy car website. Essentially, even Kazoo announced last week that it's in a massive,
massive, teetering financial hole, bleeding cash. We're essentially ruined everything we
touched, but you are right. Everything that leaves us as a player or a club thrives.
Watching Gibraltar CC screen Europe this week was evident to that, and I do believe, by the way,
Neil Moopay is going to win the Golden Boot this year. Gent has to. That united predicament now.
That is a force. I'm not even sure Everton can long term fix it. It's been so hard to watch.
The layers of the layers of self-inflicted self-sapotage just wound after wound after wound.
Feels like the poor said this this week. The poor Manchester United PRT are just staggering on
the daily from one crisis that they need to mop up to the next. I say that as United
Limpacross greater Manchester to face the team now known legally as JJ Watts Burnley this weekend.
Burnley may be winless, but I've got to say they will come into this game at Turfmore,
Ferocious Bear Pit on its day, and they will fancy getting something out of this game,
because they're facing a united in true freefall. That 4-3 loss in Champions League action on Wednesday
night was scientifically the least 4-3 game you will ever witness. Yet again,
United opened with a flourish as they did against Brighton at the weekend only to lose their
confidence around the 20th minute leaving the team reeling from their 4th loss in 5 games.
And here is Kane and here's Sany! Oh it's in the goalkeeper! Leroy Sany gives Bayern
in Italy! Andrea Nanna should have stopped it! It's slithered under his body!
Andrea O'Nanna is the latest player to arrive at United and have his reputation just flung into
the teeth of the tabloid buzzsaw. He's a very good goalkeeper, but he has become a liability,
a shoot on site, vulnerable target for opponents. Add to that the team's extensive injury list,
which is really hampered ten hogs, tactical options, and the idea that he worked so hard last
season to inculcate the progress, the caribou trophy, all of it appears to be melting to his fingers.
Only happy United fans and I use that word fans, incredibly loosely there, it's doing a lot of
heavy lifting. We'll be watching this. The potential buyers, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Jake Jazzy,
who must be looking, green like, yeah, the gap between how we value the club,
and our last bids, well, it's not growing. The so bloody much muddle thinking right now,
you know, he said, that is the reality, he's just naughty, gnarling, twisted,
tentacles, all just suffocating the club everywhere you look. I mean, do you say I was thinking,
look at the bringing back of Ronaldo, that only Guna Salsia was musing on in public, what a mistake
that was. Paul Pogba, obviously in the news terribly, what an awful site that is at Juventus,
but bringing him back and that experience, and they got the signing of Mason Mount, and you have to
look at that poor bloke, a very good footballer, but signed to do what, you know, he's not a
Casamero, deputy, poor Casamero. God, we were praising him as a great intangible leader this time
last year, he just looks disinterested as players blow past him, barely at the jog. You know, he's
Mason Mount, he's not really a Bruno, he's not an Ericson, deputy Ericson, another player whose
reputation is fading fast, just another square peg in a round hole, and I will say the most
starting thing about watching United lose to Brighton last weekend, you know, that was it 30 passes,
that led to the, to the wonder goal, Pasquale Groose's goal, which is watching the
United, yes, Brighton were fantastic, their movement, their insensitive sense of patterns of play,
but if you look again from the United perspective, no pressure on the ball,
human beings just jogging around, trotting around half-asslee, that is, that is the stench of death,
honestly, when you look at that, no desire to track back to Mark a man is the stench of death
in the Premier League for somebody, you know, just giving a opponent's time and space to really
just saunter into the box to get a clear shot away. Eric Tenhard, ultimate, this is his responsibility,
and looking at him in his poor Smith garb on the sideline, suddenly, you know, such a stoic figure,
such an insensitive decision maker last season, he's setting up the pallor of, well, a united
manager, who is glimpsing the edge of the abyss, in a style we've seen with Ralph Ragnet,
with Joe Seymourinho, we've only got a sauce show, with Louis Van Gogh, amongst others before him,
seems so in control our season, this year he looks lost, haunted, doomed, and in football,
we are often too knee jerk, but make no mistake, there is no doubt, this game failed to win,
for United at Burnley, and the crisis along bells that are ringing will be all too real.
Here's Eric Tenhard, this morning. Just how important do you think it is this match against Burnley
to try and change the narrative, get some confidence? And United, you have to win every game,
so it doesn't change anything. Godspeed, Eric, I could say, I honestly find it so hard to watch,
that mountain flounder, just humanly. Next question please.
Hi, Raj, it's Rachel, calling from Ann Arbor, Michigan. My brother turns me into an Arsenal fan,
but my true obsession is the US Women's National team. I am filled with so much emotion after
watching Julie Earth play her last game last night. I think I cried like four separate times,
and it seems unfathomable to have to say goodbye to Megan Rapinoe in just a couple of days.
I am so grateful for everything that these players have done for the sport and for women
in the US and around the world. I barely have a question for you, Raj. I guess I'm just wondering
how you're feeling about saying goodbye to these greats and how the team will move on without them.
Rachel, oh, I feel you out there in the land of Zingamans, Julia Earths is a human being worth
crying over. She is, she is superlative, and I've spent two afternoons with her recently. I think
we've taped, is it two shows with her over the past eight weeks? And I've got to say, she cried,
she was not afraid to cry both times, and I love her because she puts emotion out into the world,
and is unafraid to be fierce and to cry, which I love. I just think it's such a beautiful thing
to be a part of something that, yeah, you just grow up here, starting at like whatever was
19, 20 years old, however I was. So it's like, it's such a beautiful thing to
just to grow up, learn stuff together, go through life. I just so much to it. It's really a blessing
to be here. That is Julia Earths talking to us this week on her farewell podcast. It's really
beautiful, I think it really a reliving of her career, and the lessons learned along her journey.
This is a woman who loved football from the very first time she kicked it off, fell in love with
the game, was never lost at the love of that game. The podcast you find it in a pod feed,
you find it on YouTube. It is really beautiful because, well, she is immense. I mean, if this is
not the greatest quote of all time, I don't know what is anymore. I do feel like I could step away and
be like, it's not because Mama can't play. I can play.
Earths. Whoa. There's a player, two words, velvet hammer, a playroom body, just the intensity and
the competitive fire, which propelled this team to back to back World Cup glory. Honestly,
that fire, that intensity, or both features, this program, I have to fight to resummon in her absence.
And you do. We're talking to Julie about her career journey. What struck me is, you know,
I mentioned that she fell in love with the game as a kid. She never lost that love. The depth
of her love for the game is truly profound. And I loved her story about how, you know, what she
will miss most is the ferocity, the ferocity of what, the ferocity of the way she trained
with her US women's national team teammates. She said she used to love to create real game
experienced by flinging herself into tackles against her, or often just an equally fierce Lin-Z
around both teammates, just picture it, both teammates just taking every opportunity to
absolutely obliterate each other. And well, as Julia, it's telling it, what happened next.
Well, Lin-Z and I would get in these crazy tackles, like two big girls just forget. We would get
up and be like, are you broken? Because I'm not broken. Like, it's not snap. It's the fun that
the sport is supposed to be played in. Oh, Lin-Z around. You would break less awards for sure.
As for Megan Rapinoe, well, she's one of the few American footballers who,
who honestly have just transcended football, breaking out of our little bubble to find a place
in the spotlight, popular culture, and also in the culture wars, a two-time World Cup winner.
Ultimately, she'll be remembered both for a joyful, maverick play on the field,
and the changes she fought for often. I want to ask her how she wanted to be remembered. I think
I hope to say I'd like to be remembered as the only golden boot winner to also earn a golden blazer,
but these were her words. She said I'd like to be remembered as a strong fierce badass.
And what I think the US loses without being for these players? Well, yeah, I am not worried about
players. I'm not worried about talent. We have so many good players, but it's more than mindset
and the context of this transition. You know, 2015, 2019, when we won the World Cup, the US
was then still women, football, soul, superpower. We expected to win every game, but women's
football has changed. Most because the amount of money I speak to one of the players was at last
week. She said to me, look, we've realised the amount of money in the sport has finally led
Western European club teams to invest in it and become great because of it. And what has to
change in the US, in my opinion, it's not replacing these players. We do have that. We have so much
bloody talent, but it's the whole approach. It's the, it's really the, just the approach to coaching,
keeping up with the level of coaching, the level of tactics, the ideas, the complexity,
the nuances of the idea of football, which are progressing at a rate so much faster in Europe,
in England, in Spain, in France, in Germany, in a way that exceeds the way we're thinking about
any United States right now. We're almost resting on our laurels still. And if we keep developing
players and coaching them in the way we do in the same old, same old way we always have and not
innovating, we will pay some price. But don't let Rodge get too dark. Let's revel in good times
once again.
Rodge, this is Jay Clarkson calling. I am the rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in sunny
Fletcher, North Carolina. And for reasons including genealogy, astrology, and the firing of Jesse
Marsh, I adopted the blades, Sheffield United, to be my club following the World Cup,
Men's World Cup last year. Your coverage of which inspired me to join or become a novice
in the monastery of football. And what I'm wondering is, having watched my first complete match
over the last weekend, and getting as thrilled as any recent convert can over the impending
win of Sheffield over the spurs, only to have this young, this young gent Richarlison come on
late late in the game and wondering to myself why a player wearing number nine would not have
competed up to that point in the match, only to find out all too well what he was wearing that
number four. Is this the kind of tantalizing disappointment that initiation into this monastery
involves? Is this the life of suffering and self-recrimination that I am bound to be disciplined by
for the next, God willing, 40 years of my life? As a former follower of the Vanderbilt University
football team known as the Chicago Bears of the Southeastern Conference, I know that there
are no victims in this arena. There are only volunteers. So what is it really that I have
volunteered for? Look forward to hearing from you. I will keep well the slogan,
Preciora S. Adcoronis and Courage.
Yeah, and then watch it all go downhill from there. Look, you're in the right place because you
know Jay that I believe that football talked about this a little bit early, it's about connection,
it's about feeling, it's about feeling anything really and what you experienced last week watching
the blades was was truly a remarkable emotional journey your terrible team expecting nothing
sword fleetingly conjured a moment of wonder that must have made your heart skip
and in doing so connect to you to millions of football fans around the world can tiny sheffoldy
and I did go to Tottenham, just joys Tottenham and smite them and then with seconds left in the game,
well, this happened.
And yet Jay and yet the amazing thing in all of this losing and you do seem to have
similarly terrible tasting in teams to support. Vanderbilt, I love that, the Chicago Bears
are the self. It's a reminder isn't it? I feel like this that death is coming for us all but not
today. And I say that Jay on the eve of Yon Kippur, the day of atonement, a day on which I always
read the same book, the same essay from the same book, The Grey Zone by Primo Levy,
a writer whom I love so much, I name one of my kids off to him, fully enough I was trying to get
quick digression, I was trying to get my wife to call all of my kids Primo but she would never do it.
And then finally the fourth one I was successful so I have a fourth child called Primo which is
slightly weird but God it works for me and anyway Primo Levy's got an incredible line that I'm
going to give to you Jay about your Sheffield United. Primo Levy wrote in the periodic table
perfection belongs to the rated events, not to those that we live and that is football.
A reminder that life is not perfect that we are all mortal and all profoundly vulnerable
and our mission is to save her every second because I say this is an evident fan condemned to
spend my life screaming at a television screen in anger at events and folding 3000 miles away
that I empower us to change with my screams and ask myself every week at the final whistle,
why do I do it? And the answer is to feel alive, to feel emotions, to feel connection to my memories,
to my dad, I love you dad, to my kids, to my friends who were fellow blues to the global
community to feel, is to live, to live, is to soul, let's all live like that in our footballing
monastery in which we read from the book of Ange and I wrote my newsletter this morning that
was incredibly touched after talking about the footballing monastery idea to receive a Raven for
me long time GFOP Andrew O'Connor who is both an Episcopal priest and a Liverpool fan in which
Kansas and Andrew sent me this truly lovely devotional he wrote for his community this week I was
really touched by his call to help others to discover their own inner reserves of strength and
to face their challenges with courage they never knew they could muster that was inspired he said
by listening to many blazers I don't know where he got that from by listening to my crap
but God it was beautiful to read that and that is football let's embrace the weekend like that Jay
in that spirit pray for Everton let's save her every second of watching football together
let's rock this weekend to do so I'm going to leave you a very blessed the men in blazers early kick
off the biggest and most important thing in our life right now early kick off lives on its own
pod feed not this one so to get it try it spread the word just search men in blazers early kick off
wherever you get your podcasts and follow so you can get your daily dose of footballing news every day
at six a.m eastern time remember give us 10 minutes and we'll give you the football world I
really believe you'll love it this is roge and back on Monday with the bill fully interview them
back on Tuesday with the weekly podcast sending you big love and courage
good morning it's time for early kick off from the men in blazers media network all your global
football stories straight from those European back pages in around 10 or so minutes it's Sammy
James here on Friday September the 22nd and coming up this morning there was an emotional farewell
to us women's national team icon Julie earth will also bring you the best of last night's
European action and a brilliant Bosnian underdog story
we'll start off with last night's game as we bid farewell to a legend this is the moment
for Julie earth to bid farewell and bring the curtain down on a wonderful career that was the moment
where two-time women's world cup winner Julie earth exited the pitch in a US shirt for the final
time during an emotional three-year victory over South Africa in a friendly on Thursday night in
Cincinnati Megan Swanek tweeted the earth delivered her pre-match speech for her final appearance
with so much fire you think it was the world cup final before adding may her intensity live on
in the program forever Lynn Williams was the hero on the night scoring twice as the US did all
their scoring in the first half earth subbed out in the 35th minute to a standing ovation rightly so
from the crowd at the TQL stadium shortly after this beauty from Trinity Rodman Morgan with the fallen
for Robin the US unstoppable worth checking out that goal if you haven't seen it a beautiful move
Lindsay Horan starts it with the ball through to Morgan who plays it back into the middle
for Trinity Rodman who smashes it home now the US and South Africa will go again on Sunday at soldier
field in Chicago and that match is going to be the last for US women's national team legend Megan
who is also retiring hey prime members you can listen to men in blazers add free on amazon music
download the amazon music app today or you can listen add free with wundery plus in apple podcasts
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