Brighton Shock Arsenal, Man City Remain Atop, More Spurs Agony: Men In Blazers 09/20/26

25:50For the first little phase of his managerial spell at Anfield that's probably the first thing you'd want to do anyway. Liverpool were really soft last season. They lost one in every three Premier League games that they played. The fact that he's got a central defensive partnership that works, that Alisson looks on it, that's not a bad foundation to build from. Yeah, I think it's true. I've got to say about Bournemouth, God bless you, because from that point on, that goal went in and then you just kind of saw the fatigue from that Thursday-Sunday regimen that they're going to have to get used to or will do them in, kick in.

26:19It's been a meat grinder for smaller squads and the game for them just seem to drift. I agree with you. I thought Jacquet was magnificent in this one. I feel sad for Marco Rosen. More pain, no wins in his first five. Famously took his predecessor, won Antonio Arola, 10 games to get his first win. But your Liverpool are undefeated. Is that enough for you? You've seen the green shoots of that back line. I am old enough to remember watching Liverpool. It used to be an ecstatic experience of just like spectacle and ecstasy and wonder, the shoulder drops, Gravenberg, the impregnable Verge, the front three wonder, you know, the fans singing all the songs.

27:04You know, is this it this season? We essentially, in America, we talk about rebuilding years. Is this it for this season? Just kind of like, yeah, it's constipated. Yeah, it's insecure, but green shoot? no because to me if this is if this is what Liverpool season's going to look like then then discontent will set in because they're not playing very well and ultimately fans of teams that have spent that much money will on some level expect them to produce decent performances at some point rather than just be sort of gritty and obdurate which is fine and as I say I think for Iriola's first like phase that's okay what this season has to be is transition with progress so The Liverpool squad is still really imbalanced.

27:46Liverpool squad is not quite fit for purpose yet in terms of recapturing the levels that they hit in the title-winning years under Klopp or the title-winning year under Slott or the years when they got 85-plus points. They're not at that level yet. I don't think anyone thinks they're going to challenge Arsenal and City. But what needs to happen now, phase two, Rog, has to be getting some sort of life, some sort of electricity, some sort of spark into that front four because there is a huge amount of talent there. It should produce more than it is producing at the moment. That's Iriola's next challenge, to make Liverpool not just solid, well done, big tick in the box, but they've got to be exciting to watch in some way as well, and that has to come next.

28:27I was looking down because I love that phrase, transition with progress, which sounds like one of the great Latin mottos that never was. If I ran a communist dictatorship, Rog, that would be the slogan. Yeah, Socialist Republic, Sanzitio cum progresso, says someone on our badge. Look, some symbolism there. It's Ira Ola who ends Bournemouth unbeaten Premier League home run. The Ira Ola started stretching back to January, really a poetic feat, one about the circle of life. But for him, Manchester City next, that'll be a more accurate gauge. Let's just save you Liverpool's truth. Next four games for the Reds.

29:07City, your mighty bees, Brentford the Brighton Roar and then Arsenal so let me ask you those four games when will the next win come? I don't want to seem like I'm crowing Rog I think there's a chance they beat City because there's more because those games will suit Liverpool more than home games against teams like Fulham who sort of get to Anfield and say right can you break us down? Bet you can't City might suit them in a way but to offset that and to make it look like I'm not tempting fate they definitely won't win at Brentford And Brighton, those are the big teams now. Well, they are, but what I'd need to check on Brighton, and this is a little bit downbeat, on a brilliant weekend for Brighton, it will depend a little bit on whether you play Brighton after they've been in Europe.

29:51I think that will be the test for Brighton. We've just talked about teams in transition with progress. Let's talk about teams in transition with, I guess, regression. But they're good at so. Tottenham 2, Aston Villa 3, El Sadico. Now, a game, honestly, that felt more fear-filled when I'm getting into it than all those AI warnings. Both grand teams, both marooned in the bottom four. Spurs,$536 million spent this summer. No goals, no wins on the season. Villa, 1.1 goal. Game, honestly, felt like, I would imagine, a knife fight between Ralph Wiggum and George Costanza to play out in that first half.

30:33Tottenham tried to seize the initiative. They were the home team. Villa, God bless their backline, so weakened by injury. Spurs had, let's just say, many chances. Suzuki, the Japanese international goalkeeper, utterly excellent. Yes, we know he was born in Newark. His wrists are made of Newark iron. Watching Marmouche and Savio Roar constantly get themselves into good positions, constantly squandering them, the decision-making on the fritz. While I was watching that first half, I Google who are the most anxious animals in the kingdom of nature. Squirrels, close to the bottom of the food chain.

31:11No great natural defenses, right? Stay with me here. They experience life. I can't stand this because they seem so cute. It's just a constant series of defensive behaviors like tail flicking or alarm calls. When you hear that, tell me that doesn't remind you of Savio and Marmouche. 90 % anxiety, maybe 10 % hazelnut. yeah somewhere they've got a massive stash of nuts Rog that's what you need to tell yourself they've got so many nuts hidden away all over North London now I know what you mean it's quite sad I struggle to watch players who are so obviously obviously suffering from a crisis of confidence because I find it on some level kind of excruciating Omar Marmouche is a really good footballer who when he was at Eintracht Frankfurt before he came to Manchester City seems to have like a golden touch he was scoring 25 yard banners he could put in a free kick he he seems to be one of those players who who was just a threat whenever he played and at some point over the last two years he's he's misplaced that and I'm not quite sure how that's happened I know that the way you get it back is you score a couple of goals and you kind of need them to be lucky you need them to be easy you just the ball falls for you and you you put it in unthinkingly but until that moment everything he does seems so seems such an ordeal and that's quite hard to watch yeah until that moment you're just constantly worried you'll be taxidermied and put on Erling Haaland's shelf um 49th minute of course after dominating the game Spurs went and crapped the bed they've had 50 possession they've had 10 shots most on the season zero to show for it and it was one of their most experienced players Andy Robertson uh that made the ill-fated decision to stop the ball going out for a corner.

32:52Spurs weren't set. The ball played back in. And on his first start, club record$80 million summer signing Johan Manzambi probably couldn't believe the gift that he received to make his name matter. There was the sickening experience. This I couldn't stand. Spurs thought they'd scored. An honest to God big boy goal, an equaliser. And then they had it far off. Far offside. Andy Robertson span away from John McGinn in a little scot-off. Ball was swept Crowd went mad. There was relief. There was joy. The camera panned. There were some tears. It felt like a big moment. It felt like, again, it felt like the printing press had just been invented.

33:29The internet was that big. Spurs discovering goals. Behold, life is cruel and football is cruel. I found Robertson far offside. Goal ruled off. And the Spurs fans, I felt for them, man. I really, really, really did. You know, the ricocheting emotions that they have been through. They won the Europa League. And then it was meant to be great, but no, God, right into that relegation nightmare. Buy loads of players. The hope. Find them out that they're a poor collector fit. Score a goal offside. That ricocheting is what does you win. Spurs remind me, there's a performance artist. She's like all kinds of amazing, Marina Abramovich.

34:08And I was reading about one of her exhibits. It was called Rhythm O. It was in the 1970s. And she did it in a gallery in Belgrade, where she was from. She brought out 72 items on the table and just invited the public to come in and do whatever they wanted with the objects on her body with no repercussions. Some of them were nice. There was like olive oil, roses, a feather boa. Some of them a lot more terrifying. There were scissors. There were razors. There was a whip. There was a pistol with a bullet in it. And all happened at the end of six hours. She walked away, quote, dripping with blood and tears, but just about alive.

34:45Eve. Tell me that's not like 90 minutes at Tottenham Stadium. I'm not a massive performance art fan, Rog, and that installation has not won me over. Does it not? No. That sounds like a terrible idea. I mean, it does sound like a terrible idea. What do you expect? We're all talking. I mean, she gets people talking, you know what I mean? What are you trying to prove? I think the darkness of humanity, given the choice to do nice things or horrific things, people choose horrific things. That's true. I mean, I suppose maybe it works. Is that not the Spurs fan experience? I think it says a lot about how this show works, that you're quoting Marina Abramovich and I'm thinking about Independence Day.

35:25I think that kind of sums up. You're still thinking of the ship of Theseus, you might have asked. I'm thinking mainly about Independence Day, as I am at all times, Rog. I agree with everything you just said. I didn't understand the performance art. But the one thing I would say is, if I was a Spurs fan, I would have known that the first goal they stood this season would have been ruled out by VAR. Yeah, it's Marina Abramovic. It's the whip. It's the pistol. It's the darkness. VAR should have ruled it out anyway. Even if it wasn't offside, they should have been like, yeah, no, not that easy. You don't need to just score a goal.

35:53You've got to have one final sort of fear-inducing, bottom-clenching moment of fury and frustration. That's what they need. That's what they deserve. That is the art of it, Rod. But it wasn't just one more moment because then seven minutes later, of course, Villas scored again. It was Nico Jackson. I mean, it was an incredible goal too from Nico Jackson. There was just Spurs defenders flailing everywhere. It was just weak. It was self-destructive. Nico Jackson, incredible flicks and tricks, slapping one home and then span away. This was the maddest bastard moment of the weekend. We should get that sponsored.

36:26What was the maddest bastard moment of the weekend? It was Nico Jackson staring into the camera and just going, the slashing sign with his thumb. Having Nico Jackson, of all footballers rule, advise your football club that they are indeed dead. It's like being dunked on by Toby Flenderson. The thing about it is like Nito is a brilliant goal. Nito Jackson is a really unreliable finisher which I would say would make him not a great candidate to be an executioner. That's the last thing you want in that position. You need someone who gets it right first time. God, just hack my neck. Get it over. Do it slowly.

37:03You can't have the erratic material guy on the guillotine. Do you know what I mean? It has to be the guy who really knows how it works. You need Erling Haaland. You need Erling Haaland on the dealer team. Oh, I'd love Erling Haaland to kill me. Just get it over quickly, right? No ceremony, no art. Just this is done. Probably the funniest would be Ryan Cherky. If you're looking to be executed and he steps up, you'd be like... It would be such a creative death. It really would be. There'd be all sorts of flourishes. It'd be like the sword guy in Indiana Jones. Yeah. That's how it would be. It would be put Marina Mbomovic to shame.

37:38Exactly. But at the same time, Nico Jackson is a player that Tottenham looked at and probably, you know, Chelsea being Chelsea, probably could have signed and has, you know, scored some goals and stuff. It feels as though there's a little bit of a lesson in there. Yeah, whenever it was, Spurs fans did not want to stick around to see it. So to leave the stadium, they missed the third. Inevitable. Buendia, transcendent banger. Which is honestly a bit like watching one of those UFC fighters just continue to punch an opponent in the face who was heading out cold on the canvas. But at the same time, Emi Buendia, nothing but banhes.

38:11Yeah, and especially against the Spurs, who, of course, 3-0 down, finally did the score in. Conor Gallagher scraped one over the line, ending 493 goalless minutes. Late last, irrelevant second from Van Hecker. Only served to kind of like reinforce the whole indignity of the performance. More sadness roar because of that utter lack of meaning. Again, that fan base, my heart yearns for you. Everton of the South, we've talked about it. Watching their team lose 21 home games out of their last 36 played. Well, that's astonishing. They'll spend the international break rock bottom of the Premier League.

38:46Two points from the first five. Brittle, anxious, woefully blunt. It's like the culture rule. Getting back to the culture, the entire fabric of the culture feels adrift. You've got Roberto De Zerbe. Just been handed a new contract in March. Five years at around$60 million a year. He then spent$500 million plus this summer. and the football feels, you can tell me what feels different this season exactly. De Zerbe said post-game, this is so brutal. He said, football is like life. You are stronger or you lose, which is so damning after everything he's led. He is a proud, combustible human being. How much more of this do you think he's going to take?

39:26I think maybe the better question, Roger, is how much longer does Tottenham's hierarchy's nerve hold? Because De Zerbe is clearly a very talented manager. He's got a really kind of idiosyncratic style. He's got incredible ideas. When it works, it can be spectacular. But he's also not the sort of manager who will sit around and take the blame. And if he thinks that there is somebody else who he can maybe point the finger at, then I'm sure that will start happening. The risk is you get yet another unhappy season at Tottenham, where there's backbiting and sniping and this sort of inter-Nissan warfare, which just holds the club in this stasis, because then at some point someone has to do something about it.

40:03you get a new manager in, you have to revamp the squad again you start again, you go again and all of that takes time De Zerbi, I think at the moment so much control of that club is in De Zerbi's hands he has such a significant power base there that there is no choice really other than to stand by him and hope that after the international break something changes, but he's it's probably as bad as it can get he'll need it to turn around pretty quickly or I think it probably goes toxic and becomes unsalvageable. Talking about turnarounds, Ro, Aston Villa, that narrative suddenly utterly flipped. Dunay Emery has managed five Premier League games at Tottenham.

40:43He's won four of them. Should play all their home games at that stadium. Villa fans love to call it three-point lane. Oh, football bants is the worst bants. Suddenly, we're talking about how Aston Villa have more points at this stage of the season than they did last year. We all know last year they came fourth and they won the Europa League. Well, is it that simple that they're in the darkness and now they're in the light and they're flying? Or is it just a combo with Tottenham and, you know, narrative? There's a bit of Tottenham in there, Rog. There's a little bit of Tottenham. You have to kind of admit to the sprinkling of Tottenham involved in the story.

41:17But the reason, I think we said on Thursday again that Spurs and Villa were kind of in equally bad positions going into the game. But their scenarios felt completely different. Because Emery's body of work makes it very clear he'll get Villa out of it. You kind of know that towards the end of the season, all right, maybe they don't finish fourth, maybe they finish sixth or something. But, you know, they will be competitive towards the top end of the table. They'll be in the chase for Europe, probably in the hunt for a Champions League spot. They'll do quite well in the Champions League. Emery's a proven quantity, even if that team, because there's been so much change, isn't a proven quantity.

41:47You kind of back him to get them out of it. I think what he was suffering from, as I said before, here you go, it's the start of the season, have six new players. Please get them to play a very specific type of football immediately. This takes time. Shipper what? Even Unai Emery needs a bit of time. Shipper Theseus. You know I make no bones about being Tottenham curious, Tottenham empathetic. I want to acknowledge we got so many letters this weekend from Spurs fans in pain. Like this one from Barton Reid who wrote, I've emailed you before amidst suffering and I'm here again suffering a bit more after this week's loss.

42:26People ask me why I'm a Spurs fan. To be honest, it's days like today, I'm really pressing myself on the why. Roar, can you speak to Barton and the thousands of Tottenham fans out there with one single bright side, one single positive thread that they can take heart from? You've been through it before. You kind of know what it involves. You forewarned is forearmed, I guess. No, look, Spurs do have a lot of quality in that squad. It will take time. It's been far worse than anyone could have expected. it's been far worse than it should have been but there are enough quality players in that team that Spurs won't I don't expect Spurs to finish bottom of the Premier League I don't really expect them to be in a relegation battle to be perfectly honest they have far too many good players but it will sting for the time being Manchester United next lads to the top of the table Manchester City 5 Sunderland 3 highest scoring game of the season and City emboldened by Arsenal's loss Enter Moresca's, I've got to say, still work in progress club.

43:28I knew they had the chance to go top of the table, but enter Sunderland. One of my favourite teams to watch at the moment. They're so bloody tenacious coming in off the emotional drain, but the delirium of their first European win in 52 years and 313 days. Yeah, who's counting? This game was, I think the technical term is a proper bonkers barnstormer. from the off, just the eighth minute, a free kick on the right, a lot like it had, whipping into the corridor of uncertainty, written all bloody over it. Benzo Fernandes had completely different ideas, and we could have embarrassed the Sunderland keeper, Robin Roos more, if he just walked over and given him a sharp wedgie.

44:09Deliciously, from an angle, art the ball into the corner of the net, from, I think you could describe it from the equivalent of the Falkland Islands roar. It was just astonishing geometrical calculation by that little man. Yeah, and it's something that he has in his pocket for all the unpopularity at times. There's a reason that City spent so much money on him. Yeah, I mean, it was just the first goal, incredible goal. He almost draws energy from your hate world. But the game really became City versus Brian Brobby. his first set up by the quite electric Enzo Le Fay. Cherki's quick feet made it 2-1.

44:50In this game, City's backline never looked more vulnerable than when they just scored. Brown Brobby finished off a Carvey backline open move to bring it back level. There were just haymakers being landed everywhere in this one. Semenyo, pair of worm burners through the game open. But just two minutes later, Brobby again, punching one in from close range to make it 4-3. It was ecstatic that the first Premier League hat-trick in a loss since 2007. And poor man couldn't even really celebrate it. Sunderland, by the way, could have, should have scored more. The XG in this game was 4.61 Sunderland to City's 2.87.

45:26There was a moment when Ruben Dias just quite acrobatically, brilliantly hoofed one of his own missed kicks off the line to prevent the rarely spotted in the Premier League wild 4-4. And then in the 81st minute, who else? Erling Haaland, back post, tap home. The man has now scored against all 25 Premier League teams he's faced, which I think only Harry Kane's done before. He's an equal opposition purveyor of misery for every opposing fan. I was like, when Chelsea play football like this, wide open at both ends, we laugh at them, call it naive. So how do you process this madness that we watch? Because it's the opposite of what we've come to expect from Enzo Maresco.

46:08He's the man of control, risk-averse, conservative football. Has he gone post-truth on offence winning your games, defence winning your titles? No, I don't think so, Rog. This happens occasionally. And the reason that the reactions are different is because Chelsea do it or have done it this season fairly consistently. It can happen occasionally to any team that you have to store four or five to win because your defence just hasn't quite been at it. or because, as in this case, you run into a kind of incredibly strong striker who you can't stop. That is one of those things that will happen. I don't think this is a pattern for Enzo Morescu's Manchester City going forward.

46:47But what is a pattern, Rog, is they've won all of their games, which is, I don't know a lot about football, Rog, but I believe that's quite good. It is quite good. I've got to say, to go undefeated, just... Well, it's the greatest honour there can be, isn't it, going undefeated? it doesn't matter actually how the games end as long as you've not lost that's all that matters we'll get to Everton in a minute God bless Enzo Maresca his next game October the 11th we've got to wait an eternity but it's at Anfield that game with echoes of the pep clock rivalry that the final league for the better part of a generation Enzo against Andoni it feels like the Canal Street version of its former self I've got to say I cannot wait for football to be back slightly less goals full and one Manchester United just won God bless United limped in having been completely humiliated by Brighton and the Carabao midweek coughing up a two goal lead self-soiling remember they're making the Amazon all or nothing rule at the beginning episodes we'll have the following in it are you ready for this getting mauled by the Tigers Ainsley mating Niles last second Thunderbolt disaster you're quite headless lost to 10 men Manchester City asterisk the defection of young 15 year old wonder boy JJ Gabriel who's like I want to quit Old Trafford and then the Brighton Carabao defeat of shame this show Raw is going to be it's going to be more terrifying to watch than Widow's Bait it's going to be a dark comedy I think but then does the script writing convention does that mean that the end is actually kind of transcendent and triumphant is that what are they setting us up Is that what's happening?

48:31You mean when Ronaldo comes in to be the new interim club hero turned interim manager, man? Whoever comes in to replace Michael Carrot is going to turn out to be an absolute star. God, can you imagine? Do that? I mean, I was looking at a list. I was so bored in this game of Manchester United icons. Who have they got left that they could bring back? And it's essentially, it's like Vidic. I think Rio, Ferdinand's kind of taken himself out of contention just by being Rio. You've got Roy Keane just for the joy of it. And then it is like Ronaldo. I think they should give it to all of the... What could go wrong?

49:12I think they should give it to every former Manchester United player who's got a podcast on a rotating basis. Altogether. Scalzi and Butt, how can you not take this job? You have to keep podcasting. A friend of the show, Jonathan Northcroft, did a brilliant piece in the Sunday Times over here this weekend, listening to all of the kind of ex-United players who've got podcasts and making the point that a lot of these people are kind of Michael Carrick's friends and they are spending quite a lot of their time picking apart his decisions and telling him what to do. It feels like that's not a healthy environment for Carrick to be operating in.

49:44So in many ways, I was sort of relieved that they got that equaliser as much as it was fortuitous. It means they don't have three weeks of that kind of unrelenting Manchester United crisis narrative? I mean, it is amazing. It is. I love your solution and I hope whoever's listening for Minios make it happen. Appoint all the podcasters, but also in the contract, make sure they keep podcasting. So they essentially have to crap on themselves. Yeah, they have to take charge, but then make a podcast criticising the manager as the manager rather than themselves. That's how it has to go full meta. Yeah, and this is Manchester United we're talking about.

50:22Look, this one was another dark narrative. Michael Carrick knew that agony of three weeks of international break would be endless if he did not reclaim some kind of control. First half, United hit the post twice. Bruno Fernandes and a looping deflection. Cucunia, Lomans had wicked saves to make. Pretty much every time they're quite young and fearless. Josh King got on the ball. Quick one rule. Who is the best non-big six player in the league? You're like Josh King, Enzo Le Fay, Bloomy, Alex Scott, Adam Morton. Give us your best. There are a lot, Rog. My instance is to say Morton Gibbs-White. He feels like the one who's most obviously a top six player.

51:04I think he's the leading star in the Premier League in 2026, to be fair. He's been really good for Forrest. But there are loads. And I think you could probably build a team of non-big six players that could challenge for and maybe win the title. That's how strong the league is. That's incredible. We should do that. Morgan Gibbs, right? The best three-named non-Big Six players, the best players, obviously, Jordan Pickford. But second half, God, it was hard to watch. We had City earlier in the morning. I think they used up all the Manchester allotment, the goals. United looked laboured, devoid of energy.

51:37Been a ton of pieces written about them this week, about the lack of running, the statistics about their lack of sprints, lack of high-speed runs. And the broadcaster quoted them, Said Fulham had run 3.4 miles further than United had. And in that moment, was it Bassi charged in? Lashlow summons, got his legs to it, but the ball ricocheted out to Martinez. It was very odd. He half-heartedly put his leg out, like it wasn't that it hit him. He put his leg out and popped the ball back into his own net. And Agony, again, all or nothing. They must have been punching the air and full of dread at the same time.

52:13When does the happy storyline kick in? Aboloa, bless him, within four minutes of claiming his first victory in the Premier League. But Cunha had other ideas. 89th minute lash deflected. Channeling Michael Scott, quoting Wayne Gretzky, you miss 100 % of the shots, you do not take crap goal. But my God, what a massive one rule for a terrible week. It was so close to becoming even worse. United, five points in five games. Clubs joined Lois Talley after five games of a Premier League season. does feel like they're in that Groundhog Day loop of mediocrity. You know, Ole, great is an interim, poor is a permanent.

52:48Carrick, that death rattle of a return to that, does feel more of the same. Yeah, and I think that is the bit that United fans, I think, are probably struggling with, is this sense that they maybe thought they'd escaped the cycle because Carrick had done so well last season and because he seemed so much of a natural fit for the job, he seemed so kind of suited to it. his calmness, his kind of ability to retain perspective, the football that he wanted to play, the way the players seemed to respond to him and to find themselves five games into the new season thinking, well, this is yet another season where we are already, you know, Arsenal and Man City have run off in the distance.

53:26We are obviously, you know, kind of back where we started. At this stage, I suspect it's quite painful for United fans to think, well, oh, so it's one of those seasons again, is it? That in itself will fill them with dread. Same as it ever was to Friday night. Brentford, oh my God, three. Chelsea Football Club, nil. Chaos FC going to the undefeated, slow and steady wins the race. The giddy Brentford fans set the tone early. Boo him first. I think it was Barco. Barco, we just got to talk about, he seems to become a meme, a scapegoat almost for Argentinians' efforts geopolitically to reclean the Falklands rule.

54:09There's a moment when Kevin Sharder, I don't know if you saw this, threw him aside on a set piece, flung him aside, which I believe is probably the most viewed moment of the entire game. It's quite an interesting test this, Rog, because I'm guessing the reason Barco is so unpopular is because of the video of him in the World Cup semi-final kind of taunting the England players after Argentina's second goal. And he kind of got up into Bellingham's face. But then if you're not kind of quite deeply online, You might not have seen that. I'm not sure to what extent that permeated the actual coverage of the game.

54:41But it's obviously really made an impression because Valentin Barco is much more unpopular than his significance in the Chelsea team warrants. It is surprising. Enzo Fernandes. I mean, he's like Enzo plus ginger hair. That doesn't help. But Enzo at least scored against England. Valentin Barco was an unused substitute who ran on the pitch for 30 seconds and got shouted at. the fact that it's cut through so much is really odd. Yeah, I mean, I think he really has become, because even Lissandro Martinez was booed a little bit by the Fulham fans. Just the whole geopolitical fraughtness, plus the fact that the Argentinian team, whatever the charm offensive notion is, they went on the opposite or widely seen to it.

55:24I mean, they were pretty horrific in the World Cup, but it all seems to be channeled through the ginge. They also booed, it's got to be said, Jordan Henderson. I've watched this the man who's lived so many lives he was initially a bit of a football joke a joke who roared became a dominant winner at Liverpool then transcended even that and became the soul of the game he really did he became the barometer of value and he cashed that in for some Saudi reals in a sense and he's kind of become a bit more of a footballing joke again Roar it's like the cycle of life like a salmon swimming upstream and God bless Hendo was part of the opening goal netted by Brentford 61st minute two free headers off a set piece a goal that led Jordan Henderson to scream at Emi Martinez who was stuck to his line in front of everyone on the field 21 games without a clean sheet for Chelsea now almost performance at heart raw will Chelsea play a 0-0 this season?

56:22Not on the current evidence no 82 minutes Chelsea pushing from an equaliser caught with their pants down The quite magnificent Kevin Sharder. Tommy has run perfectly. Running off the field in on goal. Emi Martinez smothered, but the ball fell to Jesus Thiago. Incredible technique, actually, on this. And it was also the 24-year-old Sharder just called up by Jürgen Klopp for Germany, who rolled the ball across the area for that next stomp of a third late. Really a magnificent moment for Brentford. Keith Andrews put his head back and roared to the heavens. It was beautiful. Such a release. A man who had clearly been plotting for this game and all of his ideas had been borne out.

57:04In a win that was ultimately deeply comfortable, not a shock, is Brentford, tiny Brentford. That bus stop in Hounslow. And now beating all of the big six at the GTEC, which is incredible. Their recruitment, their scouting, their data use. So savvy. I used to have an English teacher, Rour, Mr. Stott, who was an incredible bastard, horrible man. But he used to occasionally, randomly just shout out while we were all working. he just shouted out, Bullshit baffles brains, lads! Bullshit baffles brains, never forget! And I think, I mean, Brentford are almost proof that brains baffles bullshit in our Premier League.

57:40Yeah, they are, as with Brighton, as with Bournemouth, although obviously they're not quite had such a successful weekend, they are an incredibly smart club. The player that struck me as evidence of that was Mikel Damsgaard, who they picked up from, I think, Sampdoria in Italy, and played the most beautiful through ball for that second goal to get Sharda in. And to be honest, the fact that Sharda missed it is a crime against beauty and aestheticism because that would have been the perfect assist. The waiting of it to cut through two Chelsea players was brilliant. Brentford are, and I wrote the correspondent newsletter on this last week, Brentford to me are the kind of quintessential modern Premier League team.

58:17They don't have a style of play. They don't have a sort of overarching philosophy. They play however they need to play to win football matches. they can hurt you in any which way. There's probably a ceiling for teams like that, as there is for Brighton, because there are games when Brentford will be asked to be the dominant force to dominate the ball, and that doesn't suit them. It makes them vulnerable. But when they did it right, when they're on it, they're a real force, and it's testament to the intelligence, the patience, the vision of the way the whole club, not just the team, but the whole club has been constructed.

58:50And as you say, yeah, the fact that Chelsea went and lost, Maybe the scale of the defeat was a bit of a surprise, I guess. But the fact that Chelsea lost at the GTEC was not a shock in any way. I'd agree with that. But you talk about idea of football. And if I was at Chelsea, that's what would worry me. Because the first two wins of the season, there was an idea. Helter-skelter, shoot out the light style. Suddenly that feels like a distant nostalgic memory. Three games without a win. Twelve goals, is it, leaked in the first five of the season? It feels like if there is an idea, it's that chaos is a ladder.

59:21when Keith Andrews barked at the moon, the cameras cut to Xabi Alonso and he looked, well, still very handsome. Got to be said, but a handsome man for whom I think the reality of a deeply unbalanced squad's kicking in. He talked post-game about how the first half, solid performance in this game just fell apart. He talked about competitive mental focus, which again makes it all sound cultural, psychological, deeply seated. So quickly on Chelsea Rule, the speed round. True or false, these ones? Okay. Number one. Brentford will finish higher on the table than Chelsea this season. False. Does this game prove João Pedro out with injury as Chelsea's most important player?

1:00:06True-ish. Caicedo as well. Yes! Exactly that. It'll be out until October with a calf injury. Welcome back as soon as you can, Moises. Kevin Sharder finishes the season with more goals than Cole Palmer? Ooh. Are we including penalties? Make up the rules yourself, baby. More goals excluding penalties than Palmer, yes. Ship a thesis. Don't even know what that means. Far too early knee-jerk question. Will Xabi Alonso be Chelsea manager at the start of next season? Yes. Am I allowed to explain that further? Yeah, would you please? Just quickly. For God's sake, ship a thesis. So one, I think Alonso's a good coach.

1:00:48I'm on record as saying that, Rog. I'm not changing my mind. Two, part of the reason he'll still be in place, I suspect, is because Chelsea would find it embarrassing to sack him. I think that's not a kind of... Chelsea and Shea is big news. They're a very PR-conscious ownership, and I think they know that to appoint Alonso as manager rather than head coach, and then sack him anyway, would be a bad look. But three, and this is significant, it's not ridiculous to ask the question, and that means something as well. Yeah, I just say I agree and still believe he's a very good coach. It is a crackle, a rattle of kind of revisionism that when he was a great coach, that kind of phrase, that damning phrase, like, yeah, was it that big a deal when he won away at St.

1:01:32Paulie or whatever? Is he a Premier League great manager? I believe we will find out and please God. I've got to say I do root for that man. in other games Newcastle 2 Hull City what 1 God Raw Arsenal and Chelsea were not the only massive teams brought down to earth this weekend after last week's 4-1 beat down at Leeds some response for Newcastle Matthias Yesler's boys his injury ridden young Newcastle chose out to a 2-0 lead within the first seven minutes two beautiful team goals finely crafted we know this though Hull tenacious masters of the grind. Got to credit them. They didn't wilt. Salakis saved a poor Wieser penalty.

1:02:16The electric balumi then got them back into the game, setting up Cho with a delicious ball. Toon survived a final whole siege. But ultimately, you can tell just how good the Tigers are by how relieved Newcastle were at the final whistle. Massive response for Yesler to his first setback. Huge respect. And I've got to say, respect too to Yakirovic and his whole boys because they were ferocious in their response. They did not flail. And this whole game, watching these two managers roar, have this impact. I kept thinking about that quote we often talk about, legendary Italian football manager Giovanni Trappatoni.

1:02:52One said, a good manager can make a team about 10 % better. A bad manager can make them 30 % worse. But we're looking at this Premier League roar, this tactically, this psychologically propelled Premier League. The effect of both these men, Jachirovic on his team and Jaisla, it does suggest that it's so much more than the Trappertoni percentages. Yeah, and Gaisler in particular, I think, has had an amazing impact given the circumstances in which he arrived. When you looked at Newcastle and thought, well, this is all kind of unravelling. They'd lost their three best players. They'd lost the coach who'd guided them through so much.

1:03:25And Gaisler stepped in. And yeah, Ellen Road last Monday was a bit of a wake-up call, but they've had a decent start to the season, far better than a lot of their fans would have anticipated. And Jekirovic, I guess, has the credit in the bank with the squad because he got them promoted unexpectedly. They've strengthened massively. He's a really charismatic Friyukurovic. He is clearly, for all the players that Hull have signed, he is their strongest suit. He is the thing that gives them a chance of staying in the Premier League. From one shot result to another, Nottingham Forest 0. Coventry City 1.

1:03:59God bless Coventry. They had a miserable start to the season. They had to face four of the current top five. An incredible baptism of games on their return to the Premier League. They become just the eighth promoted team to lose their first four games. They knew only one of those avoided relegation. That was a context for everything that came. They dug deep in that first half to prevent Forrest from overwhelming them. And then the moment, Jade De Silva, fleet of thought, precise of finished. I think it was his first goal in 127 games himself. But it was overshadowed by the fact it was Coventry's first goal in the Premier League in 25 quite long, fraught, agonising years.

1:04:41Oliver Glasner, post-game really fascinating. He said he watched his forest, then almost had PTSD from last season's relegation curiosity. He suddenly became so nervous. They played with fear. You know, to name it, I think, is the first step to defanging it. They did have the ball in the back of the net late from Jesus. Only to have it vared off for a quite controversial trip, it should be said, in the build-up. Coventry held on three points. first win clean sheet Frank Lampard's fist pumps ecstasy post game Peter Drury bellowed this is the feeling these fans have hungered for probably the most joyous scene of the weekend seeing the away Coventry fans you can see just how much it meant for the team their manager and the supporters who've seen great days and dark ones and stayed the course I guess we're all for moments just like these yeah and it's it comes at just the right time as well because Coventry's start to the season was really hard and it's easy to sit here and say well that means they've got all those difficult games out of the way but these things spiral.

1:05:43They gather momentum and if you go into that international break five games, zero points then that puts intense pressure on the games that come afterwards. So to get that win to be out of the bottom three going into the international break is huge for Coventry and huge for Lampard. Leeds nil, Crystal Palace nil. Harden point for both teams. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, that beautiful man. had one incredibly stellar chance saved and so failed to mark his return to the England squad. I'm so happy for him. He could have become the first Leeds player to score in six consecutive home games since 1932. It was not to be.

1:06:19I've got to say, Leeds defence enormous down the stretch. Palace were hungry and Daniel Falk's team remained undefeated, conceded a league best, just three goals, equal with, do you know who else, Rul? Is it the Mighty Toffees? that's called a pivot yes it is to the qualified wonder that is Everton 1 Ipswich Town 0 Everton entered four games of the season unbeaten for the first time since the Carlo Ancelotti area which seems so long ago and unbelievable it almost feels like the paleolithic whatever it's called and we all know how that ended but Everton going to Everton results are one thing but the vibes maybe because of the tiny size of the squad and the Balogun disaster and the quality of the football still feel totally unconnected to them.

1:07:10God bless Everton. We took the lead. Ipswich don't like clean sheets. I like a poor man's Chelsea. James Tarkoski, Lash from, I guess it's called Ainsley-Maitland-Niles distance. The slap shot came in. I think if you rip Tark's mask off, you'll find like Michael Keane underneath there. Ball comes in. Tieno Barry kind of saw it coming. Kind of getting out of the way. kind of instinctively using his back to redirect it all just so he can unleash the running man, Ruk. Is that sort of replacing Beto in your heart in terms of celebrations, the silencer? Is it as good? Does it have the same effect on you?

1:07:45I think I'm trying to make Tierno Berry happen. I've never seen a player wrap themselves more in meme and try to almost play down their clinicality and their lead. It's almost like he's taking the pressure off himself by seeing it. It's his fifth goal of the season, Ruk. Is he rope-a-doping us? Is that what he's doing? I think he kind of is. You know, I mean, I'm not comparing Tieno Barry to Muhammad Ali. He did try and make himself come from a different planet before some fights. I think Tieno Barry's taken a leaf out of that book. And God bless if it's the pathway to greatness will take it. I've got to say, when Everton do take the lead role, especially against a poor team, I feel dread instead of hope.

1:08:26I just feel like I know what's going to happen. And God bless Ipswich. They did have chance after chance, I think. and Ciccio had one. Emerson forced good saves out a little picky. Everton cried out for a second goal to defang the threat. We did get one from Tieno Barry heading home a corner. It was Vardov. I think Brennan Johnson was a judge to have been offside and impacting the goalkeeper. It felt very odd, this, because you could tell the goalkeeper didn't complain at all once the ball flew in nowhere near him. And to have City's goal stand last week, this one notched off. It's going to keep Vardov in the news this week.

1:08:58it's got kind of like Ned Flanders killjoy vibes but it was one of those moments where only Everton kind of get that decision against him it really does feel like only Everton it probably feels that way I'm sure it's not, you have to remember that every week there will be a ridiculous VAR decision, that's what VAR's for, it's to remind us that justice inherently is arbitrary it's a powerful Marina Abramovich style sort of performance art piece to teach us about how little control we have over our own destinies. Are you giving me reverse Marina Abramovic? Yeah, that's what it is. That's what VAR is for.

1:09:33Okay, those are the rules this week. Fine. Whatever. I mean, it does feel, you're telling me like every club has their week as a club in crisis. Every club that has their just their VAR, their grating VAR moment. I don't know if it's every club. I would, you know, posit that it might not be. But I think that it's important that VAR remains totally impenetrable and utterly inconsistent because that is the kind of that's its its its role on this planet is to remind us that all of this there is no guiding hand that there is just chaos and mayhem and darkness that's what we exist in we're in control of nothing we are like everything is predetermined sometimes sometimes you're standing in front of the goalkeeper and it's fine sometimes you're not it's hard to tell it's not up to you i can tell you the one thing that's true is tierno barry's very very very funny on social media, posted an Insta post game shouting, why Brennan Johnson, you are killing my bonus, bro.

1:10:27God bless. Young Gunnay. Did he definitely say bonus? Yeah. Yeah, okay, fine. Yeah. What did you think? Not bonus. Oh, not killing my bonus? No. Fine. No, you may, I mean, both. It's why it works so well. He's the master of literally, literary illusion. Got it for two woo, sent off for that rare second yellow for diving right in front of the referee. Everton managed to miss chance after chance to kill off the game. God bless 10 men Ipswich kept coming. At the end, Everton were hanging on. And that's it. We're fifth. Decision-making in the final third continues to be hilarious. We're unbeaten. Nine points, five clean sheets in seven games.

1:11:10There's the process, the football, dour, limited, unclinical. But the outcome is delicious. It's so fascinating watching the comments on Everton's Instagram after a game. They're so furious. They're so disappointed. They're so bleak. You would have thought we actually lost 4-0. And I wrote all caps. I wrote, Everton the seventh, unbeaten longer than Arsenal. Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? And I've got to respect that poor Rosie 10, who wrote, or are we caught in a landslide? No escape from reality, which on reflection is more apt. But raw, David Moyes, Is anyone in football more excited when handed a death mission, a squad not fit for purpose, no money to fix anything?

1:11:52That is his music, right? Yeah, we said at the start, maybe not quite at the start, but after the transfer window closed, that it gives Everton a story. Everton have something to fight for. And I think all clubs are better when that's true. But Everton definitely are. Everton are all over it when they can feel, and I mean this sort of lovingly, Rog, but when Everton can feel aggrieved and the world is arrayed against them, when Moyes can feel as though, okay, I don't have to worry about playing in a certain way. All I have to worry about is results. That's his meat and drink. He's delighted by that.

1:12:24Deep down in his dour Scottish soul, he is delighted to think, all I can do is grind out results because that is all I've been given the resources for. Yeah, I mean, that man is never happier than when ordered to charge at a German machine gun pillbox armed just with a billiard cue and a smashed beer bottle. Exactly, because he knows that he's not expected to win the battle. I pity the German. He's expected to put up a fight. I pity the German. Quick look at our sentiment table. The table not by place, but by emotion. Let's start with the happiest three teams right now, Ru. Two of them are really obvious, Brentford and Brighton.

1:12:59Not even sure you could put them in any particular order, would you? They're both really, really happy. And I thought for the third one, because they are topped, they've won all their games, and because Arsenal lost, sneaky Manchester City. You do. I had Brighton, number one, giving Arsenal a shinning. I had Brentford, number two, because it was just Chelsea that they gave a shinning to. Number three, I've got Coventry City. That joy may continue, may it sustain the bottom three. Take it away. in maybe reverse no in actual order so third from bottom Chelsea decent start worrying signs second from bottom United Cunha Matthias Cunha kind of got them out of three weeks of full on crisis but there's still a lot of kind of misery at Manchester United that all this they've not escaped it's all happening again and bottom is the same as the team that's bottom of the actual table Rog Tottenham Hotspur yeah the bottom three for me reverse order third to last Forest yet to win at home this season, which I think is agonising.

1:13:56Chelsea, just a feeling of false dawn, question mark, and the chaos taking grip. Yeah, and Spurs fans, you know, I hate for you. To a letter rule, fantastic closer from the mighty GFOP. Ever needs, do the honours rule. It starts. I'm an Arsenal fan, and really I'm in awe of the way Arteta has created a unique championship culture, capitalised championship and culture. My question is, do I need to run my family the way Arteta runs the squad? Should I hire a pickpocket to steal from my wife at a dinner date? Should I wake up my daughter at 3am screaming she's late for school to see how she handles it?

1:14:31Should I flatten the tyres on my wife's car before she leaves to work? Etc. Any ideas and suggestions would be appreciated. Best of luck to your squads, except when your players, of course. Yeah, I can't be your. I don't think you can do... There's two words in American that a British accent can't say. One is your and the other is Connecticut. Yeah, they're all tough. They're all tough. That's a combo for another time. It's an incredible question from Everneeds. I do just want to say we take no legal commitment to anything. We're about to say, because you may get a letter in about how you followed our techniques and your wife is now your ex-wife because you let her tyres down on it before she needs to work.

1:15:12But Roy, you are a great dad. I think of you as an elite under eight football coach too. So get in here, baby. Big 5-0 win today, actually, Rog, to be fair. Don't want to brag. Big five, no one. Yeah, I can't condone doing any of those things to your partner or your child. I think that's really important. None of it. But I would say that most successful marriages are based on a form of psychological warfare. So you kind of have to do what you've got to do. Do you know what I mean? That's what it is. It's a form of psychological warfare. Could you, for example, maybe commit some minor microaggressions to see how your wife and your daughter respond, to see what sort of mental fortitude they have?

1:15:56Could you steal your wife's lunch, for example? Could you weaponise your incompetence? I understand that's very popular amongst men. Maybe that's what we're all doing. Maybe that's what we should say. I'm not incompetent. I'm just following the lead of league champion, Mikel O'Teta. Just explain that it's not that I can't fix the blinds. it's that I'm trying to kind of prepare everybody for a life in which there is challenge. For the third world war. Let's leave out the partner thing because I would do the opposite of Mikel Arteta in almost every case with any partner that you care about or love.

1:16:26But I think as a parent, I think it is an interesting question. What, creating challenges for your kids? Yeah, but you kind of have to let them, I mean, this is a bit serious. It does more than create challenge. Like for him, we know there'd be a dog in the family. Name something probably very on the nose about the values that he wants to inculcate for your family. Probably a dog named Good Human. Yeah, yeah, yeah. High Achiever, the dog. This is my golden retriever, High Achiever. But then, I don't know, my instinct, Rog, is to try and make my kids' lives as easy as possible, to be perfectly honest.

1:16:58I just want them to be happy. I don't really want them to have to deal with travel logistics. I'm happy. I just want everything to be smooth for them so they have a nice time. Well, your children will grow up to be full, just like mid-table. Oh, I'd love it if they were full. I'd be so happy. to have children who are full. They'd all have swimming pools. They'd be fine. They don't know Hugh Grant. Exactly. I've got to tell you, I actually do think a lot of what Mikel does is very good for parenting. Stuff about like pre-season preparing a team to live with adversity and setbacks. Yeah, the plane was cancelled.

1:17:29What's plan B? To be able to say that to a kid. You know, that perseverance, I think, is... I mean, the way he treats footballers who are most often pampered. I mean, I think it's really like to shield your kids from from from that is really really good in lots of ways roger he's he's you know the word manage yes man and age yeah he's aged men yeah by the way that's true and and parent is pair and rent I think I I'm a little bit more skeptical on some of our sets of stuff I get the point of it but I don't know if it's if it's a little bit cod psychology this is maybe more serious discussion than should I use Mikel Arteta's manager as things on my kids psychology yeah a little bit but and it's there is that relationship between managers and players a little bit there is an element of that in terms of they are the kind of grown up players have a weird you must have found this players have got weird psychology like they're they're incredibly old for their age in lots and lots of ways and a lot of the time they're also quite childlike because of the weirdness of their upbringing like the unavoidable weirdness of their upbringing so there are there are elements of Arteta's methods that are trying to teach the same things as parents are doing definitely I just think sometimes it's a bit it's a bit difficult to take into a domestic setting you hit Miles Lewis Skelly in this interview man and you it's like it's definite I mean it's pretty unbelievable I will say the one thing I wouldn't do I don't know why I'm so into this question like knee deep into it the pressure in that search for perfection man is tough for kids everyone i just say everyone's got strengths everyone's got weaknesses and i do think a lot of parenting is different to management you do need to eliminate those weaknesses you are in ramsdale but a lot of parenting is having your kids be fine with their weaknesses sharpening their strengths yeah but like feeling a comfort with their their vulnerabilities um i just hate to be that kind of dad who suddenly just is there with my kids and then suddenly just goes cold exiles them and sends them off to Saudi Martinelli and also you can't Raya and Ramsdale them can you you can't like bring another one in and be like no no no I've got two favourites and then six months later just get rid of one of them that's not allowed I understand that's round upon thank you for that magnificent question send us your postal double E and we'll send you a patch GFOPs always be in touch with us the email is always menandblazergmail.com that's it for today Roar where are you off to this week it's the international break Rog all football stops I'm off to Atlanta that magical heart lemon pepper wet oh mate I wish you were with me Magic City see you can't say you're old but you can say the place that I do like to go to and the place that just because he's not here I can throw him under the bus just the doors just couldn't get him out of it yeah awful business refused to leave Magic City yeah he actually taped two shows live from the bar there We'll be back Tuesday with Myles Lewis-Skelly.

1:20:33Wednesday, we've got an incredible interview with the four Americans at Mighty Middles for USMNT side. And then we're rounding the weekend off with Hercules Gomez. This is Rog saying, let's not take a second of watching football together for granted and courage.