Why Madueke is “brilliant business” for Arsenal, How Ekitike changes Liverpool & more PL transfers with Rory Smith: Men in Blazers 07/22/25

28:10He's not what we need. it's just it's not so much that they think he's bad I don't think anyone thinks he's a bad footballer I think the reaction is very much you are solving a problem that does not exist and you are using money that is finite to do it and there's an anger there and unfortunately that's being directed at the player rather than at the club but on the other hand I kind of looked at him and I think this is a brilliant piece of business because yeah Nani Madueke is never going to be the best player in the Premier League but he gives you a huge amount of cover on both flanks and potentially up front to be perfectly honest.

28:42He does carry a goal threat. He does reliably score 10, 12, 15 goals a season. That's enough. That helps. And they need that kind of depth. They are looking at, I think, running a forward line with two players in every position to get them through the season to compete in the Premier League and the Champions League. And do you know what? Not all of those can be superstars. You can't have Messi and Ronaldo and Neymar and Mbappe and Salah as your five starting forwards. One of them has to be Nani Madueke. From that point of view, it's a perfectly sensible signing. I think if it had happened after a number nine, the reaction would have been really different.

29:19I think it's the anxiousness of not having a number nine. It's almost the order, the anxiety that's built up. And I would say you might not get the goals you want, but the wages, which are part of the story, because we're obsessed with transfers, but ultimately it's the wages over time that factor into clubs thinking. The wages just can't be beat. That's why we watch for economical wage accumulation. Fascinating part of the Madweke story. Jen is collecting London clubs. First spotted, I think, by Crystal Palace when he was nine. Went across the capital from his family home in North London. I think he lived in Barnet originally for three years.

29:56Then went to Tottenham around the under-16 level. And really shone in the Tottenham Youth Academy. Arrived back in English football ultimately as a pro at Chelsea. Now Arsenal. She's got Brentford and West Ham to go raw. and I think he's collected the set. But Arsenal, Thierry Henry swears to me they are going to win the league this season. Thierry Henry knows ball. Let's take a listen. Do I think that Mikel Arteta is doing a great job? Tremendous job. Do I think he should get the sack? Hell no. Am I going to think that we're going to win the league this year? Yes. But I just said, and I will say it again, I do understand when people are just saying now, hey, are we going to go over the line?

30:35I understand the question now when people are like, Five years. Second, second, second. You know, you analyze what has been done and you look forward to what's going to happen after. Do I think that we can win the league? Yeah, I do think so, but I'm not in the dressing room. You two as a fan also, you do think so, but I'm not in the dressing room. Mikel has done tremendously well. But if we have to analyze what's been happening, we came short. That doesn't mean we're going to come short again. So what are they missing? Look, I gave you my time at Arsenal. And you said it yourself. My first year, we lost the UEFA Cup Final.

31:17Second year, we lost the Cup Final. And every time, I finished in second. 2002, you win the double. 2003, you win the Cup Final. 2004, you stay unbeaten. 2005, you win the Cup Final. 2006, you go to the Champions League Final. You're not going to win all the time. But to be in a situation to win, you need to be first and foremost in a situation to know how to win. That's what they've done recently. And hopefully they can go over the line. Roel, I've got to get a quick reaction. Yeah, I can see Henri's logic. It feels to me like Arsenal are the next in line, almost. Second three years in a row, a squad that is getting deeper and stronger.

32:02They had injury problems last season, which certainly cost them rhythm. You assume that, look, everyone's reliant on not having loads of injuries to their best players, but if they can keep Odegaard and Saka and in theory, Jota as fit for the bulk of the season, they should have enough threat to win enough games to get there. I think Liverpool, it's really hard to say what will happen this season because of the ongoing reaction to Jota. You don't know how that will affect the players over the course of the season. City look to me like they've got quite a lot of work to do still. I don't think Manchester United will be anywhere near.

32:36Chelsea maybe will be a threat. It feels like Arsenal could be contenders or the leading contenders. The one thing that kind of gives me pause is I wonder what happens when Arsenal drop their first points, when Arsenal have their first disappointment. Because everything there, and this is part of the Madueke transfer as well, part of the reaction to it. Everything at Arsenal seems to be on such an emotional knife edge all of the time. I just wonder if they get, you know, if they lose. Sure, they do with it rationally, calmly, stoically. They're at Old Trafford on the first day of the season, I think, on the first weekend.

33:10And if they lose that game to an admittedly terrible Manchester United team, but you can lose a game on the first day of the season just because it's sunny and that's unfamiliar. Everything's new. Everything's fresh. Everyone's got a kind of clean slate. What happens around the club? Does that noise start to trigger panic? Is there another feeling that... They just seem really close to that feeling that it's another chance going missing. Season over already! Finished! I just don't think that's ideal. Other than the US men's national team fan base, I cannot think of a fan base who just flicked the switch between we're going to win it all to my God, all is nought, we are doomed.

33:49But I do love this Arsenal squad. I love this Arsenal story. I love this kind of hero's journey. I do imagine the entire squad, though, must be sitting down at lunches in this preseason, utterly on the knife edge itself, or just paralyzed with the ways that Arteta's going to cruelly torment them with, like, what's worse than pickpockets, Roar? They've got to be, like, totally on edge, just trying to be, like, game-faced, so he can't be like, I got pickpockets, just to teach them that they can never drop their guard. I mean, how is he going to one-up himself this season, really? Does he have to honey trap them?

34:24That's what I was thinking. I imagine. Yeah. Yeah. What are you thinking? Like he's got, Arteta has got a bot, a form of like Nigerian scammers just smashing their email inboxes with cybercrime. No, I just, I think it's more analog than that. I think Mikel Arteta is going to try and seduce each of his players one by one to teach them a lesson about loyalty or something. I don't know. Yeah, himself. Yeah. Find a way. You would, wouldn't you? I actually just think like David Raya is like reading his email and it's just like every day it's like hello David Raya I'm a German business magnate investor and philanthropist I've decided to donate four and a half million dollars to you if you're interested please reply to this email for details and David Raya's like it's tempting but it may just be Mikel but at the end of the day four and a half million it's four and a half million isn't it that's it and can David Raya resist that might be that might be the turning point of the season David Rye a victim of cybercrime cost Arsenal the title don't do it David don't do it let's touch upon Arsenal's feeder club for a moment all of these players will be yours inside two seasons Arsenal fans apart from Liam De Lapp will definitely be on loan at Everton Football Club but wow your World Cup champion Chelsea Football Club are ever stronger yes I mentioned Liam De Lapp Jamie Gitton sensational charred warrior Estevão potent machine João Pedro and already adding to Maresca's attacking options.

35:52But Chelsea can no more stop signing players than you or I can stop breathing or eating the chocolate orange of Terry Roar. They're now linked to Dutch Wonder, a next big thing forever, though somehow he's still only 22 years of age, Xavi Simons, linked for a cool 82 milli. 18 months ago, Roar, Gary Neville called Chelsea billion dollar blue bottle jobs. They are now, of course, world champions trademark, but they can't stop day trading for players. Yeah, and this is the issue with Chelsea, that after the Club World Cup final, you felt that it was at least possible that Chelsea might go into the next season, not only with a chronic case of fatigue, but with a renewed self-belief that they felt, they should have felt as though they were like, they belonged in that elite conversation that they, you know, they had looked a little bit like title challengers, Rog famously last season.

36:44And winning that Club World Cup in the fashion that they did, that, you know. I saw it coming. Do you not say Rog? Rog, you got the name of the trophy Ron and the timing Ron. But apart from that, you were right about everything. No, I think you could see that as a foundation stone for a challenge next season from Chelsea. But the problem was always going to be how much of the Chelsea team that played at the MetLife will be the Chelsea team that starts the season or that starts the first game in September or that is still there in January. It's impossible to say because they do seem addicted to signing players.

37:18And as much as Todd Bowley and Clearlake will tell you that they have this incredibly intelligent, disruptive plan to kind of control the transfer market. And if you look at the way they're selling players this summer, it's extraordinary. You sign for Chelsea. You don't play for Chelsea. You get sold for Chelsea by a profit. That is a good business model. Renato Vader is the next one to go to Atletico Madrid, earning Chelsea more money than they paid for him, which I find astonishing. but at some point you have to say we know that there will always be more footballers we're just going to concentrate on these ones that we've got and i think that churn at chelsea it doesn't sit especially easily with me as a fan of football in general i think it's kind of not the point of the transfer market to to accrue player assets young bonds it's effectively but yeah michael milton fc but the bigger thing is there's a sporting consequence which is that if you are continually changing your squad your squad never settles you never get the chance to have a team grow together which is the final ingredient you need to become a championship winner Yeah, you know it is something ripped from the boiler room or the wolf of Wall Street but a lovely story out of Chelsea a 16 year old Isago Silva yes, Thiago Silva's son was one of the 16 players who who've just signed his first-year scholars quote with Chelsea's under-18 team.

38:45I love the way they call them scholars. Ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, he's a defender like his dad. Chelsea legacy, Chelsea heritage. Must be really, really lovely for Thiago Silva to just have the Club World Cup that he's had. One ripped from the fairy tales. And now to have his son follow in his footsteps at Chelsea. A bit like a Brazilian LeBron and Bronny James. Who says there's no romance in football? I mean, it is wonderful, especially given that Thiago Silva's son, I presume, is in his mid-40s. Yeah, well, I think one of Thiago Silva's sons is Tim Ream, but I can't get confirmation on this from winners to Manchester United.

39:24A team who are, let's say, hoping to rebuild, struggling to rebuild somewhere between the two. So much deadwood in that squad. As many as five players waiting to be shipped off. But yesterday, Brian Mboume confirmed his arrival on a five-year deal from Brentford. He said this, as soon as I knew there was a chance to join Manchester United, I had to take the opportunity to sign for the club of my dreams, the team whose shirt I wore growing up. Mboume, your dreams, honestly, to me, they're like Freddy Krueger nightmares, leaving 10th place strategic wonder Brentford to join 15th place Manchester United.

40:04Yeah, although it's 10th place strategic wonder Brentford at a slightly weird time in their development because there's rumours of a takeover or certainly a partial sale of the club. Obviously Thomas Frank has gone and Christian Norgard who's been a real stalwart for Brentford. You do wonder whether there's something changing there that maybe a second phase of that plan, maybe it's not a terrible time for Mbumo to go, I think. he's a smart signing for Manchester United I think they're paying too much money for him but he's a really good player, he's a really likeable character he has proven Premier League quality and he will make Manchester United better, the problem is he may not make them better enough for everyone around Old Trafford to be satisfied and that means you will continually get this kind of uncertainty around United I don't think Mbwemo himself can alleviate that Paul Wiesert must be just wandering around Brentford a bit like Art Garfunkel, just wondering what has hit him.

41:02Weren't we a duo? Weren't we a tandem? Did Robin just leave Batman? I mean, how does that work? It is, it's like George Michael leaving Wham! It's honestly almost too hard to contemplate, but one of Manchester United's greatest weaknesses last season, the worst in the Premier League era, was just that they mustered 44 goals, their lowest in a top-flight season, I think since, was it 73-74? I think Mbumo is a terrifically potent player. Cunha arriving for Wolves. I mean, essentially, United are signing anyone who sounds like an ooh in attack, but they're both really number 10s. Are we expecting their arrival, Roar, to turn Rasmus Hoyland and Joshua Zerksy into Andy Cole and Ruud van Nistelrooy's heirs?

41:50or are they going to have to dig deep somehow financially, find what they need and bring in a quality number? But this is the issue, isn't it? This is United trying to change their squad radically in the course of one summer to suit a formation that they have no players to play effectively. They've got one or two players who fit into that system. So yeah, I think it's probably reasonable to assume that Mbumo and Cunha will play behind a centre forward, whether that's Rasmus Hoyland, whether that's Xerzi, whether it's somebody else. And then what Diallo on the right, maybe Patrick Dordrieu on the left for the time being.

42:27But then what do you do with Bruno Fernandes? Are you playing him as a central midfielder? Because I'm not sure that's a wonderful idea. It all just seems a little bit kind of cobbled together, to be perfectly honest, as it always does with Manchester United. The heritage. It's a united way. It's their DNA. I think Mbouma is a brilliant footballer. I think he's a really, really good signing. I'm slightly surprised that he's gone to a team that aren't in the Champions League. Cunha, I'm less sold on, if I'm completely honest. I'm not quite as convinced by Cunha, although he is wonderful to watch.

42:56The question is whether, do they really fit? How do the other parts of this Manchester United team fit around them? I still don't really know them. Fitting's for losers. Fitting is for losers. One more United note. I will say watching Marcus Rashford fly off to Barcelona. His arrival on loan expected to be announced once Barcelona work out what limb they have to soar off to to finance it and get the player registered, maybe sell off your Laminya Mal's party organising unit. I am thrilled for the 27-year-old. I mean, this must be a dream for him to be able to play at the Nou Camp. I think it's going to be fascinating to watch him, how he performs under the quite ruthless sense of expectation that exists there and the competition to play alongside Lewandowski, Rafinha, Laminya Mal, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo.

43:47But humanly raw, there's a tremendous, I feel a sense of human sadness around this moment. Just the deterioration of a relationship between a gent who was once an iconic citywide, nationwide Boy Wonder, turning into almost a disgruntled bridge burner, 15th highest all-time scorer for United, 138 goals. I think he has 23rd highest number of appearances and he just departs. Rebellion goodbye, sense of legacy tarnished. Boy Wonder turned outcast. Really, there's no greatest symbol of the image Buzzsaw that is the modern United. Yeah, the whole thing has always struck me as strange, to be honest. There appears to have been a decision, subconsciously I presume, that Marcus Rashford was the problem at Manchester United rather than a symptom of the problems of Manchester United.

44:37There has been no way back for him for quite some time now. Ruben Amorim, I think, is the third manager maybe to decide that Marcus Rashford was the issue after Ten Hag and I think Mourinho, there is a real kind of sense that his career, which was once so kind of, which burnt so bright and looked so promising, has kind of fizzled and drifted and locked in stasis. And you really just hope that a player who can be so electric can rediscover some sort of form at Barcelona, can find himself, can find his focus, can find his passion and his love again, and have a little bit of a kind of glorious autumn, maybe not even an autumn to his career, these should be Rashford's peak years.

45:21And it feels like we might just lose them because, yeah, I think he's not been as focused as he should be. But he's also been at a club that has an amazing ability to make literally everybody connected to it look bad. So hopefully he goes to Barcelona and finds something that revives him. You talk about Mbumo leaving Brentford. We predict their doom every season. They defy us. But it is fascinating to see Jordan Henderson back there. What a long, strange coda his post-Liverpool career has been. Saudi Arabia to a deadwind spell at Ajax to this, age 35. But from United to Spurs. I've been enjoying watching Thomas Frank announce himself in his early days at Tottenham.

46:02I'm actually filming with him on Thursday and I can't wait. He joked that he left Brentford for Tottenham because he wanted, quote, more risk in my daily life. He spent seven years at Brentford, during which Spurs sacked five managers. Asked if he was confirmed about Tottenham's record in terms of clipping their coaches. Frank said, I like to challenge myself. I've never been sacked before. So this is one of the reasons why I took the job. Roy, it's a surreal reality. We've seen the man have total control. We've seen him really overachieve. He's a sweet man, but he's now making a step up to a massive club that was 17th in the league last season, but who in their very last game delivered the greatest night and silverware for fans who have waited a generation for it.

46:51Big Ang's giant severed head is going to be floating above the field next season, almost like the ghost of Ned Stark there, Rourke. Yeah, but at the same time, I can see why the job, the circumstances of the job appeal to Frank. You know, you've got a team that clearly underperformed last season. Spurs should not have finished 17th. so it doesn't take much for him to make them look better he gets to coach in the champions league that's a huge a huge appeal he gets a squad that's full of quality you know that has christian romero and mickey van der ven at the back when they're fit that has rodrigo bentan kiri midfield and the you know the young talent of archie gray and lukis birdval and even papi matassar that has dominic celanke up front and you know he might be able to repurpose hyun min son get one final kind of glorious coda for him.

47:37There are huge upsides to being Spurs manager. I think the fact that he's been able to go out and as I think his first signing or certainly his first major signing, bringing a player of the quality of Mohamed Koudis, that's extraordinary for a coach who's used to working with Brentford and finding those cast-offs and the overlooked and the unpolished gems to say, I really like him, he's really good at football, let's sign him. That must be a huge pleasure and the chance to test himself in one of the most exacting environments in world football, Daniel Levy's Tottenham. That is a hugely appealing prospect, I think, to most coaches.

48:13And Frank, like Poster Coddly, we've talked about this a little bit before, Rog, he has that emotional intelligence as well that I think he's very different to Ange. He's not quite the kind of philosopher king that Ange is. He's not going to live or die by this one idea of how football should be played. But in terms of his emotional intelligence, I think he's very similar. and for the squad that I think will be quite important. Thomas Frank, are you saying he may be a secret postacogluite religiously? I think that is fascinating. I love all those religions that hide their religion because of persecution but if we were to find out at the end of all of this that Thomas Frank Roar is a postacogluite it would just be, my God, it would be the series three that we never saw coming.

48:58We have no time to delve into that.

49:04Got to touch upon Newcastle. I mentioned Alexander Izek up top. Heavily rumoured tabloid linked to Liverpool for a quite exorbitant fee. I think it was around 150 million big ones. Now we're left with his agent kind of rattling the sabre in the media to wonder what's now for him. It's a huge number that Newcastle are banding around. There's not many clubs outside the Premier League that could afford it, A, or need him. B, Barcelona may need, but can't afford. Newcastle really have to sell to a club or a Premier League rival United and Spurs don't have the money Chelsea will probably sell a hotel to their women's team or however that works to do it City have spent so much already but Eddie Howe has already had to leave Alexander Izak out of at least one friendly I think against Celtic for quote speculation over his future it's a very odd one Raw I remember filming up at Newcastle under Rafa Benitez and he had a maniacally drew me a map of England on a whiteboard with bands as you went further and further up north.

50:07London was circled at the bottom and his point was elite players want to play in London. That's the England they think about for their families. And he added in each band, I can't remember the exact number, but added the millions you have to pay in wages to tempt a great player to go further and further north. His point was like players, yeah, will play in Manchester or yeah, they'll play for Liverpool as elite superstars, but they don't want to play in the north of England. And his point was they definitely don't want to play in Newcastle, which is essentially north of the wall. How does this EZAC reality end?

50:39Yeah, that is right. It's an under-appreciated part of the complication of being Newcastle. But it applies to all the northern clubs. You have to pay extra to get players to not live in London. And then when they have days off, they just go to London. They don't want to be in Liverpool or Manchester or Leeds or Sheffield or wherever it might be. the exact thing I think is fascinating Rog, I'm not I like to cast myself as being above transfer sagas but this one is genuinely interesting and I'm writing about this in my newsletter this week the move of leaving a player out because of speculation, that tends to happen when there is a concrete offer for a player, that is when the manager does it it's kind of right, listen son you need to focus your mind here, you need to think about where you want to be, you need to think about who you are what you want to do for your family in this situation that doesn't really apply so what we know is that last week Newcastle were about to sign Hudo Eketike and then got gazumped by Liverpool that's effectively what's happened Liverpool have kind of moved in and said right actually we'll we'll take this from here lads thanks very much that means Newcastle now missed out on five major signings this summer all for fairly legitimate reasons but you know it's what happens they also don't have a sporting director or a chief executive at the moment which is not ideal Liverpool are therefore about to sign as we say we're expecting that announcement kind of around the time that we're recording Arsenal are about to sign Victor Diokeres no one's in for Alexander Izak at the moment and I'm sure that Liverpool and Arsenal and I presume Chelsea have made it clear that they would quite like to sign Alexander Izak because he is probably the best striker in the Premier League but no one's made an offer for him no one has the obvious space to sign him so why has Eddie Howe felt the need to leave Isaac out because there is no it doesn't look like on a logical level it doesn't really look like he's got a route out of Newcastle at the moment as you say kind of all the big European teams can't afford him or the maybe the one that could is maybe Bayern Munich and they have Harry Kane up front so where's he going to go that there is nowhere if if Isaac has refused to play or refused to train we don't know if that's the case I've not heard any suggestion that it is the case then you sort of think well this is a couple of weeks too late really Alex because Liverpool are about to sign someone instead of you as our Arsenal and Chelsea already have so where are you going?

53:06I don't quite understand where it has all come from because at no point has anyone made a bid for Alexander Izak plenty of teams would love to, he's a brilliant footballer Newcastle have said in public and in private consistently we're not selling him and all of the other teams in the Premier League appear to have been like, okay, then fine. If that's what you want, that's what you want. It's going to be great at Burnley next season is what you're saying. We will see. I love that man. I love what he does. But this is genuinely a, I mean, this is for footballing conspiracy theorists. This one is a mad one to decode.

53:43We wish him joy and wonder in the weeks to come. But that is it for today, Rob. We've got to end with a question from a GFOP, Ledley Scott of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Roar, do the honors. That inspires me, Roar, that we can do a show in Tuscaloosa. Oh my God, I'd love to. That fits my... Oh my God, Roar, bloody tie. Go on. Roar and Rory, I like listening to you guys. I'm glad he only went for like. I like. Doesn't love it. He's on the fence. He thinks it's okay. But who are the people you have listened to in life that have most inspired you? Oh, Roar. This is a good one. Who do you listen to? I mean, with all the football that you watch, do you even have time to listen to anyone?

54:24I famously don't listen to anybody in life at all, Rog. I don't know whether there's somebody that I particularly listen to as a source of inspiration. I tend to draw inspiration from lots and lots of people, obviously my parents and stuff, but I'm not a great... I don't know if I have someone who necessarily kind of inspires me like that. Are the podcasters, broadcasters, whatever, are they inside or out of football, are the broadcasters that you listen to and you're like that person has really uh inflected the way i operate i think what i what i find quite a lot is listening to listening to and reading people who think in a certain way i find quite i find quite inspiring i like i like trying to find the way that i like trying to refine the way that i think that's maybe the the best way that i can put it that sometimes you will encounter someone who thinks in a in a really kind of different way to you not in a kind of linkedin high-performance podcast kind of way, but kind of historians or authors.

55:20Like who? Like who? We need names. We need names. We need names. We need names! I'd say Scott Galloway. Say that, reveal them. Galloway. Scott Galloway maybe a little bit, yeah. Well, it's about Galloway. He's proper football now, Scott. Is he proper football now? Yeah, yeah. I think he's taken an ownership stake in the CACSA. I mean, he came on our show, I think World Cup 2022, was just like on the cusp. He's been in England all this time. he's now like way in, way in deep. But there's another academic actually, a guy called Chris Anderson, who wrote the numbers game with his co-author, David Sally.

55:54And I know Chris quite well. He now works in football. And I always find him inspiring, might be pushing it. But I think I find the way that he thinks really kind of is on a level completely different to me. And I find that quite interesting to be around. Wow, that's frightening to me because you are levels. I didn't realize there were levels above you, Roar. I will say my wife always says she just had a procedure yesterday and when I went to pick her up from recovery, the doctor started to speak to me and she just in a kind of like comatose state said, whatever you're going to tell him, front load it.

56:32He only listens to the first three lines and then the last three lines, everything in the middle he'll forget. So I'm not quite sure if I do listen to anyone, according to my wife, but as you said, all men. She said that was just not aimed at me. She said front load it or back end it, but don't put the important stuff in the middle, which is genuinely mind blowing. I've mentioned him before. I know a confection of football and non-football ledly. You know, I talked for football before the writing of Simon Kuiper. I've talked about this recently, how I found his way of writing about players and teams, stretching football to be about the big story trapped in the small story of football, about history and cultures and journeys that are trapped inside them.

57:15I've always loved and listened to religiously the iconic British radio show Desert Island Discs, mostly because it's such a tradition. And because the interviewers do so much work clearly in the pre-production, the scripting, the thinking that it's expected that the guests really give of themselves. It's not a show you go on and kind of phone it in and tell the old stories you always tell. And I love that. The glimpsing sense of being known that that show gives. And then the third, third is an American legend of broadcasting. A man who means something to some of you. Not enough, unfortunately, with every year is his legend Fade.

57:54Studs Turkle. I couldn't sleep one night when I was a kid in Liverpool. I was probably about six or seven. I came downstairs and my babysitter was watching a late night British arts documentary about him on some random channel. And I was mesmerized by the Chicago public radio figure. He was then an old man, even in the documentary. He did a radio show in Chicago and nationally for, I think, about 45 years. It was called like the Studs Turkle Radio Hour, where he had like everybody on there. Martin Luther King, Bob Dylan, Bernstein, Tennessee Williams, Zappa, just the entire world. And when I moved to Chicago, I was lucky enough to get to work on his show fleetingly.

58:37I worked with him. And when you sat in his office, you could, behind his desk, you'd see the archive of his work on the racks behind him with just the names on each of the big tapes. And you realize he'd spoken to the smartest, most remarkable, most eclectic set of minds the world had ever known. and I wanted to be him so unbelievably badly. So I guess, Roar, I'd say I want to be the bastard offspring of Simon Kuiper and Studs Turkle, which is what I aspire to be. But I've got to fear Peter Drury might have beat me to it. Quite possibly. I just can't believe there's someone in the distance called Studs Turkle.

59:10That's extraordinary. Isn't that an amazing name? That in itself is inspiring. I actually wanted to name our second kid, Studs Turkle Bennett. Lost that one. Had to negotiate inside. Honestly, I've got it. Next dog. that we get. There you go. Oh, God, it's such a... Come here, Studs Turkle. What a beautiful name for a hound. Ledley, I loved your letter. Enjoy your football. Keep liking our show. We don't ever ask you to love it. Just like it and send us your postal. We'll send you a patch. Keep sending us your letters and questions for Roar and Me at meninblazers at gmail.com. Follow us across platform.

59:45That's it for today. Bring on Friday night of my dreams with Everton Football Club live on stage in New York City. Roar, huge, huge love for you, you crown prince of Harrogate at the beach. It's been a pleasure, Rog. I feel as though I need to be inspired by more people. Maybe you. I might be inspired by you. Oh, my God. Do not do that. That pathway can only lead to human darkness. This is Rog sending you big, big love. Let's not take a second of watching football. Remember football when it was on television? Let's not take a second of watching that together for granted. Come on. Godspeed. The Women's Euro semifinals.

1:00:20and courage.