THE 93:20 NEWSLETTER:- ISSUE 33

Author

Howard Hockin
March 28, 2025

Hello, and welcome to the 93:20 Newsletter, and what is widely being reported as Issue 33, so who am I to argue? It is also the Newsletter that is thinking of turning itself into a book in the summer, with lots of new material, and fake WhatsApp messages and thriller scripts based in North London. A terrible idea no doubt, but if you disagree, let me know! The book sales for 12th Man suggest it is the worst idea imaginable.

Anyway, let’s crack on. I’ve found stuff to discuss, despite it being a dreary international break.

The biggest open secret in football was revealed this week, with Trent Alexander-Arnold looking likely to sign for Real Madrid on a free contract in the summer. I think you know how this news went down with a certain fanbase, but let’s have a quick peek anyway.

First of all, the question must be asked if any other fanbase would act any differently, City included? Probably not, but there are levels to this. Imagine Phil Foden running down his contract then joining Real Madrid. How would you react? Not well, I would suspect. I wouldn’t expect death threats and a rewriting of history however.

The Ibes of March

After all, if there is one fanbase that could never accept the concept of a player wanting to leave their club, it is Liverpool fans. I have no doubt many think they are a bigger pull than Real Madrid. Still, at least now they can claim Connor Bradley is better (the new Jordan Ibe) and finally come around to the thinking of many others that he “isn’t all that”.

From Liverpool-supporting media types to large fan, accounts down to your man in the street, the hypocrisy is off the scale. A fanbase happy to see Liverpool unsettle players at other clubs to get their signature on that contract, but unwilling to accept it works both ways. Jamie Carragher had the cheek to suggest Alexander-Arnold should have signed a new contract so that Liverpool got a transfer fee, overlooking the obvious problem with that, namely that he may not get the transfer as a result, and let’s be honest, as big a signing-on fee. He cost Liverpool nothing, he has nothing to feel guilt for.

Elsewhere, the question no one else was asking: is Trent Alexander-Arnold moving to Real Madrid to get his hands on a Ballon D'Or? So asked BBC 5 Live Sport, or more to the point, Guillem Balague. No defender has won the Ballon D’Or since 2006, but yeah, a defender who can’t defend will definitely break that barren spell.

Ultimately, if fans want to hate on the player, then who am I to argue? But it is a career, and they make career decisions, despite the emotional attachment that such a career brings with it. The rage should be directed more at FSG for letting Alexander-Arnold not feel wanted enough (though many footballers are precious souls), and for having so many key players with expiring contracts all at the same time.

A dreary international break is almost over, and the Nations League games were more fascinating than the qualifiers. The two England games told us nothing about how well Tuchel will do, and were never going to, but that did not stop certain sections of the media who have it in for him sticking the knife in over two routine victories. Still. He’s not helping himself by picking Jordan Henderson. Or maybe he’s just a brilliant WUM.

Phil Foden is getting a lot of attention again, and a Jack Gaughan article laid bare the “behind-the-scenes” issues we have long suspected he is having, as this is clearly not just about a loss of form. He needs time and a rest, and yes it was a ridiculously small sample size, but he looked very lively as a substitute v Latvia. More of that please!

Yesterday, City announced a wonderful new sponsor, none other than Viagogo. Doesn't it warm the cockles of your heart to hear about this one? A real boost to all blues' morale during uncertain times.
But placing the rampant sarcasm to one side, a reminder of what those who run the club really think of the fans, and how much consideration they have taken of recent demonstrations, much of which revolved around the use of external agencies to flog tickets off to tourists and away fans at exorbitant prices. Proof, with this sponsorship deal, that nothing is going to change. So whilst Viagogo are selling tickets for the Leicester game for £120, tickets that are on City’s own site for £50 less, thus making it blatant touting, do not forget that if I hand over a ticket to my friend for the same match (I will be in Spain), the club will ban me. That’s where we are at, that is the contempt they hold us in, and all because by giving a ticket to a friend, there’s no extra profit to be made by the club. I guess someone has to pay for all those lawyers.

Still, at least there is now a date for the Extraordinary Meeting with Fan Groups – 3rd April. Though, as I have previously pointed out, there is no need for it. No meeting is required to freeze season ticket prices or to avoid signing up to legalised touting. It should be an interesting meeting.

In better tidings, some big news did break on Friday. City have finally plugged a huge gap in their sponsors, and the sleepless nights are over for us all – City now have an official Vietnamese energy drink partner. Looks like we got off the charges, then. Though if you are having sleepless nights, energy drinks are the last thing you need.

Speaking of lawyers, everyone is getting very jittery, as it feels news is imminent, though it has been imminent for over a month now. Maybe I can help with those nerves. Look, I never claim to be an ITK. But all I will say is that on Monday, I was in London for a business trip, and I happened to see Lord Pannick knee slide his way out of the Crown Court, which I can assure you looked rather painful. Make of that what you will.

As there is so little going on during an international break, and I found myself wide awake at 3am one night, I decided to solve all problems with the sport, and scribbled down my ideas to save football (they are all serious, for the record). You’re welcome.

Preambles before cup draws banned, punishable by life imprisonment. No videos, chats, rule explanations, the draw should start within a minute of the broadcast beginning. No one gives a damn about Del Piero’s career highlights, or an introspective on footballs through the ages, presented via the medium of interpretive dance. Just warm the balls and crack on.

Completely open, knock-out draw for the “Champions” League.

Offside. Use feet only. Head only if said head was used to score the goal.

No penalties for accidental handball, ever. Penalties cannot be scored on a rebound. Make the area a bit smaller. Bring back indirect free kicks in the area, for the bants.

Also make it illegal to have two co-commentators for a televised match. Prison sentences if one of them is Rio Ferdinand.

Consider colour-blind people when deciding match kit selections. It is estimated there are 300 million colour-blind people in the world. Some matches for them are like watching snooker on a black and white TV.

Retrospective bans for feigning injury. Sin bins for dissent. Ice-cold water poured on any manager who strays out of technical area (harsh but fair).

Here at 93:20, we like to branch out a bit during international breaks. We’ve discussed TV, films, and a whole lot more, as it’s nice to have a break. So, I thought I would, for the first time, recommend some visual and audio stuff on this newsletter too. This is just a selection of stuff I have been watching online this week, rather than on TV, recurring favourites, and some music that is currently on a loop.

My favourite Youtube channels

GeoWizard – a lovely man with a variety of content. Geoguessr games may not be for you, but his other content is superb – particularly videos where he tries to pinpoint locations on old photographs, and his challenges, such as walking in a straight line across England or Wales, are just so, so interesting to watch.

Sorted Food – if you’re big on food, check them out – loads of different content, from tips to challenges, to travelogues.

Fallow – two chefs, providing the best food content on the internet. Simple as that.

Jay Foreman, and his Map Men videos – the videos are infrequent, but worth the wait. And yes, maps ARE interesting, and this sort of content is what YouTube was created for.

To make you laugh

Stevie Martin: Screen Time

And all her stuff tbh

Ed Byrne: Mock The Week Scenes We’d Like To See

(13:20 being his greatest moment)

A Bit of Fry & Laurie – Open University

Armstrong & Miller – Apology

Harry Enfield – Badfellas

Harry & Paul – Panel Shows

A bit of music

London Grammar – Rooting For You

Wolf Alice – The Last Man On Earth

Chemical Brothers – One Too Many Mornings

Max Richter (and Mari Samuelsen)– November

Schindler’s List – John Williams (read the description first)

Nine Inch Nails - Hurt

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK

THE REVIEW:- ENGLAND EXPECTS

Ben, Ste and Lloyd assess the opening week of the Tuchel England era, talk Phil Foden and more.

THE HUB:- EPISODE 30

Sebastian from the Pot Shot Podcast joins Bailey to discuss Omar Marmoush, the Frankfurt recruitment model, Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, and how he has changed as a coach.

THE 93:20 QUIZ

After a large hiatus, the quiz is back. Howard is the quizmaster, with a nonsensical quiz that makes little sense, and Ste, Ally and Will are the willing victims.

OPPOSITION FAN

Howard chats to Simon from Talking Cherries, about an amazing season, a manager in demand, and a big weekend cup match.

THE WEEKEND SHOW

A bumper show as always, as Ahsan, Lloyd and Ben look back and look forward, as proper football returns.

Coming Up:

All the usual stuff – with a midweek match at last, there is plenty to preview and review.

If you are not a subscriber to our player shows, then enjoy some free samples of what we are about. Every show we do will have a 15 minutes sample on Soundcloud, along with a full, free weekly Friday show, jam- packed with content. Give it a try!