THE 93:20 NEWSLETTER:- ISSUE 39

Author

Howard Hockin
May 09, 2025

Hello, and welcome to the 93:20 Newsletter, Issue 39. Another fun week, watching Arsenal continue to win nothing, and with plenty of entertainment served up in the other Champions League semi-final. I will die on the hill that states that Barcelona’s high line is not sustainable long-term. Anyway, plenty to discuss as always. Don’t forget to support what we do if you can – as every little helps. And don’t worry if you’re not in a position to do so. Let’s crack on, and let’s get the uncomfortable opinion out of the way first.

Now, far be it for me to stick up for Manchester United (or Spurs), but I feel I must this week. I have clearly been sitting in the sun too long, and become hysterical.

There has been a lot written and spoken about the ludicrous prospect of one of the Premier League’s worst performing teams ending up in the Champions League next season, by way of winning an underwhelming Europa League, where good quality opposition seemed wafer-thin on the ground. However, this does not change the fact that the winner of the competition has the right to Champions League football, just as every previous winner has, without little outcry. Sevilla did when finishing 12th in La Liga, for example. Cup exploits have qualified such teams for entry into the next tier of a similar competition. Yeah, there’s a bit of league action too, but a team’s performances domestically and abroad, or even league v cup, often do not tally. It’s nothing unusual.

If a team that finishes 5th in its domestic league can qualify for the "Champions" League, then the winners of the Europa League certainly should too. At least they've won something. Their league position has nothing to do with how they qualified. United may be appalling, and the biggest underachievers pound-for-pound in the history of global football, but there will be worse teams in the competition next season. 

I find the best policy for forming a football opinion is this: - see what Richard Keys thinks, then take the opposite point of view. You’ll be on the right side of history a lot more than not if you stick to that mantra. Keys is naturally outraged at the prospect of United or Spurs in the Champions League, so do keep that in mind.

I may as well inform you now that United will be in the Champions League next season. We all know it, so best to accept it now, and move on. And let's not forget that it is all City’s fault, for turning up to a cup final "hungover". Knock those statues down.

I feel like I am the only person who thinks Arsenal actually did pretty well over the two legs v PSG, but their opposition ultimately came out on top, because that’s football, and their keeper had two worldies. Even Arsenal fans are laying into Arteta en masse, and his words and nature of his personality (or lack of it) does not help his cause, so go for it say I. Anyway, it’s hilarious, so that’s all that matters, that Arsenal continue not to win anything, especially when some of their tactics are swiped directly from Stoke City. Their aversion to buying strikers is almost as baffling as City’s aversion to full-backs. Arteta is a good manager, that is undeniable, but has he plateaued? Next season will be his 7th at Arsenal, and there can be no more excuses – he HAS to start winning more trophies. History records the victors, and no one can accuse Arsenal of being that. 

Inter v Barcelona was a classic, again, which inevitably dragged Pep into the conversation, the man accused of being anti-football due to the control he espouses. You could set your watch to all of this, so predictable. As a neutral, I of course enjoyed these two classic matches, due to their chaotic nature. Managers do not have a duty to serve me though, sat on a couch. Their duty is to succeed, as shown by Pep’s four successive league titles.

Best mention City briefly, eh? And I intend to do so with a philosophical musing. When is a winning performance a good performance and when is it not?
You see, I reckon we view nervy games differently depending on whether we are in a title race or not. If we were in one this season, we would be lauding "getting over the line" against Wolves, the sign of champions and all that. But as we are not, perhaps we judge performances harsher, ironically despite poorer form across much of the season, because we want to see pointers that next season we will be back to our best. We still need the points despite the lack of a title at the end of it all, so I am happy with any win. Next season, the team will be very different, and you cannot carry performances across seasons. I have no doubt we will be much stronger, legal issues aside.

Tickets went on sale for the FA Cup final this week, and City will of course sell out their allocation, and I would wager could sell another 10,000 on top, though there will be blues dotted around other parts of the stadium, especially corporate areas. I already know a number of friends who have ducked out as the cheaper tickets had sold out.  It's almost as if there was context to not selling out the semi-final after all. Fancy that.

Jamie Carragher was back in the spotlight this week, which generally means he has said something stupid again. On this occasion, staggering hypocrisy was the theme, by him naturally. He questioned the right of rival fans to tell Liverpool fans how to think about the impending exit of Trent Alexander Arnold. The hypocrisy is obvious, from a man whose career is modelled on telling other fanbases what to think. Liverpool are unique though, so normal rules do not apply.

The winding down of the contract is simply a convenient excuse to show their true colours. It’s a get-out clause in order to fire abuse at someone who has been at the club for 20 years, because he dared go elsewhere, which as we all know is something most Liverpool fans cannot comprehend. I'm sure if TAA had gone for a transfer fee, all Liverpool fans would graciously accept his departure and wish him all the best, right? We all know this is what Real Madrid do, persuading footballers to wind down their contract in order to join them, with a whopping signing on fee no doubt. And the myopic Liverpool fanbase overlook that if Alexander Arnold had signed a new contract over the past two years, then Real Madrid may have cooled their interest. And Liverpool would have been aggressive over the transfer fee, as is their right.

There was a hilarious side-aspect to Carragher’s comments in the short clip that circulated online. Carragher’s excuse for the reaction of Liverpool fans was that they are emotional (no shit, Sherlock. In other news, water is wet and Ryan Giggs has a wandering eye), as if this is some sort of excuse for their behaviour. But that wasn’t even the best bit.

Talking about their emotional state, he commented, “that’s why you see the scenes that you saw last week when Liverpool won the league, you don’t really see those scenes for a team winning the league, because we are emotional, and football means a lot to us.”

Ah yes, it meant more, didn’t it? I was busy watching my team reach their 3rd successive FA Cup final, so have not seen those unique scenes, nor do I need to, as I know it is hogwash. Whatever went on at Anfield last week as Liverpool won the league, it won’t have been unique, and couldn’t have compared to the circumstances of two of City’s leagues won at the Etihad. Yet again the delusion persists that they are somehow better than everyone else, that everything they do is better, all their players are better. We still have the number-counting for the parade to come. I will probably clean my oven that day.

Oooh, great news everyone, Sky Sports are showing 218 live games next season, how brilliant! All the action, all the time! (see Mitchell & Webb sketch below). That’s 280 live games in total across the networks.

Except it isn't brilliant, is it? It's terrible. We all want to watch our team every time they play, and we cannot always be there, in the ground. I will be frustrated that this weekend’s game at Southampton will not be watchable for me, legally. But what this deal essentially means is another step in the slow death of 3pm kick offs in the Premier League - you know, the best time to play a football match all week (see also: FA Cup Finals). We all know where this leads - more Friday and Sunday night games, and inevitably, one day, City will play a league game outside the UK, and our owners will be happy to agree to it, until the inevitable backlash makes them reconsider. Other leagues will certainly take games abroad - it is merely a matter of time, and it is also a matter of time if we are not there already, that football becomes a sport modelled for TV, and not for the fans in the ground. If you really need to televise everything, then the 3pm blackout must go, and money filtered down the pyramids if it really does affect attendances (I have my doubts). The Inter match this week finished just before midnight local time. How on earth did this become acceptable? And some fans wonder why we protest against owners and those that run the game? Open your eyes.

It’s that time of the year again, as the play offs approach. In fact, Bristol City v Sheffield United will already have taken place by the time you read this (it was a red card, for the record), the first of nine consecutive days of action. I write this prior to the match, and predict Chris Wilder embarrasses himself again at full-time. Fingers crossed.

(Update – damn, he had no reason to).

Play offs are proof that football is not fair, and that entertainment is more important. They have been a part of UK football since 1987, and the benefits are obvious, but fair it is not. Fairer would be for the 3rd place to go straight to the final, but there’s probably not enough money in that.

Still, better than the Belgian league. There are three playoff branches and on top of that one is divided into two sub-groups and the third one leads to yet another playoff, this time involving second division teams. Following the regular season the league divides into three branches with different goals for all teams involved

The top six teams face each other for a second time in the same home and away format with points accumulation deciding the champion, the Champions league and one Europa league place. Points are halved form the season prior to these games, naturally. Those ranked 7th to 14th are divided into two playoff groups of four and face each other on the home and away basis with any points from the regular season totally wiped out. Win the group to advance to the next stage of the playoffs. The two winners meet up in another home and away session with the winner going to the final stage, where a match with the fourth-ranked team from the first group determines the last Belgian quota for the Europa league.

The relegation battle includes the bottom two from the regular season facing each other five times and again accumulating points. The team with fewest points after this marathon is directly relegated while the winner is forced to join another playoff with three second division teams for the final league place for next season. The specific here is that the two bottom teams do not start from scratch but the second to last is given a three-point advantage, which means the bottom one would need to secure at least three wins from five in order to stay alive.

That said, in February a vote saw the format scrapped, so ignore everything I have just said.

THIS WEEK’S WORLD EXCLUSIVE

WHAT I HAVE BEEN WATCHING THIS WEEK

The new series of Taskmaster, of course.

With that in mind, another Stevie Martin clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgqaYEqJWGE

Mitchell & Webb – ALL the football
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MusyO7J2inM

Max Richter – Dona Nobis Pacem 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZp11T8NUuY

Max Richter – November – Mari Samuelsen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jinOTQ9BaU&t=44s

Under Pressure – Aftersun Version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGy2xrY-x7I

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO THIS WEEK

THE 93:20 REVIEW:- FINAL CHAPTER

Ahsan and Ste discuss the tight win over Wolves before turning their attention to the race for Champions League places, chat Gibbs-White and more.

THE 93:20 PODCAST – COME WHAT MAY

Ste, Ally and Howard look forward to what the rest of the season has to offer, from Champions League spots, play-offs, finals and more.

OPPOSITON FAN – SOUTHAMPTON

Howard chats to Saints fan Greg about the most difficult of seasons, with full ranting allowed. Three managers. Dibling, pride and more.

WEEKEND SHOW – SAINT MARY

Ahsan is joined by George and debutant Joe Madden to chat about Saints and the last seven days in City world.

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!