Footballing Necromancy, The Acoustics of Booing, and Why Arsenal Fans Are Larry King
I sat down this weekend hoping for a disastrous hate-watch. You know the kind—where you crack a beer, put your feet up, and pray for your rivals to implode. Instead? I got what Rog called "footballing necromancy." The dead rising. Teams getting booed off the pitch only to storm back and win. It was exhausting. It was brilliant.
And frankly, listening to Rog and Rory Smith break down the psychology of it all felt a bit like a therapy session I didn't know I needed.
The Larry King Paradox
There was this moment in the pod where Rog compared Arsenal fans to the late, great Larry King. It’s perfect. Larry was married eight times to seven women. He kept believing in love. Arsenal fans? They’re the anti-Larry.
They’ve been hurt so many times—the near misses, the collapse at the finish line—that they’ve stopped believing in the romance. They’re just waiting for the divorce papers to be served.
Even when they pummel Leeds 4-0. Even when they’re four points clear.
Rory made a sharp point about this:
"It’s a fan base that has been raised on memories of the Invincibles... by the time you get to year four [of a title challenge], you're really stressed."
It’s almost pathological. The win at Elland Road wasn't joyous; it was clinical. A vice tightening. I loved the visual of Arsenal just "wafting dandruff" off their shoulders. That’s the energy.
The Acoustics of Misery
But the real meat of this episode—and the part that made me laugh out loud on the train—was the discussion about the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It’s a marvel of engineering, right? Designed by acousticians to trap noise, to keep the cheers inside the bowl.
But what happens when the noise is 60,000 people booing their own players?
Rory’s theory: The architects never ran a simulation for "Wet Wednesday in November when we're losing."
Rog’s theory: The booing is actually working.
It’s a causal connection. Spurs were abysmal against City in the first half (dry January energy), got booed into oblivion, and then... woke up. Solanke’s scorpion kick? That wasn't just a goal; it was a glitch in the matrix. A moment of improvisation that felt totally out of step with the "pauper form" Spurs have been in.
Maybe we should all be booed at work. Might improve my productivity on Mondays.
The Carrick Renaissance & God’s Plan
We have to talk about Manchester United because, apparently, Michael Carrick is working miracles. Three wins on the bounce? Casemiro looking like a "human cube" of competence again?
It’s the narrative arc of Benjamin Sesko that got me, though. The big-money flop, the guy everyone wrote off, scoring the winner and revealing a "God's Plan" tattoo on his stomach.
It’s corny. It’s dramatic. It’s exactly why we watch this stupid sport.
Rog noted that United are playing the "hits" again—late winners, grit, undeserved victories snatched from the jaws of a draw. It feels nostalgic. Dangerous, even.
Golden Nugget
There were a lot of great lines, but Rory’s take on the unintended consequences of stadium design wins the day:
"It is inherently quite funny to think that the architects of that Spurs stadium were like, 'How will we make sure the cheers are as loud as possible?' and it never once occurred to them that it would also be used for booing."
Final Thoughts
This wasn't just a review of the matches; it was a look at how fragile confidence is. Arsenal is terrified of their own shadow (and Michael Cera-esque City). Spurs are bullying themselves into competence. United are riding a vibe.
If you listen to one part, skip to the discussion on "celebrating non-celebrations" regarding Anthony Gordon. The layers of etiquette involved in not celebrating a goal against a team you might want to join later? It’s 4D chess. Or just pettiness. Probably both.
Listen to Men In Blazers: https://podranker.com/podcast/men-in-blazers