Men in Blazers: The FA Cup, Liverpool, and Luis Suarez’s Handball, With Special Guest John Oliver

Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images Luis Suarez

Apparently, England’s antiquated past is the new present here in the U.S. The weekend offered a welcome return of everyone’s favorite aristocratic family, the Crawleys, of PBS’s Downton Abbey. We laughed, we cried, we gasped at the audacity of Sir Anthony’s bold sexual advances upon Lady Edith’s virtue. Elsewhere on the dial, the FA Cup made its network broadcast debut in suitably dramatic fashion, proving there’s still life in the old dog yet. Needless to say, both developments brought much joy to the Men in Blazers in this week’s pod, as Michael Davies and Roger Bennett borrow George Michael’s Sports Machine, traveling across the English countryside to recap these far-flung matches featuring the likes of Mansfield Town and Cheltenham. Get ready for a geography lesson, America.

Of course, the biggest story from the weekend was Luis Suarez’s handball game winner, dashing the hopes of Mansfield’s escort turned CEO. To examine just how Liverpool supporters can stomach their morally dubious striker, the Blazers welcome GFOP, comedian, and Liverpudlian John Oliver back to the pod to offer his thoughts and expectations for his beloved club. If you’re a fellow fan of the Reds, prepare to lower the bar.

Listen to this podcast here.

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Michael Davies and Roger Bennett host Men in Blazers live on SiriusXM Ch. 92/207, Mondays and Fridays at 9 a.m. EST. Follow the show on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, and sign up for the GFOP newsletter.

Filed Under: Downton Abbey, English Premier League, Grantland Network, Liverpool, Michael Davies, Roger Bennett, Soccer