No Question About That - a Manchester United podcast

#1017 | It might be the World Cup, but Ed and Jamie talk football finance with Manchester United refinancing $425m of bonds - replacing them with a $550m private placement. Gross annual interest is up, but with the maturity pushed out and some expensive rolling debt replaced, the impact on United’s bottom line isn’t as serious as some reports. From there, there’s some speculation about how the refinancing impacts the new stadium and what United are likely to do on that front. Then the Bloomberg report that some of the Glazers may sell: the control mechanics, the 2027 clauses, and why outside institutional money sits more comfortably in a stadium vehicle than in the club itself. Finally, Amazon's All or Nothing closes the discussion, its marketing upside against the familiar PR risk.

00:00 Intro and World Cup chat

02:26 United's refinancing

12:46 Stadium financing

18:29 Glazer ownership and a possible sale

29:05 Amazon's All or Nothing

35:13 Transfers and Amorim’s payoff

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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#1016 | Ed and Wayne talk about England's win over Croatia, in which a wobbly first half was followed by a much stronger second. Tuchel’s substitutions, a standout performance from Jude Bellingham, and a Marcus Rashford goal all helped England pick up three points.

But is the balance in midfield right and how will heat and humidity impact the team in the coming games?

Beyond England, Ed and Wayne have been enjoying the expanded tournament, the performance of smaller nations and new refereeing standards. The revived Messi vs Ronaldo debate gets short shrift though!

Then a quick touch on United: players who are performing well in the World Cup, a new Amazon documentary is announced, and there's a new book and podcast series by Wayne.

00:00 England v Croatia, the opener

08:17 Rice, Bellingham and Anderson

16:14 Harry Kane and England's depth

20:19 Messi, Ronaldo and records

25:27 48-team expansion and format

27:27 Refereeing and VAR

34:57 United players at the World Cup

38:33 Transfers and the Amazon documentary

44:32 Wayne's book and podcast

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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#1015 | Ed and Dharnish continue the World Cup preview, working through the groups with the United-related storylines front and centre.

There are players, past and present, in across the World Cup groups: Casemiro, Ederson and Matheus Cunha with Brazil, alongside Morocco's Noussair Mazraoui and Sofyan Amrabat; Scotland's Scott McTominay and late call-up Tyler Fletcher; Turkey's reserve keeper Altay Bayindir; Ivory Coast's Amad; a cluster of ex-United names in the Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia and Sweden groups such as Depay, Weghorst, Hannibal, Lindelöf, and Elanga; Belgium's Lukaku; Portugal's Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Cristiano Ronaldo; Argentina's Lisandro Martínez.

The show ends with a deeper dive into England with some interesting choices made by Tuchel already. Will it pay off? Then there are some predictions. Terrible ones, no doubt.

00:00 Intro

04:41 Group A

05:42 Group B

06:35 Group C

12:33 Group D

15:30 Ad Break 1

15:48 Group E

19:25 Group F

22:20 Group G

26:16 Group H

29:28 Group I

34:53 Group J

36:29 Group K

41:08 Ad Break 2

41:29 Group L

50:41 Close & Predictions

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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#1014 | Ed and Tom look past the football at the expanded 2026 World Cup in the US. The focus is the off-pitch mess: visa and border problems, geopolitical tension, and reports of players and staff held for long stretches at US border control. Bans restricting fans from certain countries sit awkwardly against the tournament's "welcome the world" branding, and the gap between the message and the environment gets a hard look.

Ticketing comes in for the heaviest criticism. FIFA's high, dynamically priced model and its resale marketplaces amount to legalised touting, with fees stacked on top. The result might well be uneven pricing and stadiums that sit half empty.

Player welfare closes things out. Heat and humidity, water breaks that double as ad slots, and pitches rolled out over NFL turf all point to conditions built for revenue rather than the people on the field. Behind it sits FIFA's $13bn revenue target and Infantino's grip on the money through FIFA Forward.

00:00 Introduction

03:52 Geopolitics and Iran

05:02 Visa Bans and Fan Access

13:37 Ticket Prices and FIFA's Money

14:42 FIFA's Revenue 

22:59 Infantino and the FIFA Forward Programme

35:32 Player Welfare, Heat and Pitches

44:24 Stadium Experience and American Sports Culture

51:49 Wrap-Up

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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#1013 | Ed and Dominic discuss United’s deal to sign midfielder Ederson from Atalanta for around £35m plus add-ons. There’s been a muted reaction from fans but his standout physicality and counter-pressing should offer something the squad is missing, although concerns about his limited inventiveness in passing are fair. A useful squad option if United add two more midfielders, with Matheus Fernandes also progressing. There are rumors of United’s interest in Lewis Hall and Marcus Rashford has an uncertain future amid Barcelona’s spending. Finally, 12 United players will be going to World Cup and another 20 or so players and coaches have United connections.

00:00 Ederson Signs!

03:55 Analysing Ederson's Traits

08:10 Arsenal, PSG and the Rivalry

15:55 Matteus Fernandes

20:50 Lewis Hall 

24:30 Rashford, Barcelona and Finances

33:29 World Cup Preview: United Connections

34:58 Football Shirts, Kickoff Times and Wrap

If you are interested in supporting the show and accessing a weekly exclusive bonus episode, check out our Patreon page or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Supporter funded episodes are ad-free. NQAT is available on all podcast apps and in video on YouTube. Hit that subscribe button, leave a rating and write a review on Apple or Spotify.
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