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€960 for a Draw?! Killian’s Travel Nightmare, Spurs’ Struggles & LOI’s Big Stadium Debate
43 Plays14 days ago
This week on Not A Pundit, Killian, Conor, and Nate are back to discuss the highs and lows of football, from thrilling matches to frustrating club decisions. Killian recounts his chaotic (and expensive) journey to watch Sunderland in action, while the lads debate the latest in the Premier League, including Rashford’s fresh start, Spurs’ struggles, and whether the League of Ireland is growing the right way. Plus, listener comments spark some fiery responses—especially when it comes to financial fair play. Tune in for football talk with a side of banter!
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Transcript
Introduction and Hosts' Camaraderie
00:00:18
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Nara Pundit podcast. My name is Killeen Ginnity and I'm delighted to be joined as ever by Connor Glennon and Nathan Byrne. Yes, we are still together despite being at each other's throats last week. Gentlemen, family therapy has gone well. how but blow My blood pressure has gone down finally. You really knew which button to press last week, but ah ah listening back to the episode, of it it made for a good chat, so all in good fun.
Killeen's Football Match Experience
00:00:48
Speaker
I'm ready for round two. I i don't know if I could take round two.
00:00:56
Speaker
I'm great. Like it's just great to be proven right constantly and seeing our comments to agree with me. It was it was always but always good. But not everything was good with me. um I think see my beloved Sunline in the same light against Watford which is great and I brought my girlfriend to her first ever football match. For her sins. She did actually enjoy it and keep an eye on our social channels for more on that later in the week. But it was not all fun and games getting there. Oh really? what Why was that killing him?
00:01:31
Speaker
so But I was gifted the tickets. So I decided I'm going to go the night before because the game was at half twelve. So perfect. Organize the car, accommodation, going to do it right. You arrive at the airport, go up and some the guy behind the camera goes, oh, this is this ticket is for the 7th of March, not the 7th. Did you did you think he was joking?
00:01:59
Speaker
I was like, I am wrong. No, seven to March. Right. Okay. ah He goes, leave it with me. Now bear in mind, this was within the two and a half hour window before your flight. And at that point, Ryan air or Brian air, uh, does not sell you your a new ticket and won't do it. Oh, they don't sell you anything. I'm like, no, not really. Um, unless they have space for it.
00:02:28
Speaker
and your man went off and he was very helpful, very nice and fair player to him and he kind of came back i of but in the interim and this is where I'm going to hold my hands up and say it's not always me there was a family behind me and another guy behind me all the same issue all going to the UK all the same dates and I'm kind of like hmm is it us?
00:02:52
Speaker
oh I have a car that I had to pick up on the other side. I had accommodation I had to get to. The game was so early the next day I didn't want to miss it. So I paid to change to basically change the ticket. How much for the pleasure?
00:03:11
Speaker
To get there was 220 euro ahead.
00:03:17
Speaker
441 euro. And to come back was going to cost me another 350. Now I went with a different ah Shamrock branded airline.
00:03:29
Speaker
It was on one of the regional propeller planes, which fits about 12 people. and oh the old air aon tes do scary um like I didn't eat beforehand in case we were going to be overweight. so and So that was another 200 euro for the pleasure, but I didn't get the refund for the ah old one because it was amending the tickets.
Sunderland Match Highlights and Analysis
00:03:51
Speaker
So to get to Sunderland, not even just on just get to Newcastle and back, because that's where the airport was, cost me in my pocket around 960 odd euros.
00:04:04
Speaker
Just to watch Sunderland draw To watch Sunderland draw was the hard part. course um after after after After the strife of it, what what was the game like? The game was great, the atmosphere was great, um very entertaining, disappointing for a lot of it. It didn't play great but I got to I got to see some of the players beforehand, Wilton Isidore, Anzela Fee, Chris Rigg, Gluc0 9, even got to spot our owners, Sarah Louis-Rifas and Juan Satori, very, very rich people, which which was great.
00:04:38
Speaker
got to see Danny Collins, the former Sunderland Wales and Stoke player, who does our EFL TV fan thing, that he's one of our presenters. and So it was a great, great experience overall. And we were in Quinn's Bar, which is kind of like, you're not in the general public, you have your own kind of bar. And what was great about it as well is, and I was kind of really delighted to be there as early as we as we were, was you get a free meal with it. And because the game was so early, we got a free ah breakfast back. oh you the full english experience is is is so yeah with proper comp cumberland sausages and so all in all i am poorer grayer and somehow happier to have gone so like i actually haven't been to an fa cup game before i don't think so anyway what was the atmosphere like
00:05:29
Speaker
It wasn't an epic, it was championship. Oh, sorry. yeah my brain's yeah A little dig. um No, no, no. it was It was championship game and considering it was only ah another weekly game and with Watford, it was more important for Watford to get a result higher than for us. and Our side held our own.
00:05:49
Speaker
Tom Clevery is actually a decent manager. I'll give it to him. Master of the dark arts. He wound winds up players. no i know um i i know here's how it to do her I know I speak for an eight when I say this, big fan of that. Okay, but like he is at 12 to the championship. no i got for Yeah, but the championship is tight this
Financial Dynamics in Football
00:06:10
Speaker
year. i Even I'll admit that. um Where are the backups sitting at the moment? We are four, I think.
00:06:18
Speaker
Okay, so you're still in the hunt, well in the hunt. Yeah, like we're we're wi way into the hunt. I'm not worried about our position after of the game yet, we're fourth. We're two points behind Burnley ahead of us and we're 12 points ahead of Wes Brom and fifth.
00:06:33
Speaker
Oh yeah, okay, we kind of you're somewhat cruising. Yeah, we're we're nailed on for playoffs at this point. I i will say though, I know we've talked about it on the pub before the playoffs. I don't, like my heart goes out even as much as I hate Sunderland as a team, the playoffs are rough. Like that is not an enjoyable existence.
00:06:52
Speaker
But it is one of the most entertaining parts of football. 100%. It is class. You get some of the best, I suppose, TV. Like, should that Dean Windas go? How many times has that been replayed on Sky over the last however many years? Who was it? Watford and... Oh, when they ran the pitch and scored. Yeah, yeah. The poidini last minute of, was it even extra time? Like, it it produces some of the best moments and some of the biggest heartbreaks. and so You know what I've always found funny, or not always, what I've recently found funny about the playoffs is, you know, that used to be the £100 million pound game and that was the one you wanted to win because it gave you a transfer budget.
00:07:31
Speaker
Now 100 million isn't like 100 million when you won the playoffs 10 years ago versus 100 million now is a very different proposition. Like that in terms of what you can go out and buy for that 100 million. Well see it's it's no longer 100 million it's actually much much more when you put in your parachute payments. Oh fair. So you'll get 100 million to get to the Premier League but if that's why teams don't mind going down is because when they come down they'll have so much more money than every other team in the championship.
00:07:56
Speaker
They can make a better go a second time round. Exactly. See, isn't this the beauty of football? I can never relate to a playoff final. And you can't relate to i'm a final 100 million pound player. this This is the beauty of football.
00:08:11
Speaker
Yeah, well, you're the only one out of all of us in mid-table. Oh, God. okay there's There's only one team here making redundancies for the second time in a season. Yeah, like i know I know we had a a lot of chat about you know how to make clubs profitable last week. and And without bringing up that family feud again, I was very sad to see another, is it 100 people?
00:08:36
Speaker
I think I saw 100 on the athletics so that's what 250 last summer 100 this time around like look maybe the club needs trim and I don't know Nate but I mean it's it's it's never nice to see that because you know it's people that have probably been there for donkey's years uh yeah like it's it's obviously sad and to be honest there hasn't been a great amount of communication about it um but yeah like obviously it's sad and You know, the club will have the reasons why they did it, whether that's good enough, I don't i don't know, and personally, because I don't know what they are, but and yeah, it's sad
Impact of Ownership Changes
00:09:13
Speaker
safe. it just seems It just seems like yet another, like, even if those redundancies were needed, would you not try kick that can down the road for a while? Because like, it just seems to be...
00:09:22
Speaker
poor optics after poor optics after poor optics and it's they just need to get some quick wins under the belt because look I'm not saying it's a dumpster fire look it's a project club we all knew that that was going to be the case for the foreseeable but it just seems from an ownership perspective they're theyre they're really ah not helping themselves at least from an image point of view. Radcliffe has a lawsuit to pay for. What are you talking about?
00:09:48
Speaker
the The All Blacks team are suing INEOS for not making any payments towards the and ah the training agreement that they had promised them. I think the wheels are generally coming off that ownership bus where any goodwill that could have been is is very quickly evaporating and unless things start turning on the pitch, it's it's an extension of the Glazers ownership as far as I'm concerned.
00:10:16
Speaker
But like I personally think discussing, like and I've had this debate myself, is where you're like, oh, do the owners even care? I don't think like Radcliffe cares from day one. I don't think he will ever care. it's like And obviously, that's annoying as a United fan, but That's how he is. like So when you say he doesn't care, what's what's his... like like i I don't think he hears what people say about the decision. OK, yeah. Do you know what I mean? He's kind of just like, I'll do what I'll do and i'll when it works out, they'll shout my name kind of thing. Yeah, like I genuinely think he's a multi-villain there and how he is. He's like, I don't care what people think. God made these decisions. And seemingly none of the decisions he's come out and had to speak on. So that's clearly how he feels.
00:11:01
Speaker
Yeah, it kind of has a kind of autocratic hold on them, where ah he answers to nobody, which rightly or wrongly is is the deal that he has done.
Player Performance and Social Media Influence
00:11:12
Speaker
But speaking of Man United deals, Marcus Rashford has made his debut for Villainite. The game we'll touch you on, but the bits around the game, um Instagram may be not the best tool for former or current Man United players.
00:11:30
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's just Sarah Grapes. And to me, I find it quite funny because it's like, yeah, fellas, you make 150 grand a week grow up. For those that missed it, missed it what what went on?
00:11:43
Speaker
And so like I think Marcus Rashford put up a post there to the Villa fans or whatever. And and Jaden Sancho came out and goes, freedom. I was like, my initial thought was like, Jesus God, God help me. I wish someone locked me up getting 350 grand a week. That's how I initially felt. We asked, there's grown children at this stage.
00:12:08
Speaker
Well they literally are. yeah and But I have to say though about Rashford's debut itself, I thought he played fine, and better than I had expected him. I didn't get to watch the whole match but did I saw enough of it to kind of have an opinion on it and To be honest, what I thought was most impressive of it was Unai Emery's tactical nous to kind of change the game and change how the team was operating to accommodate him. So himself and Asenio both came on for the last 30 minutes and the two of them kind of played up front.
00:12:44
Speaker
So rather than having a venue behind Rashford where you you kind of expect in their normal formation, they had them side by side, which then actually allowed ah Rashford to kind of float out left and the likes of Marlin or Ramsey could then kind of go in center and caught in and Asenio be that kind of top guy because he's he's a 10, yeah, but he's a big enough dude. Yeah.
00:13:09
Speaker
And like I thought it was just really interesting to kind of see how Emery obviously signed them with a plan. Well, that's the thing that i like we were saying last week, and I think I touched on it in the fact that, look, Emery's not a buffoon. Like he wouldn't have made this move. He doesn't think it's going to work. Um, or at least has the possibility to but work. Look, it's down to Rashford. We know that. I think one thing that I didn't see too much of his performance. I won't lie. But one thing I was glad to hear now, this obviously sounds like the bare minimum for a professional athlete, but Emery did say he trained incredibly well.
00:13:43
Speaker
since he's come into the club and that's been something that's been, you know, a black mark against him for a couple of years now. So look, I really hope it works out for him. It seems like Emery has a plan in place that it can work out if Rashford's willing to put in the work.
00:13:59
Speaker
um Nate, has your opinion changed on Rashford's move, having kind of gotten to see him in in the colours now and see him under Emery?
00:14:11
Speaker
and No, not really. and I watched the game and i initially was like, okay, this optically just looks weird, like seeing them in a... Yeah, it doesn't seem like it. It did look odd, yeah. I was like, what's going on here? And then, you know, with the BS that's happened after it and like how they act and, you know, I'm... far from Simon Jordan's biggest fan on talksport or whatever, everybody calls him. yeah Like he said, he can handle home truths and I think that goes for Sancho and Rachard. That's not the player that we signed from the academy, you know what I mean? and He's a totally different person, you can see it his attitude is just
00:14:52
Speaker
God knows where. And like, yeah, that's a product of what the club has been for a very long time. But personally speaking, and it's a big thing to say is I've no connections to America's Rashford anymore. I really don't, I don't, I don't identify, like, I don't mean in a rude way, I don't identify. and sport I don't have that connection when I'm as a fan. to it which Which is a shame because, you know, and I think for a good while you were trying to defend them and and in in what can be defended. And, you know, he is a great example or sorry, was a great example of a youth player that kind of went through all ranks of the club and really made it. So it's it's a shame to see it kind of go off a cliff. The thing that I was
00:15:33
Speaker
really surprised to see and you know we touched on this as well of Willy kind of sheds the people around him that have been really I suppose affecting his football and from what I've read I don't know how true this is but I've seen it in a couple of publications that he hasn't moved house. He's commuting from his current place, which is like a good two-hour drive to training. So this is again, I know the John Duran situation got shut down by by Al Nasser saying that that is not the truth, that he is flying 80 minutes of training and apparently does have a house close to the ground, but little things like that for Rashford are, they become big things in a dressing room very fast.
00:16:16
Speaker
especially when like the team has been kind of generally over performing and doing so well and as we said last week they don't necessarily need him yeah they have a plan from but they don't necessarily need Ashford needs them they don't need him yeah when you have the likes of Rogers coming true and obviously Mal and that the just signed like Ramsey there already like I would always be worried about sowing any seeds of discontent when things are going well.
FA Cup Surprises and Team Management Challenges
00:16:43
Speaker
But there was a seed of discontent sown over the weekend. Plymouth 1, Liverpool 0, Nate. Isn't this beauty? The wheels are falling off. No. The wheels are falling off today. No, this this is just the beauty of the f FA Cup. Yeah, that's what you call it. and
00:17:07
Speaker
Obviously the wheels aren't falling off, but like, you never know what a slip might turn into a big fall. I'm not praying here, guys. i and i don't know slept It's a slip, not a tumble. I don't know about you, Nate. I think it's just a case of, you know, they're top of the Champions League table. They're top of the league table. They've got a Carabé Cup final. Something's got to break. And I think for the how far they are in the tournament. It was just the one that they they kind of had to take a knee on. And if the yeah if the younger lads got through great, if they didn't, come what may, you know. Hey, Jurgen Klopp would have wanted to stay in all them competitions. And that's my point though, because remember not too long ago, they were going for four trophies. And did they get one at the end? Yeah. Well, i somebody like, it's not like they had a bad team out in the weekend. No. It was it was it enough teams for first in the league to to be last in the championship.
00:18:01
Speaker
Yeah, I just didn't click for them. I thought it was hilarious. And Queen Keller had a the most shots on target tied with other players. I thought that was that's a magical start. Like you feel bad for the fans to pay to go watch that. like Get him his big transfer move. Put him up top. I don't care. Wherever he can play, just get him that move. It was gas. And yeah, like I don't think there's much we can read into it, but like I'm just praying here. and It's things you love to see. we can It can definitely go like in that that ah category. Another one, I don't know if you boys caught it, was Leighton Orient against City. Leighton Orient really put in a great shift and pushed them very, very close. You know, they had to rely on the big boys.
00:18:46
Speaker
of De Bruyne coming back and they nearly leveled it with with two minutes to go, but I mean hats off to Leighton Orient, they really, it wasn't, like don't get me wrong, City played poor, but it wasn't a case of the Leighton Orient got lucky in the way they were playing, they really played some coordinated football and fair play.
00:19:05
Speaker
um Obviously we touched on Villa with Rashford but we should really touch on the other side of that tie who did not come out on top which is Tottenham. Connor, we've kind of touched on it before. Are we going to lose the normal one this year?
00:19:23
Speaker
I think so. um I look, things in football can change very quickly. You win three or four games in a row and people think you're great, but they don't look like they're going to do that. and The football they're playing is not great. Yes, they're fleeced with injuries. I do think it's a case of the roads running out for them. You know, I threw it in the group chat during the week. It stinks of ah April sacking with a, you know, Mason coming in as caretaker to the end of the season because let's face it i don't think it'll be in the next couple of weeks i'll probably eat my words when i say that but it doesn't seem to be anyone around who'd be sticking their hands up for that job straight away um so for me ah unfortunately i think we'll be losing the normal one what are you saying uh yeah well ultimately results not now and i think what's worse is the fans are turning on them that's see that's where i think that where it's quick coming untenable it's getting nasty like
00:20:17
Speaker
Nate, what do you think? like It would be a shame to lose him because the football is good, but when he's when he's coming out and saying that himself, like are we not entertaining you? It's not a great defense. Well, it's good when you're not a spiritual. May I just say it would not be a shame to lose him because may I go back to it again? Nate is right again in terms of I said this fellow was a fraud from the beginning. and I said he was all talk, nobody. Look what's happened. The wheels have fallen off. and Yeah, his beautiful football is not very beautiful anymore, is it, when he's shipping four goals a game? Well, I don't think you can necessarily blame him when this is consistently manager on and manager being and having problems. I can't blame him when I go back and watch that one Chelsea game where he literally played. I'm not defending every game, but I know to say like i gone the sold him on him.
00:21:10
Speaker
I put a lot of blame on him in terms of the way he's handled himself in the job. I've never seen someone be so arrogant about a position. Going back to the comment about, oh, yeah, we always win in my second season, we really don't play. That was mental, though. That may be true, and you could be statistically true, but why put undue pressure on yourself?
00:21:36
Speaker
the Like he the journalist would have been licking their lips when they heard that. That's their headline sword and they can drag him over the coals if it doesn't happen. Like there's the the the risk versus reward and that makes no sense. And he's done it multiple times. So like to me that's just amateur. out It really is. So do you think that he became so fixated on the ah cult of personality around himself and the and the facade that he made of himself that he kind of just that that was his defense going forward and he could just do whatever he wanted and he was untouchable because of what people thought he was. Yeah I think I genuinely think Celtic buffed up his ego a bit like and I mean that like I look i like Celtic I'm ah ah a Celtic enjoyer but
00:22:21
Speaker
A Celtic enjoyer, that's a new one. like I'm not a Celtic fan, like I can't pledge that, but I love a Celtic win, you know what I mean? yeah But in terms of... like I think he got a bit too big for his boots off what he'd done at the Scottish League, I'll say that. Well, I think, you know, we've seen it happen before with managers and I don't want to say smaller leagues because like Celtic are one of the biggest clubs in the world as our Rangers. But, you know, same thing happened with Jared, our Rangers. I think he got a bit too big for his boots when he came down, down south, you know?
Tottenham's Managerial and Ownership Speculations
00:22:53
Speaker
They are like different qualities of leagues like we can. Yeah, but it just goes back to how he, how he deals with himself. Do you know what I mean? Things he's saying in the media. It's like, to me, that's an ego problem.
00:23:06
Speaker
So do you think that he has been operating under the assumption that he is bigger than its players and in regards to the club's plans? I don't know about that. I think he's been operating under the assumption that he's better than he is and he knows more than he does. I agree with that. I think it's more of that. I don't know. i To be honest, I it's to me it seems like he was sold a plan and he's bought into it and basically told seems as probably all Tottenham managers are told yeah we're gonna build this around you come what may and we get like we're giving you a three-year contract or whatever it is and you're gonna see out your contract and you can develop your team over that time and I'd say he expects that to still be the case whereas as we've seen time and time again with Tottenham that's not what happens
00:23:55
Speaker
The only the only way I see him staying in the job for further than April is now I don't know how again true these rumors are. but I think the fans have had a tumultuous relationship with Daniel Levy. There's rumors circulating that he's flirting with the idea of new ownership. And if that is there's no point if that is to happen, if a new owner has come in and take over Tottenham, there's no point in Levy getting a new manager for then that ownership group to probably get a new manager. So I think it's going to be the case within the next few months, either Levy goes or
00:24:34
Speaker
past the cog who goes, I think definitely one of them. I just don't know which one's going to happen first. So is he heading back to Celtic after? This is what I was going to say. about It's like, where does he go? Like, honestly, I think he's been showing up a good bit. Like I, and, you know, I could say one thing or another is like, I think Ted, I got done with that thing is where he's he's been showing up in the Premier League, this and that. The same still applies for but for uh, Amsterdam, you know what I mean? And like, and I hate to have backed up one game where, and we've seen multiple games where his tactics have been all all over the place, is I think a lot of that comes down to what he got away with in smaller leagues. That's my opinion.
00:25:18
Speaker
you know wrong I think he's he's gonna have a ah probably a better opportunity with a better club if he does go then you may expect I think it'd be kind of but like who you say for upper mid table Bundesliga lower mid table Premier League like I think a clever club will take him on if shabilan if and when Shabi Alonza goes, they recuse him. I think a Brighton could look at him. Any of them kind of slightly more upwardly mobile. ah
00:25:52
Speaker
less politicking Yeah. Were there a little bit more kind of going, no, we're, we're a coaching team. We're going to bring you in and you're going to develop. And if you need a little bit of time, we'll give you us just don't take this. This may be recency bias, but like, is he capable of that with the clubs that big? Because yes, like take out, take Celtic as a club are gigantic, but take out like the the prestige of Celtic. They're a very.
00:26:21
Speaker
lower Premier League team, like Zinn, in terms of the resources as he's used to, can he code it at the top level in Europe? Yeah, of course um like he Like he did it within the top level of Japan. He did it in the internet. Small market again, you know? Rapid fan base and a rapidly growing football fan base. so ah Celtic, I don't care what anybody says, it's a politically difficult job with fans that are overly into it. yeah and um i think easy so far joe
00:26:54
Speaker
ah i think i think the I think you're right, the footballing side of it's easier, the political side of it's harder. Yeah, but when you look at the likes of the Bundesliga, where the football would be a a little bit more forgiving than the Premier League, shall we say, and the politics end of it would be a lot more like Celtic, I think he could handle that perfectly. And the other thing we have to remember here, um Simon, I'm sorry, but when's the last time a Tottenham fan actually liked any of their managers?
00:27:21
Speaker
it's you know why there there is There is that. like and you look at the It's getting to a point and that's why I'm saying about the levy on ownership group moving on because how many managers are they going to cycle through before someone admits there's deeper problems there. But has Andrew done any, there is a question about this, has Andrew done anything to appreciate during his time as Spurs?
00:27:44
Speaker
No. like and not and and i the biggest The biggest, not concern, the biggest kind of surprise for me was when he started using Madison as an impact player as opposed to a a starter. like it it it didn't i think That's your guy that you brought in. I don't get that. like He did something to impress me. What? He handled the cane transition perfectly. The biggest change that club had in a better game. I think that i think that was pain and he handled it perfectly i think it was that was an easy one.
00:28:18
Speaker
No, no, no. When when we were all talking we were all talking about it beforehand, we all said that this could go one way or the other. That deal was like done though before he joined. Yeah. he Like if anything, it makes his life easier coming into a cone. Well, I'm not the one who got rid of him. I just managed the guys I got here. Yeah. But the thing was what straight away after he hit the ground running without him. I mean, and we can't forget that. And like when you're still reliant on son to two years, probably after he should have been sold, like it was that the summer that Kane left
00:28:55
Speaker
Really so saw if kane wasn't even you would begin with a song you would get rid of one of them because he's not at the peak of his powers anymore and he got a great tune out of them in the post-kane era and he kept them to be very very solid after that when we've seen with other clubs when they lead lose their big players that they can take a serious level.
00:29:13
Speaker
Just on like on the cane point, I saw, um apparently there's a release clause in his contract that this summer he's 65 million to buy and the next summer he's 55. That's not bad business. Not saying back to Spurs, but I'm saying for that kind of money, you could do a hell of a lot worse. I've seen him linked with Arsenal.
Player Transfer Strategies and Economic Considerations
00:29:30
Speaker
that would just never happen. It'd be brilliant but he'd never do it. To see Darren Bend and Soul Campbell both saying that he he would consider it. You've got some really reliable blokes there. Darren Bend and Soul Campbell. Well Soul Campbell haven't made the move.
00:29:49
Speaker
Yeah, there's not a not a chance. Kane's England captain, he's not going to do that. yeah I could see United down there if we got a fiver back for Heuland.
00:30:02
Speaker
ah Just do a swap and Heuland become like Lewandowski in the Bundesliga. It'd be just United's luck. I don't think the fellas would become Lewandowski in any league. go go Do we see Kane back in the Premier League at any point?
00:30:16
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know if he's okay. If he's up for it, I think United would do it. Do you think he's just coming to break Shira's record though? Like I'm not even trying to shoehorn in Newcastle in that shot. Yeah. I think it's the only reason why he comes back because any club that's going to win the Premier League are not going to sign them. He's what? He's like 40 odd off it, isn't he?
00:30:40
Speaker
he Yeah, he's probably two years away, realistically. Yeah, like two decent years. Yeah. But then I think he's worth it. I think he's worth it. If he's hungry to break that record, I think he's worth it. If United can get him for sub 60 million and he wants to break the record, that'll be... Well, it's it's like bringing in... Van Persie when he came into United. Like that could shake up the dressing room in that way and you know you're just getting them for a couple of years and that's going to be that. But look at that transfer that worked out majestically. Remember we saw him come behind and he was actually killing him for it. At his age like he was actually killing him. And then you sign him right now and just scuppered the whole thing that was working. They were the one that really was, Foul Cow was there and his knee just blew up wasn't it? Yeah and then he went to Chelsea.
00:31:28
Speaker
I'm sure you did about Hendrick Larson to great success as well back in the day. Yeah. When it works, it works. You know, sometimes these punts are worth it. But we have obviously lots and lots of clips and stuff from last week. So I do before we move on, I do want to actually touch on some of the comments from ah the tuned in from last week in regards to our PS or um Family feud. Is this where I get called an op-ed?
00:32:04
Speaker
I'm sorry, I deleted that comment. um So on one of the clips, Arsenal also had a £250 war chest and haven't been able to spend near that much since on the back of views, basically saying that if we have all this money, why can't we spend it? um On ah Marcus Rashford, isn't it crazy that Rashford has just become a body for a team? Do you think he asks to stay or pushes for a move outside the Premier League this summer?
00:32:32
Speaker
Do you want to take that one? I think it's a bit like what he should do versus what he will do. and I think he probably will stay in the Premier League, that's where the money is and where he is astronomical. and He's still got four years left on that deal.
00:32:50
Speaker
and If he's serious about getting is there his career back on track, I think he needs to look at the bundles against Serie A. Maybe even the Spanish league, I think there're there are ways to get back into it. and if he's I think it all just comes down to what he thinks and what he wants to do and it will be very evident with his decision.
00:33:12
Speaker
I think I've mirrored Nate's comments on that and I think the only one potentially that people should look out for is the likes of a PSG move. um I think they they have the money to be able to give him what he wants, the lifestyle from from living in Paris point of view. So I hope he doesn't make a move like that and he goes more down the route that than Nate's own.
00:33:33
Speaker
Yeah, well that's kind of what I think. I'm surprised at how well Emery's handled him. I don't know if he'll get the game time that he actually wants come the end of the year and that may may push him. Camilo dot.tv on Instagram. Biggest difference between Man United and Barcelona, and this is when we were talking about and financial rules and I said, look, but the Barcelona, we don't want that happening if I'm late.
00:33:55
Speaker
ah Barcelona are literally intertwined into economics of the city via the socio-model, Gulf-backed loans and tax benefits. United on the other hand, while recovering breaks on infrastructure, really doesn't get back much. I agree Barcelona will always be saved, whereas United it would need another ownership group to save them. We need a European salary cap or something adjacent to the NBA aprons.
00:34:19
Speaker
I think ultimately that will enable supporters to own clubs again and have a say and make for real parity. I mean look, I'd i'd i'd love to see a fan own the model again, share it to anyone who watched Dream Team back in the day. um But yeah, no really interesting comment there. I think he's right from a ah new ownership group, he's from a ah Man United, I do think a Europe wide salary cap would be tricky to navigate just based off the fact that each league has different TV deals and different money within us. ah So I think I'm all up for a salary cap. I just think it would probably have to be localized more than than Europe wide.
00:35:03
Speaker
and I will politely disagree. and I think if that's what you want, I think the MLS is for you. and I personally don't. In regards to Unite and how their debt is structured is, there's really no benefit for Unite claiming that it doesn't hinder us in any way. and Apart from the interest repayments. Yeah, but but like that's the that's the reason why we keep it open is because the the like the actual downside to it would be if we paid it. That'd be so much money going out of the club where now we can just keep it in our means and to me that's perfectly fine.
00:35:42
Speaker
Well, I think part part of the point that's kind of interesting is the sense that like, especially you've seen it now with, as we touched on earlier, the Radcliffe firings that user kind of losing that depend, that community dependencies that's currently on the club but that would potentially encourage a government or state in help should the need ever arise. Whereas Barcelona have maintained that.
00:36:11
Speaker
Possibly. I like, as I said, if the club, you don't want to be in the position that you ever need that though. yes If the club's not properly, then it won't be in that position ever. So that's. Thanks for the comment though. Really interesting.
00:36:23
Speaker
at Big Boy Shit 1 on YouTube. um ah hu no Have it independently regulated. Changing sponsorship rules six days after a takeover feels a bit corrupt. This came out in the Man City court case. The EPL claims they have been planning to change anyway, but then couldn't produce any evidence.
00:36:48
Speaker
So we've got a city fan on our hands here. like and i I kind of read that a little bit as a new potential Newcastle fan. When that started out, it was like, OK, we're going to navigate this. Yeah, that sounded right up my alley. and look It's kind of like a middle ground from what we were all saying. So it's not exactly free reign, but it'd be independent so that the league aren't the ones deciding. Yeah, I'm totally down for that look. I mean, my only thing with that is there is talk of an independent regulator at at the moment. I think there is some sort of regulator in place currently and it's not very transparent.
Financial Regulations and Sponsorship Transparency
00:37:19
Speaker
um I think whether it's an independent regulator or a governing body regulator, I think there just needs to be transparency to it and legal ramifications for for breaking it that are clear and obvious because there's there's too much gray area at the moment.
00:37:34
Speaker
And just in terms of sponsorship thing is, I don't really know how this is personally still a big issue in the Premier League. Because I just think any sponsorship deals should be thoroughly investigated regardless. Do you know what I mean? yeah and And that's the thing, Nate. I think neither none of us are looking to dodge the rules here. But I think we're in a position, Nate. But somebody doesn't want rules at all. Well, no. like i'm all i'm all I'm all up for rules at work. you know PSR and sponsorship related deals are two different subjects and I just think in terms of the sponsorship stuff it's not hard to investigate a company and see if there are toys there. It's really not. Yeah, it's just doing due diligence. like it it did like nata It's not hard at all.
00:38:20
Speaker
It's like in the F1 where all these vape companies just happen to be popping up on on the cars and they're definitely not connected to the tobacco industry. That's something we actually need to do an episode on sponsorship within the game. Everyone knows that, you know what I mean? So like it's not being investigated where that's what we're asking for in the Premier League is like if there is a dodgy deal, you know, say you've had their fair few where like imaginary people are owning companies. It's like if we can figure it out, the Premier League can't. It's also the the thing that I really want to see happen is it' it's too long between it happening and the ramifications of doing it because it gets tied up in legal hearsay and back and forths and appeals and it should just be a quicker system to, you broke the rules, we know you did, here's your fine or your punishment, we move on.
00:39:15
Speaker
uh at will zg tree lw people who say it's never going to happen ask pumpy pumpy fans how they enjoyed league two dumb people say we don't need ps or argue about where the line is a hundred million pounds 150 million pounds all you want all you like but it has to be there i like will well i i i'm surprised you like will seeing as he thinks me and nate are tick um which friends you can live Now, look, there's been plenty of examples of of poor ownership. and And that's what myself and Nate were saying last week. Look, i'm i'm not like I'm not saying even the big Barcelona we're saying is too big to fail. They said that about the banks and it happened. Anything can happen in football. I think it all comes back to, like we said, owners tests. If we're going to be spending the volumes of money that are in football at the moment, we need to at least know the operators behind that money. And I think that would sort a lot of problems.
League of Ireland's Growth and Commercial Strategies
00:40:15
Speaker
Listen, I'm just going to tell Will how it is. is if if If a football club is going to go under, it's going to go under. like We can't be babysitting football clubs for the detriment of the game, in my opinion. Saving clubs on themselves, is like if if it's going to happen, it's going to happen. like That's life. And I think you can do as much as you can to stop it. But I think overstepping boundaries to stop it is totally different. And and I just think let clubs play.
00:40:47
Speaker
Well, if you'd like to share your thoughts with us, do you follow us across social media at not a pundit pod. Generally you'll find... Just don't be like whale. We do love to hear from you and and the more comments we get, the more we'll respond and make it make a little bit of a loving over it. But one thing that has been getting quite a bit of love and hopefully is going to continue to grow, Nathan, is the League of Ireland. It's coming back.
00:41:15
Speaker
ah Obviously we have new broadcast and radio deals which is fantastic to see but yeah has that kind of continued to replicate itself with the fans?
00:41:26
Speaker
Yeah, I think there's a fair bit of excitement around the league going back. in Personally, I don't know the way it's set up. It feels like a new season starts every five minutes. and That's just how it feels to me. But and yeah, there's a big game in the Aviva on Sunday, Bose versus Rovers. 25,000 tickets sold. That is. A bit.
00:41:50
Speaker
The low side there, like I thought they could have rallied the troops a bit. and Yeah, I don't know. What do you think? What was what was the product thinking what was the price point on Take It? 25 for adults and 15 for kids.
00:42:06
Speaker
oh The kids won on ah on a big game like that. yeah It's kind of where you kind of take the hit. You'd eat a quicker spend 20 quid as an adult or 20, 30 quid for an as an adult and having like a fiver for a kid. and It ends up working the same, but it kind of stings a little bit differently. Or even do a two for one on kids tickets, something to, you know, push it a bit more. And like, I mean, let's face it. the on the the game being in the Aviva is a chance to have a spectacle in the league and should bring more eyes and get more fans. So yet again, call structures within Irish sports are backfired. But there was also just as quickly, there was also discussions like in the media about both could be playing more games at the Aviva when they move out to to redo up the stadium. And I'm like,
00:42:56
Speaker
with all due respect if that's that's the number of fans we're getting in for the biggest game in the league yeah is i don't think that's a good idea lads i mean it's actually a surprise you know all things i kind of wanted to touch on though is like 25 000 uh it's this weekend uh a 25 quid a ticket uh what that's you're running about 600k yeah um it probably costs 625. It probably costs two, 250, 300 overall to run the Aviva. Well, I think for a game like that, cause let's face it, you know, it's, it's not a simple football game. It's not even, you can't even compare it to an Ireland but like national game. You're talking more cops at it than an all Ireland final with that comes choppers in the air. That comes, you know, road traffic like cops you've got security. You'll have to fully staff the stadium. That's a big operation.
00:43:56
Speaker
huge. um like
00:44:00
Speaker
It's a worry when things are already tight enough as it is and I know we're saying that that generally there's more crowds than there had been before overall. I know there was little dips or whatever but that's a few problems.
00:44:13
Speaker
um We don't want clubs to be losing more more necessarily, um especially when we're going to be having more opportunities to not have to go to games, which is great. Like if you don't live near, like I'm in the middle of the country, so it's go to go to any game is a pain in the ass. So the having the the broadcast deals and the radio deals is is fantastic for me, but at what stage do you does it become incentivising fans to stay home and then making it only ever more expensive to try and do ambitious things like games in the Aviva? Well this is like, the you know, we see it in on the continent more so like, you know, La Liga and Serie A, every game is available to watch on some streaming platform and due to that there's very rarely a full stadium
00:45:02
Speaker
at any game in in in either of those leagues that isn't a gigantic game. So like ah I think for the health of the league, we there needs to be financial incentives for people to turn up to these games. Because like you said, if you're coming down from where you are, there's a cost involved in that before you even hit the stadium. So it needs to be affordable, especially if you've got kids in the mix.
00:45:25
Speaker
I found and so this is a post from 2011 so probably double the fees and take it all with a pinch of salt that was saying that Shamrock Rovers back then was paying 200k a match just to rent the Ibiza and that at that time Lenster was paying 500k. Wow. Now obviously that sounds like a half full stadium versus a full stadium costing but add inflation and all that on top. Why do you think just quickly, optically, do you think it looks bad? Like, do you think it looks bad? How I feel? Stadium? Do you think we shouldn't be trying to run before we can walk that situation? like
00:46:05
Speaker
I think absolute scenes i in ah League of Ireland Stadium optically outweighs Apache Full of Eva. Regardless, it could be the greatest game the League of Ireland has ever seen. And if it's a if it's a kind of polka-dotta fans around the stadium in the Eva, it just doesn't look good. For sponsors as well.
00:46:26
Speaker
like what's better a full olympia stadium gig or olympia limbia theater gig ah versus a tree arena that's half empty i've been in both and i can tell you that the full one is always more fun gives you that buzz that can't be replicated it it scares sponsors away it scares ah publishing partners away, it scares retail partners away, anyone you can think of that it brings any money into the club from a, from a third party place that is that gives you nerves of of of what your investments going to return for you. People are very simple creatures as well though, it's like you associate the thing you keep seeing. So if you preency bias yeah Yeah, but if you keep turning on
00:47:08
Speaker
a Champions League game and and seeing a small team losing all the time, you're like, oh, well, there must be crap. Well, no, they were good enough to get to the Champions League. You have to remember that. yeah If you keep turning on League of Ireland games in the Lexi de Viva and it's always empty when you hang on, oof, well, either these teams are crap or nobody likes them.
00:47:24
Speaker
And it's a kind of a stigma that you don't necessarily need, Nate. Well, sorry to jump in on this one, Nate, but just that's a really good point you raised, Killian, because like, and I'll be interested in Nate's opinion on this. Would Virgin coming in from a from a ah distribution point of view, like you said, there's most likely there's going to be a lot of people around this country that will tune in to one, two games a year, maybe. And if they see it empty every time, what happens next? Sorry to cut in on you there, Nate. Yeah. What was your question again?
00:47:54
Speaker
Just about, is it worth having the stigma of seeing and empty stadiums on TV when that's what might be associated with the league then going forward? Yeah, I think they'll be a bit smart with how they portray it a across the TV. I have to be. But like like I just think it doesn't look bad. like It doesn't look good optically.
00:48:15
Speaker
it Is there a need for it? I don't think so. and like Build your way up. There's nothing wrong with having one game a year and you leave and it's the FAI Cup Final, you know what mean? That makes it more special, you know?
00:48:30
Speaker
Exactly. Or like, say if a Bose or Rovers are like, knocked on to win the league or whatever, have that final game and you've even stuck it out with their fans like, that's what we should be doing is, but for for like, to kick off the league and you know, just be a generic league game. like I don't think it makes much sense. In the spirit of the recent NFL announcement, should we be, should the league look at and be better off at doing, uh, bringing the game around, like bringing it to different stadiums rather than like the NFL is going abroad. Whereas instead of Bose and Shamrock Rovers going to the Aviva Stadium, maybe not setting out, maybe going around the country to places where there's not games and kind of going, all right, this is an interesting matchup. Let's choose a neutral ground and potentially reach a new fan base that we're not normally catering to.
00:49:29
Speaker
I think that's a difficult question because you give away home advantage really. and I see why the NFL do it because commercially it makes a lot of sense. The Steelers coming to Ireland, they've got a huge fan base there because there's that Irish heritage or whatever.
00:49:49
Speaker
for the League of Ireland, I don't we think it makes so much sense. Bowes going to play like where wherever, you know what I mean? It's something they can do when they expand and stuff, but I think we just need to grind out a few more seasons of the league, build on the deals, and you know don't go too quick.
00:50:09
Speaker
ah but The only thing about it is I think with the expansion idea, like I think even if they only did two or three games away from home, any teams, that it might actually help understand where the fan base is for the expansion teams. I think where the league can do, or when I say the league, I think where Ireland can do better at bringing the game into different markets is bringing the national team games outside Dublin more frequently. um And look, I know Stadium wise, ah you're limited with options there, but I think moving around are the best players we have around the nation, at least opens up football to more people and you can grow the game that way.
00:50:54
Speaker
which is ultimately what we all want. Aside from growing podcasts, and if you haven't already, don't forget to subscribe to the Not Upon The Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Gentlemen, it's been an absolute and utter pleasure as always. We'll chat to you next week. Bye bye.