Second Captains @ The Irish Times

The moon boot, the limp, the grimace of pain - Katie McCabe looked badly injured against Bayern in the Champions League on Wednesday night, but played 80 minutes and scored a beauty against Man City this weekend. We were all fooled, except for one Second Captains presenter.Ulster didn't do much wrong in the rain against Leinster and still couldn't get within two scores. We chat to Lions, Ireland and Leinster backrower Jack Conan about playing in a downpour, his red hot form over recent weeks and the good friday QF against Leicester.We also discuss Munster melting in the African sun and why we it will be a long time before the Irish women's team will be compettiive again.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are seasons when nothing happens and there are weekends when seasons happen... the weekend just gone left us with a lot to get stuck into on today's pod.Graham Potter's nightmare is over, Brendan Rodgers too has skiied off leaving Leicester to fight their way out of the relegation zone without him, and an angry Manchester United fan has been in touch demanding the smooth head of Erik ten Hag.We discuss why Newcastle players run so much, and why Liverpool players don't, before John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson join us to talk about why didn't it work out for Potter. Can Nagelsmann skate straight in and sort it all out? Where does Brendan Rodgers go next? And do they agree with Ken's sick FSG apologism? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Saturday evening Sligo play Wicklow in the Div 4 league final, and it will be an emotional occasion for all involved as it falls on the one-year anniversary of the death of Red Óg Murphy, a hugely talented Sligo and DCU footballer.Last year, aged 21 and just a few days before he was due to collect an award for being named in the Sigerson Cup Team of the Year, Red Óg died by suicide.Today we welcome his parents Geraldine and Redmond into studio to talk about his life, his career as a footballer, his impact on them and the community, how they are processing it all now, and why they wanted to talk to us on the show.If you’re affected by anything you hear please ask for help from groups such as the Samaritans or Pieta House. You can go to samaritans.ie or call them on 116123. For Pieta go to pieta.ie or call them on 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken went on the attack in the wake of Ireland’s gallant scoreboard-defeat / moral-victory against France on Monday night. Yes, the image of Jason Molumby prowling around the Aviva launching into tackles and revving up the crowd was great to see, but the overriding emotion following the game was one of frustration. How can we keep doing this to ourselves? Will this anger spur us on to greener pastures, or are we doomed to side-pass our way in circles forever more?Plus, we ponder why Dublin are getting the old band back together, why is freed from desire played so quickly and what is the best stadium song of all?Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting for just €5 + VAT a month at secondcaptains.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen Cluxton's desire to lead a quiet life is constantly being undermined by his habit of dropping major bombshells in the most dramatic fashion possible. His return to the Dublin senior football squad over-shadowed much if not all of the football played yesterday - but salt a de earth true Dub Eoin McDevitt isn't sure it's the right idea. On the field, Oisin McConville guided Wicklow back to Division 3, winning promotion on a tension-filled last day. We welcome him back to the podcast to talk about the steep learning curve, the stuff he got wrong, and the priorities for teams in his position.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland have Evan Ferguson, Bossman Steo, a fan base that loves their team again and Ken argues that France's 4-0 win over the Netherlands is, surprisingly, yet another reason for us to be hopeful! But as the World Cup finalists comes to town we have oh so many fears too - welcome to our Ireland V France preview show!  Is Kenny a slave to the system to the detriment of the team's chances? Is there a chance Evan Ferguson won't start? And will Nathan Collins' fast mind beat Mbappe's fast feet? We chat to Philippe Auclair about France's destruction of The Netherlands, turmoil in the French FA and Deschamps' homework on the plucky Irish.We also discuss the Griezzmann - Mbappe fake news, Ireland's possession game, fault de Giles, and "stone age stuff". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Antonio Conte took the opportunity of a 3-3 draw at Southampton to point the finger at the real enemy - all the losers and failures who have represented Tottenham on the field for the last 20 years. How can even a great coach such as he be expected to overcome the mediocrity which is hard-wired into the very bone marrow of Spurs?We also talk Evan Ferguson, Arsenal’s too hot for broadcast title challenge, and the disappointing quality of the secret football IP which is leaking out of the super-FCB clubs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even with a grand slam fresh out of the oven and a historic series win over NZ in his back pocket, Andy Farrell was already looking ahead to the World Cup in his post-match press conference on Saturday evening; unlike other big Irish moments in the past, this one felt more like the start of something, rather than the end.We get Andrew Trimble and Shane Horgan on to put this title in context, to explain why Ireland played so badly for an hour, to examine the evolution of Johnny Sexton and to marvel at Ireland's ability to get out of sticky situations.We discuss the Freddie Steward red card, Ireland's incredible defence ad discipline stats and how nice it is to see the players be backed to express themselves, on and off the pitch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grand Slam weeks don't come around too often (for now) so we went all out this week with Connacht's Andy Friend dropping by on Wednesday to chat about Mack Hansen's Snake Hips, versatility and general ‘looseness’.Fresh from offering the best analysis around on the Gary Lineker Tweet debacle, Ken dusted down his Columbus Egg as proof he had been right about Trent Alexander-Arnold all along.Plus, there’s Guardiola on how a Julia Roberts trip to Old Trafford both hurt and motivated him in equal measure. Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting for just €5 + VAT a month at secondcaptains.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gary Lineker's brief exile from Match of the Day has ended in an apologetic climbdown by the BBC director general Tim Davie, after the immediate support shown by his colleagues in BBC Sport checkmated the broadcaster.We talk today about aspects of the affair. Was the tweet that got Lineker in trouble really so outrageous? And what does the BBC's commitment to impartiality mean in a media landscape where nobody believes in anyone else's impartiality?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was all manner of things thrown at the Ireland team in Murrayfield but as fans and pundits are coming to realise, this team don’t panic.We chat to Stuart Barnes and Shane Horgan about the invention, versatility and deep confidence this side displays, and we ask if there is any way England, who got dismembered by France, can pull things around in a week.We marvel at Peter O’Mahony’s clarity of thought, Jack Conan’s modesty, Mack Hansen’s creativity and Scotland’s mental and physical collapse.Plus Murph quenches his Quaich thirst and we put Rhasidat Adeleke’s latest achievement in context. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Much admired long-time zoom contributor, first-time live guest, Caitlin Thompson of Racquet Magazine, joined us in The Brass Monkey in New York’s Meatpacking District. Caitlin regaled us with tales from John McCain’s election tour bus ‘The Straight Talk Express’ and how that experience convinced her to drop political reporting in favour of sports journalism. Plus there’s an extract from our chat with Leinster coach Stuart Lancaster ahead of our game with Scotland as well as a deep dive from Ken into the fallout from the 7-0 at Anfield.Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting for just €5 + VAT a month at secondcaptains.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've arrived in New York, eaten a hot dog, and made our way straight to the Ghostbusters building to record today's show.All five of us are on air at the one time (for the first time ever?) a7.51.130nd we have a chat about that scary day 10 years ago when we left Newstalk for pastures unknown. Eoin warns us about Slimer, Mark does his Michael Jordan hall of fame speech, Murph talks about Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure a bit too much, Simon explains the art of the deal and Ken talks in flight movies.We love you all, thanks for sticking with us, more shows coming from New York this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken watched but did not understand what he saw at Anfield today as previously weak, fragile, inconsistent Liverpool turned this game into a massacre.Ten Hag called it unprofessional, which, considering the source, may be the deepest cut of all for Man United. Ken wades into the errors and the implications of this historic defeat.Salah was brilliant today, which begs the question - where has he been all season?We talk to Ryan Hunn of the Stadio podcast and Wrighty's House about an epic comeback win for Arsenal.Plus there's mystic Souness, Gunnersauras TV and Ken calls the title, again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2014 the Dubs lined out against Donegal in the All-Ireland Senior Football Semi-Final. Paul Flynn was clipping scores from all angles as Dublin paraded their personal brand of rock-and-roll Gaelic Football. Unknown to the Footballing public however was that the 3-14 that Michael Murphy’s Donegal were able to slip by them that day would set the course for a rebuild that saw Jim Gavin’s men go on a 45-game winning streak, notching 6 All Ireland Titles in the process.We talked to Flynn and Murphy on the World Service this week about that fateful game in order to seek answers to Dublin's poor form at the moment.  Plus, we seek some clarity on exactly what the Italian band did to our poor anthem before last weekend's Six Nations game in Rome and there’s an extract from our chat with Ireland’s athletics superstar-in-waiting; Rhasidat Adeleke.Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting for just €5 + VAT a month at secondcaptains.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in

Yesterday Erik ten Hag won the first trophy he could win as manager of Man United. Jose Mourinho also won the League Cup in his first season there - but this time it feels different, right?We also talk about Graham Potter’s unfortunate habit of comparing his situation at Chelsea with Mikel Arteta’s early days at Arsenal. Laurie Whitwell and Miguel Delaney join us to talk about the Carabao Cup final. Why did it never quite get going for Newcastle? How have the leopards in Manchester United’s dressing room managed to change their spots? And with Avram Glazer a visible presence at yesterday’s final, what is the latest on the takeover front? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland's season, and all the good vibes surrounding this team, hung in the balance for long periods of the second half in Rome, but a brilliant 18-phase try, finished by Mack Hansen, won the game and kept the Slam dream alive.We discuss Six Nations 7's rugby, Ireland's new midfield, Hugo Keenan's metres, Italy's brilliant attack, Scotland's failed comeback in Paris, Welsh gardening and anthem skulduggery.And we digest listener feedback on our Full Swing episode, which was.... mixed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elite managers are an interesting bunch, often willing to die on the hill of protecting the brand of football that got them success in the first place. This week, as Klopp-ball stuttered to a halt, it’s become abundantly clear that some sort of change is required at Liverpool. Fortunately, we’re all about solutions on the World Service and suggest that maybe some salvation can be found in the teachings of the shapeless, formless, water-like outlier that is.. Carlo Ancelotti? Plus there’s Shane Horgan’s startling Scottish fandom, a Ken injury newsflash, as well as a taste of our chat with Malachy Clerkin and Lawrence Donegan on the ups and downs of the new Netflix golf documentary ‘Full Swing’.Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting for just €5 + VAT a month at secondcaptains.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jarlath Burns is the new President-elect of the GAA. He's a former Ulster title-winning captain with Armagh, which already makes him a different animal to many GAA presidents. But as talk of a border poll in the North shows no sign of going away, having a man who has never been shy about expressing his opinions on a united Ireland will make for a very interesting few years ahead.As Ireland prepare for stage 3 of their inevitable march to Grand Slam glory we discuss who is in and who is out of Farrell's squad for the trip to Rome.The Welsh Rugby Union continue to hold the title of worst-run organisation in pro sports; in the wake of allegations of sexism and bullying, this week they face the possibility of the players going on strike for their Six Nations game against England in Cardiff. The Welsh players have given the WRU until Wednesday to meet their demands, and they aren't asking too much - they basically want to know if they have a rugby career beyond the end of this season! We discuss the story wit

Many listeners were enraged by last week’s premature doom mongering about Arsenal’s title hopes. After the Gunners’ Emi Martinez-inspired comeback at Villa, Ken deals with the fallout.We also discuss the Man United takeover situation, why it’s not working for Graham Potter at Villa, and what to make of Darwin’s weird numbers. Jack Pitt-Brooke and Richard Jolly join us to talk about the weekend’s football. Can anyone explain Marcus Rashford’s sensational form? Why do many Man United fans think they need Qatar? Will Graham Potter last the week at Chelsea? And is the departure of Lee Mason from PGMOL a good sign for the future of PL refereeing? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.