The Second Captains Podcast

In football nothing lasts forever, neither grudges, nor coaching mind-melds. Over the weekend Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho posed for a friendly picture on the sideline at Old Trafford, while Zeljko Buvac, Jurgen Klopp's "Brain", surprisingly left his role at Anfield - at least for now - on the eve of the Champions League semi-final second-leg.Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri is also clinging to the line that nothing lasts forever because it seems that Juventus' domination of Serie A is an exception. After an astonishing, yet also grimly predictable weekend of results, it sounds as though everyone involved in Italian football could do with a break to cool down.Kieran Canning joins us to discuss the state of the Old Firm rivalry. Is it possible to enjoy winning a one-horse race over and over again? Have Rangers fans learned to laugh at themselves? And can Steven Gerrard turn things around at Ibrox? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leinster marched imperiously through to a first European Rugby Cup final since 2012 on Saturday, but Munster failed to complete the Irish double after a massively disappointing semi-final defeat to Racing 92 in Bordeaux yesterday - European Cup winners Shane Horgan and Barry Murphy assess the weekend's action.Are Munster just not good enough, or was Sunday a case of some really poor individual performances? Whatever the reason, it was a desperately disappointing display, and a sixth straight semi-final defeat since their last final appearance in 2008.Leinster on the other hand were exceptional against the Scarlets, and are now firm favourites to win a fourth European Cup. We analyse just how effectively they utilise all the various weapons at their disposal.Plus there's Scott Quinnell, Ken's travelling travails, bums in dressing-rooms, Simon gives James Ryan some gym advice, and fans give themselves a well-deserved pat on the back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was a good weekend for Mo Salah, Ander Herrera, Olivier Giroud and Napoli, and a bad one for Shane Long, Declan Rice, Harry Kane and Mauricio Pochettino.We discuss the weekend of glowing tributes to Arsene Wenger, and what they have tended to leave out. What kind of manager should Arsenal go for after Arsene?John Brewin joins us to discuss Wenger's remarks after yesterday's match expressing disappointment with the failure of Arsenal fans to portray an appropriate image of unity to the club's global fanbase. Might this suggest that Wenger is somewhat... out of touch?And we talk to Jack Pitt-Brooke about whether Spurs can be said to have bottled the Cup semi-final against Manchester United. And what are we to make of Mauricio Pochettino's repeated references to "another coaching staff" possibly being at Spurs in the not-too-distant future? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Manchester City have won the league and sponsors Etisalat have saluted the achievement with one of the great football videos.We comb through the many "How City Did It" stories in today's papers and talk to Howard Hockin of the 93:20 podcast. When Pep asks his players a question, is he always expecting an answer? And if setting a points record would not necessarily be enough to establish City as the best Premier League team of all time, then which team deserves that distinction?Jose Mourinho gave Paul Pogba another rocket after Manchester United lost 1-0 to West Brom. Can the two of them afford to take the chance that everything will work itself out in their third season together? Plus there's Pep's refusal to compromise, I am Gigi Buffon, Rafa madness, Salah days, and where should the Player of the Year award end up? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was Eoin McDevitt's birthday last week, and since he's not on Facebook, we all obviously neglected to get him anything. So it is no coincidence that today, our entire pod is dedicated to the life and work of the Eighth Wonder of the World, and li'l Eoin's favourite wrestler. "Andre The Giant" is the subject and the title of a brilliant new HBO documentary, and we speak to the show's producer Matt Maxson about Andre's amazing life, his Olympian drinking, his deep-rooted unhappiness, and the gilded cage that his gigantic frame came to represent. We also discuss the best two weeks of Conor Murray's life, the funniest book of all time, and Eoin's favourite Samuel Beckett story.... Happy Eoin McDevitt Day everyone! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Patrick Reed won his first major title last night at the US Masters, seeing off a seriously off-colour Rory McIlroy, and rather more serious challenges from his American compatriots Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. But why does everyone dislike him so much?Golf writer Lawrence Donegan joins us to explain the complicated backstory, from allegations of cheating during college, to arrests, arrogance and family drama.Michael Duignan said in February that Kilkenny wouldn't win another All-Ireland under Brian Cody - Michael is in studio today wondering if he might live to regret that remark. We look back on their crushing league final win over Tipperary yesterday.Plus there's another year of Masters betting woes, Rory's caddy, and a few bars of Ken's favourite song to swim along to... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As one bald fraud to another, Eoin McDevitt has pity for Pep's pain. Saturday was a good day for the Hairy Man, who heaped indignity upon the Smooth Man. Is there still hope of redemption for City after their nightmare week?As for the matchwinner Paul Pogba, where has this player been until now? And can we expect to see more of him in the future?We analyse the game with Jonathan Wilson: why have Pep's teams developed this unfortunate habit of conceding several goals in several minutes?And Kieran Canning reports on City's mood from their pre-Champions League press conference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So it's never happened before, but after this weekend a first Munster-Leinster European Rugby Cup final is looking perhaps more likely than at any previous stage in this competition's history.Matt Williams and Gerry Thornley talk us through Leinster and Munster's thrilling wins over Saracens and Toulon, who between them had shared the last 5 titles. From Andrew Conway's miracle run, to Dan Leavy's almost supernatural performance in the back-row, it was an exceptional weekend of Irish rugby.Oisin McConville is in studio to tell us how Dublin have managed to keep the show running despite blooding another batch of young players, and we all think it's time we started to take Galway seriously as contenders.Plus there's Dele Alli's Renaissance painting, not being able to hit your driver, and Conor Murray in the boardroom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.