The Second Captains Podcast

Victory this weekend was never, of course, in doubt and that is precisely what Ireland delivered. We chat to Dion Fanning and Miguel Delaney about our over-reaction to every Ireland result, the reality that this group of players, and this manager, will continue to make mistakes and be inconsistent, and a heated debate breaks out over whether long shots, dribbles or passing moves are the best kind of goals.Plus there's the joy of simplicity, the Hendrick debate, and Ken on the beauty of Poland.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Irish football team: a consistent source of disappointment, or a consistently bracing source of perspective on life? Ken and Murph disagree, just as they disagree on many things about the game. One thing they do agree on is that in international football, a superhero isn't necessary, but as Wales and Norway demonstrate, it sure helps. Richie Sadlier and Gavin Cooney join us to analyse what happened in Yerevan. Why can't we create chances? For all the supposed improvement are there any signs of the development of real confidence? Is there anything to be said for another system change? Plus there's wild talk of "creativity", "passing triangles" and the need for "De Bruyne crosses". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We had four pretty awful provincial Gaelic Football finals this weekend, the undoubted main story of which was Derry outlasting Donegal in a dour, defensive Ulster final during which Donegal played a risk averse, low energy game.Galway keep marching on in Connacht, and then there was the galling sight of Dublin and Kerry once again filleting provincial opposition in their finals on Saturday.Why on earth did Kildare not use a sweeper against Dublin and will Derry get it so easy outside of Ulster? We set the scene for our chat with Oisin McConville and Paul Flynn, coming up on the World Service on Wednesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The universe gave Ken all the signs in the world, including an actual, real-life rat infestation on the streets of Paris, but he refused to listen. Real Madrid are champions of Europe.After a chaotic, dangerous and depressing night in Paris for so many Liverpool fans, Ken speaks to Miguel Delaney and Jonathan Wilson about whether they're a great team or not, the mistakes made for the Vinicius goal and just how Madrid keep winning this competition.Liverpool played 3 cup finals this season, failed to score in any of them, and now it looks like Sadio Mané is leaving and Salah will go soon after. How does Jurgen Klopp go about rebuilding from here?Plus there's El Chiringuito on the streets, Liverpool on parade and the behaviour of the French police towards Liverpool fans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last month, Waterford were the number 1 contenders for Limerick’s All-Ireland crown. Today, they’re out of the championship. Did expectation and big talk kill them?Ken wants to know why the Dublin hurlers haven't bought the Liam McCarthy Cup, and with the All-Ireland finals no longer in September he accuses the GAA of ripping up the fabric of Irish life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manchester City are the Premier League champions, again sealing the title with a 3-2 comeback win at home. We talk about City's win and how in the end the players carried their manager over the line.We are joined by Miguel Delaney and Jonathan Wilson to talk about City's win. The last day provided the drama, but is the competition in a healthy state? Is the billionaire-worship of football fans an ominous sign for wider society? Plus there's Mbappe's staying power and who was right in Saipan, anyway?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a wild week on the Second Captains World Service with Frank's redemption, Everton's fan power, Rangers in Seville and we even take the time to have another pop at Derry football. This is just a taste of what we've been up to, for access to all shows Monday to Friday go to secondcaptains.com/join, its five euro a month with no minimum contract, no sign up fee and you can cancel whenever you want. It's sexy podcasting, with no strings attached.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cork were mad as hell and they just weren’t gonna take it anymore… and their defeat of Waterford yesterday has blown the entire championship wide open. Waterford are now relying on winless Tipperary to do them a favour next week, otherwise the league champions won’t even qualify out of Munster. And a packed Cusack Park in Ennis was a stark contrast to how spinelessly Meath exited the Leinster football championship – a situation which moved Ken almost to tears. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was little in West Ham’s record against Guardiola-era Man City to suggest they would cause many problems to the aspiring champions yesterday, but it turned out Jarrod Bowen and Lukasz Fabianski had other ideas.Meanwhile Liverpool won the FA Cup yet defiled the occasion by booing both the anthem and the second in line to the throne. Dion Fanning and Gavin Cooney join us to analyse the weekend’s action. How confident can Jack Grealish be of getting his hands on the league trophy next Sunday? Why can’t Liverpool beat their closest rivals? Why are Everton’s matches now appointment television? And we also discuss the controversy around Newcastle’s Saudi Arabia-style change kit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Munster had 41,000 fans roaring them on to what, after 65 minutes, looked like being a famous victory over Toulouse. In the end they lost it in the most heartbreaking way, by shanking a few kicks in a penalty shootout. It had ,however, all the drama, atmosphere, desire and great play shown by the teams in the 2000's, but will that be of any solace this week?We also discuss Leinster doing just enough against Leicester, their date with the French double winners, Zombie coming alive at the Aviva and if there's a better way to finish games than penalty shootouts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.