The Second Captains Podcast

NOTE: This was initially a Second Captains World Service members-only show broadcasted first on 15th of January 2021. Due to the importance of the subject matter and the huge reaction to Fionn's story, we have decided to re-publish for all today, the 19th of January. To help us continue to produce independent, member-led journalism like this and projects like 'Where Is George Gibney?', please join the Second Captains World Service for just €5 a month. Enjoy the show and thanks to all our members as always for their support.**Today we go entirely outside of sport on the Second Captains World Service and the magnitude of the Mother and Baby report this week in Ireland warrants it, particularly when a friend of the podcast has such an important story to tell. Fionn Davenport was born in the St Patrick’s Mother and Baby home on the Navan Rd in Dublin in 1968. His mother Jane was lied to and told she couldn’t keep her son. Fionn was adopted soon afterwards.This week, this dark part of our history has been brought into sharp focus. On Tuesday, the final report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation was published, detailing the cruelty experienced by thousands of women and children at 14 mother and baby homes and four county homes across Ireland between 1922 and 1998, and the following day the Taoiseach issued a state apology for how these people were treated.Fionn is now a well-known travel writer and editor and he tells us his emotional story; the impact it’s had on him throughout his life, the significance of this week’s report and the roadblocks that still exist for survivors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken inspects his bulging mailbag and finds listeners and non-listeners alike have lost patience with the constant stream of nonsense he has talked on many subjects, ranging from the source of Liverpool's problems, the quality of Marcus Rashford's performances and Frank Lampard's trust in Mason Mount. Carefully, patiently, he sets these losers and haters straight.We hear quite a lot from Alex Ferguson today, from his negotiations with Andrei Kanchelskis' agent to his opinions about the recently-retired Wayne Rooney.Rory Smith joins us to discuss yesterday's game at Anfield. Why are Liverpool bad now? Is their recruitment department quite the world-beating operation it's cracked up to be? And is Bruno Fernandes the new Luis Suarez? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Its time for your weekly snifter of the Second Captains World Service. We build up to Liverpool V Man Utd by looking at Solskjaer's skill at cutting away the dead wood at Old Trafford, US Murph talks to us about Trump and the Capitol riots and Ken takes a reading on golf's moral compass. Join for five euro a month at secondcaptains.com/join. We are independent and member led. There's no contracts, no minimum stay, and no adverts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen Kenny has had a highly eventful time as Ireland manager with a penalty playoff loss, a pandemic, a Covid close contacts crisis, a video storm, 8 games without a win and now he has lost his assistant coach Damien Duff. Ken journalist is on the case, and he has some strong leads (1.00). Paul O'Connell is maybe Ireland's best-ever forward, one of our best ever captains, a Lions captain, but besides a curtailed spell in Paris and some short stints in Ireland, he hasn't got a very extensive coaching CV. We ask Shane Horgan and Gerry Thornley to predict how good he will be, and why (20.30).Plus there's Roy Keane football manager, mighty Leinster, Connacht butchering a 15 on 13 overlap and Eoin McDevitt's shredded sports calendar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Parsons joined us alongside his old friend and former teammate Andy Moran to discuss his decision to retire this week, one of four Mayo careers which came to a close over a handful of days. US Murph has been prepping us for the start of the NFL postseason this weekend, while Stephen A Smith prepped Dallas Cowboys fans for the premature end of their season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk about Frank Lampard's struggle at Chelsea - which might now, if history is any guide, be entering a terminal phase.Meanwhile Ken reveals he has made important changes to his lifestyle - but that doesn't mean he doesn't have time to round on the losers and haters.We're joined by Jonathan Wilson and Dion Fanning to discuss some of the weekend's football in more detail. What went wrong for Chelsea against City, and is it ever a bad time to Give Him Time? Are Manchester United serious title contenders? Why are they getting more penalties than anyone else? And is refereeing in the age of VAR increasingly vulnerable to influence by #narrative? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken and Jonathan Wilson talk over the post-Christmas football, as is the tradition.We all know the image we will remember the weekend by....but did Sam Allardyce's tactics actually cost his team victory at Anfield? Why should Chelsea fans be worried about Frank Lampard's uncompromisingly direct criticism of his players after losing to Arsenal? Why have Tottenham ground to a halt? And why is Jonathan sick of having to defend Marcelo Bielsa? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2020 threw up a lot of surprises, so we should be thankful at least for some certainty and security in life - and few things in life now are as certain or secure as Dublin finishing the year as All-Ireland football champions. Oisin McConville and Andy Moran are on the line to pick through the bones of it, how much of the gameplan went right for Mayo, why Dublin were still able to pick them off... and how to stop Dublin from scoring goals direct from the throw-in. Ken also tries to get into the mind of Stephen "The Clinker" Cluxton, good people making good Dubs, and a mention too for Scott McTominay's heroics yesterday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was a week that featured more soccer than you could shake a stick at, a review of the All-Ireland hurling final, a preview of the All-Ireland football final, and the start of the European champions cup in rugby... so what the hell are you waiting for? Join us today and hear Ken lauding the return of the dinosaurs to the Premier League, why the war on Chris Wilder is Jurgen Klopp's Vietnam, and why Andy Moran still believes Mayo have what it takes to win the All-Ireland final. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This morning we heard the sad news of the death of Gerard Houllier, former manager of France, Liverpool and Aston Villa among others. We talk about the mark Houllier made on English football. Then we turn our attention to the weekend, in which Arsenal stole the show from some other underperforming clubs then had the show quickly stolen from them by Patrice Evra.We are joined by Dion Fanning and John Brewin to talk about Houllier, Arsenal, and whether some critics are right to suggest this is the worst season ever.Plus there's Thierry Henry's media fence, reaching maximum outrage and Paul Ince's 5-a-side record. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.