Second Captains @ The Irish Times

As surely as night follows day, then the onset of Ken Early's holidays will precipitate some truly earth-shattering football news. But fear not, because on hand to discuss Man City's European football ban is the inimitable Richie Sadlier. Richie was also in Dalymount Park for Saturday afternoon's Dublin derby between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers, which was allowed go ahead, but which wasn't shown live on television for safety reasons. Richie tells us which one of him, Pat Fenlon and George Hamilton refused to get up in the gantry. We're also joined by Sam Lee and Miguel Delaney to tell us how defiant Man City will be as they attempt to defend themselves in court, how huge a story this is, and we try and speculate as to how this will affect City's squad. Plus there's swingers clubs, Monkeano, James Joyce, and Jodie Foster. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It was heated debate week on Second Captains: The truth about Sinn Fein, good and bad. Are themed jerseys, supporting good causes and craft beer the best for LOI clubs to grow their fan base? And is it fair to point out a rugby player's age? LETS GET IT ON! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Andrew Conway joins us in studio today, fresh off the back of what was probably his best-ever performance for Ireland on Saturday afternoon against Wales. He tells us about the conscious choice he made not to settle for being a provincial player when his career was faltering, how Joe Schmidt helped in turning his aerial game from being a weakness to a strength, and how he has worked on his mental game.Ireland were confident, skilful and ambitious against Wales, but Shane Horgan thinks the team have a lot more to improve on before we can get too excited. Gerry Thornley believes Farrell’s faith in Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony has been vindicated, Shane believes we must also look at the opportunity cost.Plus there's Finn Russell’s nuclear option, Beibhinn Parsons tearing it up for Ireland in the Women's 6 Nations, Eddie Jones playing the straight bat and sub-zero post-match interviews. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's been a seismic weekend in Irish politics, and so everyone's first question as they watched the results roll in was surely - how are all the members of our favourite Oireachtas Committee getting on? All in all it was a mixed couple of days for those men and women tasked with investigating John Delaney and the FAI - Ken gives us the low-down. If it was all change in the political sphere, Mick McCarthy wasn't impressed. Speaking in Dublin today, he was more than happy to say that he would remain true to his more experienced warriors. Plus there's teleporters, Troy Parrott staying put, Jordan Pickford bemoaning how heavily criticised England internationals are, and asks the question - at what stage can we start to forgive and forget the origin story of... RB Leipzig? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week's Second Captains World Service tasting menu includes- a soupçon of US Murph on teaching his kids life lessons after the Niners blew the Super Bowl- 'filet of Stuart Barnes' on Owen Farrell (side order of Shane Horgan, Matt Williams, Gordon Darcy also available on request) - a 'Clare FM birthday message to Ken Early' sorbet - and our delicious 'Sid Lowe on Messi vs Barcelona' dessert platterIf you want the full menu, then just sign up to the world service on secondcaptains.com/join to enjoy all the meats of our podcast stew. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It wasn't the prettiest win you've ever seen, and it might not have been a win at all if Stuart Hogg had remembered how to score a try, but the Andy Farrell era is on its way. Shane Horgan and Gerry Thornley give us their verdict - what has changed since Joe Schmidt left, what changes should we make for Wales, will grit be our defining characteristic, and would 3 wins satisfy all involved? France, meanwhile, blew all the pre-tournament predictions out the window with their stunning win over England yesterday... the pre-tournament predictions of everyone except Simon Nostrodamus Hick. Plus there's Girvan Dempsey's try-scoring technique, French rugby's "handsome outhalf - success" correlation, Andy Farrell at the Web Summit, and what Ken Early stands for. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We briefly discuss the don't call it a bailout deal agreed between the Government and FAI last week, and the reasons why many people are against it. City are winning the xG league so why are they 22 points down in the real one? We try to analyse some of the reasons why Liverpool have opened up such a gap. Also today Ken casts a critical eye over the various portions of humble pie that have been presented to him by recent football events, and swallows a small morsel.Michael Cox joins us to talk about why he believes football needs to take a harder line on tactical fouling. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The 6 Nations is back, and we’ll have the best coverage €5 can buy throughout the tournament with Shane Horgan, as we demonstrate on this latest gentle nudge in your direction towards the Second Captains World Service. US Murph reports live from Miami as he looks forward to his beloved 49ers in the Super Bowl this Sunday night, and there’s Ken with a word of warning to Jack Grealish’s team-mates - do NOT touch his hair. Sign up now for all 6 shows every week on the World Service at secondcaptains.com/join, for just €5 a month plus VAT. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Allianz national hurling and football leagues are back, and Kerry and the Dubs gave us a pretty much perfect opening night performance. We had sportsmanship, brawls, insane cameos from Brian Fenton, Ciarán Kilkenny and David Clifford, and at the end of it all, another draw. Oisin McConville and Sean O'Sullivan are on hand to talk us through all that, as well as Donegal's Mayo problem, Mayo's talent problem, and talented footballers named after fish. Kobe Bryant's death in a helicopter crash yesterday has sparked a huge global reaction - we speak to Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated about his complicated legacy in the sport. Plus there's planning for the mark, senior hurling politics, Duff beer, and the deeply unsatisfactory way we find out about celebrity deaths now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jurgen Klopp has thrown down the gauntlet to English football. Best of luck with your little competition, hope it goes well but I'm afraid I'm away that week. Nobody has ever disrespected the FA Cup like this before. Will he be allowed to get away with it?We discuss where it all went wrong for the FA Cup, and what is happening with the mooted Saudi takeover at Newcastle.Richard Sadlier joins us in studio to discuss Niall Quinn's new role at the FAI. What does Quinn's record suggest his priorities will be? And how happy should people be about the appointment? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It was the last round of the European Cup pool stage, and as Munster waited in vain for a miracle that never really looked like happening, Leinster and Ulster are the last two Irish provinces standing. Leinster's reward for finishing as the top seed is a home quarter-final against the reigning champions, but what shape Saracens will be in by that stage is anyone's guess. Shane Horgan is back on the pod with Paul Rees of the Guardian to discuss why we still don't know what exactly Saracens did, what impact relegation will have on their English internationals, and what it means even for this year's European Cup. Malachy Clerkin joins us in studio to talk about wins for Corofin and the Shamrocks of Ballyhale on All-Ireland club final day yesterday, and also why the GAA would do well not to over-sell the broader appeal of the provincial or All-Ireland club championships. Plus there's the salt tears of Stephen Jones, Conor McGregor's winning return to the octagon, and a very bad week for the fíor-gaels. See aca

Liverpool continue to sweep all before them and yesterday's victory at Anfield made it 21 wins in 22 matches. About such near-perfection, what is there left to say? So naturally much of this podcast is about Manchester United. The heated viral argument between Keane and Carragher illustrated the tension at the heart of a struggling institution. Does Ole deserve more time? Has he been as selfless a custodian of the club's long-term interests as he makes himself out to be? There's also talk about Chelsea's antisemitism initiative and Steve Cook's approach to game theory, before Mark Critchley and Jonathan Wilson join us to give their reaction to the game at Anfield and their analysis of where the two sides are at. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last Friday on the Second Captains World Service Ken spoke to historian Brian Hanley about what Fine Gael were thinking with the planned RIC event and what the controversy tells us about Irish memory and the development of Irish nationalism - the show got a phenomenal response from listeners, and many asked us to make it free to all (as we did with the Jackson/Olding rape trial discussion - https://www.secondcaptains.com/2018/03/29/episode-1124-the-belfast-rape-trial-sexual-consent-and-a-toxic-dressingroom-culture/).If you enjoy it, all that we ask when you finish up listening is to take 10 seconds to consider whether you might like to become a part of the World Service. It costs a fiver a month + VAT and you get daily podcasts plus full access to the archive, and can cancel whenever you want. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It always looked pretty tough, and now Munster's European Cup hopes are hanging by the thinnest of threads after they battled bravely for 70 minutes before coming up short in Paris against Racing 92. Gordon D'Arcy and James Coughlan tell us what Munster's next step should be if qualification proves beyond them, if the talent gap is now too wide to bridge, what Ulster’s expectations should be and who should play 12 for Ireland.Plus - we permutate up a storm, Eoin marvels at Teddy Iribaren and Teddy thomas as his new mic’d slot gains traction, and Ken berates Murph for his terrible, really bad, no-good, borrowed-from-rugby, VAR idea. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jose Mourinho came up with a plan to defy Liverpool and it resulted in his team being passed off the pitch and failing to score in another defeat - his 5th in 13 matches at Spurs. Nevertheless most Spurs fans seem happy with what has been redefined as progress. We try to break down this apparent paradox.We also talk about Sergio Aguero's record-breaking feats and the sadness in Declan Rice's eyes.We talk to Carlos Martin Rio of Panenka magazine about what's happening with Barcelona's overtures to Xavi, and why they seem to be convinced Xavi is their man, despite showing little apparent promise in his managerial career so far. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Its our first reminder of the year to non-members of just what they're missing on the Second Captains World Service, and this week we're debuting a brave new slot curated by Eoin McDevitt. There's also Ken Early's breathless reporting of Charlie Austin's holiday making, and how Charlie and his wife Bianca make major decisions in their marriage. On a rather more serious note, there's also a report from Australia, as friend of the show Rohan Connolly tells us just how devastating the fires have been, and how saddened he's been by the reaction of the country's political class. **To join the Second Captains World Service, simply go to secondcaptains.com/join and get full access to all shows for just €5 + VAT** See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The top scorer in the 2019 All-Ireland championship was not David Clifford, Seanie O'Shea, or any of the Dublin five-in-a-row heroes... it was Cathal McShane of Tyrone. So it's a pretty big deal that he's heading to Australia this month for pre-season training with the Adelaide Crows of the AFL. If, as seems likely, McShane is on his way, what will that mean for Tyrone - and what will it mean for the future of GAA/AFL relations that one of the best players in the country ups sticks mid-career and heads to the other side of the world? Oisin McConville joins us. Gerry Thornley and Darren Cave, meanwhile, are ready to tell us about a pretty one-sided inter-pro series last weekend and the wave of new faces pushing for inclusion in a 6N squad, including big Stu McCloskey and a trio of Leinster backrowers.Can Munster do a Munster and turn it all around in Europe, and can Ulster do what they’ve always struggled to do and beat a good French side away from home? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informati

Adam Idah's spectacular hat-trick for Norwich was a glimmer of the old magic on a typically bleak FA Cup third round weekend.Inspired by Chelsea's retro kit, we consider possible ways to spice up football's tired relationship with the Cup. Tom Pope gets a mention.Elsewhere we consider Jurgen Klopp's comments on the craziness of the fixture schedule, and compare the physiological load on players today with what we know about the demands of football in the 1970s.David Sneyd is in studio to talk to us about Ireland's Youthquake.And Miguel Delaney joins us on the line to defend his thesis that Liverpool's ascent is just more of the same old hypercapitalism. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ken reports from the FAI's reconvened AGM which took place at the Citywest Hotel yesterday. Is there anything to be said for setting up another committee? We talk about Liverpool's 19-game victory lap, the emergence of the shoulder as the key part of the footballing anatomy, and the rest of the Christmas football, including that Friday night classic between Wolves and Manchester City.Jonathan Wilson joins us to talk about Chelsea's win at Arsenal, what the January transfer window might hold for these clubs, and whether there is a way to fix VAR. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last summer Richie travelled to Mayo for a chat with one of the most loved Gaelic footballers of all time, Andy Moran. It was such a fun interview we decided to make it our best of 2019 and its now available to all. During the interview, Andy revealed, unprompted, he had retired from inter-county football – a first ever X5SADS scoop - and how a good sleep conquers all. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.