Second Captains @ The Irish Times

On the basis of yesterday's double-header in Thurles, hurling is in crisis. Can we stand idly by and watch the demise of our national sport, or was it maybe just a case of hurling finally having a disappointing day after 2 years of consistent soaring excellence? Malachy Clerkin and Maurice O'Brien separate the hurling from the hyperbole, discuss Daly's future with Dubs and why Tipp are over rated.Galway won an extraordinary game of football against Tipperary on Saturday evening - when the goals stopped going in and the mental arithmetic finished, it was 4-17 to 4-12, we talk to man of the match performer, Galway's corner-forward Michael Martin.And why do we get our backs up about the Commonwealth Games? Tom English, an Irishman working for the BBC explains why this is the biggest love-in in Glagow's history. Plus there's Murph's Ferris Bueller moment, Wexford's entourage, north Galway's Youtube sensation and lulled somnambulants wandering around mid-Tipperary. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out inf

Before he became the greatest interviewer of all time, Michael Parkinson wrote about football for his local newspaper in Barnsley. He went on to become a well respected sports columnist for The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times, and was named sports writer of the year in 1998.In his early days on the beat in Yorkshire he came across Arthur Hopcraft, who wrote one of the greatest sports books of all time, The Football Man, which Parkinson wrote the foreword on. The two were friends for life, sharing a similar philosophy on the game.We talk to Michael about Hopcraft, football's relevance to English society in the 50's and 60's, why it still matters, writing about the game at a time of huge upheaval, how George Best changed everything and why the modern game holds little joy for him now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At 17, Stephen McPhail was dubbed 'the new Liam Brady' by his then-club manager George Graham. He went on to play for Leeds United in the Premier League, UEFA Cup and in a Champions League semi final. He represented his country 10 times, became the seventh Irishman to captain an FA Cup final team, fought cancer and other health issues, and is now back playing for his boyhood team Shamrock Rovers. He joins us in studio to talk to about reacting to setbacks, longing for home, facing Totti at 18 years of age, FA Cup final ticket frenzy, Ireland's treatment of creative midfielders, and using football as part of his cancer rehabilitation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A documentary following Paul Kimmage through two of the most turbulent years of his life, incorporating the Lance Armstrong downfall, professional frustrations, a UCI law-suit, Team Sky and last year's Tour de France are captured in a new documentary, airing on RTE next Monday night at 9.35pm. It's called "Rough Rider" and we speak to Kimmage, and his director Adrian McCarthy.US Murph talks to us about the latest developments as the first openly-gay NFL player Michael Sam starts training camps, and we look ahead to the weekend's hurling quarter-finals with Benny Dunne and Denis Walsh, author of one of the great GAA books "Hurling: The Revolution Years".Plus there's what amount one should put into a wedding envelope, a cead mile failte to our American cousins, and whether someone could survive four weeks in a camper-van with Ken Early. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The entire nation of Brazil was thrown in gut-wrenching, heart-breaking retrospection after their 7-1 defeat to Germany in the World Cup semi-final. After a couple of weeks of navel-gazing, it looks like they're going to appoint Dunga, arch-pragmatist, as the successor to Big Phil Scolari. The much-heralded root and branch revolution has been postponed indefinitely it seems - we speak to James Young of ESPN in Brazil. It's a big week for League of Ireland teams in European competition - Emmet Malone joins us in studio for a look at their prospects, as well as a chat about the new 5-year contract John Delaney has signed ahead of the FAI AGM this weekend. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rory McIlroy has won his third golf major by the age of 25 - good news if you're looking to draw comparison between him and Jack Nicklaus and Tiger, and also good news if you happened to back him at 400/1 to win a British Open before he turns 26. We speak to Niall Quinn, Lawrence Donegan and Philip Reid on the significance of his victory at Hoylake. And as the Dubs machine rumbles relentlessly on, are Donegal the only team left that could outwit their 'blanket offense'? Oisin McConville and Shane Curran discuss in studio. We also talk about the beauty of murph's computer game golf swing, the brogan brothers feud that could derail Dublin's season, and predict how many majors Rory will end up with. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Wexford have been the story of the hurling summer so far – having taken out the All-Ireland champions last weekend, they face Waterford this Saturday. The modern-day godfather of Wexford hurling Liam Griffin talks to us about their summer so far, the youth of today, talent spotting and his involvement with the current squad. WADA has reported that Rugby Union has a higher percentage of positive drugs tests than cycling or athletics in 2013 – how accurate are our perceptions of level of PED use in each sport? And we have US Murph on Lebron’s home town return. Plus there’s Stephen Roche misjudging the public mood, Ken’s views on materialism and the Tiger Woods channel. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We discuss Ken's hair in humid climates, the American tv conspiracy and why Van Persie's goal was overrated.Richie Sadlier joins us to talk about the arbitrary nature of footballing fate and the place of violence in the game.And Raphael Honigstein is on the line to talk about Super Deutschland and why 2014 is so much better than 1990. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The reigning All-Ireland champions Clare are out of this year's hurling championship - we talk about what the challenges are now facing Davy Fitzgerald and his team, as well as a look back over Cork's first Munster title since 2006.Armagh had one of their sweetest victories of the last 20 years yesterday - Oisin McConville was walking even more cockily than usual into studio today, and we go to Buenos Aires after a night of near misses and lasting regrets for Argentina in the World Cup final.Plus there's the moral conundrum of when to ignore your mother, JBM's eternal youth, Messi's corner of hell and Ken Early's hang up. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ken was in the Maracana to witness an epic World Cup final. He reports from his hotel, which is right in the middle of the German party zone. Tim Vickery spoke to Ken after the game about the Germans doing it the hard way, long term planning, Brazil's revenge and Russia 2018.Spain were knocked out many weeks ago. We ask Sid Lowe how they feel about German dominance, whether there is something physically wrong with Messi and if Barca have learnt from Mascherano's midfield performances.All this plus boring German chants, Mother Europa, why there's more head injuries in modern game and Messi Pele peak comparisons. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's World Cup final weekend, so we welcome Richie Sadlier into studio to discuss Brazil's meltdown, penalty strategy, goalkeeper homework and FIFA's lax attitude to head injuries.Brazil had a collective breakdown, but the final will see the meeting of the two mentally toughest sides in the competition. We talk to Jonathan Wilson about the secret behind German and Argentinian success at this tournament. Plus we'll discuss stag night protocols, 3rd place playoffs, and how to take credit for correct predictions... even when your original reasoning was totally flawed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Whatever your taste in sport, Sunday should be to your liking. The World Cup final, the Connacht football final and the Munster hurling final - all in one glorious day. We go to Buenos Aires to see how Argentinian fans are preparing for the chance to win the World Cup in the Maracana, home of their hated rivals. Eamon Cregan was playing in the first ever Munster final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in 1976, scoring 4 goals but ending up on the losing side. He tells us his memories of that day, and looks ahead to this Sunday's match between the same two teams. And US Murph tells us about Lebron James and his possible return to his home town team. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The craziest game in the history of the World Cup gets pored over in detail in today's podcast - Ken was there, and he is still a little in shock at the sight of Brazil having to come face to face with it's own flaws. Gabriele Marcotti joins us to talk about the damage this could do to the Brazilian psyche, and Tom Hennigan on how the Brazilian people can recover from this. Plus we'll have Holland and whether this team would get relegated from the Premier League, we find the scapegoats the Brazilian people demand, and Eoin McDevitt's girlfriend being awoken by Ned Flanders-style shrieks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

World Cup Semi-Final Day dawns for Ken Early in Belo Horizonte, and not even a potentially fatal chest infection can dampen his enthusiasm. Ken was at Big Phil Scolari's press conference yesterday, where he did a passable impersonation of the world's most relaxed man. Jogi Low takes a leaf from the Steve Staunton mind-games playbook, and we talk about Pele crying for an hour, Alfredo di Stefano, and the doom-laden prospect of a Brazil/Argentina final. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Neymar will take no further part in WC2014, but could his injury be their way to escape the pressure against Germany? Ken joins us from Rio to discuss the fallout.Argentina have stuttered their way through the tournament but Ken thinks they're favourites and explains why Louis Van Gaal's genius tactics may not be quite as brilliant as everyone suspects.All this plus Argentina the daddy, Eoin's letter to Sepp, Brazil's ugly truth, Scolari's defiant nonsense, the penalty shoot out curse and James Young on Neymar's cultural significance. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eoin and Murph discuss likeable Kerry, fulfilling your sporting talent, Roger Federer the hustler, Nicky English the hurling soothsayer and McDeviit's scorn for talented fullbacks. The road back to the All-Ireland hurling final for Clare looks increasingly difficult after their draw with Wexford - the struggles of the defending champions, helmet pulls, wexford youth and Tipp style are all on the agenda for Malachy Clerkin and former Dublin and Limerick hurler Maurice O'Brien. Roger Federer shed a single tear yesterday - we ask Jonny Watterson if that was the last chance at an 18th Grand Slam, and whether the Swiss genius will carry on for much longer. And Oisin McConville explains why Cork football annoys him so much. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

4 quarter-finals will be played in the World Cup this weekend, each one of them a tantalising prospect. After his long walk home from Sao Paulo, Ken Early is heading to the Maracana for France / Germany on Friday night. Before that he got a chance to check out Angel Di Maria's eggs, and Tim Vickery talks to us about Brazil and how they've shrunk into the tournament with every passing week. Ken gets called a flame-haired flame-thrower of truth, we salute the return of passive-aggressive Roy Keane, and we talk about the club who aren't allowed to buy anyone buying the player who isn't allowed to play (Suarez to Barca). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Derval O'Rourke is one of Cork and Ireland's greatest ever athletes - she gives us an exclusive interview after her decision to retire. Cork and Kerry do battle for the final time in Pairc Ui Chaoimh - Micheal Quirke tells us which Kerry team-mate of his nearly came acropper before he'd even reached the field in the old place. And we have US Murph on his boys in white and their traumatic World Cup exit. Plus we have 9 year old Murph being carried shoulder-high into a Munster final, Andy Murray's ill-timed argument, Barack Obama's phone manner and who is Kerry's Scottie Pippen this weekend. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

All 8 group winners have won their round of 16 game in the World Cup, which would suggest that the cream is rising to the top. But given the struggles of so many of the top teams, are we any closer to finding out who's actually going to win the thing?Emmet Malone joins us from Rio de Janeiro to discuss the European challenge, specifically France and Germany who meet in the Maracana on Friday, and Dion Fanning tells us if Messi and ten others can do the business for Argentina.Plus there's this week's unlikely American folk hero, cocky Marc Wilmots, and Germany's fly-keeper. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ken floated on a dream into Sao Paulo to watch Messi at work and finds that the Argentinian is not the dynamic go getter he once was.South and Central Americans are thriving at this tournament. Ken talks to Tem Hennigan about the fusion of nationalism, politics and football in the region.All this plus Roy Keane to Villa, Suarez the precious, qualified apologies, fossilised Germans, Chris Kamara's big catch and the return of the angry post match interviewer See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.