Second Captains

We look back on yesterday's supersized Dublin derby: was it a great success, did Bohemians sell out their values, and does anyone care with the moose on the loose? We also discuss whether Stephen Bradley was right to BLAST Heimir Hallgrimsson for his tactless if generally complimentary pre-Christmas remarks about Shamrock Rovers. Gavin Cooney and Jonathan Wilson join us to talk about the...

‘All THIS?! FOR ONLY FIVE EURO A MONTH?!’, is what you’ll be saying after listening to this week’s World Service taster menu. Come see if our selection of tantalising hors d’oeuvres can’t tempt you to try our whole member-led, ad-free buffet?  Head to secondcaptains.com/join for more details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The magic of the FA Cup cast its spell as Plymouth slew the giants of Liverpool - but is it really still magic if the giants don't care? Ange Postecoglou responded to another Tottenham defeat with a harrowing speech about the chronic injury situation. Is even the injury situation also all Postecoglou's fault? And does playing more games make you more or less likely to get injured? We try to make s...

10 points from 10, two of our three 6N rivals beaten, the three in a row still on, the slam still alive, and a young outhalf improving by the week - these are salad days for Irish rugby! We chat to Shane Horgan and Ruaidhri O'Connor about the win, a dismal Scottish display, Sam Prendergast's performance, French butchers, England finding their Fin, concussion protocols and who Easterby should selec...

'All THIS?! FOR ONLY FIVE EURO A MONTH PLUS VAT?!', is what you'll be saying after listening to this week's World Service taster menu.  Come see if our selection of tantalising hors d'oeuvres don't tempt you to try our whole member-led, ad-free buffet?  Just go to secondcaptains.com/join now.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At half time on Saturday a lot was on the line for Ireland as they trailed England 10-5; there was the 2025 6N, the shot at winning an historic three in a row, and there was the fear that a great Irish team was in terminal decline. Second half tries from Bundee, Beirne and Dan Sheehan put some of those issues to bed, and sent Irish fans home happy and glorious. We chat to Ruaidhri O'Connor of the...

Welcome to our weekly world service best of show which this week includes Ken eating humble Arsenal pie and then hitting his apology quota for the year, a monster 6N preview, US Murph's lock of the week, Villa's victory and volatility, and a whole load of permutations. Join the party for just a fiver a month—no contracts, no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no hidden charges, and no ads. Head to seco...

At the dawn of a new era for Gaelic football we’ve got one of the greats of the last two decades, Conor McManus, on the show to talk about retirement and the GAA 2.0. With the Football League underway the ''New Rules'' are finally the rules. Paul Flynn and Conor chat to us about this brave new world of the tap and go, 2 point arcs, reduced shithousery and stranded keepers. Plus there's Ciaran Whel...

Michael Oliver tried to plunge another dagger into the heart of Arsenal but his wicked plan backfired as the substitute he caused to be introduced, Riccardo Calafiori, scored the winning goal against Wolves. At least that's one popular narrative of what happened at Molineux on Saturday. We discuss whether Oliver might be the real victim of injustice here.  Ruben Amorim has turned 40 and his c...

Welcome to our weekly world service best of show which this week includes Ken's Man City eulogy, hatin' on Dublin superclubs and US Murph on "the drop" and the rookie QB lighting up the playoffs. Join the party for just a fiver a month—no contracts, no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no hidden charges, and no ads. Head to secondcaptains.com/join for more details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

Jack Crowley gave two brilliant try assists, kicked a touchline conversion, made big tackles, launched counter attacks, caught high kicks, geed up the crowd, and at the very end of Munster's game in Northampton, made a line break that could have secured home advantage for the Champions Cup Round of 16. It wasn't quite enough for Munster, but will it be enough to get him the Ireland 10 jersey? If L...

Sometimes as a manager you have to take the opportunity to do a quick victory lap. On Saturday evening at the G-Tech, Arne Slot felt the time was right. Darwin Nunez in his occasional thrilling moments of success can have that intoxicating effect on people.  We also talk about a weekend of heartbreak for Arsenal, hear about Jose Mourinho's latest commercial venture and catch up on FIFA p...

On today's World Service pod two of the finest footballing minds in our stable, Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson, tried to answer an existential question: just who or what is Declan Rice as a footballer? And who should he be aiming to be?  Earlier in the week, serial All Ireland club title winner Oisín McConville joined us to chat about how brilliant Peter Canavan's sons Ruairí and Darragh...

Not even the La Rogelle fans waving half Munster / half La Rochelle flags could stop Leinster on Sunday afternoon, as a world class defensive effort led by Caelan Doris and Josh van der Flier soaked up the pressure to secure a third win in a row over their old rivals. That's the battle won, but ROG wasn't long reminding us all that the war happens in May. It was an enthralling European Cup en...

"I think the Arsenal team felt that maybe today is not their day." Ruben Amorim's newly resilient Manchester United had their best day so far, knocking Arsenal out of the Cup with ten men. The next question: can they do it in front of their own fans?  Miguel Delaney joins us to discuss the situation at Arsenal with appropriate understanding and compassion. As it enters the sixth year, is...

Welcome to our weekly taster of the world service which this week included TGL golf, the Buffalo Bills, Robbie's move to Hungary, Arsenal's self image, Musk's monarchy, Spurs' win over Liverpool and Var. Join the party for just a fiver a month—no contracts, no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no hidden charges, and no ads. Head to secondcaptains.com/join for more details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

On Friday night at the Ally Pally 17 year old Luke Littler became the youngest world champion in darts history, and he made it look easy. Given his youth, popularity and alcohol-free path to greatness, has he changed the sport forever? We chat to long time darts fan and darts journalist for The Guardian, Jonathan Liew, about the sport's moment in the sun, darts parents, Littler's talent, the histo...

Three weeks ago we hailed the Amad-inspired win at Manchester City as the moment when Ruben Amorim truly became the manager of Manchester United. United promptly lost the next four games in a row. Today we hail another new dawn. Amorim really is getting his feet under the table now... We also talk about the meteoric rise of a Premier League chairman of days gone by, sifting through current social...

Welcome to a taster of the world service which this week included Arsenal fan feedback, Rhys McClenaghan's risk reward ratio, Leinster being fully Bokked, and the legendary Timmy McCarthy on his philosophy on life and basketball. Join the party for just a fiver a month—no contracts, no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no hidden charges, and no ads. Head to  secondcaptains.com/join  for more...

Neil Atkinson and John Brewin join us to talk about the weekend's football. How has Mohamed Salah unlocked his current level? What specifically do Liverpool fans find most annoying about the prospect of Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving for Real Madrid? And as Sean Dyche becomes a cultural touchstone - is he still a footballing one? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in September, the Second Captains crew flew to London for a live show at the EartH Theatre Hackney. But, as a very special added bonus, we also got to sit down with Pogues legend Spider Stacy at his very own kitchen table which, unsurprisingly, was one of our favourite episodes of the year. With that in mind, today we're making it free for everyone to listen to. Merry Christmas! -- With...

Before our final pre-Christmas football show, Ken bought himself an early Christmas present which reveals the unsuspected parallels between Pep Guardiola and another dark brooding superhero.  We discuss the continuing leakiness at Manchester United and whether Trent Alexander-Arnold should make a multimillion pound donation to the billionaire John Henry in order to make Liverpool feel better...

This week on the Second Captains World Service we had Stephen Kenny in studio for his first major broadcast interview about his time with Ireland, we had an emotional chat with US Murph about his 2024 highlights, we spoke to Gav Cooney about Spurs' madness and Rovers in Europe, we discussed Mudryk's positive test and we hosted a quiz that was both a massive success and a massive failure. Join the...

New coach, new environment, new tactics, new hemisphere, but no problems for Jordie Barrett who has started like a train for Leinster. We chat to Gerry Thornley and Chris Jones of the BBC about Leinster's drive for five, the lineout virus infecting the country, Munster's blunderfest in Castres, the rich getting richer in Europe and the lack of fan/player/media/South African engagement with the Cha...

Empires: large, unwieldy structures. We’ve seen them crumble, topple and collapse. But have we ever seen one just… evaporate? The latest phase of Manchester City’s shocking dematerialisation was another night of glory for Ruben Amorim, whose brave decisions paid off as Amad seized the day.  We also talk about the departures, for now, of Russell Martin and Gary O’Neil from the Premier League s...