The Second Captains Podcast

On the same night that Stephen Kenny said his farewells to the Lansdowne Road crowd, James McClean, too said goodbye after more than 100 caps for his country. Both gave us plenty to argue about on the World Service.  We also spoke to Mark Langhammer, Trade Union leader and vice-chairman of Crusaders Football Club on why he believes Casement Park is the right choice of Northern Irish stadia fo...

Pele did it first with Santos and the NY Cosmos, playing half a game with his boyhood club, and the other half with his adopted big city club - and our Murph is definitely the only other athlete to have done it, with Milltown of Galway and Templeogue Synge Street of Dublin. Did he play equally badly for both, as instructed? A proposal to remove counties with fewer than five adult club hurling team...

We look back on Saturday's game in Amsterdam and the lessons from Ireland's disastrous qualifying campaign. "What was the alternative?" was Stephen Kenny's reply to questions about his approach following the latest defeat - but will his successor have to think of one?  We talk to the deputy chair of Everton's shareholders association, John Blain, about the 10-point penalty imposed on the club...

We chat to the legendary Tim Vickery about why Luis Diaz Sr was abducted in Colombia, why no ransom was sought, and how strong the links are between crime and football in Colombia, in the wake of the cartel era. We also welcomed Daryl Horgan to studio to discuss his time working under Stephen Kenny, Damien Duff and Anthony Barry in the Ireland set up and what happened before that infamous Ire...

Today we speak to director Laura McGann from Ireland about her brilliant documentary The Deepest Breath which last night picked up two Critics Choice awards for Best Sports Documentary and Best Cinematography. In just one week in late July The Deepest Breath had been watched on Netflix by 4.6 million people. The  story revolves around two characters - Alessia Zecchini, a world-class free dive...

St Patrick's Athletic beat Bohemians 3-1 in a record-breaking FAI Cup final. FAI CEO Jonathan Hill had promised in his programme notes: "I trust memories will be made to last a lifetime as we all take another step on our respective journeys." Today we share the memories we made in that step along our respective journeys.   We talk about the sensational 4-4 at Stamford Bridge, and the tru...

Spurs - Chelsea was a box office affair, both during the game and after the final whistle. Ange Postecoglou’s nine-man high-line high-wire act stirred up the Spurs base and baffled everyone else.  Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting for just €5 + VAT a month at secondcaptains.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Kerry county final should be one of the showpiece occasions of the GAA club season, but when East Kerry won their fourth title in 5 seasons yesterday, there was a hint of a cloud overhead.  There is nothing more labyrinthine in the GAA than Kerry's club championship structure but our guide today is Maurice Brosnan of the Irish Examiner, as he talks to us about proud clubs getting relegate...

Mikel Arteta is mad as hell and he's not gonna take it any more. That much is clear. But why were Arsenal so angry on Saturday night, and what do they actually want to see changed? Miguel Delaney and Mark Critchley join us to talk about the weekend's football. What did they make of the Newcastle-Arsenal aftermath? Why does Miguel fancy Poch to slam the brakes on the Ange Express tonight? We discus...

Everyone's favourite World Service duo (maybe) David Sneyd and Kevin 'Branno' Brannigan were back this week to chat about "Shamrock's" record-equalling fourth league title in a row, the ethics around the guard of honour and the key to success in the League of Ireland. We also spoke to 2013 All-Star and All-Ireland Winner, Conor Ryan whose intercounty career was cruelly cut short for medical reason...

Ireland lost but won.. at least as far as the World Rugby’s ‘Dream Team of the Year’ selection is concerned, which is all we really wanted anyway, isn’t it? The Rugby World Cup final was a tense and compelling affair, but maybe not the showpiece we had hoped for. We chat to Shane Horgan and The Irish Independent's Rúaidhrí O’Connor about how the Springboks got it done, claiming some Irish cre...

On this week’s World Service taster, we check in with Johnny Doyle, the 45-year-old man of the match who inspired his club Allenwood to their first Kildare County title since 1990. Johnny joins us live from the fabled Monday Club.  We also chatted to Ciara McCormack, the Canadian-born former Ireland international who became international news after blowing the whistle on abuse within Canadian...

South Africa looked ragged and anxious against a rejuvenated England team, but once again showed they're the strongest squad, both mentally and physically.  We chat to Chris Jones, the BBC's rugby union correspondent and co-host of the excellent Rugby Union Weekly podcast, and Shane Horgan, Ireland and Lions winger and veteran of two world cups, about the South African management te...

What a monster of a team Unai Emery has put together... using most of the same players the previous coach reckoned weren't up to it. After their demolition job on West Ham, the time is right to hail Villa's accomplishments - and to remember a certain somebody who hasn't been given due credit for the part he has played in their resurgence. Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal promised much and delivered... ano...

Welcome to our weekly world service platter. We chat to Kenny apologists Ken and Richie about Irish football’s next step, we had our best ever Grunge Week, Ken Burley comes out fighting after Ireland’s loss to NZ and we look at the Farrell Divide Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting for just €5 + VAT a month at  secondcaptains.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

As much of a spectacle as this weekend’s quarter finals were, going out in a classic will be of little consolation to Irish players, coaches and supporters. The World Cup hoodoo lives on - and it’s probably the most painful one yet.  To pick apart this carcass we’re joined by Shane Horgan, The 42’s Murray Kinsella and Scotty Stevenson from TVNZ. Did the NZ coaches outsmart us on the day?...

A Irish sporting weekend that will echo in eternity began with a dismal 2-0 defeat to Greece on Friday night. New tactics, same old outcome.  "I'm going to lose the argument whatever I say here. It's not an argument I can win," Stephen Kenny admitted afterwards. The most encouraging words were provided by Greece coach Gus Poyet who was impressed by the amount Irish fans spend on official spor...

The World Service is a fairly broad church and this week was no different. Ken got around to watching the David Beckham Netflix documentary and was suitably unimpressed by what he deemed to be a 'tissue of lies'. Meanwhile, we got word from New Zealand legend Justin Marshall on how he feels his boys are set for their clash with Ireland this weekend. Interestingly for us, it's not all rosy in the g...

At least there was one Scot who turned up on Saturday. We savour the anguish in the voice of our Stretford End correspondent, who sent a message of hopelessness late in the second half when all seemed lost.  We were (mostly) spared another week of “it’s not incompetence it’s corruption” thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s late deflected winner at the Emirates.  Lars Sivertsen and Jonathan Wil...

Ireland put in one of the best performances of the Farrell era to beat Scotland out the gate by halftime, at which stage everyone's thoughts turned to the mighty, but maybe less mighty than they used to be, All Blacks. We chat to Shane Horgan, Gerry Thornley and Scotty Stevenson of TVNZ about the level this Irish team are now playing at, the injury issues and what decisions Farrell will have to ma...

This week on the Second Captains World Service we discussed André Onana's transformation into a Just Stop Oil protestor, Shane Horgan pleaded with our Permutations Man to be quiet (!), while Eamon Carr joined us in studio to tell us of his life on the road with the Horslips, which included some run ins with John Law.  Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting for just €5 + V...

All we ask of the Ryder Cup is that it be close… and if it’s not close, can we at least make sure that Rory McIlroy is picking fights in the car-park on the Saturday night?   Malachy Clerkin of the Irish Times and Gavin Cooney from the 42 are back in studio to talk to us about Rory’s fightin’ talk, Patrick Cantlay’s cap, and why these things keep finishing in crushing wins for the home t...

The fastest current player in the Premier League, De Zerbi De Stroyed at Villa, and the psychology of charity penalties... just some of the things we talk about today before moving on to the main event of Referees and their Video Review helpers. Miguel Delaney and Dion Fanning join us to pick through the entrails of the post-Spurs v Liverpool carnage.  Is this the biggest VAR mess yet? Does i...

This week on the Second Captains World Service we discussed the joys and high farce of the Ryder Cup, Kimmage told us some home truths, we look at some scary RWC permutations and we have a football show coming up on Thursday. Are Man United back? Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting for just €5 + VAT a month at secondcaptains.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...

Thursday 21st September 2023 was Murph Day, as friends, family, colleagues and Fíor-Ghaels assembled in the Sugar Club in Dublin to celebrate the launch of his new book “This Is The Life”. Ken, having read the book, realises there was a lot he didn’t know about his old pal – and now feels bad for constantly bringing up the county final Murph lost and played so terribly in, all those years ago. Sec...