The Second Captains Podcast

Antonio Conte took the opportunity of a 3-3 draw at Southampton to point the finger at the real enemy - all the losers and failures who have represented Tottenham on the field for the last 20 years. How can even a great coach such as he be expected to overcome the mediocrity which is hard-wired into the very bone marrow of Spurs? We also talk Evan Ferguson, Arsenal’s too hot for broadcast title ch...

Even with a grand slam fresh out of the oven and a historic series win over NZ in his back pocket, Andy Farrell was already looking ahead to the World Cup in his post-match press conference on Saturday evening; unlike other big Irish moments in the past, this one felt more like the start of something, rather than the end. We get Andrew Trimble and Shane Horgan on to put this title in context, to e...

Grand Slam weeks don't come around too often (for now) so we went all out this week with Connacht's Andy Friend dropping by on Wednesday to chat about Mack Hansen's Snake Hips, versatility and general ‘looseness’. Fresh from offering the best analysis around on the Gary Lineker Tweet debacle, Ken dusted down his Columbus Egg as proof he had been right about Trent Alexander-Arnold all along. Plus,...

Gary Lineker's brief exile from Match of the Day has ended in an apologetic climbdown by the BBC director general Tim Davie, after the immediate support shown by his colleagues in BBC Sport checkmated the broadcaster. We talk today about aspects of the affair. Was the tweet that got Lineker in trouble really so outrageous? And what does the BBC's commitment to impartiality mean in a media landscap...

There was all manner of things thrown at the Ireland team in Murrayfield but as fans and pundits are coming to realise, this team don’t panic. We chat to Stuart Barnes and Shane Horgan about the invention, versatility and deep confidence this side displays, and we ask if there is any way England, who got dismembered by France, can pull things around in a week. We marvel at Peter O’Mahony’s clarity...

Much admired long-time zoom contributor, first-time live guest, Caitlin Thompson of Racquet Magazine, joined us in The Brass Monkey in New York’s Meatpacking District. Caitlin regaled us with tales from John McCain’s election tour bus ‘The Straight Talk Express’ and how that experience convinced her to drop political reporting in favour of sports journalism.  Plus there’s an extract from our...

We've arrived in New York, eaten a hot dog, and made our way straight to the Ghostbusters building to record today's show. All five of us are on air at the one time (for the first time ever?) a7.51.130nd we have a chat about that scary day 10 years ago when we left Newstalk for pastures unknown. Eoin warns us about Slimer, Mark does his Michael Jordan hall of fame speech, Murph talks about Bill an...

Ken watched but did not understand what he saw at Anfield today as previously weak, fragile, inconsistent Liverpool turned this game into a massacre. Ten Hag called it unprofessional, which, considering the source, may be the deepest cut of all for Man United. Ken wades into the errors and the implications of this historic defeat. Salah was brilliant today, which begs the question - where has he b...

In 2014 the Dubs lined out against Donegal in the All-Ireland Senior Football Semi-Final. Paul Flynn was clipping scores from all angles as Dublin paraded their personal brand of rock-and-roll Gaelic Football. Unknown to the Footballing public however was that the 3-14 that Michael Murphy’s Donegal were able to slip by them that day would set the course for a rebuild that saw Jim Gavin’s men go on...

Yesterday Erik ten Hag won the first trophy he could win as manager of Man United. Jose Mourinho also won the League Cup in his first season there - but this time it feels different, right? We also talk about Graham Potter’s unfortunate habit of comparing his situation at Chelsea with Mikel Arteta’s early days at Arsenal.  Laurie Whitwell and Miguel Delaney join us to talk about the Carabao C...

Ireland's season, and all the good vibes surrounding this team, hung in the balance for long periods of the second half in Rome, but a brilliant 18-phase try, finished by Mack Hansen, won the game and kept the Slam dream alive. We discuss Six Nations 7's rugby, Ireland's new midfield, Hugo Keenan's metres, Italy's brilliant attack, Scotland's failed comeback in Paris, Welsh gardening and anthem sk...

Elite managers are an interesting bunch, often willing to die on the hill of protecting the brand of football that got them success in the first place. This week, as Klopp-ball stuttered to a halt, it’s become abundantly clear that some sort of change is required at Liverpool. Fortunately, we’re all about solutions on the World Service and suggest that maybe some salvation can be found in the teac...

Jarlath Burns is the new President-elect of the GAA. He's a former Ulster title-winning captain with Armagh, which already makes him a different animal to many GAA presidents. But as talk of a border poll in the North shows no sign of going away, having a man who has never been shy about expressing his opinions on a united Ireland will make for a very interesting few years ahead. As Ireland prepar...

Many listeners were enraged by last week’s premature doom mongering about Arsenal’s title hopes. After the Gunners’ Emi Martinez-inspired comeback at Villa, Ken deals with the fallout. We also discuss the Man United takeover situation, why it’s not working for Graham Potter at Villa, and what to make of Darwin’s weird numbers.  Jack Pitt-Brooke and Richard Jolly join us to talk about the week...

A new GOAT has entered the stable, the name; Patrick Mahomes. US Murph joined us in the aftermath of a Super Bowl for the ages to talk Mahomes playing through the pain barrier and Las Vegas Octopuses.  Over in London Town Arsenal’s title charge has continued to crumble, while closer to home it's Rovers' title to lose. Contenders ready.  Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broa...

As Pep Guardiola begins to further resemble the Captain of a Pirate Ship, his crew at the Good Ship Etihad raised the Black Flag of Lord Pannick in what may just be the lamest Premier League moment yet.  Down in London where Pannick has yet to grip the streets, contented Chelsea Boss Graham Potter stayed too calm for some pundits. Could his easy-going ways be put down to the large pay-off whi...

Ireland came into this game as the disputed number 1 team in the world, but after Saturday's thrilling win over France few could argue they are now a special group with no limits to what they could achieve. We chat to Shane Horgan and Gerry Thornley about how entertaining this game was, the ambitious coaching plan, Doris' 10/10, Ireland's fitness levels, whether they can be "worked out", the Atoni...

Six Nations Fever is not the only ailment gripping the rugby world this week. An injury crisis has struck Ireland ahead of our clash with France and the Twickenham crowd seem to have come down with some gastrointestinal problems, according to one Clive Woodward.   We talk to Romain Bergogne of L’Equipe about how he sees the game playing out at the weekend, plus there's Dion Fanning and M...

It was a thrilling opening weekend of the Six Nations with all six teams having their moments. Ireland made a fast start in Wales, then wobbled for a period, then impressively took back control. We chat to Shane Horgan and Andrew Trimble about Ireland's 18th win in 20 games and how nice it is to be the team that everyone else now hates. We marvel at the clarity and ferocity of those opening 20 min...

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Stuart Hogg is back with a vengeance ahead of the 2023 Six Nations and Chelsea Football Club continue to break international transfer spending records. We tackle these issues on the World Service this week, as well as Ireland V Wales and Katie Taylor's Croke Park dreams being crushed. Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting f...

Yesterday's FA Cup matinee, The Assassination of Evan Ferguson by the Coward Fabinho, played to generally poor reviews. Audiences were turned off by the gratuitous bursts of mindless violence and absence of any justice or comeuppance for the perpetrators. Critics say the latest dark vision from the mind of policeman-turned-auteur Howard Webb, with its unsettling themes of child sacrifice and bankr...

Rory Mcilroy brightened up our Monday morning with a clutch 20-foot putt on the last to beat golf's number 1 heel, Patrick Reed, by 1 shot in the Dubai Desert Classic. We discuss clutch Rory and the horror of seeing the tee-throwing, subpoena-wielding, LIV golf-subscribing Reed going so close to beating the Irishman (and I mean an Irishman). This year's Six Nations will have the number 1 and 2 ran...

The All Ireland Senior Club Football Final is a big day in the calendar but nobody expected the result of Kilmacud Crokes and Glen to become the water cooler topic of the nation this week. We welcomed Paul Flynn & Michael Foley onto the show to discuss how farcical this has all been.  Plus there's Eddie Howe's likeness to Dr Frankenstein and how Hollywood has come knocking in Milltown Co,...

Kilmacud Crokes beat Glen of Derry to win the All Ireland Club Football Final this weekend, but footage shows they had 17 men on the pitch for the final play of the game. Should Glen appeal? Should the GAA offer a replay? Or should they go with Ken Early's suggestion and kick Kilmacud out of the competition altogether? Munster scored one of the greatest tries in their history, away to Toulouse, th...

Mikel Arteta described Arsenal's 3-2 win over Manchester United as "increlliant" - which just about covers it. Led by Saka and Zinchenko (thanks Pep!), Arsenal recovered from the gut punch of Marcus Rashford's brilliant opening goal to turn the game around and all but knock United out of the title race.  Andrew Mangan and David Sneyd join us to talk about the weekend's football. If Arsenal do...