The Second Captains Podcast

We were delighted to welcome Ian Wright to the World Service this week to talk about Arsenal's hot streak, how he eventually came to find his voice in broadcasting, as well as the role of the modern striker - namely Haaland and our very own Evan Ferguson.  Plus there's US Murph on how it's often the humble kickers that shape lives and legacies. Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led b...

Starting with a McGrath Cup game for Kerry on January 5th, 2022, he played 34 games, scored 20-187 and won eight trophies from nine competitions.  David Clifford has had a hell of a season.   Malachy Clerkin of the Irish Times joins us to talk to us about Fossa’s win in the All-Ireland junior club final yesterday, and the travelling circus that has accompanied their route throu...

Manchester United surging back into title contention, Arsenal winning at Spurs, City and Liverpool losing on the same Saturday for the first time in ten years... is the long-established PL order transforming before our eyes? But while many things thought solid are melting into air, other old truths remain: Chelsea are outspending everyone, Everton are engulfed in revolutionary tumult, and VAR is s...

One of the great Irish sporting controversies dominated the World Service this week.. who really was at fault for the opening French goal in our 2-0 defeat in Paris in 1976? There's also Ken's case for Bale's footballing immortality, as well as US Murph on what's making the Buffalo Bills' march to the NFL playoffs just so damn Hollywood. Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcasting...

2023 is but a pup and already Irish rugby fans are fretting over the team's World Cup chances if Johnny Sexton isn't fit. Since his switch to loosehead prop just over a year ago Andrew Porter has become almost as important to both Leinster and Ireland. Simon caught up with him to discuss winning streaks, how Porter separates work from the rest of his life and his work with the Tackle Your Feelings...

Graeme Potter is the Chelsea coach... but why were the Chelsea fans singing the name of Thomas Tuchel at the Etihad last night?  The Currency's Dion Fanning and Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian join us on today's show to talk about Chelsea supporters' unrealistic expectations, why Potter's body language matters, why none of this is his fault - and why his blamelessness doesn't actually ma...

The Premier League has returned to our screens in the wake of the winter World Cup, so there's been plenty to get into in the first week of the year on the Second Captains World Service.  Firstly though we pay tribute to the life and career of Gianluca Vialli, the legendary Italian striker who died this week aged 58. Terry Daley joins us from Milan to discuss the style, charm and dignity of t...

As dawn breaks on a New Year most Premier League clubs have only completed 16 fixtures - the season is about to get intense, but that doesn't stop Ken making a bold prediction on the destination of the title.  Guardiola's big-man-up-top system continues to reap goals for Erling Haaland; Eoin, Ken and The Guardian's John Brewin, discuss whether or not the Norwegian's scoring sta...

Yesterday, at 3.27 pm local time, a statement from a Sao Paulo hospital confirmed the death of the great Pele, “our dear King of Football”.  Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pele to the footballing world, is considered one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Aside from scoring over 1200 career goals, he also was seen as one of the great innovators in football, with many tricks...

Amid the joy and celebrations after the Irish women's team qualified for the World Cup, a now infamous video from the team’s dressing room involving a republican song went viral and the subsequent controversy surrounding it seemed to almost immediately overshadow the achievement itself.  The reaction to the song then gave way to a much broader debate about nationalism and its place in Irish s...

It’s never a true Gang’s All Here week without the charisma & enthusiasm of everybody’s favourite West Coast sports radio powerhouse, US Murph. Having just touched down on Irish soil, he was expecting a relaxing few days of conversation and merriment but instead was greeted with word that the biggest Baseball story of the year was breaking back home. We get the lowdown on how he had to cover t...

At the start of December Ulster were 22-3 up against Leinster and cruising against 14 men, but fell apart and lost the game 38-29. Then the following week they lost 39-0 to Sale, and this weekend were losing 29-0 at half time to La Rochelle, before a 29 point comeback secured them a losing bonus point and a 4 try bonus point. We ask former Ulster and Ireland centre Darren Cave to explain Ulster's...

Lionel Messi and Argentina have won the World Cup, and in a fashion so outrageous that no one watching will ever forget it.  Tim Vickery and Philippe Auclair give Argentina their due while puzzling over the paucity of the French challenge for 80 minutes.  And Ken Early, the Lion of Lusail, joins us one more time, mere hours before his flight home to talk us through the almost unbearable...

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As the World Cup in Qatar has taken the majority of our attention over the last few weeks, the rugby wheel has kept on turning.  We chat to Shane Horgan about Munster's progress but also basic errors made against Toulouse in the fog in a packed-out Thomond Park. Is the game plan starting to come together, and do they have the players for said game plan?  Elsewhere, Leinster & Ulster...

Welcome to our bonus Sunday World Cup pod after four of the most dramatic quarter-finals in the competition’s history. We chat with Tim Vickery about the scenes between Argentina and The Netherlands, Brazil’s limp exit and some of the strange refereeing performances over the last few days. We pay tribute to the life and career of American writer and broadcaster Grant Wahl who sadly passed away in...

England and France dealt with Poland and Senegal with the minimum of fuss today, but how will they handle each other?   Ken got his first look at England in the flesh at this tournament, and he was suitably impressed with Jude Bellingham… but has Kyle Walker got what it takes to stop Kylian Mbappé?  We talk to friend of the show Philippe Auclair about Mbappé's red-hot form, and abou...

It’s the end of the World Cup group phase and after another day of chaos and disorder we have Luis Suarez in tears, South Korea triumphant and Granit Xhaka sealing his reputation as an Ulster senior football championship-level shithouse. Ken was at both the Uruguay Ghana and Switzerland Serbia games yesterday and he tells us how gleefully Ghana celebrated their own demise when faced with the image...

it's been an eventful World Cup for our man on the ground. Ken was on hand to watch Messi inspire his team to the top of Group C with a display that flew in the face of everything we know about attacking football.  We also discuss Pulisic's knee to the groin which brings up painful memories for Murph. And Ken gives us the rundown on what delights Doha has to offer.  With episodes every n...

It’s been another bonkers weekend of World Cup action and there’s only one way to cover it all…. that’s right, it’s a double helping of His Ken-ness! In the big game of the day Germany saved their bacon by going FULL KRUG while Spain forgot to keep playing football.  There’s also golden Mbappe, Croatia crushing Canada, “relish it Rabat” and Messi to Miami. Don’t forget we’ve another show out...

Lionel Messi saved Argentina again last night with a stunning goal to break the deadlock against Mexico. They're back in contention, but can they go all the way?  Tim Vickery is far from sure, but the arrival of Enzo Fernandez in their midfield gives them a chance.  Plus there's misguided vox pops, Eoin's favourite dressing-room moment of the World Cup so far, and a short audio history o...

Ken has been on hand to witness both Japan's victory over South Africa in the 2015 RWC and their recent win over Germany in the 2022 football World Cup, but the king of world cup upsets didn't stop there as he was also at the Saudi Arabia Argentina game. We discuss Germany's silent gesture, the joyous positivity of Cameroon's Joey N'Do and have a new bed for Ken's glass door incident. Join us for...

Ireland laboured to a win over Australia to make it three wins from three in the autumn internationals, and yet again a backrower won MOTM. Murph has a theory on this trend. We talk to former Ireland stars Gordon Darcy and Shane Horgan about Ireland's muddled attack, strange decision making, but also their guts and defiance. How did debutant Jack Crowley do, have we an issue with taking high balls...

The 2022 World Cup has begun and Ken was at the Al Bayt stadium to see the hosts lose 2-0 to Ecuador with a hopeless display. You still can't buy success in international football, well not yet anyway. We catch up with Miguel Delaney to talk about Gianni Infantino's outlandish press conference performance on Saturday, and the bizarre scene of an opening world cup match being played in front o...

Tim Vickery, Miguel Delaney and Jonathan Wilson joined us on the World Service this week to preview the first ever winter World Cup - who will win it, and why. AND, with three days to go before the tournament starts we spoke to anthropologist John McManus whose new book, Inside Qatar, offers an insightful portrait of the host nation.  Join us for ad-free, contract-free, member-led broadcastin...