The Second Captains Podcast

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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 Bu...

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 phys...

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 tour...

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,...

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...

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, a...

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 l...

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 a...

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 get...

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...

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...

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'...

One of Ireland's greatest ever athletes, David Gillick, has retired - he gives his first interview to Second Captains. A 2-time European champion, Gillick looks back on his career on the track, nerves for life, his regrets... and his new sporting pastime. Dublin and Meath have qualified for the Leinster football final - Anthony Moyles and Malachy Clerkin talk to us about what Meath can do to stop...

There were four extraordinary games over the weekend, but still the world's appetitite is not sated. We talk Holland's high hopes, Van Gaal's self proclaimed genius, the Neymar pressure cooker and Colombiaaaa. Journalist and author Simon Kuper joins us from Brazil to talk about the path to the final for the Netherlands, and how the limited gameplan is a good way of limiting over confidence. Hosted...

Ken is in the jungle, and unfortunately he is the hunted not the hunter. Yes, he had his bag stolen and is grateful to mother nature for teaching him the laws of the jungle. Richie Sadlier joins us in studio to discuss RTE pundit passion, Luis Suarez's options and what the long term reality is for the Uruguayan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eoin and Murph discuss runaway labradoodles, American cheer, drinking cans on the Great Wall of China and silver backs. Brian Murphy is driving the US soccer bandwagon, it has its own mini bar and he wants us all to hop aboard. Yes, the Luis Suarez bite has gone 'caost to coast'. Andy Murray has gone from being coached by ice man Ivan Lendl to the famously nervy Amelie Mauresmo. We talk to Jonny W...

Ken was at the Italy Uruguay game to observe one of the strangest moments in World Cup history, and one of the most complex characters in sport, Luis Suarez. We get reaction from the Uruguayan media and analyse what the consequences might be for Suarez, for the team, and for FIFA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eoin, Ken and Ciaran talk about Andrea Pirlo and the Two World Cups, Luis Suarez strangeness, and Louis van Gaal's fatal flaw. Dion Fanning joins us from Rio to analyse Brazil's improvement against Cameroon. All this plus Murph's elbow in the face, Maradona's kitchen, honest Italy and rest day depression. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Henry Shefflin starting on the bench yesterday, Joe Canning could have been forgiven for thinking he'd be free of the comparisons for one afternoon. Maurice O'Brien and Nicky English give us their thoughts on what will happen in Shefflin-Canning part 2.Derval O'Rourke is one of our favourite sportspeople, and after her retirement today we're joined by Jerry Kiernan and David Gillick to talk a...

It was a World Cup weekend for the ages, and our man in Brazil Ken Early was there for perhaps the most dramatic 45 minutes so far, as Germany and Ghana played out a thrilling 2-2 draw. Miguel Delaney joins us to talk about the Messi Argentina dynamic and if Belgium's many talents can be unified. And there's the late night habits of the Argentinian sub-goalie in 1986, the mis-firing German charm o...

So, one week in and we've already lost our World Champions. After a week of extraordinary football, Richie Sadlier is in studio to discuss what we should have seen coming, and what we could never have guessed would happen. Ken is overcome with emotion when asked to sum up the first seven days, but recovers his composure to ask Jonathan Wilson about the crush at Maracana and whether its the Spanish...

The GAA championship would want to be pretty bloody good to distract from this World Cup... so it's just as well hurling has picked up where it left off last summer. The Irish Times' Malachy Clerkin and Kilkenny legend Michael Kavanagh (they have 8 All-Ireland medals between them) they Shefflin, Canning, Cody, consistency. The USA's World Cup win over Ghana took the nation by storm - US Murph tell...

Today's Irish Times Second Captains World Cup Podcast has Ken Early calling out John Hayes and Neymar for their attention-grabbing anthem antics. Brazil stuttered against Mexico last night, and Big Phil Scolari has decisions to make. Does he jettison the men he pledged undying faith to 12 months ago? We speak to the BBC's Tim Vickery about whether there's a major crisis coming for the Scolari fami...

This World Cup is basically a ruse to allow Ken Early to indulge in his favourite waste of time - star-gazing - so just what were Pepe and Ronaldo doing at the airport in Salvador after their humiliating 4-0 defeat to Germany yesterday? Gabriele Marcotti joins us to talk about the USA's brilliant last-gasp win over Ghana, and we look ahead to the arrival on the scene today of the brightest dark ho...