Second Captains

As David struggles with another jigsaw, his pianist father, Jim is back on the podcast to remind us all what an actual talent is.Join the World Service now for just €5 + VAT a month: www.secondcaptains.com/join/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a very very special day for Eoin McDevitt, not that anybody notices until he reminds them of it, but several of you have noticed young Eoin's voice-a-likes. Today we're joined by Sid Lowe, to talk about how FC Barcelona have managed to career off the rails even though Spain has been in lockdown for weeks. Why have six directors resigned, and what is the nature of the scandalous allegations pursuing the reviled President Josep Bartomeu?Plus there's Roy Hodgson's documentary feast, Jose's jog, Ken's potholes and we give details on our next Second Captains watch-a-long, Ireland v Spain in the 2002 World Cup. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David is sad when he scares away a bee with a dildo but all is saved when, mid-episode, he receives his dream gift.Join the World Service now for just €5 + VAT a month: https://www.secondcaptains.com/join/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The World Service was, as always, a broadchurch this week. The reincarnated Bill Shankly chose Ken as his host so we could finally get to the bottom of what he would have made of the Liverpool furlough scandal. Andy Lee watched the most gruelling fight of his career back for the first time before joining the lads to relive the whole experience. And to top things off, Paul O'Connell became our very first guest on our new slot, 'The Game That Changed My Life.' Join the World Service now for just €5 + VAT a month: https://www.secondcaptains.com/join/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's to Achill Island we go again to check in on our Isolating host, David O'Doherty. The Joe Wicks of shouting in a car greets the new week with a breath of fire. Today's show also features his first ever recorded collaboration with his father, Jim on piano. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was some major Irish football news over the weekend but before we get into the Mick McCarthy / Stephen Kenny story, we ask the question that has been obsessing much of the UK media: have greedy Premier League footballers done enough to protect society from the coronavirus? Richie Sadlier and David Sneyd join us to talk about the Ireland managerial succession. How will Mick McCarthy's second stint be remembered? And what are their expectations for the Stephen Kenny era? Plus there's bitin' yer hand off, our NHS, and Irish manager rhetoric. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You've probably heard the news that Stephen Kenny has just been confirmed as Republic of Ireland manager with immediate effect, so we think it's a pretty damn good time to replay our brilliant interview with the man himself from our most recent The Gang's All Here Shows (boy will there be a live show party when we get through this by the way).Murph introduces the show this Saturday night. Stephen spoke to us in front of a packed house at Liberty Hall and this interview is one not to be missed, as his passion for his job shines through in every answer.We discuss his advice to young players, why loan deals can be a poisoned chalice, why you shouldn’t be punished for being an Irishman, his commitment to his attacking philosophy, and how the u-21s performances have been a rare bright spot for Irish football last year.We'll be back for more reaction with Ken, Eoin and Murph on Monday in the meantime this Saturday, you're allowed ONE DRINK, NO MORE, THEN YOU'RE OFF TO BED Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The greatest Premier League game of all time, US Murph's memories of the day Magic Johnson told the world he was HIV positive, and David O'Doherty tries to make peace with the hares - its been an audio stew on the Second Captains world service this week, and you can eat and drink your fill for a fiver a month. No contracts, just love at secondcaptains.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like President Bill Pullman in Independence Day, David uses his incredible rhetoric to make peace with the hares. It's a four-part Isolation podcast masterpiece (you'll barely notice the windy conditions of part two 😬).To continue listening to David's daily podcasts from Achill, join us now so you never miss an episode: www.secondcaptains.com/isolating/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Absence, they say, makes the heart grow fonder. We make our way back to the island for the first show of the week where we find our host returning to the lair of the hare, armed only with a carrot. In differently-spelled hair news, David also gave himself a quarantine do and made an absolute balls of it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When will football be back? What should happen when it does? Will the old structures still exist? And after the pandemic, will people still care? Rory Smith and Jack Pitt-Brooke join us to talk about what football could look like when it starts back up again. Is there a moral argument to write off the 19-20 season and move on? Plus there’s solidarity donks, McGregror music, a Second Captains watch-a-long, Eoin’s green fingers, Ken’s noble aims and Murph’s nothing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken reviews the official film of the 2018 FIFA World Cup from his exercise bike, DOD goes XXX, Pat Kenny freestyles and McGregor addresses the nation.Things are weird. LETS GO PODCASTING..... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's trip to the island consists of a mix of essential fashion tips and a tale of blood-curdling horror. David discusses how to look fabulous during a pandemic and learns of the terrifying Monster of Achill.To continue listening to David's daily podcasts from Achill, join us now so you never miss an episode: https://www.secondcaptains.com/isolating/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David O'Doherty is still tucked away on Achill Island with his parents as we go west again for Episode 4 of Isolating. Like Columbus or Magellan, David sets off on a great adventure to get a Lotto Quick Pick for his mother. He also receives important social distancing advice from Shaggy.To continue listening to David's daily podcasts from Achill, join us now so you never miss an episode: www.secondcaptains.com/join/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As one sporting event after another fell inevitably to the coronavirus pandemic, the silence from the Tokyo Olympic Committee was deafening. As the calls for it to be postponed grew louder and louder, they maintained an almost baffling optimism that the Games would be able to continue at their appointed time and in their appointed place. Over the last 4 days, reality it appears has come crashing into the IOC's world. Tariq Panja has been covering this story for the New York Times, and he joins us today to tell us why the IOC have given themselves four weeks to make a decision, why cancellation was never an option, and why postponement for a year might yet make the most sense. We also hear why it was Nature 1 - Murph 0 this weekend, Ken opens a window into his current living condition, and Eoin's pronunciation of omelette finally gets the treatment it deserves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With David O'Doherty's brand new podcast 'Isolating' going daily on the Second Captains World Service next week, now is a great time to support independent, commercial-free broadcasting. Go to secondcaptains.com for details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back to Achill Island we go for this week's final episode of Isolating with David O'Doherty, where we encounter our host goading local sheep to bleat for the podcast. David compares his victory in the 1990 Achill Island Junior Angler of the Year competition to the life of pirate queen Grace O'Malley. He also dearly misses his bikes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s time to return to Achill Island and a "Smurf-blue sky" for episode 2 of Isolating with David O'Doherty. In today’s podcast, David is almost mugged by a gang of hares, but escapes back to the house where he intends to grow peaches and avocados.Join us now so you don't miss an episode: https://www.secondcaptains.com/join/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everything in David O’Doherty‘s life has been cancelled so he decided to make a podcast. Come with us to a car on Achill Island for episode 1 of Isolating with David O’Doherty. Strange new times in the world call for a strange new show on the Second Captains World Service. Short trips to David’s car will be daily during the Dystopian Spring Break.Join us now so you don't miss an episode: https://www.secondcaptains.com/join/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack McCaffrey is one of Ireland's most decorated sportspeople, and one of the best footballers of the last 30 years. But he's also a doctor, and he's experiencing life on the front lines of the HSE's battle to minimise the impact of COVID 19 on the country. He joins us this morning to talk about how he's found the last week, the steps that we can all take to prevent further spread, how to protect your own mental and physical health and what to do if you're symptomatic.Everyone else seems to be scaling back, but now sees like a good time to start *increasing* your intake of podcasts - David O'Doherty (!!!) joins us from a top-secret location to tell us about his new show with us here on the World Service. Plus there's Ken on UEFA's decision to postpone Euro 2020, j'adore Inchicore, and opening the Tutankhamun's tomb that is Mick McCarthy's FAI contract. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eoin, Ken and Murph discuss their different ways of coping with the COVID-19 shutdown. Jonathan Wilson joins us to talk about the British government's after-you response and where football goes from here now that Wayne Rooney is leading the way for player's rights. Jack Charlton teaches young Eoin a thing or two about preparing a squad for international competition.Plus there's the Gibraltar Open, presenters in pants, and WWE does Beckett. And please keep social distancing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It might have been one of the madder weeks in sports history - for the sport that went on, the sport that didn't go on, and the sport that may not now go on. Have a listen to this small audio taster of what we got up to on the Second Captains World Service as we talk about just how Cheltenham went ahead, why the Olympics is the Petri dish to end all Petri dishes, and thus should be cancelled for 2020... and, just for some light relief, we talk about the new Nike miracle sneakers with the sixth-best marathon runner in the world. To join the Second Captains world service, just go to secondcaptains.com/join, and we'd be delighted to have you ❤ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

France blew their chance of a Grand Slam yesterday as they capitulated to ill-discipline against Scotland, and this now means that two bonus-point wins for Ireland in our last two games will see us crowned (rather unlikely) Six Nations champions. When these games will be played, and if they get played at all, is another matter entirely, of course. As the coronavirus looks set to wreak havoc on all sports over the coming weeks, we speak to Gerry Thornley and Tom English about red cards, Scotland's revival and the likelihood of finishing this tournament in 2020. Plus - the permutation king makes a come-back... and then makes a bold, anti-Italian suggestion, Alun Wyn Jones gets his balls grabbed in his place of work, Joe Marler's previous banter bona fides, and Scotland earn our respect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it within the power of one man to resurrect an entire football club? Perhaps science can produce some metaphors for Bruno Fernandes' astonishing impact on the Man United team. Meanwhile Jose is once again throwing chunks of meat to the mob - but is anyone still eating it up? We speak to Tobias Jones in the locked-down city of Parma about how people have reacted to the measures taken by the Italian government to reduce the spread of Covid-19, and the implications for the football season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hurling folk are never shy of offering an opinion when it looks like people want to meddle with their beautiful game, and they were out in force over the last few weeks to ensure that the black card would not be introduced in hurling. That motion was duly blasted out of the water at Congress on Saturday, and there was also a full set of league fixtures this Sunday for Malachy Clerkin of the Irish Times and former Waterford manager Derek McGrath to pore over. Dublin and Tyrone played a football match in a hurricane, but it was a fight in a tunnel that garnered most of the attention on Saturday evening. Plus there's 34-man teams in hurling, Leinster's 6 foot 6 inch secret, Simon's starting 15 for our game vs France (in October), the Bank of England, and the Master of Wind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

According to Emmet Malone's survey of Irish football supporter preferences over the weekend in the Irish Times, the situation is much, much worse than Dermot Keely thought. It turns out that more than a million morons in this country support Manchester United or Liverpool. Today we try to figure out what's going on.We also discuss the Sunday Times latest revelations about Mick McCarthy's golden handcuffs, and Stephen Kenny's media handcuffs. Also we talk about the end of Liverpool's run, Man United's lucky escape at Goodison, a mediocre Clasico which saw the return of Argentina Messi, Villa's doomed bravery in the League Cup final, and different methods of handling the media. And we're joined by Felix Tamsut of Deutsche Welle to talk about the farcical scenes at the end of Hoffenheim 0-6 Bayern - when play was twice stopped due to abusive banners directed at Hoffenheim's billionaire owner, and eventually resumed with a truce between the teams. Why have German football fans turned on the Hoffenheim benefactor? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the World Service this week, Ken's brain-feed was scrambled by the Champions League, while Pep learned not to repeat the worst mistake he's ever made: listening to his players.Andy Lee dropped into studio after arriving back from Las Vegas following Tyson Fury's rematch victory over Deontay Wilder, and he sincerely hopes Wilder doesn't believe his own excuse for losing.Meanwhile, the now notorious Dub-basher Oisin McConville admits that Dublin's cynicism is something to be admired. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Optimism wasn't exactly in massive supply ahead of yesterday's 6 Nations game against England, but the scale of the defeat is nowhere near told by the final scoreline of 24-12. The scoreboard flattered us, but the performance spoke volumes. Ireland are way off the pace. Shane Horgan and Denis Hickie give us their view on what was a dispiriting performance after two wins in our first two games in this year's championship. Scrum, lineout, driving maul, attack, at half-back... there are a lot of areas where vast improvement is required. Former England out-half Paul Grayson joins the show to give us the England viewpoint, while Ken Early questions the patriotism of our players, Murph pines for the Twickenham wins of yesteryear, and McDevitt attempts to boil lances and lance boils, all in the same podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In amongst all the VAR mistakes some football happened over the weekend. We look at how Man City shaped up ahead of what could be their last appearance in the Champions League knockout phase for a while, and empathise with the latest torment pulling at the heartstrings of The Sad One.Dermot Corrigan tells us whether he shares Ken's view that Manchester City should destroy Real Madrid. And John Burn-Murdoch joins us to talk about the Financial Times' recent look at the evolution of the link between wages and points accumulation - which turns out to be more complicated than you might expect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was a pretty crazy weekend of weather in Ireland, and yet somehow some hurling went ahead. Wexford/Kilkenny was the pick of the bunch, and we talk to Michael Duignan about what Davy can take from Wexford winning a battle like this against the former market leaders in that area. And Irish rugby international Eimear Considine is in studio to talk to us about the Tackle Your Feelings app, aimed at teenagers to try and promote mental wellness. She talks to us about facing down the England juggernaut this weekend, losing wunderkind Beibhinn Parsons to her leaving cert commitments, trading the GAA for rugby, and confronting personal tragedy as a teenager. Plus there's hurling goalkeepers and their Tom Crean impersonations, playing with the storm in the first half, and the politics of calling a game off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As surely as night follows day, then the onset of Ken Early's holidays will precipitate some truly earth-shattering football news. But fear not, because on hand to discuss Man City's European football ban is the inimitable Richie Sadlier. Richie was also in Dalymount Park for Saturday afternoon's Dublin derby between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers, which was allowed go ahead, but which wasn't shown live on television for safety reasons. Richie tells us which one of him, Pat Fenlon and George Hamilton refused to get up in the gantry. We're also joined by Sam Lee and Miguel Delaney to tell us how defiant Man City will be as they attempt to defend themselves in court, how huge a story this is, and we try and speculate as to how this will affect City's squad. Plus there's swingers clubs, Monkeano, James Joyce, and Jodie Foster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was heated debate week on Second Captains: The truth about Sinn Fein, good and bad. Are themed jerseys, supporting good causes and craft beer the best for LOI clubs to grow their fan base? And is it fair to point out a rugby player's age? LETS GET IT ON! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Conway joins us in studio today, fresh off the back of what was probably his best-ever performance for Ireland on Saturday afternoon against Wales. He tells us about the conscious choice he made not to settle for being a provincial player when his career was faltering, how Joe Schmidt helped in turning his aerial game from being a weakness to a strength, and how he has worked on his mental game.Ireland were confident, skilful and ambitious against Wales, but Shane Horgan thinks the team have a lot more to improve on before we can get too excited. Gerry Thornley believes Farrell’s faith in Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony has been vindicated, Shane believes we must also look at the opportunity cost.Plus there's Finn Russell’s nuclear option, Beibhinn Parsons tearing it up for Ireland in the Women's 6 Nations, Eddie Jones playing the straight bat and sub-zero post-match interviews. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a seismic weekend in Irish politics, and so everyone's first question as they watched the results roll in was surely - how are all the members of our favourite Oireachtas Committee getting on? All in all it was a mixed couple of days for those men and women tasked with investigating John Delaney and the FAI - Ken gives us the low-down. If it was all change in the political sphere, Mick McCarthy wasn't impressed. Speaking in Dublin today, he was more than happy to say that he would remain true to his more experienced warriors. Plus there's teleporters, Troy Parrott staying put, Jordan Pickford bemoaning how heavily criticised England internationals are, and asks the question - at what stage can we start to forgive and forget the origin story of... RB Leipzig? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's Second Captains World Service tasting menu includes- a soupçon of US Murph on teaching his kids life lessons after the Niners blew the Super Bowl- 'filet of Stuart Barnes' on Owen Farrell (side order of Shane Horgan, Matt Williams, Gordon Darcy also available on request) - a 'Clare FM birthday message to Ken Early' sorbet - and our delicious 'Sid Lowe on Messi vs Barcelona' dessert platterIf you want the full menu, then just sign up to the world service on secondcaptains.com/join to enjoy all the meats of our podcast stew. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It wasn't the prettiest win you've ever seen, and it might not have been a win at all if Stuart Hogg had remembered how to score a try, but the Andy Farrell era is on its way. Shane Horgan and Gerry Thornley give us their verdict - what has changed since Joe Schmidt left, what changes should we make for Wales, will grit be our defining characteristic, and would 3 wins satisfy all involved? France, meanwhile, blew all the pre-tournament predictions out the window with their stunning win over England yesterday... the pre-tournament predictions of everyone except Simon Nostrodamus Hick. Plus there's Girvan Dempsey's try-scoring technique, French rugby's "handsome outhalf - success" correlation, Andy Farrell at the Web Summit, and what Ken Early stands for. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We briefly discuss the don't call it a bailout deal agreed between the Government and FAI last week, and the reasons why many people are against it. City are winning the xG league so why are they 22 points down in the real one? We try to analyse some of the reasons why Liverpool have opened up such a gap. Also today Ken casts a critical eye over the various portions of humble pie that have been presented to him by recent football events, and swallows a small morsel.Michael Cox joins us to talk about why he believes football needs to take a harder line on tactical fouling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 6 Nations is back, and we’ll have the best coverage €5 can buy throughout the tournament with Shane Horgan, as we demonstrate on this latest gentle nudge in your direction towards the Second Captains World Service. US Murph reports live from Miami as he looks forward to his beloved 49ers in the Super Bowl this Sunday night, and there’s Ken with a word of warning to Jack Grealish’s team-mates - do NOT touch his hair. Sign up now for all 6 shows every week on the World Service at secondcaptains.com/join, for just €5 a month plus VAT. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Allianz national hurling and football leagues are back, and Kerry and the Dubs gave us a pretty much perfect opening night performance. We had sportsmanship, brawls, insane cameos from Brian Fenton, Ciarán Kilkenny and David Clifford, and at the end of it all, another draw. Oisin McConville and Sean O'Sullivan are on hand to talk us through all that, as well as Donegal's Mayo problem, Mayo's talent problem, and talented footballers named after fish. Kobe Bryant's death in a helicopter crash yesterday has sparked a huge global reaction - we speak to Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated about his complicated legacy in the sport. Plus there's planning for the mark, senior hurling politics, Duff beer, and the deeply unsatisfactory way we find out about celebrity deaths now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jurgen Klopp has thrown down the gauntlet to English football. Best of luck with your little competition, hope it goes well but I'm afraid I'm away that week. Nobody has ever disrespected the FA Cup like this before. Will he be allowed to get away with it?We discuss where it all went wrong for the FA Cup, and what is happening with the mooted Saudi takeover at Newcastle.Richard Sadlier joins us in studio to discuss Niall Quinn's new role at the FAI. What does Quinn's record suggest his priorities will be? And how happy should people be about the appointment? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was the last round of the European Cup pool stage, and as Munster waited in vain for a miracle that never really looked like happening, Leinster and Ulster are the last two Irish provinces standing. Leinster's reward for finishing as the top seed is a home quarter-final against the reigning champions, but what shape Saracens will be in by that stage is anyone's guess. Shane Horgan is back on the pod with Paul Rees of the Guardian to discuss why we still don't know what exactly Saracens did, what impact relegation will have on their English internationals, and what it means even for this year's European Cup. Malachy Clerkin joins us in studio to talk about wins for Corofin and the Shamrocks of Ballyhale on All-Ireland club final day yesterday, and also why the GAA would do well not to over-sell the broader appeal of the provincial or All-Ireland club championships. Plus there's the salt tears of Stephen Jones, Conor McGregor's winning return to the octagon, and a very bad week for the fíor-gaels. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liverpool continue to sweep all before them and yesterday's victory at Anfield made it 21 wins in 22 matches. About such near-perfection, what is there left to say? So naturally much of this podcast is about Manchester United. The heated viral argument between Keane and Carragher illustrated the tension at the heart of a struggling institution. Does Ole deserve more time? Has he been as selfless a custodian of the club's long-term interests as he makes himself out to be? There's also talk about Chelsea's antisemitism initiative and Steve Cook's approach to game theory, before Mark Critchley and Jonathan Wilson join us to give their reaction to the game at Anfield and their analysis of where the two sides are at. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last Friday on the Second Captains World Service Ken spoke to historian Brian Hanley about what Fine Gael were thinking with the planned RIC event and what the controversy tells us about Irish memory and the development of Irish nationalism - the show got a phenomenal response from listeners, and many asked us to make it free to all (as we did with the Jackson/Olding rape trial discussion - https://www.secondcaptains.com/2018/03/29/episode-1124-the-belfast-rape-trial-sexual-consent-and-a-toxic-dressingroom-culture/).If you enjoy it, all that we ask when you finish up listening is to take 10 seconds to consider whether you might like to become a part of the World Service. It costs a fiver a month + VAT and you get daily podcasts plus full access to the archive, and can cancel whenever you want. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It always looked pretty tough, and now Munster's European Cup hopes are hanging by the thinnest of threads after they battled bravely for 70 minutes before coming up short in Paris against Racing 92. Gordon D'Arcy and James Coughlan tell us what Munster's next step should be if qualification proves beyond them, if the talent gap is now too wide to bridge, what Ulster’s expectations should be and who should play 12 for Ireland.Plus - we permutate up a storm, Eoin marvels at Teddy Iribaren and Teddy thomas as his new mic’d slot gains traction, and Ken berates Murph for his terrible, really bad, no-good, borrowed-from-rugby, VAR idea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jose Mourinho came up with a plan to defy Liverpool and it resulted in his team being passed off the pitch and failing to score in another defeat - his 5th in 13 matches at Spurs. Nevertheless most Spurs fans seem happy with what has been redefined as progress. We try to break down this apparent paradox.We also talk about Sergio Aguero's record-breaking feats and the sadness in Declan Rice's eyes.We talk to Carlos Martin Rio of Panenka magazine about what's happening with Barcelona's overtures to Xavi, and why they seem to be convinced Xavi is their man, despite showing little apparent promise in his managerial career so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Its our first reminder of the year to non-members of just what they're missing on the Second Captains World Service, and this week we're debuting a brave new slot curated by Eoin McDevitt. There's also Ken Early's breathless reporting of Charlie Austin's holiday making, and how Charlie and his wife Bianca make major decisions in their marriage. On a rather more serious note, there's also a report from Australia, as friend of the show Rohan Connolly tells us just how devastating the fires have been, and how saddened he's been by the reaction of the country's political class. **To join the Second Captains World Service, simply go to secondcaptains.com/join and get full access to all shows for just €5 + VAT** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The top scorer in the 2019 All-Ireland championship was not David Clifford, Seanie O'Shea, or any of the Dublin five-in-a-row heroes... it was Cathal McShane of Tyrone. So it's a pretty big deal that he's heading to Australia this month for pre-season training with the Adelaide Crows of the AFL. If, as seems likely, McShane is on his way, what will that mean for Tyrone - and what will it mean for the future of GAA/AFL relations that one of the best players in the country ups sticks mid-career and heads to the other side of the world? Oisin McConville joins us. Gerry Thornley and Darren Cave, meanwhile, are ready to tell us about a pretty one-sided inter-pro series last weekend and the wave of new faces pushing for inclusion in a 6N squad, including big Stu McCloskey and a trio of Leinster backrowers.Can Munster do a Munster and turn it all around in Europe, and can Ulster do what they’ve always struggled to do and beat a good French side away from home? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Idah's spectacular hat-trick for Norwich was a glimmer of the old magic on a typically bleak FA Cup third round weekend.Inspired by Chelsea's retro kit, we consider possible ways to spice up football's tired relationship with the Cup. Tom Pope gets a mention.Elsewhere we consider Jurgen Klopp's comments on the craziness of the fixture schedule, and compare the physiological load on players today with what we know about the demands of football in the 1970s.David Sneyd is in studio to talk to us about Ireland's Youthquake.And Miguel Delaney joins us on the line to defend his thesis that Liverpool's ascent is just more of the same old hypercapitalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken reports from the FAI's reconvened AGM which took place at the Citywest Hotel yesterday. Is there anything to be said for setting up another committee? We talk about Liverpool's 19-game victory lap, the emergence of the shoulder as the key part of the footballing anatomy, and the rest of the Christmas football, including that Friday night classic between Wolves and Manchester City.Jonathan Wilson joins us to talk about Chelsea's win at Arsenal, what the January transfer window might hold for these clubs, and whether there is a way to fix VAR. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last summer Richie travelled to Mayo for a chat with one of the most loved Gaelic footballers of all time, Andy Moran. It was such a fun interview we decided to make it our best of 2019 and its now available to all. During the interview, Andy revealed, unprompted, he had retired from inter-county football – a first ever X5SADS scoop - and how a good sleep conquers all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.