The Second Captains Podcast

Richie Sadlier joins Eoin and Murph in studio to talk about how football management can be an emotional business. When Ipswich took the lead against local rivals Norwich on Saturday, Mick McCarthy couldn't resist having a go at his own fans.Is there ever a right time to shoot back at the same people who have been criticising you for months? On reflection, probably not... but it doesn't mean it doesn't feel really good while you're doing it. We also praise the job Chris Hughton is doing as he leads Brighton to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and analyse his potential to be the next Ireland manager.Plus Sid Lowe joins us to wax lyrical about Andres Iniesta before he returns to Stamford Bridge, the site of his favourite goal-not-scored-in-the-World-Cup-final goal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Without the burden of knowledge or insight, and freed from the pressure of expectation of Irish medals, the 2018 Winter Olympics has been a non-stop fun-a-thon in Second Captains HQ.Sinead O'Carroll, news editor with The Journal, told us on the World Service ten days ago why she spurns sleep in order to follow the Games, and she's in studio today to talk over all the hurt, heartbreak and heroics.If your sole focus is winning the All-Ireland, is it okay to throw your hat at the league? That's the question we ask Michael Duignan, as Waterford lost their third game in a row on Sunday. Clare are a study in contrast, and he picks one county out as a team that could win the league, and use it as a springboard for success in the summer.Plus there's Murph's biased local commentary experience, and the spectacle of watching an athlete go through the entire span of human emotional experience on television. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland remain on track for the Grand Slam after their fully-expected 56-19 win over Italy, but what happened that we didn't expect? Shane Horgan and Gerry Thornley give us their thoughts on week 2 of this year's Six Nations championship.Tadhg Furlong and Robbie Henshaw going down injured certainly wasn't in the play-book, and the expected stern Italian resistance for the first 60 minutes didn't materialise either.We also didn't see the impact of the Irish bench that we expected, but is that to be expected when the game is over after 20 minutes? We also salute Owen Farrell's almost perfect performance for England, rate the threat posed by doughty Wales, and discuss why the relationship between the IRFU and the Irish media appears to be at an all-time low.Plus - Eoin explains why he loves Keith Earls, Simon has an idea for livening up Ireland/Italy games, and we salute our skating-to-work Dutch listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was an amazing weekend for the King of the Golf but a bad one for Chris Smalling who finds himself serving as the Manchester United 'Pinata of the Week'.Jose Mourinho debuted a new magnanimous personality at St. James' Park but there is one person on whom the sunbeams of his warmth do not fall: his superstar midfielder Paul Pogba. Hooked twice in less than two weeks with United losing: is this war?Meanwhile Antonio Conte has explained that he is a victim of his own success at Chelsea: the club don't cooperate on transfers because he is too good at working with the players he already has.Jonathan Wilson joins us to discuss the North London derby, and the increasing hostility between football clubs and the journalists who the clubs have increasingly come to see as competitors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a special World Service episode that we feel everyone should hear so we've made it available to all.World Service members will be familiar with our recent coverage of the extraordinary events in a Michigan courtroom, where the victims of ex-USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar finally had the opportunity to stand up to their abuser in court.It’s the sort of justice that’s long been denied to the alleged victims of George Gibney, the ex-Ireland swimming coach.It’s almost 25 years since Gibney was charged with 27 counts of indecent assault and carnal knowledge of young swimmers. Those charges were later quashed, Gibney moved to America, and he’s remained there ever since, but new information has emerged that has resulted in a fresh push for justice.It’s a push being led by Maureen O’Sullivan TD who joined us on the show today, along with the Sunday Times journalist Justine McCarthy, author of Deep Deception: Ireland’s Swimming Scandals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yesterday, after Crystal Palace drew 1-1 with Newcastle, Roy Hodgson laid down some truth...With Roy's words in mind, we try to spend as little of today's show as possible discussing the penalty decisions at Anfield, as some other things happened besides. ('As little of today's show as possible' still equals a lot of time discussing those decisions).Rory Smith of the New York Times joins us to talk about touchline misconduct, and whether Liverpool currently have much to offer beyond the sensational goalscoring form of their top man Mohamed Salah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eoin and Ken give you a rundown on what you missed on the world service this week with some help from US Murph, Shane Horgan, Matt Williams, Millie and Gareth Edwards.Join now at secondcaptains.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The National Leagues are back, and first-day drama came mostly from Killarney, where Kerry pulled out a dramatic last-minute win against Donegal with a team full of fresh-faced young guns. Micheal Quirke and Oisin McConville are back in tandem to talk us through the major issues, including teams that are jaded in January, footballers who have over-dosed on the weights this winter, and the Dubs getting back in the swing. Roger Federer won the Australian Open on Sunday so we talk to the AMAZING Luke Jensen of ESPN about why he still holds the whip hand over tennis' bright young things.Plus there's Michael Lyster, Ken's theory as to why all our best current sportspeople are the best sportspeople there will EVER be, and we debut an exciting and mean-spirited new slot called "Shame The Spongers". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A growing number of Manchester United fans are peeved that Pep is getting a pass from the lamestream media despite his increasingly histrionic touchline behaviour. Does the City boss deserve condemnation for his latest display at Cardiff over the weekend?A terrific game at Anfield was overshadowed by controversy over VAR. We try to unpick the problems with a system that puts all the responsibility for calling in video replays on the referees themselves.Raphael Honigstein joins us to analyse Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's move to Arsenal. Is Dortmund's buy-young sell-young business model compatible with a successful club culture? And what can we learn from the German experience with VAR?Plus there’s FA Cup tropes, Roy’s ticket, Germany’s appeal and being Neil Warnock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Marco Silva, recently the most in-demand coach in the Premier League, finds himself suddenly out of a job. He showed no loyalty. But given that loyalty is not part of Watford's short-termist managerial model, do they have any right to demand it? Meanwhile, the struggle for control of Newcastle United is being played out in the media. How convincing a case is Amanda Staveley making that now is the time for Mike Ashley to hand over the keys to the club?Jonathan Wilson joins us to analyse the Sanchez-Mkhitaryan swap and how this looks like one of those happy deals where everybody comes out of it feeling like a winner.And we talk to Stephane Uersfeld about Arsenal's next potential signing, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. His relationship with Dortmund has broken down and some reports in Germany are suggesting he is dressing-room poison - but his performances on the pitch over the last few years suggest he could be the sort of signing who could transform Arsenal's prospects. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken remains in the midst of a cigarette crisis. To calm him, we asked someone to rob his bike and invited Eamon Dunphy into studio to debate him. Then, we asked him to jump in a fake shower with Murph to record a promo for the Dunphy v Ken extravaganza. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Munster might be kicking themselves after losing narrowly in Paris to Racing 92, but going into the last weekend of the European Rugby Champions Cup pool stages our 3 provinces all lead their pools. Gordon D'Arcy and Shane Horgan look back over another positive weekend of results, and talk about what we can learn from the Gerbrandt Grobler controversy, as the South African lock previously banned for 2 years for PED use made his Munster 'A' debut.And as Meath emerge victorious in the GAA's first free-kick shoot-out in the O'Byrne Cup semi-final yesterday, we get the reaction of Longford superstar Michael Quinn to the latest in-game innovation, and we all ask the same question - why not penalties? Ken has his own answer to that, plus we evaluate the free-taking ability of Chris Rock, Dean Rock and Kid Rock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A seven-goal thriller full of fantastic football and moments of sublime skill executed at blistering speed. And no mind-games, insults or bad feeling - just mutual respect and appreciation. Has Liverpool v Manchester City emerged as the Clasico of the Premier League? Jurgen Klopp's team aren't contenders to win the Premier League but they showed the rest of the league that when it comes to playing City, who dares might just win.Meanwhile Paul Lambert has taken over at Stoke City, meaning that Martin O'Neill is set to carry on with Ireland a while longer.We discuss Der Spiegel's latest eye-watering report on Lionel Messi's financial affairs.Dion Fanning joins us to analyse what's happening with O'Neill and look back on that classic at Anfield.And Sid Lowe explains what is going wrong at Real Madrid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jump in with Eoin, Murph and Roy Keane for some of the week's highlights on the Second Captains World Service. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philippe Coutinho has joined Barcelona, as expected, but why did the Spanish club make it happen now instead of waiting until the summer? Meanwhile today is a historic day for English football, which is introducing Video Assistant Refereeing for the first time in tonight's FA Cup match, but the way they are doing it looks all wrong to Ken. Gabriele Marcotti joins us to talk about why Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte seem to loathe each other so much.And Dermot Corrigan tells us how excited, or otherwise, Barcelona are to have signed Philippe Coutinho. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Jordan Larmour hype train has officially left the station and is picking up speed, and heading towards the 6 Nations. After his wonder-try against Munster at Thomond Park, Leinster's latest superstar-in-waiting scored twice against Ulster to finish off this round of interpro's in style.Eoin Reddan and Gerry Thornley try and come up with one good reason why Larmour shouldn't feature for Ireland this spring, what sort of Joe Schmidt game plan he would fit into, and why Munster have their toughest test of the season coming up in Paris this weekend.There's also old man Bob Henshaw, how La Rochelle have changed the game, the doomed Simon Hick-Tom Brady partnership, and our scumbag of the week poses an important philosophical question. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year everybody! And to ring in 2018, it’s time for one last look at one of the highlights of 2017. Recorded live at Langton’s Ballroom in Kilkenny City for the Kilkenny Cat Laughs comedy festival, here’s our chat with two of Ireland’s greatest comedians Dara Ó Briain and David O’Doherty. Previously only for fully subscribed members, we present it here to the general public, as an indication of the sort of crazy nonsense that goes on behind that beautiful World Service curtain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manchester City have been making all the other Premier League teams look very ordinary, but how should we feel about the corporate empire that underpins their glorious football? Can we consider the football separately from what lies beneath?We discuss Ferran Soriano’s global vision as detailed to the Guardian’s Giles Tremlett. Is it a vision the rest of us can feel comfortable with?Human rights researcher Nick McGeehan joins us on the line to talk more about the power behind Guardiola’s throne.We also talk about a stunning racial gaffe by Antoine Griezmann, Ederson’s passing ability, and Mark Hughes’ blue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the second time in a week, all 4 Irish provinces were victorious in Europe - Shane Horgan and Gerry Thornley give us plenty of reasons to be cheerful heading into the interprovincial games over the Christmas. Munster capitalised on Leicester indiscipline, while Leinster gutted it out to wear down Exeter in a thriller in the Aviva on Saturday evening. Throw in Ulster's try-fest on Friday, and it was a very satisfying couple of days all round. Ronan Sweeney scored the goal that kick-started an unbelievable comeback for Moorefield in the Leinster club football final yesterday, and he joins us too. Plus there's the Dubs getting shafted, disgruntled club players exacting revenge on innocent inter-county selectors, and the BBC's Mo Farah / Chris Froome problem. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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It was billed as a classic battle across the Irish Sea, but when three Irish provinces took on the best from the Premiership, the result was 3-0 Ireland. Leinster took care of Premiership champions Exeter on the south-west coast of England, Ulster beat Harlequins in London, and Munster hammered Leicester in Limerick. Gordon Darcy and Shane Horgan are on hand to pick apart a wildly successful weekend for the Irish teams, including what Matt O'Connor the Leicester coach might have learned from Jose Mourinho, why Ulster blow so hot and cold, and why this doesn't necessarily rank among Leinster's best ever European performances. Plus there's the enduring allure of snow games in the NFL, the importance of the vibes man in dressing room lore, Peter O'Mahony pulling rank, and 'curse o'clock'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manchester City ended Jose Mourinho's hopes of establishing a new unbeaten home record for Manchester United by establishing their own new Premier League record for 14 consecutive league wins in the same season.Was this, as Mourinho suggested, all the fault of referee Michael Oliver, or have City proved beyond doubt that poets do win titles? Are we looking at a second half of the season in which the main interest is derived from waiting to see which one of the Premier League supermanagers trailing in City's wake is first to go into full-on meltdown?Rory Smith of the New York Times joins us to discuss the Manchester derby.And Kieran Canning speaks to us from Madrid to talk about the reaction in Spain to the Champions League draw. Plus there's Klopp's fuse, ace time wasters, the tunnel incident, and Morbo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's European Champions Cup week, and after a barnstorming debut from Leinster's new signing James Lowe and the return from injury of Garry Ringrose, the options ahead of their big match against Exeter ‘Moneyball' Chiefs look impressive. Meanwhile, the dark clouds around Peter O'Mahony's future at Thomond Park are casting a shadow down south - we ask Gerry Thornley how the IRFU factor charisma into their balance sheet. Tiger Woods is back, and he looks happy, he looks relaxed... and he looks like a pretty good golfer. After a solid mid-table finish in a high-class field in the Bahamas on Sunday, Lawrence Donegan tells us where the ceiling is for this latest, re-modelled version of Tiger, and how it might have been the best swing he's seen from him since 2007. There's a welcome, much-sought-after return for David Attenborough analogies, the chipping yips, and playing GAA in the gloom of a December afternoon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The World Cup draw went ahead without Ireland and FIFA President Gianni Infantino left nobody in any doubt that he finds Vladimir Putin very, very funny.Meanwhile, a busy Premier League weekend featured managers learning on the job, Big Sam and Marco Silva already going toe to toe, and an extraordinary admission from former giant of the refereeing scene, Mark Clattenburg.We are joined by Jonathan Wilson and John Brewin to assess the games involving the Manchester clubs ahead of next weekend's derby. Is Mesut Özil, who ran the show at the Emirates, potentially the final piece of Jose's jigsaw?Plus there’s Emre Can the Greman man, Klopp’s updated outdated ideas, the battle of Stamford Bridge and Christmas present “inspo”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eoin and Ciaran realise that Ken, who has until now concealed a violent past, is not the man they thought he was. Meanwhile World Service listeners take Ken to task for spreading fake news about Lionel Messi. We discuss the best-paid teams in world sport and how Mohamed Salah is a new species in football: the fox outside the box. Simon Hughes joins us to discuss Everton's increasingly desperate manager hunt. Is Big Sam the big man the good burghers of Goodison are crying out for? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The November series ended on Saturday with 3 Irish wins from 3 games, as Ireland saw off Argentina 28-19 to complement the wins over South Africa and Fiji. But in the absence of a truly hard-fought win over top-level opposition, we're left to wonder just how much we learnt from the month. Shane Horgan and Denis Hickie run the rule over Jacob Stockdale, another explosive Irish winger with possibly a big career ahead of him, as well as the rest of the players who took a step forward, including Rob Kearney who stormed back into form against the Argentinians. Paul Kerrigan has had a tough couple of years with Cork, but he had a great day yesterday as his club Nemo Rangers won their 16th Munster title, beating All-Ireland champions Dr. Crokes of Killarney. He talks to us about being underdogs, using your history, and support from other Cork clubs. Plus there's Murph swearing like a sailor, headbutts, and being afraid of the Scots. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The returns from injury of Pogba and Zlatan helped Manchester United to enjoy their best day in a while, as Manchester City had another of those now-quite-normal days where they play some of the most stunning football in the history of the Premier League. Are Guardiola's team not getting the credit they deserve? It was a bad day for British football managers, as Tony Pulis was sacked by West Brom and David Moyes started his time at West Ham with a 2-0 defeat against Watford. We discuss their travails with John Brewin and Jacob Steinberg. Meanwhile, with a jocular post after their win in the North London derby, Arsenal inadvertently sicked a lot of their 12 million Twitter followers onto the journalist Adam Crafton, who had posted a combined Arsenal-Spurs XI consisting entirely of Tottenham players.Crafton noted the following day that he had since been subjected to sustained homophobic and anti-Semitic abuse, including death threats. Do clubs with gigantic followings need to take more care, or do journalists need to toughen up? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland have won both of their November Internationals so far - but the game widely expected to be tight they won handily, and the one they were expected to win handily, they scraped through. Where does that leave them going into next Saturday's test against Argentina? Gerry Thornley of the Irish Times and Shane Horgan are on hand to discuss the dilemma Schmidt faces with Joey Carbery at outhalf, and why Los Pumas are the ideal opponents at this stage of the World Cup cycle. Na Piarsaigh of Limerick City had never won a county title until 2011, but since then they've won 4 county titles, 4 Munster titles, and an All-Ireland title. After their latest provincial win, 2-goal hero David Breen talks to us about beating All-star goalie Stephen O'Keeffe at close range, commuting from the UK, and impressing his co-workers at Wasps RFC. Plus there's GAA masochism, Harry Arter's war of nutrition, Eoin's hamstring, and another grovelling public apology from Mark Horgan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Ken returns from Copenhagen impressed by the city's sophistication and liveability and slightly taken aback by the rumbustious temperament of its people.We reflect on Ireland's performance in the 0-0. Was this anti-football taken to the Nth degree? Or do we need to recognise the often-unseen effort and tenacity that goes into a result like that?Which Laudrup was the best? Brian, Michael, or father Finn?Martin O'Neill was channelling the great Dave Allen in his press conference today. Between the laughs, we'll hear some of the Ireland manager's thoughts on tomorrow's decisive match.We hear from Danish journalist Kian Fonoudi on how the Danes felt after Saturday's draw. Meanwhile Michael O'Neill looked desolate last night after Northern Ireland were knocked out of the World Cup by Switzerland. On the plus side, the NI boss is hot stuff in the international jobs market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Carl Frampton had pretty much a dream 2016 - he won his first world title, and with it became Ring Magazine's Fighter of the Year. 2017 has been rather gloomier, with a loss in the rematch to Leo Santa Cruz, a farcical return fight in Belfast which was cancelled with 24 hours notice, and a split with his management/training team, the McGuigans. But he's back in the ring on Saturday week, and he's with us on the show to talk about a fresh outlook, moving out of Barry's shadow, and falling in love with boxing again. Eoin attempts to be outraged by Stephen Cluxton's omission from the All-star team this year, which prompts Murph to wonder whether there should be a yearly limit to outrage-tweets, and there's the unwanted return to our collective consciousness of grunge week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Antonio Conte banished David Luiz to the stands and took all three points at home to Manchester United. Such a display of managerial decisiveness would impress most chairmen, but this is Chelsea.James McClean wondered why MOTD focused on his foul on Tom Ince but not the hail of projectiles showering down on him from the crowd. Does McClean also need to think about how he managed to lose the high moral ground against the Poppy people?Slaven Bilic has been sacked by West Ham but is David Moyes the solution to what ails West Ham? Have West Ham’s board noticed how Sunderland are doing lately?Daniel Harris and John Brewin join us to analyse Chelsea’s defeat of Manchester United. Are Jose Mourinho’s problems on the road being caused by a lack of adventure, or do the issues have a more fundamental cause? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Eoin, Ken and Murph look back on a weekend that saw Jose Mourinho definitively answer the critics, in his own head.Following the release of his 2016-17 season diary with Guillem Balague, we discuss Mauricio Pochettino's belief in personal energy fields and the negativity-cleansing powers of lemons.And Joe Hart: when does agonising over a defeat cross the line into pointlessly insulting your team-mates?We hear from Kieran Canning after Real Madrid were toppled by Girona...And what does it mean that England are suddenly dominating world football at all teenage levels? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The European Rugby Champions Cup weekend saw vital wins for Leinster and Munster, a dispiriting loss in France for Ulster, and Gerry Thornley and Eoin Reddan are on hand to talk us through the highlights. Ian Keatley and Cian Healy have both had their struggles in recent years, but as Eoin says, there is no new Ian, or new Cian - they're the product of their recent struggles as much as their own natural ability. And as Leinster's form graph continues upward, there are grounds to hope - not to expect, but to hope - of an Irish success in this competition, which is reason enough to celebrate. We also discuss the Leinster Intermediate championship game which ended with 10 players getting their marching orders, Ronald Koeman's exit from Everton, and the 'Second Captains Listener Copenhagen Travel Guide' (Copenhagen = clean, will charge money for food, drink, services). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Perhaps it shouldn't have been a surprise that one of the world's most in-form strikers so thoroughly destroyed the Premier League's most-mocked defence. But the shocking manner of Liverpool's collapse against Spurs at Wembley has left Jurgen Klopp facing the most awkward set of questions since his arrival at Anfield two years ago.We talk to Jonathan Wilson and Daniel Storey about how Spurs have surged ahead of their wealthier Merseyside rivals in 2017.Did the sure-footed Ander Herrera blunder by repeating his manager's claims about the Manchester United players lacking passion in the first half at Huddersfield?And how did Ronald Koeman think this ruminative pose was going to go down with an Everton fanbase that has grown catatonic with fury?Plus there's shame in the age of Twitter, slow Emre Can, Keano belittling Craig Gordon, Wagner's Terriers, and Zlatan's perfect knee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Hurricane Ken and his meteorology mates Eoin and Murph refuse to let Mother Nature stop them podcasting - welcome to our Ophelia Special Second Captains Football Show. Why does Jose think 0-0 against a leaky vulnerable Liverpool side is good enough? Why is Jose discussing his future, and the delights of Paris? And what has Pogba's ability to link with current midfield teammates got to do with anything?Kevin De Bruyne is lighting up the Premier League this season, as he continues to look like the perfect blend of Steve Gerrard and Dennis Bergkamp. Can anyone stop Man City?Plus there's more anti Cork bias, Brolly on capitalism and Troy Deeney calling out Arsenal. Stay safe everyone! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We brave Hurricane Ophelia (or at least, the calm before the storm) to bring you a recap of the first weekend of the European Rugby Champions Cup, a weekend which saw all 3 Irish teams in the competition stay unbeaten. Gordon D'Arcy and Gerry Thornley are in studio to talk about the ongoing Munster coaching transfer saga, Leinster's academy beating moneybags Montpellier, and is Jacob Stockdale the next Irish wing to win his debut under Schmidt. Plus there's wise old owl Eoin in his bathrobe, and haphazard hurricane preparation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leinster and Munster is always a big occasion in Irish rugby, and for the 10th time in 11 seasons, the home team took the spoils at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Eoin Reddan and Gerry Thornley of the Irish Times join us to talk about Munster's ongoing search for an out-half, room for improvement defensively with Leinster's young guns, and the European Cup games coming up this weekend. Pat Kenny's squash game gives us valuable insight into Weso's availability for tonight's big game, and we also have a potted history of getting O'Mahonyed - a fate which befell Reggie Corrigan on TG4 this week. Plus there's Eoin's hideous blunder, happy soccer fans - the global edition, and South American permutation wankers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Events over the last three days have conspired to create another absolutely massive night in Irish football. Ireland need to beat Wales in Cardiff to secure a playoff place for the World Cup in Russia next summer - no other permutations exist, which only serves to simplify the task and magnify the occasion. Richie Sadlier is in studio to talk about how the loss of Shane Long is a blow, but gives Martin O'Neill a chance to make a statement with his team selection. Ken is in Cardiff to give us the reaction from the two camps, and set the scene for a massive game. Plus we ask who's big and has tattoos, what the hell all duck or no dinner means, and if James McClean, the rampant centre-forward goal wizard, will do the business tonight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Ireland go into the international break off the back of a stunning 1-0 win at Goodison Park, after Brady, Ward and Hendrick combined to score our best goal of 2017 to date, heaping more misery on Ronald Koeman. Simon Hughes brings us up to speed on where things have gone wrong.Elsewhere there is more pain for Liverpool, who keep winning on expected goals but not on real ones, while Carlo Ancelotti's reputation is being trashed by the players who weren't challenged enough for him at Bayern.But there is no doubt where the main story was this weekend. Barcelona played Las Palmas behind closed doors after the Spanish League refused to allow them to postpone the match due to the police repression on the city streets. Kieran Canning joins us to reflect on a momentous couple of days in Spain and what looks like a grotesque series of mistakes by the authorities in Madrid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you dream of winning your first event as a professional golfer, it probably isn’t a million miles from what Paul Dunne went through yesterday at the British Masters. He held off a late charge from Rory McIlroy, he won hitting a 61, and he chipped in on the last - and we speak to the man himself on today’s show. Also on today’s show - Lee Keegan, the reigning Footballer of the Year. We talk to him about cynicism in the game, the art of man-marking, and coming back for more next year. Plus there’s mists and mellow fruitfulness, surviving the Pro-14, and rampant Mayo goal wizards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Donald Trump has spent the weekend alternating between abusing top American athletes, and baiting the nuclear-armed North Korean dictator. He's called Colin Kaepernick and the other anthem protestors sons-of-bitches, announced that Steph Curry is not welcome at the White House and even dragged up the memory of Pat Tillman, the NFL player-turned-US soldier who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan 13 years ago, to further his vendetta.On today's show we try to pick through this trainwreck with Dave Zirin. How has the NFL responded to Trump's attack on their players? We also hear from former Mayo legend Diane O’Hora and journalist Elaine Buckley about a history making All-Ireland ladies final, which saw Dublin win a second title, after losing the last 3 finals - in front of over 46,000 people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.