The Second Captains Podcast

The European team was selected today, and even though Ryder Cup legend Shane Lowry missed out on automatic qualification, he was nevertheless Luke Donald’s obvious first pick.If you were to cut USA Captain Keegan Bradley, he would bleed US Ryder Cup Brookline uniform grey, white and wine; so his decision to omit in-form American golfer, Keegan Bradley, makes no real sense. Gavin Cooney will be in Bethpage Black later this month and he’s in studio today.Plus there's golf's wilting political will, how to get dropped and why is the Irish Open not always played at one of our scenic brilliant interesting courses? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On your Monday football show, we talk about why Liverpool deserved to win at Anfield yesterday, and whether Ken is still billing Arsenal as the title favourites. With the Isak saga finally at an end, we survey the credits and debits. Miguel Delaney and Barney Ronay join us to talk about the weekend's football. With three points against Arsenal and now Isak confirmed, can anyone stop this Anfield juggernaut? Do Arsenal need to pay more attention to the ebb and flow of animal energy?Might we already be witnessing the last few months of Pep Guardiola's Premier League career? And how are Chelsea consistently getting such impressive prices for so many of their apparently unwanted players?  The special guest at our live show in London on Wednesday September 24th will be Arsenal legend and one of our favourite people in football, Ian Wright. Last batch of tickets available at https://www.secondcaptains.com/live-events/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We had more midweek football excitement than we had any reason to expect this week, given we're still in August. Welcome to our "best of" show which features reaction to two unbelievably entertaining matches, the Isak derby on Monday night and Man United's loss to lowly Grimsby in the League Cup last night. We also had the league of Ireland academy development manager Will Clarke in studio about how we can fix Irish football and tomorrow Friday we’re delighted to have 8-time All-Ireland winning footballer Davy Byrne in studio with us to talk about why he signed a letter demanding the GAA end their sponsorship deals with Allianz.And we have great news ahead of our live show in London on Wednesday September 24th – the special guest will be Arsenal legend Ian Wright! Go to https://www.secondcaptains.com/live-events/ for tickets.Click the player at the top of the page to play the show. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to our programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Captains World Service. There’s no contracts, no hidden fees and shows can be listened to on all good podcast apps, on Spotify or through our website. It’s independent, commercial-free and member-led with feature interviews, breaking news, Ken’s Football Show, The Politics Podcast, and lots of added extras. You’ll also be supporting the development of our longer-form work, such as our international series’  ‘Where Is George Gibney?’ and Stakeknife. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The women's Rugby World Cup has come a long way in a short space of time. The opening game of the 2025 World Cup between England and USA had a higher attendance than the whole of the 2010 World Cup put together. At the 2017 event in Ireland the pool games were played in the UCD Bowl. This year there will be 82,000 at the final in Twickenham, and the Ireland V NZ game in Brighton is expected to be a near 30,000 sell out. With the big crowds, the great stadiums, the sunshine, and the home team being hot favourites, there's a sense that this year's tournament is going to be huge.We chat to Sara Orchard of the BBC and Tania Rosser, star of three World Cups for Ireland, including 2014 when Ireland made the semi finals, about where the growth has come from, the opening weekend of pool matches, Ireland's win over Japan and if the Red Roses will take the baton from two time Euros winners, the Lionesses.Plus there's Felipe Contepomi guiding Argentina to another win over NZ and Becky Lynch having a pop at Bono. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Napoleon II to Evan I. A new star blazes in the sky of Rome. Did Evan Ferguson score? No - but that, initial reviews maintain, is a mere detail. Are we getting carried away after one game? There will be none of that talk aboard the Trenitalia hype train.From there we look forward to tonight’s hate-fest at St James’ Park, and apportion blame for how this whole sorry situation has arisen. We hear echoes of the voice of Arsenal from long ago, and the many voices of Nottingham Forest in August 2025.Lars Sivertsen and John Brewin join us to talk through the weekend’s football. How has Thomas Frank whipped Spurs into shape so quickly? Which current Spurs player is starting to remind some of their fans of Kylian Mbappe? Is Pep Guardiola having an identity crisis? What does Jack Grealish’s home debut for Everton mean for the outlook at both Everton and Manchester City?And obviously, the exploding-sun gravity of the dying red giant that is Manchester United draws us inevitably in for the latest assessment of where Ruben Amorim’s meticulously laid-out plans are at. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we went from zero to 100 on the wholesome-o-meter, from the local kid that taught his town to love again, to the bitter Newcastle - Isak war of words…. it’s been a roller coaster up in here. Question is, are you brave enough to jump on for the ride?It’s a great time to join with The Premier League season up and running, Arsenal plucking Eze out of Spurs’ grasp, VAR energising the base, and Everton have Jack Grealish in their squad. We also had the great football historian and author David Goldblatt on the show today. David chatted to Ken about his new book Injury Time: Football in a State of Emergency, which tells the story of the UK’s decade of polycrisis through the recent history of football.This week we also discussed the Bundesliga’s bold new strategy for attracting international eyeballs, and we had Conor Niland and Julie Morissy in talking about tennis’ attempts, largely successful attempts so far you’d have to say, to sex up the sport.Tomorrow we have the debut of kencall and next week we will cover the Isak derby on Monday night football, the Ilona Maher women’s rugby world cup, and we will keep an eye on the US Open. To join go to secondcaptains.com/join. Did you know theres no ads, no sneaky contracts, no catches, no add ons? We’re an open book here at Second Captains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

''The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function''. Did you know F Scott Fitzgerald was actually referring to Ken Early?After breaking the minds of many of our members with Friday's Oasis podcast, Ken and Branno today react to the backlash. Is it ok to have fun? Did Branno consume 2.5 pints? Who was being condescending to who? Do us humans even know what we want? And is it all the algorithm's fault?As the rest of the country was preparing to have the time of their lives at Oasis, Simon was geeking out on some Southern Hemisphere rugby as the apparently hopeless underdogs Australia came from 22-0 down against world champs South Africa to win in Ellis Park Johannesburg for the first time in 62 years. How did this happen? Can Australia now win the World Cup? Is Joe Schmidt a genius? And was this the result of the season for Andy Farrell? We talk to Tom Decent of the Sydney Morning Herald.And we have great news ahead of our live show in London on Wednesday September 24th - the special guest will be Arsenal legend Ian Wright! Go HERE for tickets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not for the first time this weekend, Ken wonders if he is going insane, as English football shows once again that it can never forgive a goalkeeper for getting fouled at a set-piece. We discuss Keith Andrews' harsh introduction to life as a head coach, the varied fortunes of a raft of new super-striker signings, and the Friday night match that led to Arne Slot having to negotiate a grilling live on TV with Jamie Carragher. Mark Critchley and Nick Ames join us to talk about Arsenal's 1-0 win at Old Trafford. Was this game oddly more encouraging for the losers than the winners? Viktor Gyökeres is currently undergoing the now-traditional internet hazing meted out to most new PL strikers - but are there signs he is going to struggle? And how might Arsenal reconfigure to get the best out of him?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hold onto your britches folks, cos things went a little wild on the world service this week what with the Premier League hype machine in full flow, daily Isak transfer tittle tattle, Shels getting their hearts broken and most importantly, the official launch of Kencall.And after a weird summer of club world cup dystopia and Ken getting high on X it is finally time for some good old fashioned actual Premier League football to watch and talk about, and we got two of the biggest brains in the biz, Rory Smith and Miguel Delaney, on the line our bumper preview show.Second Captains presenters and "some" world service Arsenal fans had a roller coaster relationship last season, but we extend a giant olive branch with our London live show special guest – it’s Arsenal legend and one of our favourite people in football, Ian Wright!!!! The show is on Wednesday September 24th at the Earth Theatre in Hackney, London. If you wanna be there to see Ian get onto secondcaptans.com/live and get your tickets. They're moving fast.Click the player at the top of the page to play the show. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to our programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Captains World Service. There’s no contracts, no hidden fees and shows can be listened to on all good podcast apps, on Spotify or through our website. It’s independent, commercial-free and member-led with feature interviews, breaking news, Ken’s Football Show, The Politics Podcast, and lots of added extras. You’ll also be supporting the development of our longer-form work, such as our international series’  ‘Where Is George Gibney?’ and Stakeknife. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a month of All-Ireland finals, we finally got a close one - and in the end, we got a surprise winner, too.  Cork were going for three-in-a-row, had beaten Galway by 11 points in the League final earlier this year, but had no answer to Galway's fast start, relentless physicality and last-minute heroics.  Dublin camogie captain Aisling Maher has had an eventful year, which started by leading the skorts strike, and she's on the line today with Sinead O'Carroll of The Journal to review yesterday's final, the new refereeing approach which has revolutionised camogie, and why we're still talking about integration.  We also discuss the worst Hawkeye referral in Croke Park's history, red cards, and why GAA players continue to be world leaders in spite.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack Grealish has gone to Everton on loan. We hope he finds meaning there. We try to understand why it never worked for him, with reference to some of the things Guardiola said in a surprisingly candid recent interview with GQ. Dion Fanning joins us to talk about the Community Shield, which saw the team with no new signings look more organised and dangerous than the team with €300 million worth. We also discuss the recent news that the FAI’s dream of a fully-aligned football calendar has effectively been abandoned, after the FAI confirmed that leagues who want to play winter football can apply for exemptions.What does the failure of the unified plan mean? And what are the likely implications for the FAI?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The momentum behind "No Prem Ken" is building as our football correspondent put in another stonking performance this week on the world service. Welcome to our best of show!We had Shels' shock win against the champions of Croatia, Man United rolling the transfer dice, football twitter madness, Son’s public display of emotion, the latest instalment of Inside Sir Big Jim, Infantino’s friends in high places and Orlagh Nolan on Dublin's masterclass against Meath, Sign up for 5 euro a month to hear all our shows. It’s dead easy, just go to secondcaptains.com/join – there’s no sign up fee, no sneaky add-ons, no contracts, no minimum stay, no adverts and we’re independent and Irish owned. Yoiu can listen on any good podcast app, on Spotify or on our website secondcaptains.com. Next week we will be previewing the Premier League, chatting to US Murph about bananas, looking ahead to Oasis and having all kinds of good clean fun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Lions return triumphant from the 2025 tour of Australia with a 2-1 series victory... but was that the bare minimum?  Shane Horgan and Gareth Rhys Owen of the BBC's Scrum V are on the show this Bank Holiday Monday to review why the Lions ran out of steam on Saturday's third test.  We discuss whether Andy Farrell returns to Ireland with his reputation enhanced, which Irish players have grown or wilted during this tour, and how good or bad this Australian team really are.  We also discuss how to spend a 30-minute storm delay, and the insane final moments of the fifth day of the fifth test between England and India which included some heroics from Woakes and an incredibly tight finish.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our world service best of show, and what a humdinger of a week it was with Tom Brady and Keith Andrews getting the reality tv treatment at Birmingham and Brentford, Ken chatting to QPR and Ireland's soundest man, Jimmy Dunne, the Lions tour exploding into life, and Jonathan Wilson taking the gloves off for some cricket chat.Plus there's question marks around the whole Newcastle/Saudi project, democratic dictator debates, ageism in football, the Rooster of Barcelos, and "word of the week".Sign up for 5 euro a month to hear all our shows. It’s dead easy, just go to secondcaptains.com/join – there’s no sign up fee, no sneaky add-ons, no contracts, no minimum stay, no ads and we’re independent and Irish owned. Next week we will be reviewing the women’s Euros, Kerry V Donegal, the Lions 2nd Test, and there will be the usual avalanche of football transfers, news and drama. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

England have won their second consecutive Euros, a Lionesses XI built out of different types of rocks and hard places ultimately proving too tough for Spain to break down.Today we learn about the lighter side of Sarina Wiegman, look at what England's win signifies in these exciting days for the meaning of Englishness, and reflect on the overall impact of Euro 2025. We also discuss the knock-on effects of Luis Diaz' transfer to Bayern, and whether top clubs' increasing fixation on 22 year olds is creating market opportunities for old foxes like David Moyes to exploit.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 2025 All-Ireland senior football championship is finished and Kerry are worthy champions, again.  Two of the great GAA pundits, Paul Flynn and Oisin McConville, are in studio to discuss this magnificent season of gaelic football 2.0.  How did Kerry defuse the Donegal zonal defence? Where did they find their energy after losing to Meath 8 weeks ago? Is David Clifford even human?  We also examine Jim McGuinness’ performance and whether he was out-coached yesterday, and we look ahead to a bright future for the sport.And of course just because Eoin was off on Friday doesn’t mean he missed his chance to pay his respects to Hulk Hogan.  The balance is redressed in emphatic style today.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our world service best of show, and what a romper stomper its been this week with the Premier League transfer market getting red hot, Ken's north star, Eamon Dunphy, featuring heavily throughout, there's a much anticipated All Ireland football final match-up, the Lions are meowing their way to victory, and Ken has been meeting people in Tolka Park .... and the gym.... and in saunas.Sign up for 5 euro a month to hear all our shows. It's dead easy, just go to secondcaptains.com/join - there's no sign up fee, no sneaky add-ons, no contracts, no minimum stay, no ads and we're independent and Irish owned. Next week we will be reviewing the women's Euros, Kerry Donegal, the Lions 2nd Test, and there will be the usual avalanche of football transfers, news and drama. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tipperary are the 2025 All-Ireland hurling champions, and their victory was as dominant and deserved as it was unexpected. As they’ve done all summer, Jamie Wall and Liam Rushe are on hand to pick through the bones of an unforgettable second half.Cork’s inability to adapt to the tactical picture Tipp presented them will haunt them forever. For Tipp, giving your perfect performance on the biggest day makes this as sweet as any All-Ireland win in their history.We also discuss cancelled homecomings, Ronan Maher’s upper-arm struggles, and where Cork go from here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Evan Ferguson has joined the flood of under appreciated young Premier League players seeking to transform their careers in Serie A. James Horncastle joins us to talk about what awaits Ferguson in Rome - where he will be working under one of Italy's most respected coaches - what a young player like him should be doing (and not doing) to succeed in Serie A, and how Italian football keeps going its own way in an increasingly homogeneous football world. We also talk about Ratcliffe’s fishing trip and the latest transfer news, including some difficult days at Newcastle United, and listen as some giants of days gone by lament the spinelessness and lack of character of the young generation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our World Service taster which this week included Ken and Scottie Scheffler on the meaning of life, Patrice Evra brings you inside the dark culture of winning, Tom English of the BBC chasing Lions Down Under and Nicky English remembers his iconic ''soccer style'' goal in that hot summer of '87.Click the player at the top of the page to play the show. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to our programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Captains World Service. There’s no contracts, no hidden fees and shows can be listened to on all good podcast apps, on Spotify or through our website. It’s independent, commercial-free and member-led with feature interviews, breaking news, Ken’s Football Show, The Politics Podcast, and lots of added extras. You’ll also be supporting the development of our longer-form work, such as our international series’  ‘Where Is George Gibney?’ and Stakeknife. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chelsea are the new FIFA world champions after destroying PSG in another one-sided CWC knockout game. Johnny Infantino's long servile campaign paid dividends as Donald Trump showed up and dominated the extended post-match proceedings. The entire occasion was as though someone had started with the basic concept: imagine the Americans had invented football. To which we can only respond: why? Jonathan Wilson and Tim Vickery join us to look back on the final and to evaluate the tournament as a whole. Do they agree with Enzo Maresca's perhaps self-serving prediction that this competition is going to take over from the Champions League as the gold standard of club football?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If the price of one absolutely mega All-Ireland football final showdown is two pretty pedestrian semi-finals, then that’s a price we’re happy enough to pay. Paul Flynn and Oisin McConville are on hand to look back at Kerry’s composed win over Tyrone, and Donegal’s devastation of Meath in the weekend’s games. Will this final be a showdown between David Clifford and Michael Murphy, or will Donegal’s peerless cohesion be the deciding factor?Katie Taylor made sure, just in case there was still any doubt, that she'll be seen forevermore as a superior boxer to Amanda Serrano at the weekend, while also refusing to commit to ever fighting again in the aftermath. All this while still managing to get in a trademark Taylor verbal broadside at the post-fight press conference - a solid night's work.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was a period of a few hours over the weekend when it looked as though Mikey Johnston might be going to Brazil to teach them how to dribble. Even Robbie Keane's intervention could not save the move. We talk about the Club World Cup, where Jurgen Klopp's direst predictions of injuries came true for Bayern's best player, Jamal Musiala. Should he even have been playing? And does Gianluigi Donnarumma deserve the criticism he's been getting from the original sweeper keeper, Manuel Neuer?We also talk about the confirmed and rumoured incomings - and recent outgoings - at Arsenal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Cork hurlers have built up a following which some commentators are comparing with Heffo’s Army or, say, the Pope's visit to Ireland. They travelled from Kent station to Heuston on Saturday with, let’s be honest, a certain cockiness and Dublin’s quick capitulation made for a good day out for the red shirted horde. And then came "its a madhouse at Croker" on Sunday - our senior analyst Jamie Wall had tipped against Tipp. What’s he got to say for himself now? He’s joined in our studio by Dublin's Liam Rushe to discuss both semis and the score that never was.We also discuss lingerie shops distracting Easter Week rebels, turning the GPO into a coffee shop, dressing like an African prince and Murph gets back behind the wheel for another episode of the wildly successful new slot, Murph's Country Drives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Murph and Mark headed off to Croke Park together yesterday for the MARPH derby. Murph's initial arrogance slowly curdled into horror as he and everyone else in the stadium witnessed the return of the Royals; Meath are back!Mark is on the show today to celebrate on behalf of his people, but otherwise, it's wall-to-wall losers as Dublin and Armagh's Paul Flynn and Oisin McConville join Murph's Galway pity party. We chat about Kerry's classy, clever win over All-Ireland champions Armagh, Meath's miracle, the kick-out factor, Donegal depth, Dublin's limp display against Tyrone, and where they go now as Dessie Farrell steps down.Plus there's octogenarian ecstasies, and Ken's preferred candidate for the Dublin job. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friend of the show David Sneyd sent US Soccer into a tailspin over the weekend with his exclusive report that Brentford interviewed Mauricio Pochettino for the job they ended up giving to Keith Andrews. But doesn’t Poch already have a job? In Ireland we can empathise with the American soul-searching.Meanwhile, certain senior German grandees been engaging in the favourite activity of their kind: lighting up the feuilleton space with an exchange of controversial barbs. Jurgen Klopp described the Club World Cup as the worst idea ever implemented in football, just a week after Karl-Heinz Rummenigge hailed the genius of Johnny Infantino for coming up with the idea. We look into the competing claims.Plus there's FIFA's NFTs, Sky Sports bites back, Ken's Cuban and eggs in Italy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes the voice of Saipan (trailer), the Joe Duffy era coming to a close and a new door opening, Tim Vickery on Brazilian footballers' ability to sin and win, Messi's secret to longevity, and Ken on the USA V Italy cuisine wars.Plus there's Lions o'clock, climate change, ASMR, and the GAA football and hurling championships are red hot for the next few weeks.For access to all our shows from Monday to Friday go to secondcaptains.com/join – its 5 euro a month with no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no sneaky contracts, and no ads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14-man Dublin's win over Limerick on Saturday has been described as the greatest upset in championship history - is that hyperbolic or on the money? Is this the end of an era or can we expect to see a less dominant but still title-contending Limerick going forward? And what are Dublin capable of against Cork in two weeks' time? Jamie Wall and former Dublin hurler Liam Rushe are with us to answer those questions and more after an extraordinary weekend. It's probably for the best that Murph's away this week, because in the other preliminary quarter-final Galway rolled over against Tipperary, offering next to nothing. Now, Tipp take on Kilkenny in the semi-finals, with Jamie's prediction that Derek Lyng's men will go all the way this year still hanging in the balance. Plus there's the Chris Crummey debate ('debate') and the Second Captains slot Louth GAA never knew they needed.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken is back from holidays and so is Branno. Did they... go on vacation together?Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened... is what Branno's Shels-supporting friends are claiming they are thinking the day after Damien Duff walked out of the club. Today's show is mainly about perhaps the last-ever Duff-LOI Bomba - although it was a different competition that dominated much of our weekend bandwidth. Eoin brings us up to speed.David Sneyd joins Eoin, Ken and Branno to talk about Duff's exit. Why did he choose to go now? Is this an impulse decision, or one that's been coming for a while? Will the league be damaged by the loss of arguably its biggest star? And what next for Duff himself? Plus we've news of two new Stakeknife episodes, including a Q&A with Say Nothing author and New Yorker staff writer, Patrick Radden Keefe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another insane weekend of Gaelic football, and finally we have some teams departing the scene - including, most chaotically of all, Mayo. They conceded a last-second score to a team who needed it not even a small little bit, and they, Derry, Roscommon and Clare are gone. Former Galway player Barry Cullinane is on the line to chart his old team's progress through the Group of Death, and he's joined by Wicklow manager Oisin McConville, fresh from beating Westmeath and blasting the Tailteann Cup wide open. There's also time to discuss Meath's insane hammering of Kerry, a score-fest between Down and Monaghan, and the preliminary quarter-final draw, which managed to keep all the big dogs away from each other.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's football show contains all the meats of the football stew, from local LOI beefs to the state of the world game.First we chat to David Sneyd about where exactly things stand in the League of Ireland season, a season in which Damien Duff and Stephen Bradley are at each other's throats. Why? Because of Italian trance classic, Komodo by Mauro Picotto, of course. Then we speak to The Guardian's Barney Ronay, who's been on the ground in America for the opening weekend of the Club World Cup. We discuss Infantino's ICE World Cup, the dark mood in America and why the Saudi money and American marketing behind it all means it will probably succeed.Plus there's Auckland amateurs, birthday shoutouts and the Kalimotxo King.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cork won a Munster final that "began at tea-time and didn't finish until bed-time", as Denis Walsh put it on Saturday night - a win on penalties over Limerick after a raucous, controversial, enthralling match that was perfect in its imperfection, as Jamie Wall explains to us.  Kilkenny won a sixth Leinster title in a row, but the real headlines from Croke Park yesterday came from Kildare, who won the Joe McDonagh Cup with a bravura performance on their biggest day.  We also discuss Murph's insatiable desire for TV appearances, Ken's hatred for "Freed From Desire", and a new documentary "Hell For Leather", coming up on RTE1 tonight.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Nations League final four turned out to be pretty good but it's clear that what international football needs right now is to reverse the FIFA diktat to make every emotional stadium moment sound the exact same.We talk about Ireland's draw with Senegal and look ahead to tomorrow's season-closing friendly in Luxembourg, before the PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author Joseph O'Neill joins us in studio to speak about his 2024 novel, Godwin, a New York Times Best Book of the Year. The novel, partly set in the world of football scouting and agency, explores both the exploitation of young African footballers and a particular brand of ineffective 21st century American liberalism, something Joseph has also written about in his essays for the New York Review of Books. And that is what you call a veritable smorgasbord of a football show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu!For access to all our shows go to secondcaptains.com/join – its 5 euro a month with no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no sneaky contract, and no ads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PSG are the champions of Europe after crushing Inter 5-0 in the most one-sided final in European Cup history. The night was a complicated mix of emotions; awe at the sheer brilliance of PSG's performance, respect and affection for their charismatic coach Luis Enrique, sympathy for the hopelessly outclassed Inter, unease and foreboding at a second Champions League win in three seasons for a state-owned club, and, if you are into that kind of thing, maybe a little schadenfreude at the expense of Kylian Mbappe.After the game, Ken caught up (in rapid succession) with Miguel Delaney, Jonathan Liew and Diego Torres to hear their thoughts on the slaughter.Plus there's Ken scooting under the influence, Doue's abs and Dembele the destroyer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernie Sanders has been one of the most electrifying figures in American life for half a century, and is one of the most high-profile global political figures of the current moment. He joined us in our studio in Dublin this week for an exclusive interview, and we have a taster of the chat on today's best of show.In what was a massive week for Second Captains, we also had former Ireland and Sheffield Utd captain John Egan at our live show in the Everyman Theatre in Cork, Plus there's Ken's preview of the Champions League final, Oisin McConville and Paul Flynn on the GAA and Jonathan Wilson's football wedding plans.For access to all our shows go to secondcaptains.com/join – its 5 euro a month with no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no sneaky contract, and no ads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're into the time of celebrations, drifting clouds of flare smoke, players grabbing mics and managers maybe dropping them. Palace, Liverpool and Tottenham all celebrated their big trophy wins in the last few days while Katie McCabe has been leading Arsenal's celebrations after winning the Women's Champions League. Spurs fans: we see you, we believe you. We address the concerns of some Tottenham fans who felt Thursday's pod was too focused on the wretchedness of the Europa League final losers, and talk about Daniel Levy's big call. Jonathan Wilson joins us to pour out his heart about newly promoted playoff champions Sunderland AFC, and reveal new information on the table plan for his upcoming wedding. And we hear from Ken and Branno on their big Bernie experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have our provincial hurling final pairings, but Cork didn't exactly roar into the Munster final, enduring a nervy second half before finally putting Waterford away in Páirc Úi Chaoimh.  They'll face Limerick in two weeks' time, and Jamie Wall and Liam Rushe say farewell to All-Ireland champions Clare, while looking ahead to Galway/Kilkenny in the Leinster final.  Murph was in Parnell Park to see Dublin struggle under the new-found weight of expectation, and we also explore his new-found love for the New York Knicks... which we then pithily expose as lies and hypocrisy.   We also reveal how Ken spent his Saturday - talking to Senator Bernie Sanders in our office!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes an in-depth look at a Europa League final result that's produced so many talking points for both Spurs and Man Utd, US Murph on the New York sports fan and Pope University, Paul Flynn on Dublin's (surprise?) win over Galway, and Timothee Chalamet being a good sport.We also had an exclusive interview with former Celtic, Sunderland and Cork City player and more recently, Ireland assistant coach, Colin Healy. Last year, Colin’s wife, Kelly, sadly passed away after a long battle with leukaemia. After taking a few weeks off work, he returned to his job as assistant coach to Ireland manager, Eileen Gleeson. In December, the FAI announced they wouldn’t be renewing Colin’s contract. Just over a month later, Colin released a highly critical statement in which he said he’d been assured by then FAI Director of Football, Marc Canham, that he would be kept on, something which Canham has consistently denied. Colin sat down with us this week to speak about what’s been an extremely difficult year in his personal and professional life.For access to all our shows go to secondcaptains.com/join – its 5 euro a month with no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no sneaky contract, and no ads. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The FA Cup: good when the underdogs actually win. We look at some key moments of Palace's epic and emotional victory. Why didn't the VAR send Dean Henderson off? Why did Erling Haaland let Marmoush take the penalty? And did Oliver Glasner get in Pep Guardiola's head when he warned him, you play that system against us again and we will solve it? And in Europa League final week, we wonder: how did Oliver Glasner manage to come in mid-season, switch to 3-4-3, and win most of his remaining PL games, while certain other managers who have tried to do something similar have failed? Damien Delaney was over to watch his old club win their first ever major trophy - he joins us to talk about an incredible day at Wembley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Limerick and Cork has been the marquee hurling rivalry of the recent past - but yesterday in the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick sent out a fairly thundering message that they are the team to beat in this year's All-Ireland championship.  Liam Rushe and Jamie Wall are in studio again to talk to us about Kyle Hayes' dominance, Cork's naive puck-out defence, why Waterford may worry Cork next weekend with a place in the Munster final at stake, and Dublin's 'moral victory' in Nowlan Park.  There's also the arresting image of a former RTE GAA analyst climbing Everest in the nude, Aidan O'Shea, and more Cian Lynch magic.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes the mighty Kate O'Connor live in Belfast on her incredible year of success, Ken on his US civil war ancestor, a brilliant GAA show with Paul Flynn and Oisin McConville, and fan favourite Tim Vickery on why Brazil and Argentina have such different football philosophies.For access to all our shows go to secondcaptains.com/join - its 5 euro a month with no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no sneaky contract, no ads, just lots and lots of podcast fun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The All-Ireland champions Clare are on the precipice after their defeat at home to Tipperary in a packed Cusack Park in Ennis on Saturday - but our analysts Liam Rushe and Jamie Wall reckon there's still a chance they survive. We also discuss the skorts issue that continues to rumble on inexplicably, John McGrath's late-career renaissance, Shane O'Donnell's return, and there's Limerick/Cork to look forward to this weekend too. We also reflect briefly on Louth's thrilling Leinster football final win, Sam Mulroy's heroics, and Murph getting abused by a celebrating Louth-man.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The spectrum of football emotion runs wide. At one end, Trent Alexander-Arnold, once beloved and now accursed by his own people. At the other the Moose, surfing to his first LOI goal on a tidal wave of inexplicable love. Football can be a confusing place for footballers.We talk about another epic Clasico as Real Madrid fall apart in a comical first half in Montjuic. Have they grown desperate enough to submit to the kind of coach who will tell them how to play football?Dion Fanning and Rory Smith join us to talk about the weekend's football. Does the treatment of Trent reflect badly on Liverpool? And as Ruben Amorim aims another devastating broadside at his own club, how long do we think this project has left to run?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us live from the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Dublin City, with Gary Breen and Damien Delaney for a very special Second Captains football podcast, as we reflect on the Premier League season that was.Have Salah’s legs gone, what next for our boy Caoimhín and just why is Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca the anti-McIlroy? Plus Ken puts some working relationships on the line as Gary and Damien wait to see if either of them make it into his All-time Premier League XI (spoiler: they don't).  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the moment we saw the team-sheets, right through to the final moments when they chose not to kick at goal, this was a baffling display by the coaching staff and players, and it all ended with a defeat that will have repercussions far beyond the province of Leinster.We chat to Shane Horgan and Ruaidhrí O'Connor about the mental state of the players for this Northampton game, the starting team chosen, the Nienaber defensive system, the funding model in Irish rugby, and where this latest defeat leaves Leo Cullen.And we try to define what it means to "choke", and if it was arrogance, overthinking or panic that caused the team to not kick that penalty on 75 mins to level the scores.Plus there's Pollock power, Prendergast pawing, and trying to place this defeat in the pantheon of Irish sporting failures.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week includes Ken on Arteta's psycho babble and Lamine Yamal's greatness, Diego Torres on Arsenal's decay, Meath beating the Dubs, and Abubaker Abed came to our studio for a sit-down with Ken. Abubaker arrived in Dublin late last month having left the Gaza Strip for the first time in his life. He had hoped to study and become a sports journalist but conflict came to him first, pushing him into becoming an accidental war reporter. Join in the fun for just a fiver a month – no contracts, no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no hidden charges, and no ads. Head to secondcaptains.com/join for more details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liverpool are the 24-25 Premier League champions. We talk about their victorious campaign, why this should be regarded as one of the great coaching achievements in English football history, and why other Liverpool managers who came close in the past might feel a little envious of the circumstances in which Arne Slot won the Premier League at his first attempt. We also discuss an incredible Copa Del Rey final and the latest theories about why Florentino Perez has allowed Madrid to become a sore-loser "anti-organisation". Neil Atkinson of TAW joins us to talk about why this title means so much to Liverpool, how Arne Slot transformed last season's third-placed side into champions, and what remains to be done for the rest of the season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 years of hurt are over - the Royals have stormed the capital and are back in power, and back in a Leinster final.Some saw this coming, most didn't.We talk to the soothsayer Paul Flynn about where this shock lies on the GAA Richter Scale, how Meath did it, and where this leaves Dublin now.We also chat to Conor McManus about the Leinster final match up, Louth's evolution, and Armagh's win over Tyrone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our weekly World Service taster menu which this week included Ken on Canham, making football great again. Bohs beating Rovers, Paul Flynn on fabulous football, Liam Rushe and Jamie Wall on hurling's hectic draws, and we have "fun and games" coming on Friday too.Get daily shows for just a fiver a month – no contracts, no sign-up fee, no minimum stay, no hidden charges, and no ads. Head to secondcaptains.com/join for more details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.