The Second Captains Podcast
The Second Captains Podcast is an award-winning Irish sports podcast that covers a wide range of topics, including football and other sports. It has been recognized as iTunes Podcast of the Year and included in The Guardian's list of 50 essential podcasts. The show offers free episodes as well as exclusive daily content for members via the Second Captains World Service.
Episodes
World Cup 2026 Takes Off, Banos Hermanos, Trump's One Way Street, Predicting The Winner
We’re less than an hour away from the big kick-off at World Cup 2026, Ken is at the Azteca and we are having a blast on the World Service this week. You’ll hear from Ken all tournament long and Branno’s gonna join him in a few days time.Click the player at the top of the page to play the show. To listen to all our World Cup programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Cap
Ep 3570: Israel Game Set For Neutral Venue, Ireland's World Cup Dream - 08/06/26
Ireland are preparing for one of the biggest nights in the history of women’s football in this country… but yet again, off-field issues threaten to overshadow our winner-take-all match against France in Grenoble tomorrow night.The FAI have released a statement saying no official announcement will be made until Thursday, but today government sources state that our home game against Israel in Octobe
Ep 3569: Limerick Delight, Galway For The Double, Katie Balboa, Farrell Forever - 08/06/26
The Munster and Leinster hurling finals didn’t eliminate anyone from this year’s All-Ireland championships, but judging by the on-pitch celebrations, winning them really, really mattered for Limerick and Galway.Joe Canning and Jamie Wall tell us why Cork can have few complaints about their 1-point defeat to Limerick… and is there a chance Galway spoil the Munster re-match in July’s All-Ireland fin
World Cup Week, KenCall, Neymar's Cankles, Why Norway?
We're just one week out from the World Cup and we're starting to feel it. First stop for Ken is Mexico City early next week, but before he went he gave us a special World Cup edition of KenCall!This week we also had Tim Vickery on Ancelotti's source code for coaching and how old injured legends Neymar and Messi will fare in the heat. Plus there's Mbappe's defensive stats, who Ken is supporting and
Ep 3564: PSG Triumphant, Don Revie's Arsenal, Slot Departs, Cultural Repository Players
Arsenal went to Budapest surfing a tidal wave of hope and joy, and finished losing on penalties after one shot on target in more than two hours of play. Less than Inter managed losing 5-0 last year, and less than Arsenal themselves managed against Barcelona in 2006, when they played most of the match with ten men. Did Mikel Arteta's best-laid plans nearly come off - or did the plan ultimately
World Cup Wonder, The McGuinness Melee, The Value Of Assists
Welcome to fight week on the Second Captains world service! There was a Donnybrook in Dalyer, the McGuinness melee in Kerry and Keano and Bruno fighting on the internet. Plus we have a champions league show tomorrow and Monday, and coming very soon, the World Cup in Canada/USA/Mexico which will be really weird and really interesting.Its a fiver to join, it takes 30 seconds, you have instant access
Ep 3559: Leinster Get Dismantled, Move Fast And Win Things, Jim McGuinness Throws His Weight Around - 25/05/26
The other four Champions Cup finals Leinster lost were all close, winnable and heartbreaking for fans; this defeat to Bordeaux however was over after 20 minutes and deeply concerning for all involved.We chat to Shane Horgan and Andrew Trimble about all the things that went wrong in Bilbao, and what this means for Leo Cullen, Nienaber and Irish rugby.And in a weekend of massive games in hurling and
Ep 3558: Good-Bye To All That
A day of goodbyes - Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Seamus Coleman, West Ham United.Ken gives his Premier League team of the season, and you … to be honest, you won’t be surprised by too many of his picks.Dion Fanning and John Brewin join us to talk about the end of the Premier League season. How good a season was it? Does Pep Guardiola leave Manchester C
Arsenal Celebrate, The Choker Fallacy, SpyFall
Welcome to winners week on the Second Captains world service! Arsenal are Premier League champions again after 22 long years, and Villa ended a 30 year wait for a trophy with their Europa League win last night.We got in touch with friend of the show Dara O’Briain and Jacob Hawley of the Screen Rot podcast, to reflect on Arsenal's journey these last few years under Arteta and to discuss the whole "
Ep 3553: Westmeath Dismantle Dubs, Armagh Take Ulster, Working Class Golf Hero - 18/05/26
After last Sunday's heroics Roscommon may have thought they had the 2026 Cinderella Team mantle all to themselves, but yesterday in Croke Park Westmeath took that title from them, and took the Leinster title for only the second time in their history. Dara Ó Cinnéide and Paul Flynn were watching an insane day of Gaelic football - a day where Monaghan even came painfully close to turning o
Ep 3552: Ken The Tim, Alonso Calling, The Four Mysteries, Ireland In Shadow, Salah Uprising, Yeats Fisherman - 18/05/26
Most of the world wanted Hearts to win on Saturday but this little corner of it was an exception. Eoin swoons at the romance of his close personal friend Martin O'Neill becoming a champion again at the age of 74 while Ken confesses that technophobia has driven him into the sweaty arms of Celtic FC, a reassuringly old-fashioned, incompetent football entity. Rory "Jambo Unchained" Smith was at
Cheat Week, Madrid Meltdown, Why Not Alonso?
Welcome to cheat week on the Second Captains world service! It all started with the Arsenal West Ham VAR fallout and got progressively murkier as the week went on with the Southampton "Spygate" saga, Celtic's questionable late penalty against Motherwell and Florentino Perez calling out all the haters and losers at Real Madrid. There was also the news this week that Chelsea are looking t
Ep 3548: The Rossies Take Connacht, Murph As Condom, 'Egomaniacs' Returns - 11/05/26
The newest member of our championship punditry team, Dara Ó Cinnéide - already getting rave reviews - was at Dr Hyde Park to see Roscommon pip Murph's Galway to their first home win in a Connacht final in a quarter-century yesterday. Dara and Paul join us to chat about a huge day for the Rossies, the first provincial finals of the summer, Jayo Sherlock, and how, for David Clifford, it's all i
Ep 3547: Arsenal So Close, Starlizard FC, Anger Farmers, Southampton Spy Ring, Madrid Psychodrama
Arsenal are nearly there. As the manager flailed wildly with random substitutions, David Raya and Martin Ødegaard stood up to make sure that when the referees stepped up to rule on the climactic, decisive melee, Arsenal already had the crucial edge. We go through the fallout, and also talk about the Southampton spying scandal, while Eoin confesses to a faux pas in the presence of an
Arsenal Double Or Quits, Guehi's Blunder, Seve Special, Mbappe On His Holidays
Welcome to our World Service taster show. This week was dominated by Arsenal Football Club, who could now win it all, or nothing, but either way should be allowed celebrate the wins along the way? We also covered PSG's second leg defensive masterclass, Guehi's blunder, Man Utd's next manager, Leinster and Ulster making European finals, footballers taking mid season holidays and we dedicate our Fri
Ep 3552: Leinster Wobble And Win, Leo's Lecture, Porter Power, Happy Ulster, Randle Reverse - 04/05/26
As Leinster eased into an 18 point lead with 12 minutes remaining in their Champions Cup semi final, everyone in the stadium could finally put that Northampton nightmare behind them, right?We chat to Shane Horgan and Gerry Thornley about that late wobble and what caused it, how such a good team can also look so vulnerable, big Joe McCarthy saving the day, the blitz gamble, Leo's lecture to t
What Makes Football Great?
Welcome to our World Service taster show. This week was all about PSG Bayern and what makes for a great game of football. We interviewed Harvey Vale about his decision to join Ireland, his Chelsea years and rejecting a move to the Saudi leagues. We also covered the Arsenal Atletico Madrid peno farce, the fallout from Munster's appointment of Roger Randle (a move that has since been cancelled), LBJ
Ep 3537: Wall & Canning On A Wild Hurling Weekend, Marathon Goes Sub-Two, Ulster's Lambing Championship - 27/04/26
It’s the Jamie and Joe Show today, as Messrs Wall and Canning are together for the first time this summer to react to Cork’s thrilling 2-point win over Limerick in Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday, and the chaotic draw that Tipperary and Waterford played out a couple of hours later. Cork were winners but with a few question marks, Limerick are going to Ennis next week without Aaron Gillane an
Ep 3536: Ifs, Buts, and LBJ's Nuts - 27/04/26
What if Robert Sanchez hadn't been able to buy Chelsea some breathing space with a possibly-imaginary injury? What if the ref last week had sent off Khusanov for fouling Havertz? What if Mikel Arteta and Daniel Farke weren't both believers in the philosophy of "you only complain when you're winning"?Pep Guardiola was buzzing throughout Manchester City's victory at Wembley though at times app
Why Arsenal, Chelsea Age Rosenior, Spain Show The Way - 23/04/26
Welcome to our World Service taster show. This week we covered Rosenior's Waterloo, Cucurella’s mouthy barber, why the haters hate on Arsenal, Spain's approach to the climate crisis and renewable energy, Katie for Croker, and coming up we have the Champions League semis, Joe Canning on hurling, Dave Hannigan on Roy Keane's early days in Cork, the Champions Cup semis and the GAA football championsh
Ep 3531: Superpundit Joe Canning Joins The Pod, Championship Hurling Is Back, What About Westmeath - 20/04/26
The hurling championship has begun and we have a brand new pundit for the summer, as Galway's greatest-ever hurler Joe Canning joins us. He had a front-row seat in Thurles for Cork-Tipperary yesterday, and he talks to us about the envy he feels watching the Munster championship. He was also watching on as his native county Galway tore Kilkenny apart in Pearse Stadium on Saturda
Ep 3530: It's Happening Again...? - 20/04/26
It's done. Or is it? Is it done? It was hard to know how to feel at the end of that, as Arsenal played one of their best games in many weeks but still ended up ceding the title initiative to Manchester City. City still need to win six games - and even then they can't be 100% sure. We talk through a great game that concluded a great PL weekend with Jonathan Wilson and Jamie Hamilton.Did the ga
Science Slot, Arteta On Fire, Orban Lit, McClean Media, Dub Doubt - 16/04/26
Welcome to our World Service taster show. This week we went deep on Liverpool's problems on and off the pitch, and in the medical room; we rejoiced in the splendour of Bayern - Madrid and recoiled at the ugliness of Arsenal Sporting.Plus there's McClean's social media output, Paul Flynn on the football championship, Arteta on fire and Sneyd & Branno on the latest young star to emerge from the
Ep 3525: McIlroy The Master All Over Again - 13/04/26
Why, asked Rory McIlroy these past few days, have one Masters title when you can have two? And why win smoothly when you can terrorise your home country instead? It was another wild and ultimately joyous weekend for McIlroy at Augusta and we're joined by The 42's Gavin Cooney live from Georgia and The Sunday Times' Michael Foley to take it all in. Plus there's old green-fingers Paul McGi
Ep 3524: Arsenal in the Underworld - 13/04/26
We're into what looks like the defining week of the Premier League season, as nine months of Mikel Arteta's careful order, structure and planning may just be about to be confounded by the spirit of pure chaos in the form of Rayan Cherki. Lars Sivertsen and John Brewin join us to talk about the weekend's football. Why did the Emirates boo at the end of Saturday's game? Have Arsenal's effo
Ep 3519: City Burn Liverpool, Chelsea Hammer Enzo - 06/04/26
The Champions League quarter-finals is usually one of the most exciting weeks of the football calendar and an entertaining bunch of FA Cup quarter-finals got things off to a good start, with family members of participants like Maria Guardiola and Danny Dyer adding to the gaiety, and Finn Azaz, Ryan Manning and Tomas Soucek experiencing reversals of fortune.Arsenal began "the most beautiful part of
Prague Comedown, Italian Football Surrenders, Tiger Tanks, Writing Rory
Welcome to our World Service taster show and this week it's all about the Prague come-down and the build-up to the Masters.As we watched on with horror as Czechia booked their place at this summer's World Cup, Ken was able to find the slimmest of silver linings; at least we're not Italian.And as Rory aims to go back-to-back at next week's Masters, we speak to some Golf writing Big Beasts as
Ep 3514: We Can't Go On, We Must Go On, ScapeGoat Hunt, The Keys Of Navarone
Passing through the latter stages of grief today. Eoin, on the hunt for victims, puts Ken in the dock, accusing him of blaming the Ireland fans for our defeat in Prague. On the positive side, at least being out of the World Cup frees us up to talk more about the shadow of evil looming over the tournament.Elsewhere - Roberto de Zerbi might be about to take over at Tottenham, and thanks also to Rich
Ep 3513: Donegal In Different League, Michael Murphy's Red Mist, Kick Out Central, The Wicklow Way - 30/03/26
The pain of Thursday night will last a long time in all our hearts, so let's hold hands and podcast together.Oisin McConville joins us to discuss Donegal's one sided league final win over Kerry, Michael Murphy's baffling yellow card, the huge influence kick outs now have on the game and his own heartbreak after Wicklow failed to gain promotion to Division 3.Plus there's disappearing Dres
The World Cup Dream is Dead, Prague Week Ends
The World Cup Dream is Dead, Prague Week EndsIt’s goodbye to Prague, farewell Denmark, so long Azteca Stadium. Over and out from Czechia. We reflect on the final whistle.We’re in Berlin after one of the great weeks on The Second Captains Podcast (before the extreme heartbreak took over). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep 3506: Prague Week Beginneth, In The Studio With Kenneth, Man City Cup Winneth - 23/03/26
Prague Week starts with Kenny Cunningham joining us in studio to talk about how he wants to see Ireland approach the World Cup playoff on Tuesday night. Caution: Kenny's team may shock you. We talk about the Carabao Cup final, and whether the tactical match-up of baiting the press vs refusing to press is the worst thing ever to happen to football. While all this is happening Ken goe
Ep 3505: National Football League Drama, Michael Lyster Memories - 23/03/26
Kerry and Donegal are in the Division 1 final, Cork and Meath have won promotion, Armagh and Galway survive, Dublin are relegated, and even that fails to tell the full story of a thrilling last day’s action in the national football league. Ger Brennan lost his composure at half-time in Salthill, and his team lost their composure thereafter; David Clifford continues to do David Clifford thing
Prague Week, Heimir Seeks Calm, Retro Mo, Pep's Legacy
Welcome to our World Service taster show and this week it's all about the build-up to the World Cup Playoff against Czechia. We will be in Prague next week, in the heart of the action, broadcasting two shows a day from our balcony.We also had retro Mo, Pep's legacy, Rosenior's notes, Saint Parrott's Day, and coming up we have Gary Breen on the Iran 2001 playoff, and next week its more build up to
Ep 3500: Ireland's Crown, Rugby Fun, Murph's Sixth Nation Sense - 16/03/26
Thomas Ramos' kick in the 83rd minute of the last game decided the championship, broke Irish hearts, and was one of hundreds of epic moments that made up the greatest Six Nations yet.We chat to Shane Horgan and Andrew Trimble about the quality of rugby on display, Ramos' reliability, Pollock's winner/loser moment, McCloskey's massive influence on Ireland, Crowley's best performance
Ep 3499: Chelsea Respect The Ball, Pep's Annus Mirabilis, Max Power, Anfield Slot Changed, Save Us Didzy
Is the future like a black highway at night? What does it really mean to 'respect the ball'? And is there anything in the game with such universal appeal as an implausibly aged footballer? We pick the likely player of the year candidates and discuss why Manchester United's transformation under Michael Carrick is Arne Slot's biggest problem in more ways than one.Rory Smith and Rich Jolly join
Spurs Spiral, ROG's Advice, Panenka Kick, The Trip To Prague
Welcome to our world service taster show.To become a member and hear our shows all week it costs 5 euro a month and there’s no ads, no sign up fee, no minimum stay, no contract, and we’re independent and member led – go to secondcaptains.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep 3494: Old School Old Firm, Hell Ball, Brother Turns Against Brother - 09/03/26
Rangers and Celtic timed their run well, staging a chaotic Scottish Cup quarter-final heightened by some old-school “disgraceful scenes” on an FA Cup weekend to finally get some overdue coverage on here. But are Old Firm riots as stirring as they used to be? The archive audio suggests otherwise.But - as we bemoan the violence crackling everywhere in the air, what about journalist-on-journalist vio
Ep 3493: Swashbuckling Scots Set Sail For Dublin, Making History In Rome, Perms-a-Plenty, Plans For Prague - 09/03/26
Scotland defeated France 50 points to 40 on Saturday in one of the greatest northern hemisphere performances of the professional era, and are now in the frame for the 6 Nations championship… after losing to Italy in the first round.They face Ireland in Lansdowne Road next Saturday, a team Gregor Townsend has lost to 11 times in a row. We chat to Shane Horgan and the BBC's Chris Jones about the&nbs
Bonus Episode: Phantom Publics and the Reality of the Edogbo Racist Abuse
We have a special bonus World Service podcast for you all today. The show you’re about to hear caused quite a stir amongst our members over the past week, many of whom suggested it should be released free to air. So here it is.Edwin Edogbo made his debut for Ireland against Italy earlier this month. The experience was marred by online racist abuse he suffered on Irish Rugby channels, culminat
Ep 3488: Kobe’s Star Rises, Lowry’s Latest Collapse, Allianz Sponsorship Protests - 02/03/26
The GAA weekend saw games in both the hurling and football leagues, but looming over all that was the protest at Congress in Croke Park that saw Jarlath Burns and his top table brought face-to-face with anti-Allianz protestors. Paul Flynn is with us to try and prize apart which parts of the GAA behave like a corporate entity, and which would rather remain amateur. We also discuss th
Ep 3487: Slot Tunes Out, Mile High Irish, IFAB Conflab, Boehly's Minerals, Domestic Banners - 02/03/26
Chelsea’s record 24-25 loss impressed a lot of people, but today we hear from Todd Boehly’s appearance at a conference in Miami where it became clear that Chelsea is about the least interesting item in his current portfolio.Dion Fanning and John Brewin join us to talk about the weekend’s Premier League action. Arsenal ground out another crucial win, but Arne Slot, for one, wrinkles his nose in dis
Gianni And Friends, Posting On X, Canada And USA
Edwin Edogbo made his debut for Ireland against Italy earlier this month. The experience was marred by online racist abuse he suffered on Irish Rugby channels, culminating in comments on X being blocked by the IRFU. Mark has been taking a look at where these comments originated and spoke to Dr Eileen Culloty, Associate Professor in the School of Communications in DCU where she’s also Dep
Ep 3481: Spurs Go Arse Up, The Melancholy Of Private Rice, Skinny Legs In Libreville, Bored Of FIFA
Miguel Delaney and Jonathan Wilson join us to talk through the North London derby - a near-historic margin of victory for Arsenal, yet a victory that felt almost routine. Will this settle the nerves? Has big Vik answered the critics? Could Arsenal benefit from a night in the old Tuesday Club style? Meanwhile, have Spurs been wise to appoint a fixer-coach who favours an unfamiliar system? How
Ep 3482: Ireland Hammer England, Gibson Park's 10, Rugby Makes No Sense - 23/02/26
Italy beat Scotland. Scotland destroy England. Ireland hammer England; the rugby punditry predictions flag is flying at half mast today.Shane Horgan, author and journalist Brendan Fanning and 3 time Six Nations winner with England, Mike Brown, join us to try and make sense of a competition that makes no sense.Ireland now score tries from deep, from transition, throw offloads, have pace on both win
Ep 3481: Spurs Go Arse Up, The Melancholy Of Private Rice, Skinny Legs In Libreville, Bored Of FIFA
Miguel Delaney and Jonathan Wilson join us to talk through the North London derby - a near-historic margin of victory for Arsenal, yet a victory that felt almost routine. Will this settle the nerves? Has big Vik answered the critics? Could Arsenal benefit from a night in the old Tuesday Club style? Meanwhile, have Spurs been wise to appoint a fixer-coach who favours an unfamiliar system? How
Packers' Irish Punter, Arsenal's Title Tension, Jose's Blame Game
Welcome to our weekly World Service taster show!This week we spoke to Green Bay Packers punter Daniel Whelan in studio about his journey from Greystones United to the NFL; Ken covered Arsenal's ongoing title wobble; we looked at Jose's Vini blame game; Jack Pitt Brooke gave us the skinny on Spurs' new coach ahead of the North London derby; Paul Flynn came in to chat about football in 2026, and we
Ep 3476: Ireland v Israel, Baden-Baden 20 Years On - 16/02/2026
Last week, while the rest of the team worked desperately to cover a series of world-shattering football stories, Ken was peacefully wintering at Baden-Baden. He returns with news of the Upper Rhine, where people are, as ever, keeping themselves to themselves.Today we talk more about the implications of Ireland’s Nations League draw against Israel. The matches currently look likely to go ahead as s
Ep 3475: Ireland Survive, 10 Debate Turns Ugly, McCloskey Magic, England Think Again - 16/02/26
Ireland have their first win of the Six Nations, but form and confidence are still eluding Andy Farrell's team. as the out-half debate rages on and the scrum continues to struggle.Shane Horgan and author and journalist Brendan Fanning pick through the issues at 10, the quality of Ireland's tries, and the Lynagh disallowed score.The BBC’s Tom English joins us to talk about Scotland’s astonishing wi
Rainy Night In Sunderland, Czechia's Change Of Fortune, Frank Failed, Korean Memories
Welcome to our weekly World Service taster show! This week we discussed the sacking of Frank and Dyche, Liverpool's rainy night in Sunderland, Ratcliffe on Britain, Winter Olympics Brannecdotes, Operation Grand Slalom, Irish rugby's reboot and Czechia's change of fortune.To become a member and hear our shows all week it costs 5 euro a month and there’s no ads, no sign up fee, no minimum stay, no c
Ep 3470: Bad Bunny's America, Seahawks Destroy Patriots, Melee By The Lee, Hurling Manliness - 09/02/26
The Seattle Seahawks were heavy favourites to win Super Bowl 60 last night, and that's exactly what they did - absolutely dominating the New England Patriots and their young quarter-back Drake Maye. Brian Murphy has his chest out and his shoulders back after his beloved home city of San Francisco did a bang-up job of hosting the week-long party, and he joins us for his post-game thought
Ep 3469: City Reignite Title Race, VARCE, Keith Andrews' Origin Story, McClean In Midfield - 09/02/26
With two late goals at Anfield the Premier League title race went from stone cold, to flaming hot.To pick through the Manchester football revival, the VAR farce, Brentford's brains, the pep in Pep's step and James McClean's new midfield general role we chat to Mark Critchley of The Athletic and Gavin Cooney of the42.Our Dublin based LOI insider was in Lansdowne Rd yesterday for a subdued Sund
Saudi Money, Howe Low, Jamestown Analytics, Epstein Economics
Welcome to our weekly World Service taster show! This week we discussed Ronaldo's value to the Saudis, Eddie Howe's rep, Shels using Jamestown Analytics and the ongoing fallout from the latest release of Epstein files.To become a member and hear our shows all week it costs 5 euro a month and there’s no ads, no sign up fee, no minimum stay, no contract, and we’re independent and member led – go to&
Ep 3466: Forget it Pep, It's Artetatown - 02/02/26
Just one week after wondering if the run-in pressure might get to Arsenal we are - once again - handing them the Premier League trophy after they extended their lead at the top in a chaotic and unpredictable weekend. Lars Sivertsen and Gavin Cooney join us to talk through the action. A lot of people probably gave up on Tottenham-City with Guardiola's team 2-0 up at half-time. They missed
Jose Forever, Arteta's Antics, Madrid Rot, Penrose On Heated Rivalry
Welcome to our weekly World Service taster show! This week we discussed an epic end to the Champions League league phase, Arsenal's Premier League wobble, Arteta's body language, Heated Rivalry, Jose's appeal, Madrid rot, the NFL playoffs, and on Friday it's a Winter Olympics preview. To become a member and hear our shows all week it costs 5 euro a month and there’s no ads, no sign up fee, no
Ep 2461: Shackle-less Gaelic Football As The League Returns, Mayo's Andy Moran Impact, Hooter Hijinks - 26/01/26
The Gaelic football season is back, and after a winter spent poring over stats sheets and risk-reward scenarios, it looks like the coaching class of 2026 decided to throw the shackles off and have some fun.Paul Flynn is in studio to talk to us about the Andy Moran impact in Mayo, the most impressive of the young guns we saw taking over games this weekend, why the hooter is an agent of confusion, a
Ep 3460: Has The Arsenaling Begun? - 26/01/26
Last night at the Emirates we saw the Premier League game of the season - but will it prove a pivotal moment? That's up to Arsenal and how they react. The one thing we can likely count on with Mikel Arteta is that he will keep doing things his own way until the end.Meanwhile, a new psychological study has revealed the typical personality profile and cognitive skills package of the elite footballer
Slot's Block, Steve G On TV, The Great Injury Mystery, Brooklyn Burns
Welcome to our weekly World Service taster show! This week we discussed Davos, Greenland, World Cup boycotts, the Beckhams, LIV V PGA, Arne Slot's low block mental block, Steve G's hair, Man City's slump in form and players reimbursing fans.Plus there's Arsenal muscling up, Allianz and the GAA, US Murph on the NFL playoffs and the great injury mystery of San Francisco.To become a member and hear o
Ep 3455: AFCON Chaos Final, MCMUFC, Great Man Theory, Rice.gif, (More) Post Human Football, Marty Whelan <3's Ken - 19/01/26
People were calling this AFCON predictable but in the end, it showed us something we've never seen before in a major final - a walk-off that initially looked like a turning point in humanity's war against VAR, and only got weirder from there. After another weekend of ... rugged ... PL games, we discuss why so many fanbases seem angry and whether it has to do with the way the game is bein
Ep 3454: Munster Down And Out, Leinster's Sweet Draw, Dingle Drama, "Disaster" In Dubai - 19/01/26
Dingle are the undisputed kings of heroic comebacks with late wins in the Munster final, the All-Ireland semi and now the final. We chat about a classic club final, Geaney's clutch kick, and codebreaker Mark O'Connor.Leinster are also good at comebacks this season, and their win in Bayonne on Saturday means they have Edinburgh at home in the last 16 of the Champions Cup, and they're on the op
Rosenior Speak, Steven Flowe, A Good Manager These Days Is Hard To Find
Welcome to our weekly World Service taster show which covers LinkedIn's football takeover, Rosenior-speak, the white sneaker manager era, Madrid sacking Alonso, why there are so few good managers for the top clubs to employ, the NFL playoffs and Steven Flowe.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
Ep 3449: Leinster's Great Escape, Munster Lose And Learn, The Walls Win - 12/01/26
Four tries, two comebacks, a last second kick to win it against their fiercest rivals and elation in the stands - and yet Leinster were cut open and exposed for most of this thrilling game against La Rochelle. Shane and Gerry weigh up the positives and negatives, we ask how on earth did Leinster win it and is a clutch kick and a late La Rochelle collapse papering over the many defensive crack
Ep 3448: Macc Lads, Theatre Of Screams, Lumumba Falls, Mané v Mo, Mbappé No Honour, Chelsea Heritage, Limp Dutch
FA Cup third round weekend brings the usual desperate scrabbling around for stuff to talk about. Can we really call Macclesfield-Palace the greatest upset of all time when the holders picked a B team? Are Chelsea fans singing against Keir Starmer because of something to do with Roman Abramovich, or do they just hate him anyway? And is the era of kissing Fergie's ring drawing to a close at Old Traf
Keith's Feats, The West Kerry Life, The Irishman - 08/01/26
The reigning champions V the champions-in-waiting... Slot's defence of the PL title, and maybe his job, could end tonight and we will, of course, dedicate tomorrow’s World Service pod to this clash.Plus there's Keith's feats with Brentford, Kelleher's form in goal, the managerial situation at Man Utd, Arsenal-cup-drinking Thomas Frank, the NFL playoffs with US Murph, and the European Champion
Ep 3443: Littler Turns Heel, Ulster Show The Way, Frawley Goes West, Escort Love - 05/01/26
At 18 years of age two time world darts champ Luke Littler has no more worlds to conquer, so now gets his kicks from turning heel. Eoin goes through his wrestling archives while Ken frets about the future of the sport.Leinster won three from three in the Christmas interpros but Ulster are the story this week after a stylish 28-3 win over Munster at a packed out Ravenhill, a result which sent them
Ep 3442: Goodnight Sweet Prince - 05/01/26
Goodbye Ruben. We are sorry to see you go. You were good to us. We wish you well.We discuss why so many fanbases currently seem to hate their manager/coach - with happy exceptions like Arsenal, and Brentford, whose four goals against Everton amounted to a symphony of the head coach's craft. Mark Critchley and Lars Sivertsen join us to talk about how United reached this point, why they decided
Ep 3440: Charlie O’Leary Irish Football Legend - 30/12/25
Charlie O’Leary, a former Republic Of Ireland kit-man under big Jack and all round Irish football legend, was our Second Captains Hero of 2025; he was even in the Gaiety to take a victory lap in front of 1300 people in October. But before then, Ken, Eoin and Branno were in his house on Dublin’s northside to talk to him about his incredible 101 years (and counting), a life nearly as old as the
Ep 3438: A Christmas Love Fest With Ken And Wilson - 29/12/25
An annual Second Captains tradition continues today under new branding (RIP Scrooge Cast), as Jonathan Wilson joins Ken to discuss the post-Christmas football. Also touched on today: energy flows, Wilson's inability to take a day off work, the possible impact of AI on the game, Protestantism, whether 'reading' might in fact have been the problem all along, and whether Aston Villa, now le
Ep 3434: Can Villa Keep This Up, Amorim Is For Turning, Pep Not Eternal, Rogers Better Than Bellingham, Jake Paul Nonsense - 22/12/25
Inside us all are two wolves. Unfortunately for Wolves the football team (despite Matt Doherty's reverse Churchill) it's the wolf that is currently the worst at football in all of Europe. Meanwhile, the Romulus and Remus of Serie A get their teeth into Evan.To talk about Ruben's back four, Villa's rise, Rogers V Bellingham and happy Pep we chat to Mark Critchley.Ken also breaks-down the
Salah's AFCON, A Country For Old Men, Fat Quiz, Ribald KENCALL
It was “Super-Friends Of The Show” week this week, between Killian Sundermann coming in for the Second Captains FAT quiz of the year, a chat with US Murph, our first ever festive edition of KENCALL and Oluwashina Okeleji on Salah's AFCON 2025 and Nigeria's legal route to the 2026 FIFA World Cup .We’ve had an amazing year on the podcast this year, so we’d love to have you aboard. You can also gift
Ep 3249: Send In The Second Rows, The Munster Project, Clutch Charlie Smyth - 15/12/25
Munster and Leinster both won their Champions Cup games over the weekend, both came through sticky situations against English opposition, but overall satisfaction levels are low.We chat to Shane Horgan and Andrew Trimble about Clayton McMillan's realistic outlook on the Munster project, Leinster's pre-Chistmas form, and they react to former Leinster and Ireland out half Ross Byrne's suggestion tha
Episode 3428: Evan Hype Re-Up, Ruben's High Horse, Anfield Ceasefire, Xhaka Best Mackem, Uefa Cup Robbie
It looks like Celtic arrived at a good time for Evan Ferguson, while Robbie Keane seems to be having so much fun in Europe the question is how he will ever be tempted back to the league where he made his name.Morgan Rogers' Stan Collymore-like winner for Villa at West Ham reminds us that it's been a while since Ken read out some npG minus xG stats, so let's get into a bit of that.Jonathan Wilson a
Salah Week, Ken Called It, Chess Cult
We’d another barn-storming week this week, with the main story being Mo Salah’s rapidly-deteriorating relationship with Liverpool Football Club, which we covered in depth.We had a brilliant chat with Danny Rensch, the co-founder of chess.com, which went from being a successful start-up to a billion dollar company during the pandemic, thanks largely to people being stuck at home. As a kid
Ep 3423: Rio's World Cup Jitters, Munster Take A Bath, Rieko Arrives, Dingle At The Death - 08/12/25
Permutations Man had a rough week last week and he is back on air today to explain what happened.Ken asks if Rio Ferdinand was the worst possible choice for a complex World Cup tv draw?The Champions Cup is back, and Munster got a reality check inside the first 20 minutes against Bath on Saturday evening. Munster legend Dave Kilcoyne and Gerry Thornley lament Tadhg Beirne's early yel
Ep 3422: Villa's Glory, Ken Weeps for Europe, Mixed Zone Mo - 08/12/25
The memory of Friday's FIFA draw continues to linger like the smell of a dead rat under the floorboards. As he whines about middle-of-the-night kick offs, people are accusing Ken of being 'eurocentric' - but surely somebody has to be?Meanwhile Mo Salah seems to have torched his future at Liverpool by accusing the manager and club of throwing him under the bus, trying to get him to take all the bla
Jimmy Dunne On The Miracle Of Budapest, A Szoboszlai Never Forgets, Hasan Piker On The American Berserk
We've seen it all this week on Second Captains, from ultrarunning with 100 mile world record holder Caitriona Jennings to 'American ultraviolence' with Hasan Piker on Ken's Politics Podcast, taking in our Sports Book of the Year Show and a brilliant follow-up chat with Ireland and QPR's Jimmy Dunne along the way. For six independent ad-free shows a week, sign up now at secondcaptains.com/join
Ep 3417: Caitriona Jennings On Her 100 Mile World Record, Saint Charlie, Rugby Loses Its Marbles - 01/12/25
Caitriona Jennings is the proud World Record holder over the terrifying distance of 100 miles and she spoke to us in studio about how and why she was able to run this distance, what it feels like mid race, and her harrowing London Olympics marathon experience.We discuss Charlie Smyth’s extraordinary journey from the Down senior Gaelic football team to kicking a 56-yard field goal on his NFL debut
Ep 3416: Watching Pots Boil, Premier League Mad Men, Caicedo Erupts, The Como-verse - 01/12/25
Just as a watched pot never boils, an obsessively tracked Irish striker in Europe does not deliver goals under the desperate hungry eyes of the nation. Is it time for us to back off Troy and Ev and give them some space to do their thing? Maybe, but not today! James Horncastle joins us to talk about Roma v Napoli. How happy is Gian Piero Gasperini likely to be with the performances of his youn
Liverpool Lack Anger, The Dutch Perspective On Slot, Tantalising World Cup
Welcome to our world service e taster show! To access all our shows go to secondcaptains.com/joinTo get some insight into the man presiding over Liverpool’s worst run of defeats in more than 70 years, we welcome Mikos Gouka, journalist with Algemeene Dagblad and author of the recently released Arne Slot: The New Era.There’s no contracts, no hidden fees and shows can be listened to on all good
Ep 3411: Lest We Forget Evan, Trophies In November, Spreadsheet Early, Glasgow Kiss- 24/11/25
GOOOOOLAZZOOOO... OK Evan Ferguson's first goal for Roma was not quite in that category but we can say now that the Eternal City has officially entered Fergie Time. Meanwhile Troy Parrott scored another nice goal: is this an unprecedented attacking selection headache for Ireland? What's the deal with playing two strikers anyway? How many teams are doing it in the Premier League right now? The
Ep 3410: Back In Your Boks, Scrumpocalypse, Ryan's Original Sin, Stop Start Rugby - 24/11/25
South Africa beat Ireland 24-13 but in reality it was a demolition by Rassie's men. Did the whole game hang on James Ryan's deserved red card, or could Ireland have done more to adapt to the situation against the world's best team?We chat to our man in South Africa, Craig Ray about the rash of reds and yellows, if refs get influenced by external noise, if Ireland could ever dream of having a scrum
