The Second Captains Podcast

The 48 enhancements that added up to the biggest change in the 140-year history of Gaelic football sailed through a Special Congress on Saturday, and will profoundly alter the game at club and county level for 2025 and beyond. FRC member Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Paul Flynn tell us why this had to happen, why there's still room left for tweaks, and what it tells us for the GAA's approach to tackling the biggest issues from here on out. We salute Coolera/Strandhill's achievement in winning the Connacht club championship (with particular congratulations for a Second Captains super-friend), and there's even an election-week appearance by the great Pat Kenny.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've seen teams and managers in crisis before, but not this team and not this manager. So nobody can tear their eyes away from the spectacle of Pep Guardiola having apparently no idea how to stop Manchester City's spiral, beyond spouting ancient wisdom-phrases even he does not appear to be actually paying any attention to.Meanwhile some of Guardiola's former charges were helping Chelsea make mincemeat of Aston Villa, while for Ruben Amorim's Manchester United, the tiny frenetic figure of Amad Diallo toppled the Easter Island heads at the heart of Sean Dyche's defence.Lars Sivertsen and Neil Atkinson join us to reflect on an extraordinary match at Anfield. Does Guardiola just not know how to take a compliment? How ? Is Salah's public approach to contract negotiation really "selfish"? And can anyone stop Liverpool now?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the "Where Is George Gibney?" podcast was released three years ago, people couldn't help asking Mark Horgan what was next.  What's next is "Stakeknife", his new BBC Sounds podcast series with Ciarán Cassidy, the first two episodes of which were released last week - and Mark is in studio with us today.In his role for the IRA, Freddie Scappaticci was a notorious enforcer for an internal security unit called the 'nutting squad', where torture and the summary executions of informers were commonplace.But he did all this while he himself was a British Army double agent, code name Stakeknife. And as Mark tells us, "the series is about far more than just one man; it's about the state structures that protected him, the eyes that turned away from his deeds and the families that he left behind."Man City, meanwhile, managed to blow a 3-0 lead at home to Feyenoord, with 15 minutes to go in the Champions League, and their manager appears to be feeling the pressure.  And Branno helpfully clarifies some issues arising from yesterday's live show announcement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this conversation, journalist Sinéad O'Carroll shares her insights on the recent verdict where Conor McGregor was found liable for assaulting Nikita Hand. She discusses the emotional weight of Hand's journey and the courtroom atmosphere during the trial. The financial implications of the nearly €250,000 damages awarded are examined, along with the societal attitudes towards consent and victim shaming. The podcast also touches on McGregor's erratic behavior and controversial political aspirations, shedding light on the complexities of celebrity culture.

City are sinking, Spurs are surging, Salah is scoring and unsigned, Man Utd have their saviour and Liverpool are now 8 points clear at the top, but first we have McDevitt's "Five Takeaways From My Premier League Weekend". The biggest game boiled down to a debate over whether Kyle Walker is finished? We look at the evidence for and against.We also discuss Southampton's samurai-like dedication to their self-destructive principles, and why Ruben Amorim has a better chance of taking Manchester United fans with him, on what might yet be a long road of suffering, than his predecessor did.Mark Critchley and Jack Pitt-Brooke join us to discuss this City crisis and if it’s really all about Rodri? Who is Jack's surprise choice as Best Player in the Premier League This Season? How are optimism levels at Old Trafford after the debut of the Amorim system? And just how crazy would it be for Liverpool not to offer Mo Salah a new contract? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian Fenton broke the (GAA) internet this week by announcing his retirement. We spoke to Fenton’s former Dublin teammate Paul Flynn, who thinks the Leinster Football Championship is now up for grabs.Gavan Casey and Andy Lee joined us to discuss Hawk Tuah, Rosie Perez and Taylor V Serrano. Miguel Delaney chatted with Ken about his new book States of Play, and we give a sneak peek of our Shane O’Donnell interview live from The Olympia Theatre. Join the party 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.

Ireland were ahead 22-9 at half time, at home, with three tries banked and the fans fully behind them - but instead of a comfortable win, they survived a last minute Argentinian onslaught to scrape home by 3 points. It was a win, against a good team, but the coaches didn't look too happy afterwards.We chat to Shane Horgan and Gerry Thornley about the 13 penalties conceded, Ireland's issues with phase play and kick chase, the good form of both 10s, and the big decisions Farrell will have to make for the Fiji game.Plus there's French rugby theatre, the rise of the south, and biased boxing commentators.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richie Sadlier joins us to talk about Ireland's... memorable trip to Wembley. We talk about the first half and how we all felt at half-time. We talk about the unpleasant turn things took in the second half and how by the end we felt nothing at all. It's humiliating to talk about positives but maybe we can compare degrees of negativity. For example, it's officially  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are You Sick Of Winning Yet? Sure, Finland could have scored several goals and were desperately unfortunate to lose by a goal to nil - but as the Scoreboard Captains podcast has always insisted, winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. We talk about how high the standard of expectation needs to be set for Evan Ferguson and gush about how Ireland are enchanting a new generation of young fans. Damien Delaney joins us to analyse the game: what was the system anyway? why did we look defensively unstable? What could be done to change that? Does Caoimhin Kelleher have a chance of being Liverpool's number one? And are there any grounds for hope for a result against England at Wembley?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A brand new trailer for a brand new BBC Sounds series from the production team who brought you Where Is George Gibney?, Ken chatting to Daniel Wiffen, Ken chatting about David Coote, and a conversation with Gavan Casey, who's on the ground in Dallas ahead of Taylor-Serrano II and Mike Tyson-Jake Paul this Friday. It's been a helluva week on the World Service so far, and we're bringing you a taste of it today. If you like what you hear and you want more independent, member-led broadcasting, you can sign up at secondcaptains.com/join. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.