Podcast · Sport

The Second Captains Podcast

by Second Captains · English · Sport

New episodes: Several times a week
Typical length: 44 min
Latest: 5 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

5 Oct 2026 · 44 minNew

Ep 3675: Mark Zuckhurlberg , Eamonn Fitzmaurice Heads To Galway, Dara Ó Cinnéide On His Opposition To Outside Managers - 05/10/26

Galway is one of only two counties to have won an All-Ireland football title with an outside manager, and they’re endeavouring to do it again with the unveiling on Saturday morning of their new manager, Kerry legend Eamonn Fitzmaurice. Dara Ó Cinnéide played with him for years, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t fundamentally opposed to the appointment, notwithstanding the diamond Galway have gotten for themselves as he tells us on today’s show. And Murph is punching up for a change, as he takes aim at the no-doubt extremely worried Mark Zuckerberg for meddling in the West Waterford junior B…

Play episode WhatsApp Download

Earlier episodes 29 most recent

5 Oct 2026 · 57 minNew

Episode 3674: Nations League Window Finally Closes, A Plea For Divorce, Early 4 Taoiseach - 05/10/26

After what at times came to seem like an eternity this international window has finally shut. Ireland ended their four match run with five points leaving them third in the table. But, bar a Troy Parrott goal for the ages, these last few weeks will be remembered long into the future for the debate off the field and the rancour inside press conference rooms, more of which occurred this weekend. We chat to Ken from northern Serbia before he high-tails it for Belgrade and home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 Oct 2026 · 29 min

Sham City, Player Relations, Ken Seeks Clarity

Manchester City arranged ‘sham’ contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with a number of its commercial partners, as well as relying on ‘sham’ agreements with others, to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs. This week on the world service, amid a flood of football stories, we got stuck into Sham City. We had a deep chat with Richie Sadlier about squad dynamics and player relations, given all that's gone down in this international window. Dion Fanning was in studio today talking about Oireachtas soundbites and Heimir V media. Plus…
28 Sep 2026 · 53 min

Episode 3669: The 114, Klopp Kool Aid, Loose Lip Barbers - 28/09/26

… And now some news from the Premier League. It was revealed last Friday that Manchester City are set to be found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges laid against them by the Premier League, which could quite possibly be the biggest story in the history of English football. Miguel Delaney of the Independent is with us today to talk about sanctions, appeals and club compensation. We also talk to Archie Rhind-Tutt about the start of the Jurgen Klopp era in charge of Germany. And there is, unfortunately, an unseemly spat about barber etiquette. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…
28 Sep 2026 · 35 min

Episode 3668: Israel 0-3 Ireland - 28/09/26

After the most dramatic, most divisive day in Irish football for a quarter-century… a football game. Gavin Bazunu was not a part of the Irish squad, Ireland bowed their heads for the Israeli anthem, no handshakes were exchanged, but the game happened, and Ireland went and won it 3-0. Ken was in Debrecen to see this calamitous week through to its conclusion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 Sep 2026 · 26 min

What Football Means To Israelis, The Power Of Boycotts, Biorhythm Monsters

We already knew this was going to be an international football week unlike anything we’d ever experienced and the sight of the Ireland football manager accepting the support of the Taoiseach over derogatory comments made about him by another country’s football association brought it into even sharper focus. We cover all that on the World Service this week, but we also wanted to get a broader view on these games against Israel so we got in touch with Ilan Pappe, an Israeli historian living in the UK and working as a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at…
21 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 22 min

Ep: 3662: Brighton And Brentford Bash Basque Boys, Wirtz Won't Make It, Brobbey's Body Shots, Ratcliffe Rages - 21/09/26

A rabble-rousing weekend in the PL saw Keith Andrews and Fabian Hurzeler humble the Basque Premier League princes. But when Brighton and Brentford smash one of the big teams, who really deserves the credit? We discuss why Wirtz is probably not gonna make it at Liverpool, before John Brewin and Nick Ames join us to talk about Brighton's thrashing of Arsenal, Manchester United strolling to a point at Fulham, and whether football really should be all about running. We also hear Sir Big Jim's latest views on some issues tangentially related to carbon dioxide, including the British Empire and…
21 Sep 2026 · 43 min

Ep 3661: Greatest Sport Ever Played Seeks Change, Limbs In Dalyer, LOI Race - 21/09/26

The rule changes made by Jim Gavin's Football Review Committee have dramatically improved/changed the game of Gaelic football forever. Now hurling wants a piece of that pie. But why would "the greatest sport ever played by any man" want to change at all? Jamie Wall joins us to discuss hand passing, rucks and sideline cuts. Branno was in Dalymount on Friday to see Bohs score late in a thrilling win over Drogheda to keep their title hopes alive, and with Pats and Rovers also winning, its shaping up to be a great final few weeks in the league. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…
17 Sep 2026 · 29 min

Why The Israel Games Are Going Ahead According To The FAI, JJ Gabriel Wants Out at Man Utd, Ken's Height Humility

In this week's best of show, you'll hear part of our interview with FAI Director of Football, John Martin, on why the FAI has committed to playing our Nations League games against Israel, Ken on teenage phenom JJ Gabriel's decision that he wants out at Man United at only 15 years old, and our football correspondent humbly reminds his audience of his towering stature. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
14 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 16 min

Ep 3656: Manchester Is Blue But City See Red, Referees Dominate The Premier League Weekend, A Pro Ref Apology - 14/09/26

The Premier League season labours past week 4 with a sense that things are yet to fully ignite - but the recently rebranded Pro Ref, formerly known as PGMOL, has hit its stride by issuing their first apology of the season. After a weekend dominated by the referees, it seems a good moment to welcome to the pod William Ralston, author of a new book about refereeing: "The Impossible Job - The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees." What kind of person becomes a referee? Why do they do it? What makes a good one? And how has VAR changed what it means to be a ref? Hosted on Acast. See…
14 Sep 2026 · 50 min

Ep 3655: Lowry's Record Win, Trump On Ireland, Whiskey Washing

From the Air Force One fly-by to the Chinook helicopters to the talk on Irish unity to chants of "four more years" in the Doonbeg clubhouse, it was as strange a weekend as Irish sport has ever seen. None of it bothered Shane Lowry, who put in a stunning 4 days of golf to beat the field by a record margin of 11 shots. Gavin Cooney was there to witness the chaos and the golf and he joins us in studio today. Plus there's whiskey-washing, empty promises, Solheim celebrations and golf loves Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 Sep 2026 · 21 min

Champions League Week, My Beak Is Soft, Troy Media

The English teams have been tearing it up in the Champions League so far this week. We chatted to Lars Sivertsen about Martin Ødegaard’s blistering early-season form and signs that adoption of tactics long-favoured at Arsenal and Manchester City might be helping Liverpool turn a corner under Andoni Iraola? The Parrott theme was strong throughout the week given he's scored the winner in the last two game. Ken was irked by some beak/peck errors on Real Betis' social media accounts and the commentary of TNT's Jonathan Pearce. We also covered Mary McAleese going nuclear on the GAA, Trump's…
7 Sep 2026 · 45 min

Ep 3650: Katie Grabs The Mic, The Croker Crowd, Walk On Music - 07/09/26

82,000 in the stadium and 1.6m watching on RTE - there's never been an event like this in Irish sport. We look back on a mesmerising but surreal evening in Croke Park with Sinead O'Carroll and Malachy Clerkin. We discuss Katie's insights on Katie', grabbing the mic, how boxing was always the easy bit, and if she is 100% definitely retiring. Plus there's Westlife, the Croker crowd, seeing both sides of boxing, walk-on music and doing it her way. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to all our programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Captains World Service . There’s no…
7 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 7 min

Ep 3649: Troy La Liga Main Character, Arsenal 2.0, Stoic Carrick, Heavy Crane In Oxygen Tent, Sensei v Sensei - 04/09/26

For players new to La Liga, there's no better way to get people's attention than scoring the winner against Real Madrid. Betis Troy has lift-off - but did he really RAM Jose Mourinho's historic quotes back down his throat, or is it possible that the interpersonal rivalry element of this story has been exaggerated for dramatic purposes? We talk about Arsenal's dominant victory against Chelsea, and why, despite Michael Carrick's words, it shouldn't be much consolation for Manchester United that Everton's two goals were miracle-strikes. Miguel Delaney joins us to talk about Arsenal-Chelsea and…
4 Sep 2026 · 24 min

Troy's Spanish Sensei, Katie Week, Ken Is Back, Transfer Trauma

It’s been a hell of a week on the World Service - Ken is back - Katie build-up has been emotional - And on top of all that, we’ve made friends within Hector Bellerin! Plus there was transfer window madness, and today one of Germany’s most respected football writers, Christoph Biermann, joined us to talk about his new book: Game Theory: How Luck and Analytics shape football. Next week we have the Champions League, we will review Troy V Jose and Katie's fight, plus there's Trump's trip to Doonbeg and a few big GAA and rugby stories coming to the boil. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen…
1 Sep 2026 · 1 hr

Ep 3645: Andy Lee On Katie In Croker, Transfer Deadline Day, Ken's Premier League Predictions - 01/09/26

We welcome former world champ and one of the best coaches and boxing analysts in the world, Andy Lee into studio. Andy has coached Katie, has fought on the same card as her, and was in London for her moment of Olympic glory. Ken took a look at who has moved, and more importantly, who hasn’t, on the final day of the transfer window, and how a butterfly flapping its wings creates an angry fan on the other side of the world. To listen to all 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…
31 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 7 min

Ep 3644: Mad Money, Handsome Donkeys, Troy's Hits, Cherki's Laces - 31/08/26

Week two of the Premier League season has concluded - and SC’s football correspondent has finally deigned to check in. Ken explains his absence and reports on his activities. We follow Troy Parrott’s quest to establish himself at Ireland’s new pet club, Real Betis. Some unduly harsh reviews of his full debut remind us that Spain is traditionally a difficult feeding ground for number 9s. We talk about the spiralling inflation in the Premier League transfer market. How can this be explained? Is it new accounting rules? Too much money chasing not enough talent? The level of computerised games?…
28 Aug 2026 · 26 min

Troy Watch, Which Country, Premier League Begins, Ken Returns

It’s been a daft week here on Second Captains with a stonking opener to Premier League season, Troy Parrott making his La Liga debut, the biggest, fastest, strangest sale in sports franchise history, and Glasgow Celtic flaming out of the Champions League. Next week is even tastier with Katie Taylor's historic fight in Croker and more importantly, the return of Ken Early! To listen to all our programming, go to secondcaptains.com/join 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…
24 Aug 2026 · 41 min

Ep 3639: All Aboard The Rory-Coaster, Golf Seeks Bastards, Pellegrini On Troy, Did LIV Win - 24/08/26

Troy Parrott could be in line to make his La Liga debut tomorrow night in the Mestalla and we have some hot off the press Manuel Pelligrini quotes about competition for places and where he sees his new striker fitting in. Last week Rory McIlroy finished third last at the St. Jude Championship, 25 shots behind the winner Scottie Scheffler. This weekend at the BMW Championship he came within three holes of winning the whole thing. All aboard the Rory-Coaster! We chat to Mal Clerkin about Rory's very patchy season, golf beefs, the need for more bastards, LIV"s legacy and if in fact the Saudis…
24 Aug 2026 · 44 min

Ep 3638: Man United Mauled, Liverpool Have Holes, Republic Of Brentford, Arsenal Cruise, Haaland's Haircut - 24/08/26

The opening weekend of the Premier League had a bit of everything - surprise results, late goals, Newcastle/Liverpool and big-spending Spurs. We chat to Richard Jolly, who was in St James Park to witness the Keegan tribute, and Lars Sivertsen about United getting mauled by Hull, Spurs' damaging defeat, Villa getting hammered by Brighton and Arsenal in cruise control. Plus there's the Irish men of Brentford, Duff gets glazed, Kenny's glasses and Haaland's haircut. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
20 Aug 2026 · 30 min

In Search Of Aura And Alphas, Troy's Dream Move To Betis, The Power Of Protest

Welcome to our weekly Second Captains world service taster! Troy's move to Betis has lit up our lives in the last few days as we dream of press trips to Seville, watching him play in the Champions League, taking those Spanish smarts back to Ireland camp - It really is the perfect move. We also have the Premier League to look forward to, which looks more unpredictable than ever. We chatted to Rory Smith and Dion Fanning about the power vacuum in the league now that Pep is gone. We have more Premier League next week, the Katie fight is coming up fast and on Friday we have a great show about…
17 Aug 2026 · 38 min

Ep 3633: Kate’s Medal Rampage, Coscoran’s Late Charge, Irish Athletics’ Week Of Wonder - 17/08/26

A week that will live long in the memory concluded yesterday with Ireland coming away from the Birmingham track and the Parisian pool with an incredible haul of nine medals. We reflect on Kate’s medal rampage and how she’s set for the Olympics, Corcoran’s perfect timing, Rhasidat’s fresh mindset and English’s glory with Cathal Dennehy and Sonia O'Sullivan. The River Liffey's Paul O'Flynn reminds us of someone and a hero of Giants Stadium salutes a rising track star. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to all our programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Captains…
17 Aug 2026 · 38 min

Ep 3632: Arsenal End City, Rice Mines, Elliot Anderson Tax, The Bezos Era, Pats Dent Rovers - 17/08/26

The Community Shield has never lied to us yet, so what exactly should we make of Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City? Gavin Cooney is with us to say goodbye to Man City, and to crown Arsenal as back-to-back champions. Is Elliot Anderson worth 116 million quid, or is his now-teammate Erling Haaland correct? Martin Odegaard looks like he's got his swagger back, and Declan Rice is back for another year in the salt-mines. Plus there's Capitalist Gaels, the Jeff Bezos era looms at Liverpool, and Cup specialists St Pats completing Rovers' rough week. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to all our…
13 Aug 2026 · 25 min

Jose Seeks Obedience, Croker Sells Out, Scathing Reviews- 13/08/26

Man United and Leeds selling out the home of the GAA, James McClean's Derry disaster, our lust for glory medal charge at the European swimming and athletics championships, the dog whisperer, trying to figure out who blew up the Nordstream Pipeline… it’s been another wild week of podcasting on the Second Captains World Service. To listen to all 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…
10 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 4 min

Ep 3627: FIFA 2026, Troy Of The Canals, Jose's Truth, Vini's Decision - 10/08/26

The warring football confederations of the world have once again spent the weekend slinging statements at one another. But is Gianni Infantino’s position substantively any worse than it was this time last week? We look at some of the pre-publicity for the new Jose Mourinho Netflix documentary and wonder how we have come to such a pass that Mourinho can be considered ‘old school’. There’s also more on why Vini Jr would have been better off joining Arsenal, and a new clutch of billionaires wanting to buy a chunk of the Premier League. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 Aug 2026 · 52 min

Ep 3626: Cork Exact Revenge, The "Let It Flow" Era, Coleman In Killybegs, Low Hanging Fruit - 10/08/26

Camogie is in it’s “Let It Flow” era, and it made for a hell of a game between Cork and Galway, two sides that keep meeting in finals and two sides that.... straight up don’t like each other. We chat to friend of the show Sinead O’Carroll of The Journal about Cork's narrow win, the beef between these two and the levels of physicality in the game now. Plus there's Branno's fruit theory, Galway in finals, Seamus Coleman's GAA career and Irish athletics fans are denied their McPhillips - English showdown. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to all our programming throughout the rest of…
6 Aug 2026 · 21 min

Reading The FIFA Leaves In Rabat And Zurich

This week on the Pod the curious World of FIFA continued to unravel before our eyes. To help guide us through the labyrinth, experienced FIFA-ologist Sam Kunti joined us to chat Infantino and possible contenders for the throne. To listen to all 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…
4 Aug 2026 · 49 min

Ep 3622: Galway Take It West, Aussies Repel Irish Invasion, Murph Allies With Japan, Ajax By The Tolka

Galway are All-Ireland women’s football champions for 2026, ending a 22-year wait for their second title, but the result was in doubt right until the final whistle. And earlier in the weekend, 10,000 miles away, a collection of Ireland’s best gaelic footballers were taking on the best Australian AFLW players in a first international Aussie Rules match. Five-time All-Ireland winner Noelle Healy, and one of Ireland’s star players Vikki Wall are with us to discuss last-minute controversies, the lacklustre final at the end of a positive season, and representing your country in front of a…
30 Jul 2026 · 26 min

Selling Football's Soul, Big Beasts Prowl, Mayo's Secret Sauce

You'd have thought Gianni Infantino’s rambling, incoherent, self congratulatory instagram post to all the losers and haters out there would have been the main FIFA story of the week, but he has trumped it by unveiling a plan to sell the World Cup to private investors. Ken explained why selling the soul of football to American businessmen is bad for everyone involved in the game. We also chatted to Tariq Panja of the NYT about how likely this is to happen and who can stop Infantino. Mayo's All Ireland triumph dominated the week. We had great chats with Andy Moran and Kobe McDonald, we got…
27 Jul 2026 · 47 min

Ep 3616: How Did Mayo Do It, Better Than The World Cup, Cubs Caps And Curses, Ken Called It - 27/07/26

Given their underdog status, the weight of history and the Clifford factor, how did Mayo pull this off? We chat to Paul Flynn and Dara Ó Cinnéide about Moran's masterplan, teenage kicks, Mayo's energy edge and a sensational display from Ryan O'Donoghue. Was this the greatest football season ever? Was this better than the World Cup? And what data did Ken utilise in order to predict a Mayo win? Plus there's Cubs caps, Coyne's calling and "be more Mayo". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About The Second Captains Podcast

Listen to the award winning Second Captains free to air podcasts featuring The Second Captains Podcast and Second Captains Football. Join The Second Captains World Service and get access to our daily shows and much more. Become a Second Captains member at secondcaptains.com. - iTunes Podcast of the Year - iTunes Essentials Top 10 Podcasts of All-Time - The Guardian's 50 Podcasts You Need To Hear - Ireland's Most-Downloaded Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Second Captains Podcast is a English sport podcast from Second Captains. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Second Captains
Language: English
Category: Sport
New episodes: Several times a week
Typical length: 44 min
Latest episode: 5 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id647893016
Website: secondcaptains.com

RSS feed Apple Podcasts Website

More English sport 6

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.