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.

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 third in the URC table and got their captain Iain Henderson talking up the good vibes in camp. Andrew Trimble joins us to discuss the Ward brothers, Werner Kok, Richie Murphy's coaching, and why so many Irish rugby players and coaches are complaining about the kick escort law allegedly ruining the game. Plus there's Frawley's move to Connacht, La Rochelle's big win over Toulon and how to react to a wasp. 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.

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 to sack him now just as things were arguably getting better, the increasing difficulty of being a head coach when so many people still think of you as a manager, and whether Darren Fletcher has got what it takes to do an Ole.  --- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 there's Ronaldo's huff, medals in the bin, and lots to come including tonight's late night show after the Austria game, Israel Part 2 Man City fallout and the return of the PL. 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 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.

This week on the Pod marked the return of Ken from the New World and with him he brings tales of Argentinian conspiracy theories. We also had Gavin Cooney drop by to chat about the legacy of Kevin Keegan. To listen to all of our programming throughout 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.

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.…

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.

Welcome to our weekly world service best of show which this week includes Ken eating humble Arsenal pie and then hitting his apology quota for the year, a monster 6N preview, US Murph's lock of the week, Villa's victory and volatility, and a whole load of…

‘All THIS?! FOR ONLY FIVE EURO A MONTH?!’, is what you’ll be saying after listening to this week’s World Service taster menu. Come see if our selection of tantalising hors d’oeuvres can’t tempt you to try our whole member-led, ad-free buffet?  Head to…

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 the University of Exeter. We also chatted to US Murph about a wild start to the NFL season, ACL V Achilles, Ken is in on the show today from Kosovo and this evening and we will post a Sunday night show straight after Ireland V Israel. 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 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.

… 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 information.

New coach, new environment, new tactics, new hemisphere, but no problems for Jordie Barrett who has started like a train for Leinster. We chat to Gerry Thornley and Chris Jones of the BBC about Leinster's drive for five, the lineout virus infecting the…

Ireland approach a grandchildren to tell time moment in the 6 Nations, Alisson Becker puts in a lifetimer of a performance against PSG in the Champions League last 16, Old Man Murphy likes life under Jim Gavin's rule enhancements: a small but hearty taste…

Ireland only had to make four tackles in the opening 18 minutes of this game, and they were ahead against a Dupont-less France early in the second half. But it was a worrying capitulation after that as Galthie's men scored 42 points in a game that will…

At 18-10 down and a man down, against a transformed Welsh team, Ireland were heading for one of the great 6N shock losses; but thanks to some pragmatism, some brilliant kicking by Gibson Park and James "air" Lowe, Easterby's side eked out a win in Cardiff…

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 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.

Last Friday, after eight days of evidence and three days listening to closing speeches, a jury of eight women and four men found Nikita Hand had been assaulted by Conor McGregor in a hotel room back in December 2018, awarding her almost €250,000 in…

Yet again it was Champions Cup misery for Leinster, this time with Extra Time, for maximum pain and anguish.  Despite trumping Toulouse on almost every conceivable metric and spending lots of the game in the opposition 22, they conceded 19 turnovers and…

On today's World Service pod two of the finest footballing minds in our stable, Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson, tried to answer an existential question: just who or what is Declan Rice as a footballer? And who should he be aiming to be?  Earlier in the…

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.

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.