The Second Captains Podcast

Howard Webb provided some good grist to the conspiracy mills over the weekend by getting himself filmed texting and earpiecing before Saliba's yellow card was changed to a red. But maybe the PGMOL supremo deserves some praise to go with the flak. At least his referees are providing an element of unpredictability otherwise missing from a lot of overcoached Premier League football.Branno brings us up to speed on his trip to Sligo to see Bohemians play their small role in the climax to the League of Ireland season. We also talk about how in a few short weeks under Arne Slot, Liverpool have undergone a complete transformation from the side they have been for years under Jurgen Klopp. And Neil Atkinson and Rich Jolly join us to talk about the game at Anfield. Could Slot's start have gone any better? Are the regular complaints about the poor atmosphere at Anfield and other Premier League grounds based on reality or nostalgia? And does the increasingly convergent style of play we see in the Premier League give the crowds much to work with?

The appointment of Thomas Tuchel as England manager has divided both the proud nation of England and the ignoble profession of football journalism into two camps: Little Englanders and Merchants of Woke. Yesterday we heard from The 42's Gav Cooney and Rory Smith of the New York Times, and today had his say. Have the FA made the right choice in appointing a foreign coach? Earlier in the week we were joined in studio by one of the all-time greats of hurling, Joe Canning to talk about his new autobiography, whether he thinks he max-ed out on his potential and how he and his family have dealt with the loss of their mum. For daily independent, member-led journalism, sign up to the Second Captains World Service now at secondcaptains.com/join. 

Johnny Sexton has won European Cups, Grand Slams, has the all time Irish and Six Nations points records and is a former world player of the year. It takes talent but also an obsessive drive to get this good, and his new autobiography, Obsessed, explains the mental toll this took on Sexton.He joins us in studio to discuss his big breakthrough in 2009 at Croker, his pattern of bust-ups followed by regret, Lancaster's personality test, about needing to change how he communicated with teammates and refs, how he feels about the RWC 2023 QF loss, and his relationship with ROG.Plus there's the contrasting management styles of Schmidt and Farrell, Snyman's paws, Doris the Swiss Army Knife and over-confident Scots.

thens for breakfast, Barcelona for brunch, Fairview for lunch. Ken is back from his Grand Tour of Continental Europe, traveling through the night to bring you his thoughts on Ireland's latest adventures in the Nations League.Joining us in the studio to reflect on an international window in which we actually won a game is Richie Sadlier.We also try to decipher just what Lee Carsley is actually saying and why.

This week we released a podcast on our world service - Sally Hayden, Irish Times Correspondent and author of My Fourth Time, We Drowned, spoke to Ken about life in Beirut under fire from the Israeli army - and such was the reaction that we decided to release it to non members.Sally explains the religious mix in Beirut, how embedded Hezbollah is in Lebanese society, the huge number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, the internal displacement caused by the invasion and the anxiety of tomorrow. Ken and Branno also discuss the grim reality of the death toll in Gaza, empty words and two recent documentaries, one called We Will Dance Again about the Hamas attacks on Oct 7th 2023 and Al Jazeera’s investigation into Israeli army war crimes in Gaza.

Ken has returned from the Land Of The Rising Sun, and he has stories to tell - of Shinto shrines (went to "one of" the most famous ones in Tokyo), Buddhist temples, and... storied sumo amphitheatres. We dominate the dojo in the company of our very own Alan Whicker.  Branno missed the most dramatic week in the HISTORY of the league of Ireland last week, as he was recuperating from invasive surgery - we discover which Second Captain presenter was a constant reassuring presence through his recuperation, and who was marked absent. Plus there's rawdogging, the Bering Strait, and whether Shels still have the league title in their own hands. 

Ken is back from Japan and we take the opportunity to revisit some of the highlights he missed over the last two weeks. We talk about the varying fortunes of Kai Haaland Havertz, Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer and Ange Postecoglou before Mark Critchley joins us to talk about what we had mistakenly anticipated would be the game of the weekend at Villa Park. Will this be the week when Manchester United finally pull the plug on ETH, or is it just too embarrassing for them to do that right now?Plus there's Ken's great Japanese regret and transatlantic travel: the small man's revenge. 

This week on the Second Captains World Service we were joined by Lars Sivertsen and Glenn Evans from The Athletic and the 1874 Podcast to chat about last night’s incredible win for Villa, with some bonus Steve Bruce cabbage content thrown in for good measure.Closer to home, the League of Ireland title race has gone absolutely wild, with six teams out of a ten team league seemingly in contention for the top spot. We reacted to Shels vs. Pats, which might just be the greatest game ever played in the greatest league in the world (TM).And we chatted to US Murph about Shohei Ohtani putting in the greatest regular season in history. 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.