LOI Central

After being stalked at every airport in Europe Johnny evaded the air traffic chaos to arrive unscathed in Glasnevin for episode 29. On this week's show we talk to James Clarke about his route from Meath to Rovers to Bohs and how he's likely to celebrate if he scores in this weekend's big game. Dan caught up with Ruaidhri Higgins after a 2-2 draw in Dalymount and a topsy turvy season for the Candystripes. A deep dive into the mailbag reveals Finn Harps and Bray angst, we ask will Drogheda march on despite their obviously substandard stadium, we compare the league with similarly ranked leagues across Europe, there's Fine Gael rugby wall charts and after 3 years of Brexit, we audit whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. All of your midweek listening would be impossible without those good people at Future Ticketing, Collar and Cuff and Rascals Brewery who have probably made the best decision ever made. It's just over an hour and it's raring to go!

We have a title race but we don't have the man who likes to call it so with Johnny AWOL in Bilbao or Belfield, we call in supersub Garry Doyle to pour over Derry's disappointments, the permutations of a fascinating race to the finish and why LOI fans should channel their inner Free Presbyterian. Dan also brought his microphone to Virgin Media studios to catch up with Graham Burke and Daniel Kelly about European woe and the weight of their respective clubs' recent history. Beyond that there's a busy mailbag, cup final preferences, Storm Betty's new club and an Ollie Byrne impression from the highest level. All of this with thanks to our friends at Collar and Cuff, Rascals Brewing and Future Ticketing

It's an optimistic pod this week as August starts to slip away like a bottle of wine. Mark Connolly is on ahead of Thursday nights big game and we speak to him about his return from the great unknown against the team whose name we are struggling to remember, and stealing from his child to pass the time. Ticket prices and Cork City's college woes are topical as we delve into a mailbag filled with talk of a Bohs windfall from a Gary Lineker inspired transfer that may or may not spark another Twitter spat. There's more than enough to keep your conversations going well into school uniform shopping season and it's all thanks to Future Ticketing, Collar and Cuff and Rascals Brewery, and if there's a body in the room, well, then it really is time to clean the house. Episode 27 is here to answer all your lingering doubts.

Episode 26 in the ClaireFontaine of podcasts tackles the era defining debate on whether we need a RedZone, a DMZ zone or a demolition of the Carlisle Grounds. As we look forward to Derry's adventures in Kazakhstan, Andy Myler, who's not as knowledgable on Kazakhstani football as you might think, takes a break from party pooping and reunites with another ex student Conan Byrne to explain the future of the UCD model, and offer neutral opinions on the developments at the top of the table. Conan gives his take on the negative influence of stats and our mailbag takes in Longford gripes, Bohs optimism and the usual Galway tangents with the continued support of Future Ticketing, Collar and Cuff and Rascals Brewery. If home is where you're weaned it's also where your potty trained. It's episode 26 and its fresh as a daisy.

Back from our day trip down memory lane in Morton Stadium, Johnny wastes no time in getting Galway and climate change into the fray as we dwell on the wettest July on record and a wet blanket on Irish teams in Europe. Ireland chief scout and analyst and ex-Rovers and Bohs midfielder Stephen Rice drops by to bedazzle Johnny with his attention span and takes a deep dive into our European challenges. In a multiverse of Milhouses, we pore over alternate futures for GAA players, marching in the rain, top goalscorer stakes, and all the rest of your e-lec-tronic letters with Future Ticketing, Rascals Brewery and Collar and Cuff still signing the cheques to make sure we keep delivering this kind of quality, in-depth, edge of the seat, cutting edge broadcasting without ever having seen a hurling match! It's episode 25 and it's still raining.

On our 24th lap of the season, we reunite two old teammates in the unlikely surrounds of Morton Stadium to discuss the circle of their football life. Owen Heary talks Dream Team, Dream Managers and Dream Tacklers and his new found passion for running as he catches up with his old pal Mark Rossiter - fresh from a positive knee episode - to go over old arguments and pick through the details of the last week and the broader European picture. We dodged a few javelins to get to the bottom of who's posting our social media, who took the most famous television penalty, where the youngsters are coming from and whether Longford needs a bar or not? It’s neither a marathon nor a sprint, so stick with us, Collar and Cuff, Future Ticketing and Rascals Brewery until we cross the finish line.

Rover and out. It's a late night reaction pod to start this week as the lads pour over Icelandic disappointment for Shamrock Rovers and the questions it raises before taking a trip back in time with Sam and Al to earlier in the day to deal with your mailbag queries and emerge from the overpriced coffee houses of Inchicore to do some work. After reflecting on the enormity of turning 40, the lads ask Chris Forrester about turning 30 as the start point for an open chat about his relationship with football. Beyond that, there's FAI Cup chat, ruminations on Dan's uncoached football career, Galway pub tips, another twist in the Roddy Collins book saga, and more handwringing about departing players and unfinished stadiums. Take the quantum leap with us into this seventy minute journey with Collar and Cuff, Rascals Brewery and Back to the Future Ticketing!

It's summer in Dublin and we have just the cure for those rain soaked blues. From Icelandic encounters en route to what used to be JJ Smyths, to the race between the Dalymount evolution and Armageddon. The well dressed Gary Cronin brings us some current affairs while Ciaran Kilduff delves into his bank of European memories while Johnny struggles to remember what is even happening next week. We have KD Lang v Sinead O Connor, fantasy five-a-sides, the age old TV debate and a group of sponsors still willing to support this malarkey. Yes, a big shout to Collar and Cuff, Future Ticketing and Rascals Brewery for making it to episode 22 and a bigger one to Johnny for remembering it!

This week we are joined by an Englishman and an English as the summer brings us to new destinations. ESPN journalist Mark Ogden tells us about his quirky trip to Iceland to find out what lies ahead for Shamrock Rovers and what Champions League football means to the minnows. Then we head west to talk with Michael English about Mayo FC’s attempts to break into the Irish mainstream. Aside from all of that we’ve got the usual mailbag chat featuring Bohs angst, Pat’s kids, Peak6 taking over Twitter and RTE’s value for money. Available under the Freedom of Information Act you will find that this entire production is funded by the barter accounts managed by Future Ticketing, Rascals Brewery and Collar and Cuff, and Johnny's fee does not include any form of bus pass. It's episode 21 and it's blackjack!

It’s a value for money virtual podcast this week as the lads mull over the purpose of their existence in journalism if chatting rubbish for an hour doesn’t entitle them to a substantial six-figure salary from licence fee payers. Georgie Kelly is a real national treasure, the late developing Donegal man dialling in from pre-season training in Rotherham to discuss his old love rival Pat Hoban, his respect for the mentality of the real love of his life, and the climate of football in England – not the climate chat that JW wanted. As usual there’s a mailbag with a bit of Damien Duff and a bit of Mayo sandwiched between title talk discussion and we hear from Pico Lopes and Ruaidhri Higgins after Tallaght on Monday. Unlike Westlife, this is one band that always sticks together...