WE are back. The League of Ireland kicks off this week, but we’ve already got a competitive appearance under our belt after our big season preview at Rascals on Sunday. A packed mailbag was condensed for a studio audience as we discussed the talking points of an eventful winter before welcoming Ruaidhri Higgins to look back on his Derry City lessons before looking forward to the campaign ahead with the benefit of his informed knowledge. There’s title predictions, transfer revelations (the Mousset secret agent is unmasked) pitch battles and much more. All with the help of Rascals, Collar & Cuff, Lily’s Childcare & Future Ticketing.

It's Christmas! And before you count down to seeing what Santa has left under the tree, you need to check for free range pork under your car. All of this will make sense if you listen to our special show recorded at Oliver Marketing as the lads convene to discuss the events of the last four weeks and look ahead to the possibilities of the next 12 months. There's Vienna tales and images of idyllic December evenings as the lads talk Rovers in Europe, manager speculation, transfer rumours, senseless Aviva gripes and much more besides before we dig into our hamper and pull out the best bits from our chat with the lesser seen Mark Quigley and the often heard Keith Ward from our live show. It's a good combination on and off the pitch. That's our cue to hop in a San Sebastian sidecar and head off into the festive haze, all with thanks to our friends at Rascals Brewing, Future Ticketing, Collar & Cuff, Toir Performance and Lily's Childcare. See you in the 2025.

We are nearing the end of another season in the Oliver Marketing building and start this week’s show with a burning question - have Drogheda United recovered from their cup final hangover quicker than Johnny? We reflect on a final packed with storylines and debate what the result says about the respective protagonists and there’s a bit of Kevin Doherty and Ruaidhri Higgins audio too. Beyond that we’ve a packed mailbag discussing cup final crowds, transfer speculation and budget business as our ageing co-hosts fondly recall the innocent days of internet cafes, hybrid barber shops and Matlock! For the 40th time this season, we, unlike Gemma O'Doherty, are shouting out from the rooftops to our sponsors Collar & Cuff, Rascals, Future Ticketing, Lily’s Childcare and our new friends at Toir Performance. We’ll be back before Christmas with our Santa lists on a three and a half inch floppy disk!

It's Episode 39 and it was live. If you missed out on our Monday night in Rascals, this pod will give you a flavour of the best bits. Like the title race, there was twists and turns in putting our show together and Shelbourne's dramatic success in Derry was the catalyst for a weekend of tracing down prospective guests. We left it late but Sean Boyd answered the SOS to join live show staple Keith Ward on stage to tell us about Mourinho messages, Duff magic and much more with the help of some underrated Shels friends in the audience. Then we give the floor to a pair of pals from Ringsend with prolific title winner Sean Gannon and his injured mate Daniel Kelly opening up on their shared background, Dundalk days and the radically different end to the season for their respective employers. All of this revelry wouldn't have been possible without our friends at Collar & Cuff, Future Ticketing, Toir Performance, Lily's Childcare and our friends at Rascals. Nothing beats being there but hopefully this pod is an enjoyable second best.

Here we go! There's touts in Inchicore as the title race, our beloved title race has its Joey Tempest mullet stapled on as it faces the camera in leather pants. Yes, episode 38 is our ‘Final Countdown", as we prepare to rock Friday night with the boys pouring over the angles that could decide the destination. Can Shels hold their nerve? Will Rovers steamroll Waterford? Where are Derry’s heads at? Is this as good as it gets? Paddy Kavanagh drops by to offer his take and we also get predictions from friends of the pod. In addition to that, there’s a downbeat Dundalk chat with John Mountney, Dan’s vain search for a ghosting Temple, and your chance to get the final two tickets for our manic Monday. Oh and we’ve made a new signing too with Toir Performance joining Future Ticketing, Collar & Cuff, Lily’s Childcare and Rascals Brewing in partnering us as we stand tall on our stroll to the finishing line. Will things ever be the same again?

It’s Jerry Maguire time in the League of Ireland and before we run away with ourselves it’s also awards time as the Premier Division team of the season as voted by the players is revealed by Stephen McGuinness on his annual trip into the Oliver studio. He’s brought a happy Mark Coyle in with him and we chat about his journey to recognition before we dust down the phone line to dial up some other team members. Around all of that we jibber jabber about the greatest run in of all time, fights in Oriel, Damien Duff on muddy ice, Galway’s trip to Rascals, and THAT goal in Drogheda in front of THAT housing estate. There’s a guest reveal for the sold out live show, news on how you can compete for the two final tickets, and a broader debate with Stephen about the financial landscape of our league. Thanks, as always to Collar & Cuff, Rascals Brewery, Lily’s Childcare and Future Ticketing for bringing us this far. It’s episode 37 and we hope it gets your vote.

Ahead of the most anticipated night of the year - our live show in Rascals on November 4 of course - Johnny and Dan are in studio to also look ahead to a vintage LOI Friday, which might be overtaken next Friday and overtaken again the Friday after that. The best season ever? Certainly it’s the busiest mailbag ever with Derry angst, Bohs anger, Pat’s excitement and Breslin at 1.5x. Johnny briefly caught up with Alan Reynolds before an extended reunion with Stephen Kenny ahead of the do or die showdown in Richmond that should cut the title field from five to four. We couldn’t do any of this without our fab four, Rascals Brewery, Future Ticketing, Collar & Cuff and Lily’s Childcare, the facilitators for an hour that also features a bit of prison speculation, treble barreled adulation and whether the away end in Oriel is the least romantic place on earth? It’s episode 36 and it’s more lovable than the ex wife!

After a manic week, we’ve got a Monday show for you as Barry Murphy and Dave McMillan dial in to join Dan to review league, European and FAI Cup matters as most of the league takes a little breather ahead of the final stretch. Once again, it’s a show packed with questions. Who wins the league now? Have Shels actually bottled it? Where now for Bohs? Can Drogheda win the cup? Where’s Johnny? We do have the answer to one of those questions – our co-host is on a working trip to Kerry but he does send us a note to address the Galway not beating Dundalk sized elephant in the room. In addition to all of that we’ve got trivia teasers, Stephen Kenny’s magic powers, UEFA cash chat and more, all with the help of Rascals Brewery, Future Ticketing, Collar & Cuff and Lily’s Childcare. As Susannah and the purple one might say, "It's just another Manic Monday......"

We are so back. After fears that we were enduring our worst ever season, a Tolka Park game for the ages has filled the glasses to half-full and posed so many questions. Was it the best ever TV game? Are St Patrick's Athletic the best team in the country? Is anyone out there not actually involved in the title race? There's so much to unpack and that's before we get to the mailbag which is full of Shels strife and Saints standards. With all of this excitement, you could be forgiven for forgetting that Shamrock Rovers start a European group stage campaign on Thursday and there's two FAI Cup semi finals to be decided over the weekend. Johnny dusted down the microphone to catch up with Ciaran Coll, Douglas James-Taylor and Ethan Boyle while managing slip a Frank Drebbin reference to gambling completely over Dan's head. In a show supported as ever by our friends at Collar & Cuff, Future Ticketing, Rascals Brewing & Lily's Childcare we take the quiz in a new direction but don't fret it isn't a mystery voice return. So enjoy it while you can because the Galway United title celebration party could end us all.

Dermot Keely denies and then agrees that he was better without the ball but we are certain this podcast makes an argument that your life would be better with his new book. Dermot dropped into studio with the Irish Sun’s Neil O’Riordan, his long term partner in prose, to discuss the many strands of his life in the league he loves. It’s hard to summarise them under one heading so, just like a player in his dressing room or a student in his classroom you just need to strap in and see where the journey takes you. Before that there’s a wrap of the weekend that was at the top and bottom of the table and there’s also a getting to know you interview with St Patrick’s Athletic’s Romal Palmer, all facilitated by our friends in Future Ticketing, Lily’s Childcare, Collar & Cuff and Rascals Brewing.