LOI Central

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.

Who'd have thought we could do such a weather dominated show without Johnny? Our spiritual leader is absent but there's plenty to rabbit on about this week, with Graham Gartland stepping in to shoot the breeze with Dan about the dark clouds that hovered over Dundalk. In a Dundalk dominated mailbag, Dan warns that the future forecast remains uncertain. Then, we go Stateside for some hailstorms, or to the manager of Northern Colorado Hailstorm to be precise with Eamon Zayed dialling in for his LOI Central debut to discuss his new life in the USA, and a stormy relationship with Garts during their Hurricane Doolin years. Beyond that, there's a few drops of Damien Duff and the closest thing to Malen Head to Mizen Head in terms of guest representation with voices from Derry, Sligo and Waterford drizzled across a busy show that we couldn't do without being under the umbrella of Lily's Childcare, Rascals Brewing, Future Ticketing & Collar & Cuff. It's episode 32 and the wind is crying Mary, or at least that's what it sounds like!

Interesting standards of rabbit pulling and random phonecalls a-go-go, as episode 300 takes you on a seat of your pants ride through the last eight years of football on this fair isle. The honeymoon period feels definitely over as middle age approaches and our hosts get showered with accolades from all walks of footballing life, well in Johnny’s perfect world they would. But in this imperfect topsy turvy world it would be remiss not to turn our attention to the Dundalk crisis and FAI Cup matters amongst other things with the help of some special guests and old friends who we dial up Ryanline style. On a growth curve from banana sambos to Uno Mas , we’ve touched on ring tone interpretations, getting sacked, lobsters, horse fighting and Brendan Gleeson’s next big role as a midfielder. Confused? The great people at Future Ticketing, the awestruck Collar & Cuff , Lily’s Childcare and Rascals Brewery certainly hope you make enough sense of whats happening here so we can go on for another 300. It’s a whole different show and it’s almost two hours!

In a week of reunions this is really the one you’ve been waiting for. A surprisingly energised Dan returns to clean up after Johnny’s ‘you let Dougal do a funeral’ interim stint in charge. Amid the wreckage, we lament Northern accents, misinformed ministers, analogue opinions, and Larne before Dan tries to bury some inaccuracies in the interminable TV and standards debates. In our Galway United segment, Johnny gets hold of Ollie Horgan to discuss their top four chances amongst other things and with the financial fair play committee still looking at Collar & Cuff, Lily’s Childcare, Rascal’s Brewery and Future Ticketing as we approach episode 300, we ask why oh why should football be still dealing deals like its 1981. Yes folks, it’s episode 30, it’s 90 mins, it’s early so just Roll with It!

It’s a double act this week but not the usual one. Taciturn northerner Garry Doyle joins our normal “fan with a typewriter” Johnny Ward as we trawl through the week’s news which is not too harsh on Pats, but harsh on RTE and rugby fans. But isn’t rugby a popular sport? Not before 1987 apparently and Andy Farrell raises some questions too. Back with the roundy ball and we dip into the U19 league which has a Drogheda team flying, and United Park (or is it Weavers?) gets a thumbs up from the lads too, even though Sky don’t like it. But even with the increased depth in the Premier Division we ask is it the coaches and the coaching that has generated the most fascinating league in recent memory? We reign Johnny in on Tangets, refuse to rule out Shamrock Rovers, and is Waterford the story of the season? All this and much much more as Collar & Cuff, Rascals Brewery, Lily’s Childcare and Future Ticketing bring you episode 28 of a season that may be getting longer!