A downright giddy pod has Johnny shoulder dancing with GAA players, those Kiwi gypsies who apparently rejuvenated a championship winning team, and should you get a player sent off? If that wasn't enough we have a very special guest as Ireland Under 21 manager Jim Crawford drops by for a lengthy chat. As well as the upcoming Sweden game and the lowdown on the current class of '22, there's tackling a cheeky little Bordeaux, the granny rule, eligibility drama, marking the pitch in Harolds Cross and the Shels connection. Throw in the mailbag, the mystery voice with the Porterhouse, losing your shirt at Cheltenham with Collar & Cuff, and the mystery of the missing winner and you have all you need to get warmed up for another double fixture week!

LOI Central S06E04 with Jim Crawford

#LOICentral is a podcast with opinion, analysis and interviews on all the latest happenings in the  League of Ireland, hosted by Johnny Ward & Dan McDonnell

Sports

It's Saint Stephens Day and he's back on the grass. Our unexpected Episode 15 captures the events of the last 24 hours with analysis of the Stephen Kenny appointment, his opening press conference and badly photoshopped send ups of a certain Independent sportswriter. There's old magazines, more Brian Kerr chat, Stephen O'Donnell not in the nip, the importance of big personalities and the pressure that extra attention brings. It's a hastily produced bitesize episode here to feed your news addiction with the help of Future Ticketing, Rascals Brewery, Collar & Cuff and Lilys Childcare. Hopefully it makes your Friday at work a little less difficult.

S08E15 Saint Stephens Day

So where do we start? The lads reflect on the maddest week of League of Ireland news since last week, with the Stephen Kenny flirtation with a League of Ireland return prompting a review of our St Patrick's Athletic perceptions. Noel King's 25 day stint as Dundalk manager is over, but the legacy of the day may be a tweet that the internet will never forget. In another bulging mailbag, there's talk of political football and Dail visits, the saving of Tolka Park, a new spate of ten match bans and the mystery of Aurora Borealis - and no you won't find him on Wyscout. We then divert to a man who lit up the league before his departure last year with Jack Moylan dialling in to discuss Damien Duff, LOI watch parties in Lincoln & the truth about League One. As Collar & Cuff, Rascals Brewery, Lilly's Childcare and Future Ticketing scramble their lawyers to pore over the transcripts, our advice is to listen now before something else happens or everything is deleted!

S08E14 Kenny Waiting Game, Dundalk Madness & Meeting Jack Moylan

Dan is back, although he's been outdone by producer Derek on the travel front as we attempt to sprint through the events of another manic week but find the path blocked by some substantial news hurdles. What does Jon Daly's departure say about St Patrick's Athletic? How will Stephen O'Donnell function as Alan Reynolds assistant? Is it 'Noel King's Dundalk' yet? We also have Johnny's chat with Ollie Horgan after a big win at Bohemians, with an unexpected Lionel Richie cameo. Beyond that, we have a packed mailbag with all the usual spin-offs. There's the great Stephen Walsh goalscoring debate, an irrational attack on GAA intercounty 'stars', relegation predictions without the predictions and much more. So with thanks to Rascals Brewery, Collar & Cuff, Future Ticketing and Lily's Childcare, the time has come, to raise the roof and have some fun, let the podcast play on, play on, play on.

S08E13 Mayday Mayhem, Managerial Moves & Johnny Meets Ollie

Like Eric B. and Rakim, Sonny and Cher, and The White Stripes, all good duets must come to an end, if even only for a week. Don't fret listeners as soon as the sponsorship cash rolls in Dan will be back strumming harder than Garfunkel in Central Park next week. So for one week only Garry Doyle steps into the virtual studio to mull over the season so far, the always growing  Damien Duff phenomenon and his formative years as an Arsenal fan in the six counties. The Collar and Cuff mailbag is bursting with opinions from Galway for Europe, Roblox LOI, and whether or not Dalymount is more political than Kildare Street. Johnny gets feedback on his stance on chicken rolls, and his quality of football tips, and we have a chat with Finn Harps chairman Ian Harkin on the new stadium plans that were just announced. At just over an hour we're certainly not the never ending story and if you've any complaints please direct them to the lovely people at Collar and Cuff, Future Ticketing, Lilly's Childcare and Rascals Brewery. It's an even dozen and it's live!

S08E12 with Ian Harkin and Garry Doyle

There's an eerie flashback feeling to Episode 11. The Dundalk news has stunned our two hosts with Dan doing all he can to avoid crashing his car when he hears that Noel King has been entrusted with Dundalk's survival.  Our listeners have stuffed our Collar & Cuff mailbag fuller than something something as we try to digest the big news of the week without the help of a chicken fillet roll. Johnny talks to Ronan Boyce and Dan hears from Stephen Bradley about the sandy beaches of Tolka and the green fields of Kosovo. There's Derry safety, food ethics, free range wings, monetising goalkeeper stoppages, the Fleetwood factor, are Bohs any good and did Duffer go too far? Put on your Angela's Ashes filter, tune in to Blackboard Jungle and relive the glory days of cult podcasts with Future Ticketing, Rascals Brewery, Collar & Cuff and Lillys Childcare and yes, we obviously aren't golfers!

LOI Central S06E04 with Jim Crawford

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