Second Captains

Eoin (86th in the Irish journalist Twitter power rankings), Ken (18th, second overall in sport) and Ciaran (93rd) discuss motivational speeches, Man United's tiny analyst, and Roberto Martinez's ongoing struggle against heartbreaking refereeing incompetence.Gabriele Marcotti joins us to talk about the reasons why Leicester are top of the table. And Jack Pitt-Brooke explains why Pochettino's counterintuitive brand of tough, cold, ruthless love has forged an unbreakable team spirit at Spurs.

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Jonny Sexton's histories of concussion meant there was a collective intake of breath when he went down after a clash of heads against Wasps on Saturday. Shane Horgan talks to us about communication breakdowns, good news, Marty Moore's departure and captain Hartley.The Australian Open has a new match-fixing controversy to contend with and a QF draw that includes sublime post-peak Roger Federer. Plus there's a report on the Easter Island Premier League, old men getting beaten up for our viewing pleasure in the NFL, and Maurice Fitz, Andre Agassi and the importance of longevity when defining greatness.

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Eoin and Ken discuss the two big mistakes that ruined Arsenal's weekend, the conditioning regime that enables Jamie Vardy to flaunt that legendary six-pack, and Jose Mourinho's alleged six-page letter to Manchester United. Jonathan Wilson was at Old Trafford to see the home crowd turn on Louis van Gaal.And James Corbett analyses the chances of Roberto Martinez turning around Everton's disappointing form.

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Eoin, Murph and Ken discuss the art of trash talk, the US Republican debates, Conor McGregor's oppressors, and nice guy Rory Best.Rory McIlroy started his 2016 season this week playing alongside Jordan Spieth, in what is the opening salvo of a huge year for the golf, and for the two new superstars of the sport.US Murph talks about the Harlem Globetrotters, Brady V Manning, the greatest throw in history and the NFL championship games

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Eoin, Ken and Ciaran discuss the FAI's ticket allocation, Ronaldo's lats and Roberto Mancini's calling out of a Serie A colleague.Sid Lowe joins us to talk about Bale's true value, Jorge Mendes, Casillas V De Gea and the impact of Madrid's transfer ban.And Tim Vickery gives his view on Teixeira for Liverpool, Pato for Chelsea and the likely arrival of former Chile boss Jorge Sampaoli in Europe.

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Next up on the corruption merry-go-round... tennis. Match-fixing allegations have erupted on the eve of the Australian Open, hinting at another sport wilfully turning a blind eye to problems at its heart.Munster and Leinster got morale-boosting victories in Europe - Gerry Thornley and Shane Horgan talk about the need for skillful forwards, if the academy system can beat French money and why Munster's problem isn't lack of heart. Plus there's the return of the unloved, unmourned Tommy Murphy Cup, Novak Djokovic's big reveal and a rather surprising mention of Brian McClair's 1991 form-line.

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Eoin, Ken and Ciaran wonder why Stoke fans boo Aaron Ramsey for getting his leg broken, and why Liverpool insist on buying expensive centre-forwards who don't fit into their team.Daniel Harris gives us his view on Manchester United's win at Anfield, LVG's title talk and the recent improvement of Wayne Rooney.And Dion Fanning was there to see Roberto Martinez lash the referee out of it again as Everton lost another winning position at Stamford Bridge.

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The second half of WADA's report into the IAAF has discovered a systemic failure throughout the organisation... but Seb Coe has managed to dodge criticism from the report's author Dick Pound. We discuss the general lack of beheadings of sports administrators.US Murph talks NFL kickers, the L.A Rams and Patriots hopes, and we speak to British boxer Tony Bellew about his role in the new Rocky movie. Plus there's a Jim Carrey boycott, Tom Brady's tomatoes, and Mrs Huxtable.

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Eoin, Ken and Murph talk about Lineker's humour, the best goals of the week, Mick McCarthy's anti-passing possession football, and the implications of Real and Atletico Madrid's transfer bans. On his birthday Richie Sadlier joins us to look back on the midweek football, and examines Van Gaals' latest press conference tiff.Plus there's Messi's evolving torso, defying gravity, Ricky Gervais' monologue and the Sadlier effect.

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Anthony Foley questioned his own future as head coach in the aftermath of a dispiriting loss away to Stade Francais yesterday - Mattie Williams and Gerry Thornley try and apportion blame as their season goes from bad to worse.On the day the Ballon d'Or winner is announced, we speak to our good friend Oluwishina Okeleji about the African Player of the Year award, which was not won by Yaya Toure, to the disgust of... Yaya Toure. And there's the history of the fighting clan McGregor, David Bowie, El Chapo and Sean Penn's flatulence.

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