Second Captains

A great weekend for Unai Emery and Lewis Dobbin, not only because they were winning but because they were celebrating in the right way, according to the people who pay attention to these things.

Manchester United's 0-3 defeat to Bournemouth came as no surprise to Mystic Murph - but Erik ten Hag's team selection did. Still, if the title of Sir Big Jim's new book is anything to go by, help is on the way.

Lars Sivertsen and Gavin Cooney join us to talk about the weekend's football. Is Emi Martinez emerging as Mikel Arteta's biggest transfer mistake that nobody really noticed at the time? Why might Martin Odegaard be struggling to hit the levels of last season? And how long can Chelsea hide in the shadows from their own reckoning?

Gavin also brings us up to speed with some of the happenings of the FAI AGM on Saturday.

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After what could be considered one of the greatest performances in the club's storied history, it’s time to welcome a new force into the world of Premier League superclubs - Unai Emery's Aston Villa. Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith joined us to delve into their past and ask if they truly are contenders for this year's title.

Plus, Malachy Clerkin and Sinead O'Carroll were in studio this week to review the best sports books of 2023. This time around, with the added wrinkle of having a book written by one of our judges on the shortlist.

It's been a mega week on the World Service and there's so much more to come. To join go to secondcaptains.com/join - it's a fiver a month with no contracts, no minimum stay, no sneaky fees, no obligations, no ads and we're independent and Irish owned.

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In front of 8,100 fans in a packed out Sportsground, Connacht had Leinster beat; until the very death when Ciaran Frawley broke their hearts. We discuss the many ebbs and flows of psychic energy in this game and whether the pain will linger for Connacht.

Gerry Thornley was in Galway to witness a deeply flawed Leinster display and a thrilling Mack Hansen comeback. We also discuss Munster's magic attack, Ulster's internal strife and big Thomas Ahern's shot at being a starter in Europe.

Plus there's Match Of The Day McDevitt, Big Sam's hat and Ronnie O'Sullivan's numbers.

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We can be sure that Friday's live show guest Sam Allardyce would have been appalled at the spectacle of City 3-3 Spurs.

For the rest of us it was pretty good. Spurs' devotion to their apparently suicidal gameplan, Kulusevski arriving at the back post like the wrath of god, Haaland screaming at the ref for calling it back as Grealish ran through - and Pep revealing in his post-game comments that he is a Master & Commander guy. 

John Brewin and Rich Jolly join us to talk about some of the weekend's action. Has Ange Postecoglou proved he is the real deal? What has gone wrong for Jack Grealish this season? Why is there such a wave of anger towards Marcus Rashford from Manchester United fans? And will Jadon Sancho succeed in outlasting Erik ten Hag? 

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It turns out that Irish footballers literally cannot stop scoring and creating goals right now. Does this make the Ireland job the hottest vacant property in world football? 

The weekend brought the sad news of Terry Venables' death at the age of 80. We look back on the broadcasting masterclass that ended Venables' chances of managing Ireland back when the job paid a lot more than it does now.

We also talk about the anti-corruption protest at Everton and whether the Everton fans really are on to something about the corruption of the Premier League. 

There is even time to talk about a very 1230ish edition of Man City v Liverpool. 

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"Don't ever doubt me again" - Ireland, consider yourself told. 

Katie Taylor avenged her only professional defeat with an exceptional points victory over Chantelle Cameron in the 3Arena on Saturday night, with a performance that franks her boxing greatness and rubber-stamps her place as one of Ireland's most beloved sports-people. 

We speak to former middle-weight world champion Andy Lee and the42's Gavan Casey about an extraordinary atmosphere, a display for the ages, and the possibility of a final act for the trilogy. 

There appears to be widespread enthusiasm for the idea of Croke Park hosting Taylor/Cameron III, but one of our presenting team is intent on bringing down the mood... and it's not the Croke Park area resident in our midst either. 

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On the same night that Stephen Kenny said his farewells to the Lansdowne Road crowd, James McClean, too said goodbye after more than 100 caps for his country. Both gave us plenty to argue about on the World Service. 

We also spoke to Mark Langhammer, Trade Union leader and vice-chairman of Crusaders Football Club on why he believes Casement Park is the right choice of Northern Irish stadia for Euro 2028.

Plus, Ken gives his thoughts on Brazil vs Argentina and ‘useless pissheads’. 

To join go to secondcaptains.com/join - it's a fiver a month with no contracts, no minimum stay, no sneaky fees, no obligations, no ads and we're independent and Irish owned.

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Pele did it first with Santos and the NY Cosmos, playing half a game with his boyhood club, and the other half with his adopted big city club - and our Murph is definitely the only other athlete to have done it, with Milltown of Galway and Templeogue Synge Street of Dublin. Did he play equally badly for both, as instructed?

A proposal to remove counties with fewer than five adult club hurling teams from competing in the National Hurling League has been hammered from the moment it was suggested earlier this month - we speak to Jamie Wall about what the future holds for hurling in those counties, and why many hurling people are happy enough with the status quo.  

And there’s one last round on the carousel for the David Clifford Player of the Year debate, as he became the first back-to-back winner of that award in history last Friday night...... despite missing a free!

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We look back on Saturday's game in Amsterdam and the lessons from Ireland's disastrous qualifying campaign. "What was the alternative?" was Stephen Kenny's reply to questions about his approach following the latest defeat - but will his successor have to think of one? 

We talk to the deputy chair of Everton's shareholders association, John Blain, about the 10-point penalty imposed on the club after they were found guilty of breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules. 

How are Everton fans feeling about the punishment? Why have the league come down so heavily on Everton? And what might this mean for other financial cases currently in the pipeline? 

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