Tales From The East Stand

No Rovers goals to talk about in Kosovo or Galway but you'll get a live report from Gerry Matthews in Pristina, and hear from Barry McCarthy (O'Neill family, Templeogue United donations) and Seamus Leavy (History of Longford Town book) before Graham Merrigan (Shamrock Rovers DAO) talks his new role and the 336th episode of 'What's The Story? Podcast'. Rookie numbers.

This week's special guest host is a club legend, four-in-a-row and FAI Cup winning captain Ronan Finn, who is in his second season at UCD to pursue a Master's Degree in Sports Management. Finner helps review a boring St Joseph's game, which his daughter enjoyed at least, and a big win over Derry in Tallaght on Sunday that put Rovers 10 points clear. We look ahead to Thursday's tie with Kosovo Football expert Eljon, and potentially a trip to Portugal where Ronan made his European debut with Sporting Fingal in 2010, and also nearly cost Rovers the title that season. We reminisce about Belgrade and White Hart Lane, his League of Ireland debut for the college in 2005 and scoring against the Hoops as a teenager. Ronan talks his long wait for a first European goal, Pico taking the armband and equalling his European appearance record, Rory Gaffney's greatness, Burkey's fitness, the gaffer's half-time team talks and "the turn" when results haven't yet come. We discuss his relationship with Stephen Bradley and the senior leadership group within the squad, winning the Cup and lifting the league trophy with young Josh, and making the move from centre-mid to right-wing back, all the way up to his last goal for Rovers against Bohs in front of the south stand and the difficult decision to leave the club. There's also a chat about the dip in crowds this summer, extending the league season, doing punditry for our Conference League Phase games on TV last season, his ambitions in football after he retires, and, of course, fishing.

A bonus episode with Con Murphy reading a piece on Kosovan football during the Yugoslav war, James Moor talking about his book 'Grobar', in which he spent the 2011/12 season following FK Partizan home and away, including Rovers' famous night in Belgrade, and a re-airing of our Mick Kearin interview from 2021, after Jim Conroy pays tribute to 'Tiger', his favourite player growing up.

This week's guest co-hosts are the Staffords, Ciarán and his dad Ben to talk a club record away win in Gibraltar, which we all barstooled at the Irishtown House, favourite European memories together, the Pride of Ringsend and more. Tommy Tormey files his live report from The Rock, there's Conor Foley on Glenmalure Rovers' new season, and on the 20th anniversary of when the members took ownership of the club for the first time, examiner Neil Hughes and former player Keith Doyle take us back to the drama of the 2005 season and the High Court.

Gary P's last show for a few weeks is a packed one, with the Wexford tonking in the Cup to talk about, and three interviews. Dan Griffin from Gibraltar has all you need to know on Thursday's European opponents St Joseph's, we hear from Head of Girls Academy, Tommy Carberry before the return of both Harry Moore and Alan Mannus, as 'Harry meets Big Al' for an in depth chat on life after Rovers, working with Larne, Leon's departure and the highlights from his hugely successful spells as Hoops No.1.

We have two Honohans and two authors for our FAI Cup preview show, with journalist Sean Ryan and former referee Liam Gavin talking their books, 'The Official Book of the FAI Cup', and 'My Little Wooden Whistle: 100 years of FAI Cup referees and other stories'.

We talk the Cork, Bohs, Waterford and Sligo games in recent weeks and there's a new TFTES Hotline where 10 callers tackle our questions on exams, hat-tricks, Europe, derbies and merch.

It's the 4th of July, so instead of three match reports we have three American themed interviews. Former Rovers midfielder Jamie Duffy, born in Texas, raised in Tallaght and living in Hollywood, talks the 2006 First Division win, a life-threatening illness, his boy band and appearance on X-Factor. Then, another remarkable story in Cincinnati, Orlando and Nashville where Dylan Connolly, another Dubliner and Rovers supporter, was Ireland's only representative at the Club World Cup in the States this summer with Auckland City. Dylan tells us about life in New Zealand and swapping the Leinster Senior League for games with Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors on the world stage. The last segment is Brendan Crowley from 'Sports Books Reviews', a Limerick native who gives his personal take on the sports books he's read and written about in his newsletter all the way from his new home in the U.S. capitol, Washington D.C.

There's six points on the road against Shelbourne and Drogheda to talk about, with the help of journalist Barry Landy to cover Drogheda's European expulsion. Plus: Duffer's meltdown, the demise of Soccerway.com and the Club World Cup, and the greatest voice note of all time by Eoghan Rice.

Two shows this week. Here we've got some reaction to the European draw, and a double author feature ahead of Dalymount Park - although neither man has been to a derby in decades. Paul Howard recalls the smell of Milltown, and writing two of his books, "Gaffers", about Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane, and "The Rodfather", on Roddy Collins and his time at both Dublin clubs, while Donal Cullen tells us about following Bohemians from Canada, and the five new Irish football books he's just released on Bohs, Shels and the first three League of Ireland seasons.