Munster and Leinster both won their Champions Cup games over the weekend, both came through sticky situations against English opposition, but overall satisfaction levels are low.

We chat to Shane Horgan and Andrew Trimble about Clayton McMillan's realistic outlook on the Munster project, Leinster's pre-Chistmas form, and they react to former Leinster and Ireland out half Ross Byrne's suggestion that, given the volume of box kicks and spiral bombs being launched these days, coaches should start picking second rows on the wings.

Charlie Smyth, formerly a Gaelic footballer from Co Down, nailed a 47-yard field goal for the New Orleans Saints to beat the Carolina Panthers this weekend. Plus there's frontier football gibberish, dead-ball Beggan, the Dublin based media and the huge medal haul for Irish athletics in 2025.

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It looks like Celtic arrived at a good time for Evan Ferguson, while Robbie Keane seems to be having so much fun in Europe the question is how he will ever be tempted back to the league where he made his name.

Morgan Rogers' Stan Collymore-like winner for Villa at West Ham reminds us that it's been a while since Ken read out some npG minus xG stats, so let's get into a bit of that.

Jonathan Wilson and Dion Fanning join us to talk about the weekend's football. Why does Jonathan refuse to accept that Sunderland might actually be good now - and why is Granit Xhaka the best player he's ever seen play for the club? How many teams are involved in this title race? And how should we interpret the apparent cessation of hostilities at Anfield?

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We’d another barn-storming week this week, with the main story being Mo Salah’s rapidly-deteriorating relationship with Liverpool Football Club, which we covered in depth.

We had a brilliant chat with Danny Rensch, the co-founder of chess.com, which went from being a successful start-up to a billion dollar company during the pandemic, thanks largely to people being stuck at home. As a kid, Danny was a prodigy, a national champion in the US, who ultimately became disillusioned with the sport. But his story is far more complicated than that, given he grew up in a cult called the Church of Immortal Consciousness.

We also spoke to Armagh All Ireland winner Rory Grugan about the new rules and his time in France spreading the GAA gospel and Beñat Gutiérrez joined us from Spain to look at the factors deciding Xabi Alonso’s future.

Click the player at the top of the page to play the show. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to our programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Captains World Service. There’s no contracts, no hidden fees and shows can be listened to on all good podcast apps, on Spotify or through our website. It’s independent, commercial-free and member-led with feature interviews, breaking news, Ken’s Football Show, The Politics Podcast, and lots of added extras. You’ll also be supporting the development of our longer-form work, such as our international series’  ‘Where Is George Gibney?’ and Stakeknife.

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Permutations Man had a rough week last week and he is back on air today to explain what happened.

Ken asks if Rio Ferdinand was the worst possible choice for a complex World Cup tv draw?

The Champions Cup is back, and Munster got a reality check inside the first 20 minutes against Bath on Saturday evening. Munster legend Dave Kilcoyne and Gerry Thornley lament Tadhg Beirne's early yellow card, sift through Leinster's leaky display against Harlequins in the Aviva and examine where Rieko Ioane will fit in during his short stint in Dublin.

We also discuss Dingle's incredible last-minute win over St Finbarr's in the Munster club football final yesterday and raise a glass to the death of Bazball. 

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The memory of Friday's FIFA draw continues to linger like the smell of a dead rat under the floorboards. As he whines about middle-of-the-night kick offs, people are accusing Ken of being 'eurocentric' - but surely somebody has to be?

Meanwhile Mo Salah seems to have torched his future at Liverpool by accusing the manager and club of throwing him under the bus, trying to get him to take all the blame, wanting him out of the club, etc. How is this sad situation likely to play out? 

Due to overwhelming popular demand and indeed anger, Ben Fisher joins us to talk about Aston Villa: the Title Charge only Villa fans Saw Coming. How did Villa get Arsenal on the ropes more than any other side they've faced this season? Is Morgan Rogers actually better than Bellingham? And - yes - are Villa going to win the league? 

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We've seen it all this week on Second Captains, from ultrarunning with 100 mile world record holder Caitriona Jennings to 'American ultraviolence' with Hasan Piker on Ken's Politics Podcast, taking in our Sports Book of the Year Show and a brilliant follow-up chat with Ireland and QPR's Jimmy Dunne along the way. 

For six independent ad-free shows a week, sign up now at secondcaptains.com/join - the gang's all here! 

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Caitriona Jennings is the proud World Record holder over the terrifying distance of 100 miles and she spoke to us in studio about how and why she was able to run this distance, what it feels like mid race, and her harrowing London Olympics marathon experience.

We discuss Charlie Smyth’s extraordinary journey from the Down senior Gaelic football team to kicking a 56-yard field goal on his NFL debut yesterday, having skipped high school and college American Football altogether.

There’s also Murph’s most vivid sports dreams, rugby losing its marbles, and why the Barrett brothers are in the ha’penny place when it comes to the Wall family.

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Just as a watched pot never boils, an obsessively tracked Irish striker in Europe does not deliver goals under the desperate hungry eyes of the nation. Is it time for us to back off Troy and Ev and give them some space to do their thing? Maybe, but not today! 

James Horncastle joins us to talk about Roma v Napoli. How happy is Gian Piero Gasperini likely to be with the performances of his young centre forward? Has Antonio Conte finally... mellowed? And just what is going on at Como that is drawing galactico celebs of the stature of - Fabrizio Romano - to their games? 

As we have grown used to complaints about football becoming robotic and predictable, it fell to Moises Caicedo and Lucas Paqueta to remind us that many footballers remain human, all too human...

Toy Drive for children living in the International Protection system and Homeless Accommodation.

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To get some insight into the man presiding over Liverpool’s worst run of defeats in more than 70 years, we welcome Mikos Gouka, journalist with Algemeene Dagblad and author of the recently released Arne Slot: The New Era.

There’s no contracts, no hidden fees and shows can be listened to on all good podcast apps, on Spotify or through our website. It’s independent, commercial-free and member-led with feature interviews, breaking news, Ken’s Football Show, The Politics Podcast, and lots of added extras. You’ll also be supporting the development of our longer-form work, such as our international series’  ‘Where Is George Gibney?’ and Stakeknife.

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GOOOOOLAZZOOOO... OK Evan Ferguson's first goal for Roma was not quite in that category but we can say now that the Eternal City has officially entered Fergie Time. Meanwhile Troy Parrott scored another nice goal: is this an unprecedented attacking selection headache for Ireland? What's the deal with playing two strikers anyway? How many teams are doing it in the Premier League right now? The answer may surprise you, as may the copious documentation of the answer.

We address recent criticism that Ken doesn't talk about Liverpool enough by talking a bit about the latest struggles of the PL crisis club and how Arne Slot's treatment of one overlooked squad member hints at the deeper problems.

We talk about some choppy waters in Scotland's capital of football. Dermot Desmond's son Ross tried to pour oil on the troubled waters and now the sea is on fire.

Miguel Delaney and Jonathan Wilson join us to look back at some of the weekend's football. Arsenal's destruction of Tottenham showed why Opta now give them a 75% chance of winning the PL title, with Eberechi Eze dominating the derby: how did Spurs fumble that one? And who can Liverpool get to fix their broken boiler? 

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