The Second Captains Podcast
Listen to the award winning Second Captains free to air podcasts featuring The Second Captains Podcast and Second Captains Football. Join The Second Captains World Service and get access to our daily shows and much more. Become a Second Captains member at secondcaptains.com. - iTunes Podcast of the Year - iTunes Essentials Top 10 Podcasts of All-Time - The Guardian's 50 Podcasts You Need To Hear - Ireland's Most-Downloaded Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Recent Episodes
Ep 3559: Leinster Get Dismantled In Bilbao, Jim McGuinness Throws His Weight Around - 25/05/26
May 25, 2026The other four Champions Cup finals Leinster lost were all close, winnable and heartbreaking for fans; this defeat to Bordeaux however was over after 20 minutes and deeply concerning for all involved....
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A Second Captains podcast covering the weekend's major rugby and GAA action, with particular focus on Leinster's crushing defeat to Bordeaux in the Champions Cup final, Ulster's loss to Montpellier, and a heated Kerry-Donegal GAA match that featured a controversial brawl. The episode examines Leinster's systemic issues, questioning whether the Jacques Nienaber defensive experiment has failed and whether it's time for wholesale coaching changes after five final defeats since their last European title.
- Kerry vs Donegal: Championship Intensity and Controversy
- Leinster's Champions Cup Final Humiliation
Ep 3558: Good-Bye To All That
May 25, 2026A day of goodbyes - Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Seamus Coleman, West Ham United. Ken gives his Premier League team of the season, and you … to be hones...
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Arsenal Celebrate, The Choker Fallacy, SpyFall
May 21, 2026Welcome to winners week on the Second Captains world service! Arsenal are Premier League champions again after 22 long years, and Villa ended a 30 year wait for a trophy with their Europa League win l...
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Ep 3553: Westmeath Dismantle Dubs, Armagh Take Ulster, Working Class Golf Hero - 18/05/26
May 18, 2026After last Sunday's heroics Roscommon may have thought they had the 2026 Cinderella Team mantle all to themselves, but yesterday in Croke Park Westmeath took that title from them, and took the Leinste...
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A comprehensive GAA podcast covering Westmeath's stunning Leinster Championship victory over Dublin, Armagh's Ulster title win over Monaghan, and the resurgence of provincial championships. The hosts discuss the emotional significance of these victories, key tactical elements, and preview upcoming matches including Kerry vs Donegal.
- Westmeath's Historic Leinster Championship Victory
- John Heslin's Redemption Arc and Team Dynamics
Most of the world wanted Hearts to win on Saturday but this little corner of it was an exception. Eoin swoons at the romance of his close personal friend Martin O'Neill becoming a champion again at...
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Cheat Week, Madrid Meltdown, Why Not Alonso?
May 14, 2026Welcome to cheat week on the Second Captains world service! It all started with the Arsenal West Ham VAR fallout and got progressively murkier as the week went on with the Southampton "Spygate" saga, ...
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The newest member of our championship punditry team, Dara Ó Cinnéide - already getting rave reviews - was at Dr Hyde Park to see Roscommon pip Murph's Galway to their first home win in a Connacht fina...
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Ep 3447: Arsenal So Close, Starlizard FC, Anger Farmers, Southampton Spy Ring, Madrid Psychodrama
May 11, 2026Arsenal are nearly there. As the manager flailed wildly with random substitutions, David Raya and Martin Ødegaard stood up to make sure that when the referees stepped up to rule on the climactic, deci...
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A comprehensive discussion of Arsenal's narrow victory over West Ham in a crucial Premier League title race match, dominated by controversial set-piece officiating and VAR decisions. The episode examines the chaotic nature of modern Premier League football, the impact of physical play at set pieces, and broader issues around refereeing standards. Additional segments cover Real Madrid's internal crisis, Liverpool's struggles under Arne Slot, and the Scottish title race between Celtic and Hearts.
- Arsenal's Chaotic Win Over West Ham
- Martin Ødegaard's Match-Winning Moment
Welcome to our World Service taster show. This week was dominated by Arsenal Football Club, who could now win it all, or nothing, but either way should be allowed celebrate the wins along the way? ...
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This podcast episode covers a dramatic week in football, focusing primarily on Arsenal's historic Champions League qualification, the Premier League title race between Arsenal and Manchester City, and Real Madrid's internal tensions over Kylian Mbappe's controversial holiday timing. The show also features analysis of Liverpool's struggles, footballer rest days, and Jack McCarron's spectacular long-range score in Gaelic football.
- Arsenal's Champions League Triumph and Celebration Debate
- Manchester City's Title Collapse and Gahee's Critical Error
Ep 3452: Leinster Wobble And Win, Leo's Lecture, Porter Power, Happy Ulster, Randle Reverse - 04/05/26
May 04, 2026As Leinster eased into an 18 point lead with 12 minutes remaining in their Champions Cup semi final, everyone in the stadium could finally put that Northampton nightmare behind them, right? We chat...
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What Makes Football Great?
Apr 30, 2026Welcome to our World Service taster show. This week was all about PSG Bayern and what makes for a great game of football. We also interviewed Harvey Vale about his decision to join Ireland, his Chelse...
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This Second Captains podcast episode dives deep into PSG vs Bayern Munich's thrilling 5-4 Champions League semi-final, featuring extensive analysis of the match's tactical chaos and defensive controversies. The show includes an in-depth interview with Ireland international Harvey Vale about his challenging journey through Chelsea's academy system, the 'bomb squad' era under new ownership, and his loan experiences. The hosts debate whether high-scoring matches represent great football or defensive failures, with Kenny Cunningham taking a contrarian stance that sparked heated discussion.
- Harvey Vale on Chelsea Academy and First Team Experience
- The Chelsea 'Bomb Squad' and Saudi Arabia Offer
Ep 3537: Wall & Canning On A Wild Hurling Weekend, Marathon Goes Sub-Two, Ulster's Lambing Championship - 27/04/26
Apr 27, 2026It’s the Jamie and Joe Show today, as Messrs Wall and Canning are together for the first time this summer to react to Cork’s thrilling 2-point win over Limerick in Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday, and the ...
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Ep 3536: Ifs, Buts, and LBJ's Nuts- 27/04/26
Apr 27, 2026What if Robert Sanchez hadn't been able to buy Chelsea some breathing space with a possibly-imaginary injury? What if the ref last week had sent off Khusanov for fouling Havertz? What if Mikel Arteta...
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A comprehensive discussion of the Premier League title race and relegation battles with just weeks remaining in the season. The pod covers Arsenal's narrow win over Newcastle, Manchester City's FA Cup progress, Chelsea's managerial chaos, and the dramatic Scottish title race. Notable moments include analysis of goalkeeper time-wasting tactics, Pep Guardiola's sideline antics, and a wild National League promotion finish between Rochdale and York.
- The State of the Premier League Race
- FA Cup Semi-Finals: Chelsea and Leeds Drama
Welcome to our World Service taster show. This week we covered Rosenior's Waterloo, Cucurella’s mouthy barber, why the haters hate on Arsenal, Spain's approach to the climate crisis and renewable ener...
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Ep 3531: Superpundit Joe Canning Joins The Pod, Championship Hurling Is Back, What About Westmeath - 20/04/26
Apr 20, 2026The hurling championship has begun and we have a brand new pundit for the summer, as Galway's greatest-ever hurler Joe Canning joins us. He had a front-row seat in Thurles for Cork-Tipperary yesterday...
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A podcast episode covering the opening weekend of the GAA championships, featuring extensive analysis of football results (Dublin's narrow escape against Wicklow, Westmeath's upset over Meath) and hurling matches (Galway's dominant win over Kilkenny, Cork's victory over Tipperary). Joe Canning makes his debut as hurling analyst, providing expert insights on the Munster and Leinster championships while discussing tactical changes, player development, and championship prospects.
- Dublin's Scare and Meath's Shocking Defeat
- Galway Demolish Kilkenny in Leinster Hurling
Ep 3530: It's Happening Again...? - 20/04/26
Apr 20, 2026It's done. Or is it? Is it done? It was hard to know how to feel at the end of that, as Arsenal played one of their best games in many weeks but still ended up ceding the title initiative to Mancheste...
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A comprehensive discussion of the Premier League title race following Arsenal's crucial 2-1 loss to Manchester City, featuring tactical analysis from Jonathan Wilson and Jamie Hamilton. The podcast explores Arsenal's championship collapse, Ryan Cherki's impact at City, defensive errors plaguing top teams, and the complex race for European qualification spots, while also touching on Tottenham's relegation concerns and international football results.
- Arsenal's Title Collapse and the Chelsea Goal
- City's Path to the Title and Arsenal's Remaining Challenges
Welcome to our World Service taster show. This week we went deep on Liverpool's problems on and off the pitch, and in the medical room; we rejoiced in the splendour of Bayern - Madrid and recoiled at ...
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Why, asked Rory McIlroy these past few days, have one Masters title when you can have two? And why win smoothly when you can terrorise your home country instead? It was another wild and ultimately ...
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Ep 3524: Arsenal in the Underworld - 13/04/26
Apr 13, 2026We're into what looks like the defining week of the Premier League season, as nine months of Mikel Arteta's careful order, structure and planning may just be about to be confounded by the spirit of pu...
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Champions League quarter-finals, The Masters teeing off with Rory McIlroy looking to do an exceedingly rare two-in-a-row, a Ken Early politics podcast to come tomorrow - what a time to be part of the ...
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A wide-ranging Second Captains podcast covering Liverpool's Champions League tactics against PSG, Rory McIlroy's Masters preparation and controversial dinner menu choices, Shane Lowry's inconsistent form, and a satirical look at how Champions League football serves as distraction during global crises, particularly the Iran situation and Trump's Easter Sunday communications.
- Liverpool's Defensive Approach Against PSG
- Rory McIlroy's Masters Motivation and Competitive Edge