Second Captains

Eoin, Ken and Murph discuss Shane Long's move to West Brom, Jose Mourinho's inside information, and the best advice anyone ever gave Philipp Lahm. Gabriele Marcotti joins us to talk through the upheaval at Southampton, where one of the Premier League's most-lauded club-building projects is undergoing apparent meltdown. And Kieran Canning on the Spanish legal system's attempt to unravel the tangled web of payments surrounding last summer's transfer of Neymar.

A very cosmopolitan edition of Second Captains today – as we traverse the globe from San Francisco, to Sydney and back to New York in search of sporting drama. Is the Australian Open, at the height of the Antipodean summer, now almost an unplayable event? Tennis players have been suffering in the Melbourne heat, our man in Oz Matt Williams tells us how extreme temperatures are a part of Aussie life. There is trouble in the house of US Murph – he is the West Coast’s most avowed San Francisco 49ers fan, who has married into a family of Seattle Seahawks fans. We look ahead to the match this Sunday that could be the cause of some domestic strife. And we tell the story of Jesse Owens, the most famous man in the history of the Olympics. He once said – "Hitler didn't snub me – it was FDR who snubbed me. The president didn't even send me a telegram." We talk about the struggles in his life on his return to the US after the Berlin Olympics in 1936. Dictators in sport, Murph’s in-laws and other undesirables, all available to download now.

Eoin, Ken and Murph discuss the Ballon D'Or. As the world's best players approach weekly perfection, the footballer's struggle with the inner man can now be glimpsed only in what they choose to wear to awards shows. Andrew Mangan of Arseblog last joined us after Arsenal lost 3-1 to Aston Villa in their first game of the season. He returns to the studio to gloat after Arsenal's 2-1 win over Villa returned them to the top of the table. And James Horncastle explains why Clarence Seedorf is the first Dutch manager in the history of Serie A.

Leinster, Munster and Ulster are all shaping up well in the Heineken Cup, but have they progressed, and which one of the three is best equipped to go the whole way from here? The Irish Times’ Gerry Thornley and 2-time Heineken Cup winner Shane Horgan cast an optimistic look ahead to Round 6 of the pool stages… and the quarter-finals. Vitali Klitschko was one of the most dominant world heavyweight champions of the last 20 years… and now he’s running for the Presidency of Ukraine, which stands at a hugely important political cross-roads. We hear from Kiev if he’s a creditable candidate, or a puppet for forces behind the scenes. Plus we discuss the debilitating effects of the Platinum Package, Murph's shame, rough and smooth, and pint-sized Vladimir Putin.

Eoin, Ken and Murph discuss Roger Johnson's defending, Pep Guardiola's intensity, David Moyes' misery and Thomas Hitzlsperger's news. Jonathan Wilson and Scott Murray have recently published "The Anatomy of Liverpool", Jonathan joins us to talk about some of the matches that shaped LFC's history. And Sid Lowe on the return to action of Lionel Messi, and the challenge that awaits Barcelona on Saturday night away to Atletico Madrid.

Should your out-half be the first name on your team-sheet, or does healthy competition in the most important position on the field actually help your team? Shane Horgan and Neil Francis tell us who they think will be first choice in the long term, and why so many outhalves are obsessives. US Murph joins us to talk about the NFL playoffs, the lonely life of a kicker, and we outline how you can watch 26 hours of sport this weekend, if that’s your thing. And we find time to talk about Ric Flair, Victor Hugo, Napoleon, lucky generals, and all the myriad ways you can look forward to a Winter Olympics.

Eoin, Ken and Murph discuss ethics. Is it right to dwell on a man's misery purely for the sake of entertainment? John Brewin of ESPN joins us to talk about whether Ferguson's highly visible presence at Manchester United's matches is becoming a problem for David Moyes. And Raphael Honigstein analyses whether Borussia Dortmund played their cards right in their dealings with Robert Lewandowski, who this week signed a pre-contract to join FC Bayern in the summer.

We refuse to be affected by the January blues, so it’s the Love Edition of Second Captains @ The Irish Times as we speak to two young men embarking on their dream coaching jobs. Oisin McConville is now joint-manager of the Crossmaglen team he starred in for 20 years, and Bernard Jackman’s meteoric rise through the ranks of French Top 14 rugby continues, with his appointment from the start of next season as Grenoble head coach. In the interests of journalistic balance, we also discuss David Moyes and how getting his dream job is working out for him. All that plus quitting your job, husky McDevitt, black cards, insulting the ghost of our GAA fore-fathers, and Michael J Fox.

Eoin and Ken are joined by Richie Sadlier and Dion Fanning to look back at the football highlights of 2013 and forward to what we can expect from 2014. A nostalgic tone is appropriate for a year in which Irish football was dominated by a player who retired seven years ago, and English football by a manager who is no longer a manager. To adapt Matt Taibbi's line, everyone knows the FIFA World Cup is a giant vampire squid wrapped around the face of the host nation, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money. We talk about what we can expect at this summer's tournament and the long-term survival prospects of FIFA's moneymaker. Download it here, follow the lads on twitter @SecondCaptains and on facebook.com/secondcaptains. Email the show at secondcaptains@irishtimes.com

In the first Second Captains of 2014, Eoin and Ken react to the news that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been confirmed as Cardiff City manager. Will he and Vincent Tan form an unlikely dream team and was he the Smithers to Alex Ferguson's Monty Burns? Shane Horgan and Eddie O'Sullivan believe we need to prepare ourselves for more transfers out of Ireland and that the IRFU should have a plan B in place with the future of Celtic League currently on unsteady ground. Plus tributes to Uncle Phil, Murph's Second Captains suspension, Shredder, and Spurs festive rampage. Download it here, follow the lads on twitter @SecondCaptains and on facebook.com/secondcaptains. Email the show at secondcaptains@irishtimes.com

Eoin, Ken and Ciaran talk about Jose Mourinho's mojo, Brendan Rodgers' hidden messages, and Seamus Coleman's Josimar moment. Philippe Auclair joins us to discuss the significance of Nicolas Anelka's quenelle celebration. And Dion Fanning on whether Liverpool have much left to say in the Premier League conversation.

Eoin and Murph perform a small fireworks show in studio and share an emotional embrace before wading in to their favourite moments of the year with Derval O'Rourke and Malachy Clerkin. Derval experienced the European indoors as an enthused athlete and a member of a fickle media pack, and explains the difference between male and female attitudes to mental preparation. Malachy Clerkin talks about small county celebrations, and the joy of watching Colm Cooper take on the Dublin football team. All this plus Murph explains why, for the ninth year in a row, he chose the All-Ireland hurling final as his sporting highlight, why Nicky English is hurling's soothsayer, savouring BOD, McDevitt's Murray amnesia, Lance drama, and learning to love Ireland New Zealand.

We've been in our cosy Christmas retreat for a few days now, are very comfortable in each other's company, so much so that Ken feels free to give his thoughts on the diffusion of global consciousness and the alienation of modern technology, from his 'deep bath'. We also cover some of the best moments from Ken's year on the road, featuring John 'more than just an ex footballer' Barnes, and Ken's chat with Robbie Keane, where the two men look back at their respective careers. All this plus Lions Tour over reaction, Murph's potatoes, more Mariah, turkey carcass chat and the Late Late Toy Show.

We've headed off together on our clydesdales to our Second Captains rural retreat, as we do every year. Normally its just the five of us, but this year Mariah Carey joins the gang around an open fire to discuss Vincent Browne, Pierse Brosnan, Kevin Pietersen and our favourite Lansdowne Road moments. We also have one of our best interviews of the year, Eamon Dunphy on the history of Ireland-England games, and we end the sports pudding with a very special Second Captains audio gift - Ken Early sings out the show...

To tie in with today's Irish Times Sports Woman of the Year awards we're releasing a special edition of the show, which includes an interview with the legendary Rosemary Smith, winner of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award, and Melissa Ludtke, an American journalist who changed things for all that followed in her path. Rosemary joins Eoin and Murph in studio to discuss how she went from being a dress designer in Ireland to competing with and beating the world's best male rally drivers, what attitudes pervaded at the time, and the incredible story of how she survived land slides, bandits and cactus flies in a race from London to Mexico. Melissa Ludtke was one of the first female sports journalists in America. She explains how tough it was to make it in the industry, and why she had to take a law suit against the commissioner of Major league Baseball to ensure she could do her job.