Episode 95 - 2025 A Year In Football

I'm joined by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick and Philip Flanagan to look at our bottom five lows and top five highs of Irish international football in 2025. Can you guess what we went for? What were your high and lows of the year?

Episode 94 - I Didn't Hear No Bell!

Myself and Mark Kennedy have finally calmed down after the results against Portugal and Hungary long enough to catch our breath and record our thoughts on the two World Cup qualifiers. What did we think of the performances on the nights in Aviva Stadium and the Puskas Arena, and what is it like to still be in contention for a seat at the big table with six months to go to the tournament?

Episode 92 - Primary motivation

I'm joined by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick to discuss the upcoming games across all four men's teams age groups.

With the senior team flying out to Lisbon before facing Armenia at home, we ask should revenge be the primary motivation for players, or should the three points on offer be enough to drive them to a positive result?

The U21s have opened their qualifying group with two wins from two games. With England all but certain to top the group, a win in their next qualifier against Slovakia will go a long way to guaranteeing second spot for Jim Crawford's team.

With the U17 team that qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup preparing for their appearance at the finals in a months' time, we look at the current U17 squad ahead of their qualifying round group fixtures against hosts Kosovo, the Faroe Islands, and Austria.

Finally, the U19s face Albania in two friendlies as part of their preparation for their 2026 UEFA Under-19 Championship qualifying group in November.

A lot to look forward to in the next few days for fans of Irish football!

Episode 91 - Has the road already ended?

It's taken myself, Mark, and Philip this long to calm down enough after the two qualifiers against Hungary and Armenia to be able to record our thoughts on the games. After taking one point from the opening fixtures of the qualifying campaign, is it already over? Did any players come out of the games well? And what affect will our next fixture, the hardest fixture of the qualifiers away against Portugal in Lisbon, have on the home crowd for the return game against Armenia three days later?

Episode 89 - A New Season

Myself, Mark Kennedy, and Philip Flanagan are back after a summer rest to discuss what fans of Irish football can look forward to in the coming months as the new season kicks off across Europe - what transfers have caught our eye, is there a manager already in trouble, and who will be looking to make an impact for the national side as the qualification campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins?

Episode 84 - 2024/25 Nations League Relegation Play Off

I'm joined again by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick and Philip Flanagan of The Bottomless Pit of Football to discuss the squad announced by Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson to face Bulgaria in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League Relegation Play Off and give our predictions on how the two legged tie will finish.

Carla Ward's first two games in charge of the Womens Team ended in a home win and an away loss, but how did we rate the performance under the new manager, and what do they mean for the upcoming games against Greece?

Finally, with the U21s due to play two friendlies in Spain as part of their build up for the 2027 U21 European Championships qualifying campaign, how do we think the current squad compares to previous U21 sides?

Episode 82 - 2024: A year in football

I'm joined by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick and Philip Flanagan of The Bottomless Pit of Football to discuss the highs and lows of Irish international football in 2024, and make some predictions for 2025.
Do you agree with our selection? What do you think will happen in the next 12 months?
Let us know!

Episode 81 - Three positive halves

I'm joined again by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick and Philip Flanagan of The Bottomless Pit of Football to review the final two games of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League campaign. Was the post in with a chance of winning the Player of the Match against Finland, and were there any positives from the second half collapse against England?

With the Women's team preparing for their UEFA Women's Euro 2025 play off against Wales, we examine both squads and encourage fans to attend the second leg in Aviva Stadium, not least because of a prediction I stand by!

Finally, we give a brief mention to the Mens' U19 side after their first qualifying round for next year's Championship

Episode 79 - A unique set of circumstances

I'm joined by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick to preview the final 2024/25 UEFA Nations League games for the Republic of Ireland National Men's Team against Finland and England. What do we think of the squad selected by Heimir Hallgrímsson, will the performances against Finland and Greece affect the expectations of Ireland fans, and how do we think the Boys in Green will fare over the two games?

Following the National Women's Team defeat of Georgia in the first round of the play off for UEFA Women's Euro 2025, what can Eileen Gleeson's team expect in the second round against Wales.

Finally, we review the U17 Mens Team's performance in the Qualifying Round for the 2025 UEFA Under 17 Championship and explain how a rare, possible unique, set of circumstances led to them qualifying with three yellow cards

Also, I make a prediction for the attendance in the final home game of 2024.

Episode 78 - Not quite a moral victory

I'm joined again by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick and Philip Flanagan of The Bottomless Pit of Football to discuss the Republic of Ireland's two Nations League games in October. What did we make of the changes to the side and how the players reacted to going behind, and what does it mean for the final two League B games in November?

Going into their final two qualifiers for the 2025 UEFA U21 Championship, the Under 21 side knew what was needed, but still fell short of qualification. What players from the squad can look forward to promotion to the senior side, and what does another campaign that finished in disappointment mean for coach Jim Crawford?

Also, Sideshow Bob's rakes and I do a live countdown math problem!

Episode 74 - France, England, and a new manager

I'm joined by Mark Kennedy of Hawkeye Sidekick and Philip Flanagan of The Bottomless Pit of Football, and special guest Philip O'Connor or Reuters to discuss the final two qualifiers of the Republic of Ireland's qualifying campaign for UEFA Women's Euro 2025, and look ahead to the play offs*, and discuss what we can expect from the new manager of the Men's National Team, Heimir Hallgrímsson, as well as the ongoing issues in the FAI

*note this was recorded before the draw for the play offs took place, so we didn't know the opposition for the Women's National Team