Second Captains Part II

Really enjoyed that 07 Vialli interview. Eoin had a very annoying accent back in the day though, weird how it's changed so much. Ken sounds the exact same though

I was trying to listen in the car and the Indo rugby guy was just unintelligible most of the time, whack up the volume it's still muffled, then somebody else speaks and nearly deafens me. Sounded like that guy was using a 1990s Nokia he found in a drawer for a mic

Maybe he borrowed the mic from Miguel Delaney?

Ah, Parker & Lovejoy and US Murph after five a side before going out for beers. That was Friday evening.

Those were the days.

I've long thought that audio levels on SC were too low (compared to all the other podcasts I listen to and even SC on RTE) but they're they pits lately.

Much too low in general, and then up and down far too much between different contributors / audio beds.

I often have my phone on max, headphones on max, and still can't make parts out if there's any sort of background noise at all, the one I was listening to yesterday when out for a walk got drowned out if ONE car went past.

Sort it out lads.

Doesn't help that many of Ken's most cutting / funny remarks are half mumbled!

Eoin isn't as trebly as he used to be(!) but still cuts through noise a bit better than Ken.

only catching up on thread now after making my previous post. Absolutely.

The point that Matt Targett, Nick Pope etc are not world beaters is not the strongest counter point to Kens contrarianism because the petrol dollars also helps you lure players from rivals mid-season. It’s just still undeniable IMO that NFC are better coached than they used to be, like the overnight change to Chelsea when Tuchel replaced Frank. But sure content is as content does

I don't even like Ronaldo but Ken talks about him like he's been the Portuguese Robbie Keane. Bit ridiculous really.

Eoin pushed back but he could have pushed back stronger. In one champions league knockout season Ronaldo scored 5 goals in a tight quarter final tie with Bayern. He scored a hat trick in the semi first leg vs athleti. And 2 in the final. For almost any other player this would be a performance that would ascend them to football royalty but for Ronaldo it was just Ronaldo being Ronaldo.

To give Ken and Murph the benefit of the doubt, I don't think they were saying he isn't an absolutely elite level player, but just that he's maybe top 10 ever, rather than top 2 or 3. The comparison with Gerd Müller seems decent I think, another fella who smashed in astronomical goal figures, and lead his own team to 3 European Cups in a row (at a time when it was much harder to get into), scoring more than a goal a game in the EC across a 5 year period. (And scoring 10 goals in 6 games at the 1970 World Cup).

I think there's an element of Ken just not liking Ronaldo. Whatever about his current incarnation he was brilliant.

I was always in the Messi camp but there was a stage a few years ago (when Portugal won the euros) where you'd be hard pressed defending that Ronaldo was not the best player in the world at the time.

portugal winning is irrelevant in the debate though. its always been about player v player not players team vs players team. argentina could have lost 3-0 to france or croatia and messi would still be miles ahead as the best of his generation. he effects the game in 2/3rds of the pitch, ronaldos never done that. that is why he'll always be 1 in a million

Ronaldo was a key reason Portugal won though. Ronaldo also affects the game all over the pitch. At one point his pace was so quick that the defense couldn't play a high line. This affects the whole opposition team.

Not as angry as when he finds out he’s not in South Africa

Since 2010 Messi and Ronaldo have the most goals from outside the box… so in football only Messi in can say he routinely scored from outside the box ?