Loi Weekly

We’re back after Dan went MIA to present our annual PFA Ireland awards special and we have Roberto Lopes, Danny Grant and Mark Doyle with us to discuss their nominations for the various awards. ‘Pico’ looks ahead to the cup final, and tells us some Zlatan and Cape Verde tales while Danny discusses his future career plans and Mark explains his late development. PFAI chief Stephen McGuinness also calls for clarity on the 2021 season and a say for players in what happens.

After a league season like no other, Finn Harps avoid the drop, Shelbourne face into an anxious playoff against Longford and Sligo somehow finish fourth, despite losing half of their games, and are very likely to be playing European football next season. Dan has the week off but sends in his appraisal of each of the Premier Division teams' campaign, with Pat Fenlon in the house to talk about what was a truly bonkers 2020 season. Pat is joined by Ollie Horgan to discuss perhaps Harps' greatest escape, Daire Doyle talks about Longford's chance of beating Shels and a somewhat tired and emotional Garry Buckley dials in from Sligo just before heading out for training.

Management is a big theme of this week's show. Drogheda manager Tim Clancy joins us after leading his side to promotion and explains the 24/7 commitment of dealing with the role and trying to fit real life around it. Alan Reynolds talks about his own transition and reflects on his dramatic year that started at Waterford, veered to Dundalk and has brought him to the Ireland U21 backroom team working with an exciting generation of players. We hear from John Caulfield after their massive win against Bray last weekend and look ahead to their Premier Division finale with Longford, while asking where all the goalscorers have gone.

Shamrock Rovers are champions and we are joined by their manager Stephen Bradley for a wide ranging chat about Rovers plans for the future, the lessons of the recent past, Jack Byrne, the overall direction of Irish football and much more (22:00). We also look ahead to Dundalk's big date with Arsenal with the help of Lilywhites midfielder Greg Sloggett (1:23:30) and hear from the Drogheda camp after they prevailed in the dramatic First Division finale (1:45:50). The lads also discuss the Finn Harps revival, trusting Galwegians and the other burning issues of the week

We talk to Joe on this week's show, with Cork City legend and former assistant boss Joe Gamble following up on his request for a right to reply to last week's pod (35:00). He explains the struggles faced by himself and Neale Fenn, the budgetary complications, recruitment lessons and the logic behind Daire O'Connor's abrupt exit. Prior to that, we look ahead to Dundalk's big European date with Molde with the help of Norwegian football expert Ben Wells (10:48).

There's a Wicklow theme to this week's show with Arklow's Daire O'Connor giving us the lowdown on his abrupt exit from Cork City, his relationship with Neale Fenn and his plans for the future (10:55). We then hear from Bray Wanderers boss Gary Cronin on their promotion charge, his early season fears, and the process of rebuilding the club after a turbulent era(52:00). The lads also discuss Rovers' imminent title party, more batshit goings on at Dundalk and a look back to the summer of 1995

We're bringing people back together on this week's show as former team-mates Robbie Benson and Stephen Folan reflect on days gone by at Dundalk and their current missions with St Patrick's Athletic and Finn Harps respectively. Stephen travelled around the world in 2020 whereas Robbie was stuck at home during lockdown but they were both grateful for the return of the League of Ireland for their own reasons. There's also a bit of Stephen Kenny chat, Johnny and Dan's take on Filippo Giovagnoli's week, breaking news at Cork and Galway and a farewell to Kris Twardek

‘We didn’t start this year with plans of interviewing a Faroese football expert come September but this is 2020 and we look ahead to Dundalk’s big date with Ki Klaksvik with the help of Kasper Neesgaard who tells us what we can expect from the underdogs (19:00). Daniel Kelly gives us a flavour of the mood in the Dundalk camp (11:30). We then go back in time and also look to the future with the help of LOI legend Colin Hawkins who discusses assisting players with the next step in their career, the lessons from his experience and his hopes for Stephen Kenny and Irish football’s future (45:00).

It’s a Graham themed show this week with two for the price of one. Graham Gartland and Graham Cummins crossed paths in Scotland and they are reunited on the show to discuss their careers in football, European experiences, the Scottish culture, adjusting to becoming an older player and all of the challenges that come with it. We also discuss Cork’s struggles, Rovers ambitions, Dundalk’s European opportunity and there’s the mandatory Galway reborn interview with Shane Duggan.

It’s a role reversal this week as Johnny is on the working beat and Dan is traversing the country ahead of a historic Europa League tie in Tallaght. We hear from Stephen Bradley, Jack Byrne and Graham Burke ahead of Shamrock Rovers v AC Milan and Italian based Irishman Mark Doyle gives us the lowdown on the guests. We also discuss Dundalk’s European date in Andorra, John Sheridan’s Waterford farewell and Kerry’s untapped potential.

This surreal season is another twist in the lengthy League of Ireland careers of our two guests, both of whom have been around the block New Galway United manager John Caulfield joins the show to discuss his fresh start, the end of his Cork City adventure and coping with the likes of Johnny Ward. Ronan Finn discusses a hard fought derby win, the experience he hopes to bring to the title-run in and the change of position and change of off-pitch focus that has come hand in hand with his graduation to senior status. We also discuss Stephen Kenny's Irish start, Royal Rumble style entrances and the age old 'Is Finland in Scandinavia?' debate.

After a week with a news cycle dominated by European ties, Stephen Kenny's new dawn and bizarre goings on at Dundalk, we welcome two guests with some experience of all of the above. Mark Rossiter and Ciaran Kilduff discuss the Kenny factor, what Dundalk have lost, and how the Shamrock Rovers players will feel about their AC Milan opportunity. Killer also discusses life at Shelbourne and shared experiences with Gary Deegan, while Rossi breaks down Sligo's improvement and also reflects on his role in the Bohemians and Wolves friendly that set Matt Doherty off on the road towards stardom.

We're back after a week of high drama and Paul Corry joins Johnny and Dan to pick through Dundalk's journey from Perth to Italy, the lessons of the European results so far and what we can expect from Rovers and Bohs tomorrow. Dan talks with Andre Wright about Bohs' trip to Hungary, Johnny wrestles with his emotions around John Caulfield's Galway arrival and we hear snippets from the League of Ireland's Big Fil - Filippo Giovagnoli - about what he's got to offer during his kamikaze mission

Dundalk's Champions League campaign ended abruptly at the first hurdle and Johnny and Dan pick through the bones to ask what their exit says about where the club stands right now and where they go from here. We also have a lengthy chat with Alan Bennett about Cork's upturn in fortunes, the buzz of watching youngsters develop on their potential and the dynamic of being a 38-year-old veteran in a young man's league. Johnny also hears from Tim Clancy in the aftermath of a Drogheda win that prompted more upheaval at Galway.

This may be a year of restricted travel, but there's a global feel to this week's show. Sligo Rovers' South African born New Zealand international Ryan De Vries tells us about Japan, love, life, his roundabout route to The Showgrounds and his uncertain future (54:13). Conor McCormack reflects on almost a decade in the LOI, his Italian adventures and his favourite European experiences ahead of Derry's jaunt to Lithuania (25:30). And Dundalk's Patrick McEleney discusses his relief at getting back on the pitch ahead of a Champions League tie in Hungary against Slovenian opposition (09:02). There's all of that and the review and preview of a big week for Shamrock Rovers with a bit of live FAI Cup draw reaction thrown into the mix.

We've a busy show after a lively return to action. Dundalk's (sort of) new signing Dave McMillan joins us to discuss returning home from Scotland and opens up on the lessons of his time away and the differences between football in the two countries. Pain loving Gary Deegan talks to Dan in Donegal and we hear from Declan Devine on Derry's up and down resumption. There's also FAI politics fatigue, streaming reviews, Cork's loud suffering and whether it's too early for Johnny to call the league yet.

The LOI is back and LOI Weekly is weekly again. With our new sponsor, Lottoland, coming on board, we're returning to our audio roots for the rest of a season which has turned from a marathon into a sprint. Georgie Kelly joins us to discuss his move from Dundalk to St Pat's and Daire O'Connor (Cork), Rob Cornwall (Bohs) and Luke Byrne (Shelbourne) share their enthusiasm about the short road. Johnny and Dan are back under the same roof to discuss football without fans, the LOI's pandemic politics, new LOI directors, Euro dilemmas and a lot more besides.

We're back for another double header length episode, and two guests who had very different plans in mind at the start of the year. Ruaidhri Higgins joins us after the mid pandemic move from Dundalk's coaching team to Ireland's backroom staff and explains his special relationship with Stephen Kenny, the specifics of his new brief and why he realised early in his career that his top level ambitions would likely only be realised as a coach. Meanwhile, Padraig Amond joins us ahead of a round of golf with his season at Newport County over. The League of Ireland export reflects on Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers memories and encourages today's generation of players to be open to markets beyond England.

We're still in limbo about whether the League of Ireland 2020 season will return and the FAI's interim deputy CEO Niall Quinn is central to the attempts to try and make it happen. He joined the lads to discuss the health challenges, the financial risks, and the search for support to remove the concerns of clubs who feel they won't be able to afford a behind closed doors return. We hear about UEFA's stance, the First Division position and why waiting until 2021 could pose serious problems for the league's short and long term future. We also discuss the FAI's broader vision for the league, Ruud Dokter's role, the national underage leagues, All-Island league plans and more...

We're back with another bumper show, longer than your average FAI Cup final with the standard extra-time and penalty shootout, to pass away some lockdown time. Dan explains the thinking behind his Irish Indo list of the top 50 League of Ireland players 2000-2020, with Johnny offering his brief take on each selection before we bring in our special guests. Conan Byrne runs through the results of his poll on the all-time greats and puts forward flaws in Dan's thinking and admits the Covid-19 crisis could have an unexpected impact on his career. Then we are joined by high ranked stars Paddy McCourt and Stephen O'Donnell to discuss comparing eras, the attributes of the best players they encountered, and also get the lowdown on Stephen Kenny and Ruaidhri Higgins based on their shared experiences. We also discuss if it's possible to open minds to closed doors.