Eamon Dunphy's new podcast, The Stand, has been fantastic, with the long-form interviews with people from all walks of Irish life - Damien Duff, Ruby Walsh, Professor John Crown, Dessie Farrell and Mick Clifford among those featured - the show's highlight.
Along with these fascinating interviews, Dunphy has kept time for some traditional football talk, with his old mates from the RTE panel: John Giles and Liam Brady.
On the most recent edition of the football chat, Dunphy and Giles discussed Seamus Coleman's horror injury, sustained against Wales. At the time of the tackle, Dunphy was angry with Neil Taylor, before changing his stance in the Star the following Monday:
Taylor needs to be cut some slack. What happened to Coleman was one of the worst things I have seen on a football pitch. But, if you watch football regularly, it's just pure luck that this doesn't happen more often.
So while Dunphy wrote that Coleman's injury is partly down to bad luck, it would seem that he also believes Roy Keane's pre-game comments did not help, and has called for Keane to be stood down from his media duties.
The whole thing about Keane giving press conferences is troubling.
He gave a press conference before the Wales game and when he was asked about Gareth Bale, what he said was, 'we're going to hit him' and then he said, 'Hard, but fairly'.
The newspapers just took the phrase 'hit him' and that was the headline.
In my opinion, that would have put ideas into the heads of those in the Welsh camp. We all know how that ended up.
I don't think Keane should be giving press conferences. Provocative press conferences.
John Giles agreed with Dunphy somewhat, although blamed the press for wrongly construing Keane's words.
[Keane should stop giving press conferences] For his own good and Martin's good. If you asked me who the assistant manager of Wales is I couldn't tell you. There is no other assistant manager that does it.
I have a slightly different take on it.
He said 'fairly' and the press reported it [as 'hit him']. That's the fault of the press.
You can listen to the full episode here.
See Also: Leaked: The Letter The FAI Sent To The Irish Women's National Team
See Also: "Deeply Disappointed" FAI Respond To Irish Women's Team Press Conference
