Episode 3442: Goodnight Sweet Prince
Goodbye Ruben. We are sorry to see you go. You were good to us. We wish you well.
Club statement: Ruben Amorim.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 5, 2026
We discuss why so many fanbases currently seem to hate their manager/coach – with happy exceptions like Arsenal, and Brentford, whose four goals against Everton amounted to a symphony of the head coach’s craft.
Mark Critchley and Lars Sivertsen join us to talk about how United reached this point, why they decided to sack him now just as things were arguably getting better, the increasing difficulty of being a head coach when so many people still think of you as a manager, and whether Darren Fletcher has got what it takes to do an Ole.
Click the player at the top of the page to play the show. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to our programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Captains World Service. There’s no contracts, no hidden fees and shows can be listened to on all good podcast apps, on Spotify or through our website. It’s independent, commercial-free and member-led with feature interviews, breaking news, Ken’s Football Show, The Politics Podcast, and lots of added extras. You’ll also be supporting the development of our longer-form work, such as our international series’ ‘Where Is George Gibney?’ and Stakeknife.
The End Of Enzo
… and the beginning of your 2026 football shows, OUT NOW ?? pic.twitter.com/WJB1myZ90k
— Second Captains (@SecondCaptains) January 2, 2026