Three days ago we expressed some concerns about Arsenal in respectful yet hushed and anxious tones. Today they are four points off the lead, poised to strike whenever Impostor-pool inevitably blow up. What a difference a victorious NLD makes.

We talk about a couple of big breaking stories in Irish football. First, it looks like Virgin will have sole rights to the League of Ireland in 2025 as RTE Sport’s relationship with its difficult child goes on ice. We also hear former WNT assistant coach Colin Healy’s statement about his sacking by the FAI – a controversy which feels likely to overshadow today’s unveiling of new WNT coach Carla Ward.

©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson join us to talk about the midweek PL games and also survey some wider issues in the game. Who and what is Declan Rice anyway? Are we seeing a new and silent Let It Flow campaign, as PL referees, bowing to popular demand, quietly stop enforcing the rules? Does this reflect wider changes in the culture, even if Simon Jordan sees things going the other way? And can Wilson quote his twin lodestars of Christ and Sacchi in the same discussion?

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