http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2015/0603/705596-the-marty-squad-show-is-announced/
This is RTÉ's latest effort at a six o'clock on Sunday evening Championship radio show. Last year the show was presented by Eoin McDevitt and Ciarán Murphy. The "Uncle Jim" segment was awful, but the rest of it was great. Players trust McDevitt not to make a fool of them and they respond by opening up in a way that they don't for other interviewers. Anthony Moyles and Oisín McConville were very good on analysis.
This won't be as good. This will RTÉ's bog-standard fare, relying on clowns to provide the weight of the content by ringing in with their opinions. A Mayoman will ring in to say that Mayo were ridden by the ref, and then Marty will balance that out with a Galwayman ringing in to say no, actually, if anyone was ridden it was the brave men from Dunmore, Tuam and Corofin. And then Marty will slather each of them with cliches ("that's what the Championship is all about!") until the time is filled out.
McDevitt tweeted that he and the rest of the Second Captains were "unable to commit" for the summer. I don't know the man from Adam but it's very rare that freelances turn down work. I hope I'm wrong. I hope McDevitt and co have plenty of work and that the Marty Squad turn out to be the A-Team. But I'll be surprised by one and stunned by the other.
How the 'atmosphere sampling' will go down after a match is a new one!
It's fairly clear Seconds Captaibs getting that gig wouldn't have gone down well with some in RTE. They are a threat and as noted they are hardly that busy not to be able to do the show.
Brenda Donohue is involved, god help us.