Monday Night Soccer is the RTÉ

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

's main football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 programme. It is shown on RTÉ Two

RTÉ Two

RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...

 on Monday evenings during the Irish football season, showing highlights

Broadcasting of sports events

The broadcasting of sports events is the coverage of sports as a television program, on radio and other broadcasting media. It usually involves one or more sports commentators describing the events as they happen.-United States:...

 of the day's matches in Irish football's top division, the League of Ireland Premier Division. The show has gained notability by being broadcast at the earlier time of 7 pm (previously 8 pm), as opposed to the graveyard slot occupied by its TV3

TV3 Ireland

TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...

 predecessor, eircom League Weekly

Eircom League Weekly

eircom League Weekly was the name of a weekly football programme on TV3 in Ireland which ran from October 2002 to November 2007, which showed highlights from the League of Ireland. The show was presented by Trevor Welch, who was regularly accompanied by analysts Paul Osam and Pat Fenlon. The show...

.

MNS is presented by RTÉ presenter Con Murphy

Con Murphy (RTE)

Cornelius 'Con' Murphy is an Irish sports presenter, working primarily on Raidió Teilifís Éireann radio and television....

, who is usually joined by 2 guests. Some of the guests to appear on the panel include League of Ireland XI

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 manager, Damien Richardson

Damien Richardson

Damien John Richardson is an Irish football manager and former player. He currently has no club attachments, having left Cork City at the end of the 2007 season. Richardson formerly managed Gillingham in England and Cobh Ramblers, Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers in Ireland.Richardson's father...

, former manager of Floriana F.C., Roddy Collins

Roddy Collins

Roderick 'Roddy' Collins , is a Irish former professional football player and current manager of Monaghan United. He has also worked as a television pundit, and is the brother of acclaimed former boxer, Steve Collins....

 and former Millwall

Millwall F.C.

Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

 striker, Richard Sadlier

Richard Sadlier

Richard Sadlier is an Irish former professional footballer and former CEO of St Patrick's Athletic F.C.. Since retirement from the professional game he has worked as a pundit with RTÉ, earning comparisons with Mark Lawrenson and Jim Beglin who also began to work in punditry after their careers...

.

The first edition of Monday Night Soccer was screened on RTÉ Two

RTÉ Two

RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...

 at 8 pm on 10 March 2008. It was hosted by Tony O'Donoghue. RTÉ

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

 won the rights to host a League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 highlights show after TV3

TV3 Ireland

TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...

 decided to drop the programme due to poor ratings. Since the beginning, MNS has gained notability by being broadcast at a earlier time to its predecessor. Due to the broadcasting at a earlier time, Monday Night Soccer has maintained a high rating.

Along with Monday Night Soccer, RTÉ

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

 also show live games on the day of the match, usually Friday. This show is called Airtricity Premier Live.

Monday Night Soccer is not universally welcomed in the football world. Some fans consider the program to be lackluster and features very few popular Irish soccer players. But, some have praised the show, saying it has highlighted the matches in detail and has provided good coverage for the League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

.

Show

The show is broadcast weekly on Monday evenings. Every League of Ireland Premier Division game is shown on the programme. In July and August editions of the show, it shows UEFA Champions League

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 and Europa League matches, involving participating League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 clubs. The first edition was broadcast on Monday 10 March 2008. In a television advertising campaign to promote the new programme, Tony O'Donoghue promised that the show would be on the team bus, in the dressing room and even on the field. Since then, Con Murphy

Con Murphy (RTE)

Cornelius 'Con' Murphy is an Irish sports presenter, working primarily on Raidió Teilifís Éireann radio and television....

 has presented most of the shows. However, Con travelled with other RTÉ

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

 broadcasters to the Beijing Olympics in August 2008, and Tony O'Donoghue fills in when Con is unavailable.

Richard Sadlier

Richard Sadlier

Richard Sadlier is an Irish former professional footballer and former CEO of St Patrick's Athletic F.C.. Since retirement from the professional game he has worked as a pundit with RTÉ, earning comparisons with Mark Lawrenson and Jim Beglin who also began to work in punditry after their careers...

, Roddy Collins

Roddy Collins

Roderick 'Roddy' Collins , is a Irish former professional football player and current manager of Monaghan United. He has also worked as a television pundit, and is the brother of acclaimed former boxer, Steve Collins....

, Damien Richardson

Damien Richardson

Damien John Richardson is an Irish football manager and former player. He currently has no club attachments, having left Cork City at the end of the 2007 season. Richardson formerly managed Gillingham in England and Cobh Ramblers, Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers in Ireland.Richardson's father...

 and Eoin Hand

Eoin Hand

Eoin Kevin Joseph Colin Hand is a former footballer and football manager. As a player, his normal position was centre-half. He works as a television and radio football commentator for RTÉ in Ireland.-Playing career:...

 are just a handful of guests who give their view on the League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

. Tony O'Donoghue, John Kenny

John Kenny

John Kenny is a British trombonist, actor, composer and multi-faceted performer of contemporary solo repertoire, modern jazz and early music...

, Eamonn Donohoe and Stephen Alkin are the regular reporters bringing viewers highlights of the weekend's games. The show is also shown on the RTÉ

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

 website, live and can be watched up to 21 days after the original broadcast of the show.

The Irish Times reported in November 2008 that the programme's poor viewing figures made a move to a different time slot in 2009 a possibility, however this was not the case and the show returned to its regular time slot.

Roddy Collins

Roddy Collins

Roderick 'Roddy' Collins , is a Irish former professional football player and current manager of Monaghan United. He has also worked as a television pundit, and is the brother of acclaimed former boxer, Steve Collins....

 left the sofa after he was appointed manager of Maltese club Floriana in June 2009.
He returned in a number of months after being sacked as manager of Floriana.

League of Ireland licensing

TV3

TV3 Ireland

TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...

 owned the rights to a weekly League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 highlight programme until 2007. In 2008, a deal was struck between RTÉ

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

 and FAI

Football Association of Ireland

The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...

, which will end in 2013. As apart of the deal, RTÉ

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

 will broadcast MNS on a weekly basis and broadcast some of the matches live on a show called Airtricty Live.

Presenters and commentators

Currently, Con Murphy

Con Murphy (RTE)

Cornelius 'Con' Murphy is an Irish sports presenter, working primarily on Raidió Teilifís Éireann radio and television....

 presents along side 3 pundits, who give there insights into the matches highlighted. The commentators are John Kenny

John Kenny

John Kenny is a British trombonist, actor, composer and multi-faceted performer of contemporary solo repertoire, modern jazz and early music...

 and Tony O'Donoghue. For live matches, Peter Collins features as the main presenter

The following is a full list of panellists:

Name	Notes
Damien Richardson Damien Richardson Damien John Richardson is an Irish football manager and former player. He currently has no club attachments, having left Cork City at the end of the 2007 season. Richardson formerly managed Gillingham in England and Cobh Ramblers, Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers in Ireland.Richardson's father...	Manager of League of Ireland XI League of Ireland The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
Eoin Hand Eoin Hand Eoin Kevin Joseph Colin Hand is a former footballer and football manager. As a player, his normal position was centre-half. He works as a television and radio football commentator for RTÉ in Ireland.-Playing career:...	Former Portsmouth Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...  Defender
Roddy Collins Roddy Collins Roderick 'Roddy' Collins , is a Irish former professional football player and current manager of Monaghan United. He has also worked as a television pundit, and is the brother of acclaimed former boxer, Steve Collins....	Former Manager of Floriana
Richard Sadlier Richard Sadlier Richard Sadlier is an Irish former professional footballer and former CEO of St Patrick's Athletic F.C.. Since retirement from the professional game he has worked as a pundit with RTÉ, earning comparisons with Mark Lawrenson and Jim Beglin who also began to work in punditry after their careers...	Former Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...  Striker
Dave Barry	Winner of 1 League of Ireland League of Ireland The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...  Title
Colm Foley Colm Foley Colm Foley is an Irish football player who was forced to retire due to injury in January 2008 while playing for St Patrick's Athletic in the League of Ireland.- Career :...	Former St. Patrick's Athletic Defender
Pat Morley Pat Morley (footballer) Pat "Skippy" Morley is a former footballer for Cork City F.C., Shelbourne, Limerick F.C. and Waterford United F.C.. Pat also works for Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann as a commentator and analyst on League of Ireland soccer.He made his League of Ireland debut for Waterford United away to...	1990/91 PFAI Player of the Year
Tony McDonnell Tony McDonnell Anthony "Tony" McDonnell was a footballer for Irish side, UCD.A former St Kevin's Boys player McDonnell made his League of Ireland debut on the 27th of March 1994 at Abbeycartron in a 2-1 win over Longford Town....	Former UCD University College Dublin A.F.C. University College Dublin Association Football Club known commonly as UCD is the football team of University College Dublin. They play in the League of Ireland. The club, founded in 1895 was elected to the league in 1979 under the management of Dr. Tony O'Neill. Since the 2008 season they have...  Midfielder
Sean Prunty Sean Prunty Sean Prunty is a former professional footballer who retired due to heart problems in April 2008.After returning from Middlesbrough he signed for Shamrock Rovers in October 2000 but never played for the first team and soon signed for his home town club. His main position was left back but he also...	Winner of 2 FAI Cup FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...  Titles
Paul McGee Paul McGee (footballer born 1954) Paul 'Skee' McGee is a former Irish football player and current manager of League of Ireland First Division club Salthill Devon....	Former manager of Republic of Ireland football team Republic of Ireland national football team The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
Paul Doolin Paul Doolin Paul Doolin is a former Irish footballer and manager.He played for Bohemians, scoring on his debut on 13 September 1981. In June 1985 he signed for Shamrock Rovers and in his three years at the club won the double twice scoring 30 goals in 107 appearances. In his first season at Milltown he was...	2 time SWAI Personality of the Year