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Slow news day for Ulster Rugby... After the most dramatic 24 hours this season for fans of Ulster which saw head coach Dan depart the province, ending his tenure as the longest serving Ulster coach of the professional era, the panel have plenty to talk about. Where do we go from here? Who's next? Was there a game at the weekend? Sit back, enjoy the chat and don't forget to like and subscribe!

Where to begin? The Red Hand is back to discuss Ulster crashing out of the Champions Cup and where we go from here. Consider it group therapy for Ulster fans. We will always back the players on the pitch but is it time for some new ideas to inspire this talented squad to fulfil their full potential?

Everything was in place for a famous home win… A packed Ravenhill on its 100 year anniversary, the 99 squad were watching on 25 years on from their famous European Cup win and momentum from a couple of big wins… In the end, we got absolutely minced by a team who looked to be on another level. Du Pont magic together with the quality of the players around him overwhelmed Ulster who were second best in every area of the game. On a more positive note, we finally got to see some fabulous attacking, running rugby on the plastic pitch… just unfortunate that it wasn’t from Ulster. The result has divided opinion: should we simply stand back and applaud a team who are much better than us or should be desperately searching for answers considering the manner of the defeat? To help us answer these questions I’m joined by Ian, Nathan, Daniel, Fergus and Jack.

This episode is from a while back - before Humphs was appointed head honcho of Irish Rugby. Where to even start with David Humphreys? Childhood hero, Ulster legend and one of the most significant figures in the history of Ulster Rugby. This one is from the archive and I thought I would put it out there given the fact we are 25 years on from when Humphs helped Ulster get crowned Kings of Europe in '99. What a legend. Enjoy.

It's good to be back after a short Christmas break - hope you had a good one! Ulster have enjoyed an unbeaten run so far in 2024 and in the process of beating our provincial rivals, Ulster are now the number one province in Ireland. What a difference a few weeks makes. Ulster fans - is there anything better than beating Leinster at their place? The win was far from perfect but we still got the result. It was a heroic effort from the lads and it begs the question: what has galvanised the team of late? Are Dan's men performing because of him or in spite of him? What Ulster players have played their way into Ireland reckoning? What's next for Ulster? Is talk of the spirit of '99 premature? To discuss all of this and more I'm joined by a class panel: Nathan, Daniel, Ian, Jack and Fergus.

"Never in doubt" Those were the words I was repeating after Ulster's inevitable demolition of Racing at Fortress Kingspan. Christmas has come early. Ulster are class again. Having been luke-warm to tepid so far this season, have Ulster been bubbling away beneath the surface? Are they now ready to boil over following their best performance in over a year? If you missed his post match interview, Dan said that he and some senior members of the squad had been spending time conducting experiments - mostly what 'quick-tap' moves work the best. The results were released against the French side to devastating effect. Next up are poor Connacht (off the back of four straight defeats) are the next guests at the Kingspan and then it's down the road to face Leinster on new year's day. So much to talk about, so much excitement, so much uncertainty. To discuss it all I'm joined by an incredible and incredibly large panel. Nathan, Jack, Ian, Fergus, Daniel and Harry Jones. Harry Jones has his own podcast and you can find him on social media @haribaldijones.

Life as an Ulster fan is anything but boring and, as usual, there's plenty to discuss on the podcast this week. Let's start with the positives: Ulster Rugby have an incredibly large and loyal fanbase, a fancy new stadium and pitch and a talented squad with a number of really good prospects coming through. So, this begs the question why Dan McFarland's men are struggling on the pitch and why Ulster are in such a precarious position as an organisation. There's a saying that a fish rots from the head down.  Something to think about.... However, there's also a saying 'SUFTUM til I die'. Real fans support players on the pitch. Indeed, no proper fan could complain about their team when the players are giving 100%. That includes whether they win, lose or draw. There is no doubt about the effort of the current crop of players - they are a passionate and committed bunch. So, What's holding them back from achieving their potential as a squad? Is the issue that needs to be fixed with the Ulster Rugby management and head-coach or is it just a matter of time before everything starts to click on the pitch and everything is rosy once again? To discuss all this and talk about the games themselves I'm joined by Ian, Jack, Fergus and delighted to be joined by a name that will be familiar to Ulster fans: Humphreys... Daniel Humphreys.

Welcome to the Red Hand Podcast. Are there dark clouds gathering at Ulster? Is a storm coming for the current head-coach? Following defeat at the weekend, Dan McFarland slammed the standards in training and, by extension, his own ability to coach the team. I’m not sure the words went down well with Ulster supporters, many of whom seemed not best pleased by the performance or Dan’s reaction. It’s just a game at the end of the day – a frivolous game, a bit of fun – entertainment – so there’s no point in getting too worked up about it. At the same time, Dan and the CEO of Ulster Rugby are paid vast sums of money to deliver results to fans who invest a lot of time and money into the team and want to see the team play to their potential. It’s hardly been a disaster of a season, but an unexpected home loss has ruffled a few feathers. Maybe the winds of change haven’t yet started to blow, then there is a stiff breeze in the air. We have Bath this weekend and, because of the fickle nature of professional sport, a win obviously means everything will be sunshine and light once again. Or does it? To discuss, I am joined by usual panel Ian, Nathan and Jack.

Dan McFarland’s men started like a steam train but ran out of track as Glasgow battled their way back into the game and won 33-20. Two tries within 11 minutes  from Tom Stewart and Cooney but Glasgow dominated the rest of the match. Three away games and two losses for Ulster (which could have very easily been three losses) Is it simply a case of ‘taking your lessons and moving on’ as Dan McFarland often says or are there more serious problems to be addressed? To answer these questions and more, I’m joined by usual panel members Ian Frizzell and Nathan Johns and we’re delighted to be joined by Edinburgh fan and podcaster with the Scottish Rugby Pod, Craig Manson.

It was a miserable night and in many ways a pretty miserable game on Friday night against the Lions, but Ulster found a way to get the win so we’re going to stay positive! Despite being down by seven points at halftime, Dan McFarland’s men went up a gear in the second half and ultimately held on for a 24-17 victory. In horrendous conditions at fortress Ravenhill, it was not the most entertaining of games to put it lightly. Tries from James Hume, Stockdale and Rob Herring allowed Ulster to claw their way back into the game but there is plenty to work on this week with a misfiring lineout, difficulty capitalizing on chances and some evidence that we haven’t yet nailed down the basics. Ulster have now won four of their opening five URC games but there’s still a section of the fanbase who are not content with our performances so far this season, despite the relatively good win record. Do they have a point? There’s also the matter of whether a certain ginger prop will be playing or Ulster this weekend. That’s right – Cameron Doak could be unleashed on the Warriors. To discuss I’m joined by Jack, Ian special guest John Anderson – Glasgow Warriors fan and podcaster with the Scottish Rugby Podcast as we look ahead to the Glasgow game this weekend.

It’s two weeks after Halloween but Ulster have done the ‘Munster Mash’, defeating their provincial rivals 21-14 at Fortress Ravenhill. Grave problems for Munster as, after the visitors drew first blood, they were guilty of coffin up the ball on too many occasions, allowing Ulster back into the game. Dan McFarland’s men held off Munster in the dying stages with Munster pummelling their line, and secured a historic victory. To discuss the game I’m joined by regular panelists Nathan, Jack, Patrick and Fergus and we’re delighted to be joined this evening by Cian McGibney – a Munster fan – who will give us some outside perspective.

If you're struggling to work out how to feel after the game at the weekend then you're not alone. We lost but... did we really win when you consider the performance exceeded all expectations? The answer, of course, is no. Your outlook on the game will depend on whether you're a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full type of person. Half of Ulster's fan-base has chosen to focus on the glass being partly full with several impressive individual performances, an early lead and a spirited effort from a heavily rotated Ulster side. The other half of Ulster's fan base is choosing to focus on what is missing from the glass: namely, the ability to hold a 17 point lead and the fact that we lost to a Connacht side who were there for the taking. Whatever your view of the game, we hope you enjoy listening to the podcast as we attempt to make sense of Ulster. Are the 'glass-half-full brigade' delusional? Are the 'glass-half-empty crew' simply world-weary keyboard warriors? There's only one way to find out and that's by discussing it with our panel and, hopefully, in the next 45 minute to an hour we will figure out what's going right or wrong with Ulster. I'm joined by regular panelists: Jack, Ian, Fergus and making a special guest appearance this week is Connacht fan and host of the excellent Master of None podcast Stephen Murphy. We also hope to be joined by Munster fan, Caolan Scully from the Caolan S Rugby podcast and Red Army Pod to give us an insight ahead of the Ulster Munster game on Friday night.