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Learn English Through Football Podcast: Looking ahead to 2019 & FA Cup Third Round
On this week’s English through football podcast we review some of the big stories from the 2019 FA Cup third round, look back at the 2018 highs and lows of our favourite teams and look forward to some of the big events taking place in 2019. We also explain a new football-language expression, goalmouth scramble, ask a football-language quiz question connected to the FA Cup and attempt some predictions from the Carabao Cup. If you have questions or comments, email us at: admin@languagecaster.com (Damian=DF, Damon=DB).
Introduction
DF: You are listening to languagecaster.com’s football-language podcast. Hello everyone and welcome to the show for all those who love the beautiful game of football and who want to improve their English language skills – learning English through football. My name is Damian and I’m here in a cold and dark London the day after the FA Cup third round weekend – we’ll be looking at some of the language from those games later on in the show. Now, I wonder if Damon is on the line from Tokyo, Damon?
DB: I’m very well Damian. It’s a bit chilly here in Tokyo, too, but lovely blue skies cheer things up a bit. You mentioned it has just been FA Cup 3rd round weekend – did you watch any games?
DF: I watched a little bit of the Blackpool vs Arsenal game, while I also watched the game between non-league side Woking and Premier League team Watford and the match between Newport County and Leicester City – did you get to watch any of the FA Cup games?
DB: Unfortunately not. I thought I wouldn’t be able to over here in japan, but I’ve just found out my TV football subscription has got some of the games! I missed out on all the action, but I will be able to watch Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Liverpool at least!
Line-up
DF: Right, what do we have on today’s show?
DB: Well, first of all we take a look back at some of the big football stories from this season’s FA Cup third round with sections on shocks, thrashings and controversies. Then we ask a football-language quiz question which is connected to the FA Cup. After that we give a brief review of our teams’ performances in 2018 and then we look ahead to some of the big football events of 2019. Then there is an explanation of a football-language expression – goalmouth scramble – before we finish off the show with some Carabao Cup predictions.
DF: Wow! That’s a packed show indeed!
Stinger: You are listening to Languagecaster.com (in French)
DF: Now, before we move on to our review of the FA Cup third round we’d like to talk about Patreon. If you’d like some more football-language content and you also want to support what we are doing here at languagecaster.com then you can click on the Patreon button on our site to learn how to access extra posts and resources, including worksheets, quizzes and of course the transcript for this report.
DB: Yes, recently we have posted our end-of-year football review quiz on Patreon and we will have some worksheets on the 2019 Asian Cup posted there soon.
Goalmouth Scramble
This noun is used to describe chaotic defending. The goalmouth is the area just in front of the goal, so the six yard area, and sometimes this area is the scene of desperate defending, and that’s when we use goalmouth scramble. To scramble is to make something mixed up or broken (like scrambled eggs) or to move using your hands as well as your feet, maybe up a steep slope on a mountain. Using it to describe movement infers chaos and loss of control. So a goalmouth scramble is when defenders are desperately trying to clear the ball and attackers are also trying hard to put the ball in the net. No player has control over the ball. The ball bobbles, that is, bounces awkwardly, rebounds off other players or posts, and cannot be controlled.
In the recent game between Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League, there were several goalmouth scrambles. One happened when Sadio Mane’s shot rebounded off the post and was cleared by John Stones. But the clearance hit the goalkeeper and bounced back towards the goal, where Stones, with some last ditch defending, cleared the ball off the line and through Mo Salah’s legs. It was a goalmouth scramble.
Learn English Through Football Podcast: A show for football fans to improve their English language skills
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