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Club football returns after the World Cup qualifiers and it’s Pep v Klopp as Manchester City host Liverpool in the stand out fixture in the Premier League. On this week’s show, Damon and Damian discuss this fixture in the predictions section. They also review some of the football news, introduce some football for English – this week to bomb on – and have a quiz question, too.A There is a transcript for those who wish to practise their English reading and listening skills (Damian = DF, Damon = DB).
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Transcript of the show
DB: You are listening to Languagecaster’s football-language podcast. Hello everyone. My name is Damon and first of all apologies for the late podcast! We usually try and get the podcast published either Saturday or Sunday but this week we had a few technical problems – lack of wifi for Damian in Ireland, and we couldn’t meet our deadline. So, this is a slightly shorter version and you are stuck with just me!
Line up
DB: On the show in the good, the bad and ugly section we’ll look at the following news stories: world cup qualifiers, Ben Woodburn, Ireland’s disappointing last two games, and a difficult issue in Iranian football. After that is some English forA football, with the phrase to bomb on. We have a tricky quiz question and we’ll finish with a review of our predictions: that’s Manchester City v Liverpool, Everton v Tottenham, and Leicester v the Champions, Chelsea.
You are listening to Languagecaster.com (in Greek)
DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com and that was in Greek. Remember, if you want to contact us just come along to languagecaster.com, or contact us through Facebook, Twitter, and we’ve also got a forum on the site where you can post any questions or comments.
OK, now what was good in the football world last week?
Good
DB: Of course it was good for the seven teams who managed to qualify for the World Cup, along with hosts Russia. That’s Japan, Saudi Arabia, Korea and Iran from Asia, Brazil from South America, Belgium from Europe, and Mexico from CONCACAF. Well done to them! But it was also good for that man Ben Woodburn again. He featured last week in this section for his great winning goal against Austria on his debut for the Welsh side. Well, in the next game he came on again as substitute and whipped in a cross for the Welsh side’s opener against Moldovar. They went on to win 2-0 and move in to second in their group. A goal and an assist in his first two games for the national side. Not bad.
Bad
DB: It was bad for Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for Russia 2018 as they dropped 5 points, drawing away to Georgia and losing to Serbia at home 1-0. That means they have handed the initiative to Wales, who leapfrog the Irish into the second place position in the group behind leaders Serbia, who look odds on to secure automatic qualification. But if the Republic of Ireland win their last two games they can finish second, as their last game on the 10th of October is against the Welsh away at Cardiff – definitely a crunch game.
Ugly
DB: And ugly? Well, it’s a complicated topic, but it isn’t very nice to think that women are not allowed to watch men’s football games in Iran. This situation was made even worse when Iran played Syria in a World Cup qualifier and Syrian women were allowed in to the stadium to watch the game while Iranian women were kept out. Remember this game was played in Iran, so the home fans, if they were female, were not allowed to support their team, but the away fans could give their team all the support they wanted. As I said, it’s a sensitive topic and different countries have different ways of thinking about things, but football should be about bringing people together not keeping them apart.
Quiz question
DB: OK, now for this week’s quiz question, we want to know which is the oldest team in the Premier League this season? And if you can write in and tell us the oldest team in your country’s top league, we’d love to share it next podcast. Answer for the this, which is the oldest team in the Premier League this season? at the end of the show!
You are listening to Languagecaster.com (in German)
Football Language: To Bomb On
DB: The first phrase this week is to bomb on, which means to attack with pace and not worry aboutA defence. It is usually used to describeA full backsA (or wing backs) attacking quickly down the wing, the side of the pitch. There is the added nuance that the attacking player is not really worried about defending. They hope that bombing on, attacking directly and quickly, will result in a goal. Also, the phrase can also be used without the preposition a€˜downa€™: to bomb down.A Here is an example fromA talksport.com: At times there is no finer sight inA footballA than a marauding full-back bombing down the wing.”
Football Language: Toe-to-toe
DB: Our secondA phrase we have this week is toA go toe to toeA with someone and it is from boxing. It means to attack your opponent when they attack you, to not retreat and defend, but to keep on punching when you are being punched. ToA go toe to toe withA another team means that both teams plan to attack, both teams think that their strong point is going forward. Neither team will focus onA defence. A game when the teamsA go toe to toe withA each other is very exciting to watch and usually has a lot of goals or shots. It can also be used with a€˜againsta€™ and also with hyphens a€“A go toe-to-toe againsta€˜. For example there is this from aA BBC report: West Brom boss Tony Pulis is proud of his side after the 2-2 draw at Chelsea, saying his playersA went a€œtoe-to-toea€ againstA the champions.
(Dulwich fan)
DB: OK, next up it’s predictions. This week,we are back to our regular competition. Three points for a perfect score and one point for the correct result. Before this weekend, Damian was top of the league with twenty points followed by Johnny Magicboots on 19, HP Sauce on 18 and Alexrr on 16. I only had 11. Let’s see if I did better this week. You can give us your predictions if you come along to languagecaster.com and follow the links at the top of the page. The three games we look at took place this weekend, so we’ll review our guesses.
Predictions: Manchester City v Liverpool
DB: Now, this game, as we’ve said, has already taken place, but before kick off I thought it would be a 2-2 draw, with both teams going to-to-toe in an entertaining game. Johnny Magicboots and Alexrr also thought it would be a draw – 2-2 and 1-1. Sadly for me, none of us were correct as Liverpool were dismantled 5-0 by City – a humiliating defeat. Some will say that the Reds were down to 10 after Mane’s red card, but Man City were imperious and fully deserved their win.
Everton v Tottenham
DB: I went for a 1-1 draw and this was a comfortable victory for Spurs, with Kane netting twice on a 3-0 away win. An impressive win on Merseyside for Damian’s boys!
Leicester v Chelsea
DB: And the last game was the Champions of two years ago against the current champions – Leicester versus Chelsea. I went again again for a draw – 1-1, while Johnny Magicboots went for a 4-2 thriller with Chelsea bagging the four. In the end it was a very good win 2-1 for Chelsea.
Doesn’t look as though I improved my points this weekend, does it!
Quiz question answer
DB: Just before we go, here’s the answer to the quiz question. We wanted to know the oldest Premier League team this season and the answer is Stoke City, who were founded in 1863! Over 150 years ago!
Good bye
DB: OK, thanks everybody for listening. Enjoy all of the football, ta-ra!
Check out our glossary of footballing phrases here
If you have any suggestions, contact us at admin@languagecaster.com
Learn English Through Football Podcast: A show for football fans to improve their English language skills
