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Learn English Through Football Podcast: The Language of Getting the Sack
In this week’s football-language podcast we look at some language around managers getting the sack after some high-profile managers lost their jobs this week. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions about the phrase or our podcast then you can contact us here.
Hello
DF: You’re listening to the Learn English through Football Podcast.
DF: Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well and that you are enjoying all the football. My name is Damian and I am one half of the Learn English Through Football team and I am based here in London where it is still raining. In fact, it has been raining every day this year so far! I wonder what the weather is like in Tokyo where the other member of the team, Damon, is based? How are you Damon and what’s it like over in Japan at the moment?
DB: Hi there Damian. All good over here in Tokyo. A bright sunny day and spring seems to be just around the corner.
DF: Now you posted the football expression ‘dwell on the ball’ earlier in the week which is when a player is a little slow on the ball and they lose possession. And I think a lot of the Tottenham players dwelled/dwelt on the ball against Newcastle allowing the opponents to score. It’s been a tough week for Spurs as yet again a team that is not in good form leading up to the game (in this case Newcastle who had lost four in a row) but they still beat Tottenham and they beat them easily. Spurs fans use the phrase ‘Dr Tottenham‘ to explain this and you can see this in more detail by coming along to our football language forum.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com
Today’s Show
DF: Of course, Tottenham’s bad form and yet another home defeat meant that their manager Thomas Frank was sacked – he was fired. And this is what we are going to talk about on today’s show: the language of getting the sack. We will also look at a couple of predictions from some of the big games this weekend: an FA Cup tie in England and a top-of-the-table clash in Scotland.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in Italian)
DB: Thank you for that message, which was in Italian, and yes, you are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast, or as we used to be known, languagecaster.com. We will have more of these throughout the show, so try and see how many you recognise. And most importantly, send us your message in your language saying, ‘You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast!’. Record it and send it to contact@learnenglishthroughfoootball.com. OK, here’s the next stinger.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Bemba – Zambia)
DB: Any ideas what that language was listener? Good luck with the other on the show. And talking about the show, it’s time for our main focus which is football phrases and language connected with the sacking of managers. Here’s Damian, whose team Tottenham recently sacked their manager, Thomas Frank.
The Language of Getting the Sack
DF: Now over the years here at LearningEnglishThroughFootball.com we have talked about lots of language connected to managers losing their jobs and we thought that it might be a good time to review some of this language after a week when two Premier League managers lost their jobs: Thomas Frank at Tottenham and Sean Dyche at Nottingham Forest. Let’s look at some examples from the UK national press about that Thomas Frank sacking:
- Tottenham are exploring their options after sacking Thomas Frank on Wednesday morning (Guardian.co.uk February 2026).
- Frank sacked by Spurs after eight months in charge (BBC.co.uk, February 2026)
So Frank has lost his job after bad results and poor performances and in the first example, Tottenham is the main focus of the sentence; they have done the sacking. They are now looking for a new manager because they have sacked Frank; they have decided not to keep him at the club. In the second example, the emphasis or focus is on Frank; so he has been sacked (by the club). Another way of saying this is ‘fired‘; the club fired Frank or Frank has been fired.
Other phrases that have been used to describe this situation when a manager leaves a club include: To call time on – and this means that the club no longer wants the manager to be there; they have asked him or her to finish their time at the club. Here’s another example from the BBC:
- ‘Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis to call time on Dyche’s four-month tenure as head coach…’ And this means that the owner (Marinakis) has asked the manager Sean Dyche to leave the club. The phrase ‘four-month tenure’ is an interesting one and is used to describe a length of time. So, we know that Dyche was only employed at Forest for four months – his tenure was only four months long. So, if a club calls time on their manager, it means their time is up and they have to leave; they’ve been fired.
Another word that we might hear and see when a manager is about to be fired or indeed, sacked is ‘axed‘. And this is quite a strong or tough word that suggests the club is not happy with the manager at all. Clubs can also terminate a manager’s contract; terminate means to finish so this phrase means that the club has ended the contract and let the manager go. And that’s another phrase to describe a sacking, ‘to let a manager go‘ sounds a little softer than axed but it has the same meaning – the manager has been fired or sacked. The club can also show the manager the door or maybe give them their marching orders or sometimes ‘give the manager the elbow or give the manager the boot, though these phrases are a little more typical in newspaper headlines or reports.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from a Vasco da Gama fan in Brazil)
DF: Do you know any other phrases connected to managers being sacked or fired. Or maybe you know some in other languages? If you do, then drop us a line at contact@learnenglishthroughfootball.com
DB: Yes, drop us a line and also tell your friends if you like our show! Thanks for that look at the language of sacking managers, Damian. I wonder who will be the long-term replacements for those managers who got their marching orders? And talking about looking into the future, it’s time for our predictions this week. We will look at the 4th round of the FA Cup and the Scottish Premiership.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Korean)
Predictions: FA Cup 4th Round – Macclesfield v Brentford
DB: Our first match is Macclesfield who host Premier League side Brentford. Macclesfield are in the sixth tier of football in England over a hundred places lower than Brentford. Can they pull off another upset? Damian?
DF: OK, so non-league side Macclesfield will face Premier League Brentford in one of the big ties of the round – it’s the fourth round. On paper it should be an easy win for Brentford who are currently seventh in the Premier League but Macclesfield have already dumped the holders out of the competition in the last round. They beat Crystal Palace. Surely it won’t happen again? I don’t think it will as Brentford are playing well and are looking forward to a cup run too – maybe 3-0 to Brentford for me.
DB: I agree. Lightning doesn’t strike twice. As you said Brentford will be hoping for a good cup run and I think they will field a fairly strong team and win this comfortably 2-0.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in German)
Predictions: Scottish Premiership – Rangers v Hearts
DB: Next is a big game in the Scottish Premiership with Hearts of Midlothian visiting Rangers.
DF: This is a big one in Scotland with Hearts top of the table facing Rangers in second place. The Edinburgh side (Hearts) are five points clear of Rangers so will be hoping to protect or extend their lead against a Rangers team that is playing much better than at the start of the season. I have a good friend John who is a Hearts fan, so I am going to go for a Hearts 2-1 win which will hopefully help Hearts win their first title since 1960 – that’s before even Tottenham!
DB: I’m going to disagree with you there. I think playing at home will give Rangers an advantage. i don’t think they’ll win but I don’t think they’ll lose, so 1-1 for me.
OK, well those are our predictions, and listener, why don’t you practice your predictions language with us? What do you think will happen in any games that you are watching this week or the ones we have talked about ? Let us know by coming along to our site or on any of our social media sites – you can find us on Facebook; on YouTube; Instagram and many more.
Contact
DF: And remember, our website has a huge glossary of football terms, with hundreds of expressions, phrases and clichés about the beautiful game of football. And we have just posted a new page with lots of our weekly football expressions from the past 20 years! Let us know what you think. And of course, tell all your friends about us and give us ‘a like’ on your favourite podcast and social media platforms!
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Persian)
DB: Yes, that message was in Persian and well done if you got that right. We have also heard messages in Italian, Bemba, a Vasco da Gama fan from Brazil, Korean, and German.
Goodbye
DB: Right, let’s take a quick look at some of the words and phrases from this week’s show: sacked; fired; axed; let go and to call time on. All used when a manager loses his or her job. Thanks for listening, enjoy all the football this weekend, and we’ll be back with another football expression next week. Ta-ra!
DF: Bye!
Related Links
Learn English Through Football Podcast: A show for football fans to improve their English language skills
