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Subscribe: Main Listening Report
Each week on languagecaster’s podcast we feature a main listening report and on this week’s show we look ahead to the 2010-11 season for our two teams: Damon will talk about Liverpool while Damian discusses Spurs’ chances. You can listen to the report by clicking below and can read the transcript below. Explanations of vocabulary in bold appears at the foot of the post.
Listen here to the Main Report
Transcript
Damon: Well, Liverpool had a dreadful season last year, no trophies again and finishing seventh in the league. Awful! Can we do better this year? I hope so. And hope is something that Liverpool fans have again after their new manager, Roy Hodgson, has introduced a new confidence with three wins and a draw in his first competitive games – three victories in the Europa League and a battling draw with 10 men against Arsenal. So there is hope around Anfield, and this hope stems from his sensible signings. The latest, the experienced, combative Christian Poulson, will replace Mascherano as a holding midfielder – but coming in for a modest 4.5 million pounds, Liverpool can hope to make some money with Mascherano valued at over 20 million probably on the move according to the press. Hodgson has also bought in Joe Cole on a free transfer, an experienced striker in Jovanovic as well as a youthful defender in Danny Wilson. All, on paper, strengthening the squad.
Concerns still persist with the full back positions, left and right, but with Gerrard, Kuyt, Lucas, Carragher, Agger, Reina and of course Torres providing an experienced spine, the team looks strong. There are worries about its depth, however, and the manager will have to make some more signings before the end of the transfer window. Hopefully, the speculation about the sale of the club will also be over in the next few weeks and there will be some stability behind the scenes.
Predictions? A good cup run in the Europa League – semi final, and the FA Cup – perhaps as far as the final. As for the League, top four finish and I’m hoping for third – that or financial meltdown.
Damian
Despite a 4th place finish and a semi-final appearance in the FA Cup last season, there are still many football pundits who feel that Spurs will not feature in the top echelons of the Premier League next May. This could be due to our inconsistent form and the fact that we are still perceived as having a soft-centre. New signing William Gallas should have something to say about that and though there are some fans who disagree with him coming to the club thanks to his Arsenal connections, this is the type of signing the team needs, someone with Champions League experience and a Premier League winning mentality. The Champions League is going to be crucial for Spurs – if we qualify for the group stages then what effect will it have on our domestic performances? If we don’t make it, then how will we react?
Surprisingly for Harry Rednapp, the club has only moved for Gallas during the transfer window who joins along with Brazilian midfield star, Sandro who was signed in March. The feeling is that we are one or two big signings away from a real push for success so next week’s Champions League qualifier takes on an even more important role as players may decide to come to a club in rather than out of the top European club competition.
Predictions? Well, the top 2 will be there again while Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City will also be in contention. The irony is that we may have a stronger team than last season yet finish 6th. However, I am going for a repeat of 4th and hopefully a fun run in the Champions League.
Vocabulary
dreadful: very bad, awful, terrible
stem from: originate from, come from, start from
combative: aggressive, strong, hard tackling
on paper: theoretically, assumed before knowing the facts
behind the scenes: used to refer to the owners of the club, the financial deals, the management
financial meltdown: big economic problem, a situation in which the club has huge money problems and may go out of business
football pundits: Football experts
top echelons: The top positions in the league
perceived: Seen to be; appear
crucial: Vital, really important
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