Archive for August, 2009

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Former England manager Sir Bobby Robson died last weekend. In this post we take a look back at one of the most respected English managers in the game. Vocabulary in bold is explained at the end of the post to help you with comprehension. When you have read the article take the quiz on Bobby Robson’s life here.

Football has often been described as a cut-throat business with little room for sentiment or even respect. So the passing of Sir Bobby Robson, the former English national team coach, last week was sad for many reasons but mainly that amid the nastiness and back stabbing that makes up current day football, he proved that it was possible to be both a gentleman and a winner. continue

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In this week’s quiz we feature former England and Ipswich town football manager Sir Bobby Robson who sadly passed away last week. The answers to the quiz below can be found at the foot of the reading post about his life.

1. How many different club sides did Sir Bobby Robson manage in his career?
a. 7
b. 6
c. 8
d. 4
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The second tier of English football, The Championship, kicks off this week and in this post we take a look at which teams we think will be involved in the promotion race or the relegation battle. To help you understand this reading there is a vocabulary list containing the words in bold at the foot of this post

The English football season gets underway again this weekend with 24 teams from the Championship battling it out over the next nine months. With the Premier League often facing accusations of being boring thanks to the dominance of the top four, the Championship is always a much more open affair. Games come thick and fast and reputations often count for nothing. The league is always tight and one good run can see a team break into the play-off spots but conversely a bad run can drag you down to the relegation zone.

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The Championship, England’s second division of football, kicks off this week and we would like you to predict the teams you think will be promoted to play in next year’s Premier League. Make three selections from the poll below or add another team if it has not already been included. Don’t forget to leave a comment below.

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The football world was saddened to hear of Sir Bobby Robson’s death last week. The former England manager was 77 and universally regarded as the gentleman of English football. One of his former clubs, Newcastle United start off their Championship campaign without a manager and have been described as a joke by their club captain. Tough times ahead for the Geordie fans. Come along to the site to read about these and other stories from the football world this week.

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PREDICTION

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This week’s POLL

This week’s poll asks which teams do you think will win promotion from the Championship this season. Click here to vote.

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For all students of the beautiful game

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Less than two weeks before the Premier League kicks off and this week a Liverpool fan looks ahead to what might happen for his team.  Does he think that Liverpool can go one better than last season and win the Premier League and is he impressed with Liverpool’s business in the transfer market?

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Listening Practice (football phrases)

Listen to the report and see how many words and phrases connected with football you can hear. Go to the glossary for a huge A~Z list of other football phrases.

Click here to try our online listening quiz.

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Transcript

Damon: OK, I’m here with Tim, a Liverpool fan. Hello Tim

Tim: Hi there.

Damon: OK, I’d like to ask a few questions about the upcoming season. continue