Archive for January, 2010

In this week’s poll we ask which team you think will be La Liga champions this season. The answers to the quiz on La Liga appear at the foot of the post.

La Liga Quiz results

1. Which team has won most La Liga titles?
b. Real Madrid

2. Which was the last team apart from Barcelona or Real Madrid to win La Liga?
c. Valencia

3. Three teams have never been relegated from the top division in Spain. Real Madrid and Barcelona are two of them – who is the other team?
b. Athletic Bilbao

4. Which current La Liga side play at San Mamés
b. Athletic Bilbao

5. What is the Pichichi
a. The award for the top scorer in the league

6. Who was the top scorer in La Liga last season?
b. Diego Forlán

The winter transfer window is about to close, meaning that clubs have only a few more days to buy, sell, loan and trade players. Speculation abounds as gossip, whispers and rumours fill newspapers and websites with the language of football transfers.

One area that my football-loving students find difficult to understand is the language used to describe the world of football transfers, particularly when they appear as headlines in newspapers or websites. Let’s take a look at some of the headlines that have recently appeared on the Sky Sports website and see if we can break down their meaning a little.

Strachan eyes Nak deal

Espanyol confirm Boro interest

Stoke to hijack Pompey keeper

Norwegian snubs English interest

Kaboul seals return to Spurs

continue

 Print This Post | Subscribe: Football Quiz

In this week’s quiz we ask how much you know about La Liga in Spain? The answers will appear tomorrow.

1. Which team has won most La Liga titles?
a. Barcelona
b. Real Madrid
c. Valencia
d. Athletic Bilbao

2. Which was the last team apart from Barcelona or Real Madrid to win La Liga?
a. Deportivo La Coruña
b. Atlético de Madrid
c. Valencia
d. Villareal
continue

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On this week’s show we feature the Spanish League as it has reached the half way stage of the season so we thought it would be a good time to review what has been happening in La Liga and also to predict how it may all end come the end of the season. Remember you can also:

Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

A busy period in the football calendar sees the African Cup of Nations final take place this weekend, as well as the transfer window closing. There has also been some big football news this week with an explosive Manchester derby, the England captain facing up to another scandal, the Argentinian Clausura about to begin and I went to see Tottenham beat Fulham at White Hart Lane! On this week’s podcast we turn our attention to the Spanish League as it reaches the half way mark and we offer some predictions on how we see La Liga finishing this season. We also have another English for football phrase and predictions. Come along to the site at languagecaster.com to read more.

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FEATURED POSTS

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PREDICTION

This week’s featured match is Arsenal v Manchester United

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FOOTBALL EXPRESSION

This week in our look at English phrases used in football we focus on ‘to take to the cleaners‘. The original meaning of this expression is to take all of somebody’s money, usually by tricking or cheating them. They have no money, they are stripped clean of money, they are cleaned out of money – therefore the phrase, to take to the cleaners. In a football context, it is used to mean defeat or beat a team, or to dominate a player. The image is of a team or a player that has been stripped naked or bare of its or their skill, they look vulnerable, they have been taken to the cleaners. This week, Martin O’Neill, Premier League side Aston Villa’s coach, said that his player, Ashley Young, had taken Arsenal’s left back to the cleaners, meaning he had completed dominated the Arsenal defender.

Click here for more football cliches and football phrases.

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This week’s QUIZ QUESTION:

Which of the following Spanish teams have not won the league title?

a. Villareal
b. Sevilla
c. Real Betis
d. Deportivo

Answer next week.

The answer to last week’s question, ‘Which German state (Länder), or region, has won the most titles and is therefore the most successful in the Bundesliga?’ The answer was Bavaria with 34 titles thanks mainly to the 21 titles Bayern Munich have won.
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Check out the site for the latest polls – at www.languagecaster.com | Click here admin@languagecaster.com if you want to have your say on our weekly podcast.

You can also follow us at Twitter

Come along to our online shop and browse books and DVDs related to football and English language teaching and learning.

For all students of the beautiful game

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The Spanish League has reached the half way stage of the season - la primera vuelta – and so the languagecaster team thought it would be a good time to review what has been happening in La Liga and also to predict how it may all end in May. Vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

Let’s start at the top where the usual suspects can be found. Barcelona lead Real Madrid by 5 points and Valencia by 10 so they look odds-on to retain the title they won so impressively last year. Indeed, the Catalan side have not lost a game so far this season and though they are not as free scoring they still play with the swagger of champions. Ibrahimovic has settled in well with 11 goals but he trails the league’s top scorer, his team mate Leo Messi who has 15. continue

 Print This Post | Subscribe: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Wayne Rooney, revenge for Egypt and Manchester United fans all feature in the good, the bad and the ugly section of the podcast. Vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

The Good

It has been a very good week for Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney. First up he scored all four goals in Manchester United’s demolition of relegation candidates Hull City to take his season’s tally to 19. He then capped off a special week by scoring the late winner in the Carling Cup semi-final against arch-rivals Manchester City last Wednesday. Next up for Rooney is a trip to the Emirates to face title rivals Arsenal. continue

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The final of the Africa Cup of Nations, the new season in Argentina, an FA Cup replay and the big game in the Premier league all feature in this week’s predictions. This week’s guest predictor is Mika from Japan who is a Barcelona fan.

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On this week’s main report, Hans, our German correspondent, takes a look at the Budesliga. The German league takes a long break in winter – over three weeks – and last week they were back in action, so it’s a good time to see what’s going on in one of Europe’s biggest leagues. Vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

Listen to the report here

Transcript

Welcome back to the Bundesliga. The winter break is over, and despite snow and ice, games started on schedule last weekend. And there has been plenty going on. continue

The African Cup is well underway, the FA Cup in England has reached the fourth round, and the race in Italy is hotting up, but this week we turn our eyes to the Bundelsiga after it returns from its long winter break. In the review of the footballing week stories about the how things are turning nasty between Manchester United and Manchester City, allegations of corruption and match fixing in China, as well as commenting on a resurgent Arsenal. We also have another English for football phrase and predictions. Come along to the site at languagecaster.com to read more.

________________________________________

FEATURED POSTS

Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking on the icon

________________________________________

PREDICTION

This week’s featured match is Werder Bremen v Bayern Munich

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FOOTBALL EXPRESSION

Click here for more football cliches and football phrases.

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This week’s QUIZ QUESTION:

Which German state (Länder), or region, has won the most titles and is therefore the most successful in the Bundesliga?

a) Hamburg

b) North Rhine-Westphalia

c) Bavaria

d) Baden-Württemberg

Answer next week.

The answer to last week’s question, ‘Egypt has appeared in seven African Cup of Nations finals – winning 6. One more team, has also appeared in seven ACN finals. Which one?’

d) Ghana
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Check out the site for the latest polls – Which team will win this year’s African Cup of Nations? www.languagecaster.com | Click here admin@languagecaster.com if you want to have your say on our weekly podcast.

You can also follow us at Twitter

Come along to our online shop and browse books and DVDs related to football and English language teaching and learning.

For all students of the beautiful game