On this week’s podcast we spotlight the sides that have been newly promoted to La Liga. We also look at some of the footballing stories from last week and try to predict some of the big games this week in our predictions battle. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s podcast we take a look into the crystal ball and try and predict how Damon’s Liverpool and Damian’s Tottenham will finish this season. Remember you can also:

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Each week, languagecaster’s podcast will have four sections.

1. The good, the bad and the ugly – a review of the footballing news
2. A main report - an interview, spotlight, fans’ opinions etc. There is also a separate post with transcript and vocabulary support
3. An English for Football phrase – we explain a word from that week’s news, or a phrase that is important if you want to talk about football
4. Predictions – a look at 4 or 5 games
from around the world. Damon and Damian battle it out against each other and guests to guess the match results in a predictions competition

For teachers there is more information and ideas here.

Also, check out our -

• Football Language Resources page
• Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases)
• Worksheets and teaching ideas from previous podcasts

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The World Cup is over, Spain are Champions, Forlan has the Golden Ball, Thomas Mueller has been awarded the Golden Boot and Damian and Damon take a look back at the highs and lows of the tournament in the final languagecaster.com World Cup podcast. You can also:

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The World Cup final takes place this weekend and we cast our eyes over the two teams and give our predictions. Vocabulary, in bold from the transcript of this report can be found below. You can also:

Transcript

Game 64 of the World Cup, has Holland taking on the Spanish to decide the winners of the 19th World Cup tournament. Neither of these two sides have previously won the trophy before and despite having great players in their team, good form coming into the competition and strong footballing traditions, few pundits had tipped them to reach the final. That is except those here at languagecaster – Damon predicted a Holland victory while I went for Spain.

I still think it will be Spain for despite a slow start – remember their first game defeat against Switzerland? – they have been improving ever since. If they were to win the World Cup, it would mean they would be the first ever team to lose their opening match and still go on to win the competition. Though they have been criticised for not scoring goals – only 7 so far in the tournament – they have won most of their games comfortably. David Villa has been receiving many of the plaudits for his performances and goals but the midfield have been immense, constantly probing for openings, setting up scoring chances and maintaining a solid shape throughout. Xavi and Iniesta have been wonderful while Xavi Alonso has also been very consistent. Doubts about their defence have been answered with only 2 goals conceded in the whole competition, while we also have to praise the fact that Spain have only had 3 yellow cards and are one of the teams that have given away the least amount of fouls in the whole of the World Cup. They never panic, their footballing technique is second to none and their performance in the semi-final was amazing as they destroyed a very strong German side to win through. Holland are organised and have great players throughout their side but I am going for a dominant 1-0 win for Spain.

Damon

Well, we’re here it’s the final, fantastic, Holland against Spain, of course, I tipped Holland to win the whole thing right at the beginning of the World Cup – go on, look it up, check it out at languagecaster.com. I had it there in black and white. And do I think they’re going to go the whole way? Well, it’s certainly interesting both these teams have got to the final without really blowing away anybody, without really impressing people. Spain are the favourites of course but I’ve got to say, I find their style of play a little bit sterile, of course, it’s beautiful, yes, wonderful and they pass it so well and they don’t give the ball back and isn’t that wonderful but … where’s the passion, where’s the … I don’t know, where’s the action? Where’s the drama? In Spain, I just don’t get that. My heart is with Holland and I’d really love them to win so I’m going to go for them, what the hell, I’m going to lose the predictions battle, anyway. I think they’re going to win 2-1, it’s going to be a great game because both these teams set up quite defensively, if you look at it. You’ve got Van bommell and De Jong for Holland sitting in front of their defenders and you’ve got Busquets and Alonso for Spain doing the same thing. You’ve got some great play makers on both sides, obviously Iniesta for Spain and you’ve got Sneijder for Holland and Robben … adding a little bit of spice and Villa who’s deadly and he may get the Golden Boot here who knows? So, it’s all to play for, I really hope it’s going to be a good game and to be a good game I think Holland have to score first, ‘cos if Spain do, well, we might as well put the mood music on and the volume down on the TV and just watch the pretty patterns

Vocabulary

taking on: To face, to play against

pundits: Expert football commentators

receiving many of the plaudits: The player has received much adulation, many people like one player because of his strong performances

probing : Searching

2 goals conceded: 2 goals have been let in; 2 goals have been scored against them

is second to none: No one is better

dominant: Convincing

blowing away anybody: Neither team has dominated another team

sterile: No imagination or flair

set up: Play, how the teams are organised

deadly: A very dangerous striker

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The World Cup quarter-finals take place this weekend and we have some mouth-watering ties to look forward to. In today’s podcast Damon and Damian cast their eyes over the four match ups. Vocabulary, in bold from the transcript of this report can be found below. You can also:

Transcript

Holland-Brazil

Everyone’s favourites for the title – at least on our site’s poll – Brazil take on Holland in the first of the World Cup quarter-finals. Indeed, so much are they favourites that the Dutch are being described as ‘Brazil light’. These two sides have a history – though not as contentious as the Germany-Argentina game – going back to 1974 when the then reigning champions Brazil were torn apart by a rampaging Dutch side that included Johann Cruyff. In 1994 they met again and this time the Brazilians won 3-2 despite a wonderful comeback from the Dutch. With current manager Dunga as their captain, Brazil went on to lift the trophy on penalties that year, which is how they defeated the Dutch in the 1998 semi-finals in France. The games have always been of a high quality and no one is expecting anything less of today’s match.

Both teams are in very good form with the Dutch on a national record run of 23 games unbeaten but it is generally felt that Brazil have better discipline, organisation and more match winners in their team than Holland. True, the Dutch have Sneijder, Van Persie and Robben but Brazilian fans point to Robinho, Fabiano, Maicon and Kaka. Despite these top players, however, I am going to go for Holland partly because I feel the pressure on Brazil – and particularly Dunga – is simply too heavy for them to bear. I also feel that the Dutch have one good game in them and this could be the one, while Robben looks very impressive and I feel if he or one of his team mates scores first then it will be very interesting to see how Brazil cope. 2-1 to Holland.

Ghana – Uruguay

How fitting that Uruguay are doing so well this time round in a World Cup held on African soil. They were the first national team in South America to… field a player of African descent, years before their more famous neighbours Brazil. But what a shame that they are up against an African side in Ghana, and one of these teams will be going home come Sunday. Ghana of course, are hoping to be the first African side to reach the semi finals in a World Cup, and Uruguay, although past World Cup winners, haven’t tasted success in this competition since 1970 when they got to the semis.

I expect this match to be quite defensive, a little like Japan v Paraguay, as both teams have so much to gain from a win, and will feel so disappointed with a loss. On balance, Uruguay have looked the stronger of the two teams so far and seem to be able to score when they need to with Forlan and Suarez up front. On the other hand, Ghana have looked resilient, strong and intelligent with the ball, but lack a clinical finish.

A tight 1–1 draw with Uruguay going through on penalties.

Germany – Argentina

Germany v Argentina. Two heavyweights in the world of World Cups. Germany have three trophies to Argentina’s two, and this match has two teams with pedigree clashing in the quarter finals. Added to the history we’ve got the Europe vs South America angle. This year, four of the eight quarter finalists are from South America, and perhaps Europe will have to wait to win a World Cup outside of European soil. History and geography are interesting enough, but throw in a bit of bad blood and things get even more interesting.

The two have met five times in  World Cups, with two of those meetings being in finals – Argentina winning in 1986 and Germany getting revenge four years later. However, most of the rivalry stems from the last World Cup in Germany in 2006. Germany defeated Argentina on penalties after the game ended 1-1 – after the game, but still on the pitch, a mass brawl erupted with both sides laying into one another. The memory of that has resurfaced in the build up to this game. Germany’s Sweinstagger has criticised the Argentinian fans and their team’s style of play. Maradona has responded by promising his players will be ‘in the faces’ of their opponents.

It should be an interesting game. As an England fan, with bad memories of both these teams, it’s difficult for me to choose a winner – can’t they both lose? But if push comes to shove – 2-1 to Argentina.

Spain – Paraguay

This one seems to be fairly clear-cut with the 2008 European Champions taking on a side that has only managed 3 goals so far in the tournament, which is a little unfair as Spain have only got 5 themselves. Spain are the favourites but South American sides have been pulling off surprises throughout the competition and Paraguay are nothing if not organised. Their manager, Martino, feels that his side’s discipline can see them through but anyone who watched their second round match against Japan will wonder where they will find goal-scoring opportunities. Paraguay on the other hand know very well about Spain’s goal-scoring threat – David Villa has scored 4 times already and is on fire at the moment, with Iniesta and Xavi hitting form at the right time this looks a very confident and fluid Spanish side that should be able to win through – 1-0 for me.

Vocabulary

take on: To play against, to face

contentious: Controversial – some bad feeling between the two sides

reigning champions : Brazil had won the title in 1970, so they were the then champions, the holders

were torn apart : Completely thrashed, well beaten

rampaging: Here it means that a team were non-stop in their attacking play

to go for: To choose, to predict

to bear: To carry

field a player: play  someone, choose someone to play in the team, put someone on the pitch

(to) taste success: to have experience of winning, to be successful

resilient: strong, not easily overcome, can recover from setbacks

heavyweight; a powerhouse, a traditionally strong team, a team with history

European soil: in Europe

(to) stem: to have roots in, to start in/from

(to) lay into: to punch, to fight with, to attack violently

if push comes to shove: if you are forced to give an opinion, if you have to make a choice

clear-cut: Very clear, obvious

is on fire: Villa is playing very well at the moment

fluid: Playing in a fast, passing style

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The second round of the World Cup is now over and what an amazing four days it has been. On today’s podcast we take a look back at those 8 games, which had a little bit of everything from penalty shootouts to disputed goals, red cards and some wonder strikes. Vocabulary in bold is explained in the transcript below.

Transcript

The second round of the World Cup is now over and what an amazing four days it has been. On today’s podcast we take a look back at those 8 games, which had a little bit of everything from penalty shootouts to disputed goals, red cards, wonder strikes, as well as lots of tears of joy and sadness.

Uruguay 2- 1 South Korea

In a rain-drenched Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Uruguay beat South Korea 2-1 thanks to two well-taken goals by top striker Luis Suarez, his second in particular a real beauty which means Uruguay continue their successful run and sees them reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 1970. The Koreans had their chances but failed to find a way past the impressive Uruguayan defence – one that had not conceded a goal in this tournament – until Lee Chung-Yong’s equaliser half way through the second half. The Asian side pressed for a winner but it was Suarez who sealed the victory with a delightful curling shot in the 80th minute.

Ghana 2- 1 (aet) USA

A real topsy-turvy game saw Ghana make it to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history and to become only the third side from Africa to make it that far. The Black Stars deserved it for their extra-time performance when they took the game to the States who had seemed favourites to win after their strong second-half showing had earned them an equaliser from their captain Landon Donovan. This goal had cancelled out Boateng’s early strike for Ghana but rather than going on to win the game, it was the Africans who finished stronger with their top scorer Asamoah Gyan getting the winner in extra time.

Germany 4-1 England

Without a doubt Germany deserved this victory but to tell the truth they didn’t really have to work that hard for it. Seeing England have a perfectly good goal ruled out was one piece of extremely good luck but England’s inability to maintain possession, their tactical naivity and poor performances from top players meant that it was a relatively easy victory for the young German side. Klose out-muscled the defence for the first, Podolski rammed home the second while Thomas Mueller scored two goals on the counter-attack early in the second half to record England’s biggest ever World Cup defeat. Upson scored what proved to be a consolation goal while Lampard was unfortunate in having his goal chalked off when everyone else watching knew that it was in. A thrashing.

Argentina 3-1 Mexico

Diego Maradona’s side keep rolling on and they fully deserved this victory over a Mexican side who yet again were let down by poor finishing after some good build-up play. However, they can also point to bad refereeing decisions as it was clear to everyone that Carlos Tevez’ opening goal was well offside. Nothing wrong with Tevez’ second and his side’s third when he slammed home a rocket from outside the box. Hernandez scored a late consolation for Mexico but yet again they have fallen at the second round to their southern neighbours. A mouth-watering tie lies ahead between Argentina and Germany in a repeat of the quarter-final of 4 years ago.

Holland 2-1 Slovakia

Many felt that the Slovaks had peaked in their amazing victory over Italy in the final group match and so it proved to be as the Dutch ran out comfortable winners. Arjen Robben’s return from injury has given the Dutch a huge lift and he scored his second goal of the tournament midway through the first half before Wesley Sneijder sealed the victory late in the second. The Slovaks did get a late consolation goal when Vittek netted his fourth goal of the tournament but it proved too late and the Dutch side maintained their 100% record to qualify for the last 8.

Brazil 3-0 Chile

Chile had been many people’s dark horses and had won many friends with their high-paced attacking style of play but they were unable to reproduce it against their South American neighbours who dominated from the word go. Strong in defence and brilliant on the counter attack the Brazilians were formidable and goals from Juan, Luis Fabiano – his third of the tournament, and a resurgent Robinho ensured another victory over Chile. Dunga is still under pressure of course, nothing short of winning a sixth trophy is what the fans want from him and the Selecao but on this form there are few who would bet against him doing it.

Paraguay 0-0 Japan (Paraguay 5-3 on pens)

Neither side had ever reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup before and on this performance it is easy to see why. Easily one of the worst games of this tournament it seemed that neither side was capable of keeping the ball for more than one or two touches, with Japan in particular showing little in attack. Their defender Komano missed his penalty in the shoot out while Paraguay scored all of theirs to send the South Americans through and the Japanese to return home with regret because they will never get a better chance of making the last 8.

Spain 1-0 Portugal

Another team returning home with regret is Portugal after they succumbed to their Iberian neighbours and European Champions Spain 1-0 last night. The Portuguese simply wished to shut-up-shop against the Spanish and when they went behind midway through the second half they could find no way back into the game. Their captain and star striker Ronaldo barely got a kick in the second half and had to watch on in admiration as Spain’s David Villa yet again showed that he is one of the best strikers in the world with his 4th goal of the tournament. Spain move on.

Vocabulary

rain-drenched: It had been raining heavily all day; full of rain
a real beauty : A beautiful goal
conceded a goal: Not allowed a goal to go in against them; had maintained 3 clean sheets up until then
equaliser: A goal to tie the game, e.g. 1-1
aet: After Extra Time
topsy-turvy: A game that is difficult to predict as it is constantly changing; one minute the Americans were on top then the Ghanaians
Black Stars Nickname of the Ghana football team
cancelled out: Another verb to describe an equaliser
strike: Here it means a goal
goal ruled out: A disallowed goal, it was not a goal
tactical naivity: The england team did not understand tactics very well
out-muscled: He was stronger than the England player
rammed home: He smashed home the goal, he scored with a very strong shot
counter-attack : An attack that starts from the defence and is very speedy
chalked off: Disallowed goal, ruled out
build-up play: The team passed the ball well before scoring
slammed home a rocket : He scored a great goal (with a lot of power)
box: The penalty area
A mouth-watering tie: A game that everyone is looking forward to
had peaked: Had played their best, cannot play any better
ran out comfortable winners: Easily won
sealed the victory: Completed the victory
netted his fourth goal : Scored his 4th goal
high-paced: Play in a quick manner
formidable : Very good and very strong
the Selecao: Nickname for the Brazilian football team
the shoot out: The penalty shoot-out at the end of extra time to decide the winner
succumbed to: Lost to
their Iberian neighbours: Spain
to shut-up-shop : Very defensive
barely got a kick : Hardly kicked the ball, was not involved in the game

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On today’s show, languagecaster.com dissects France’s miserable performance at the World Cup. We also salute the four teams that have qualified for the knockout stages from Groups C and D and look ahead at today’s games. We also have our regular items on the show including:

Transcript

With their 1-2 defeat against South Africa leaving them bottom of Group A the French World Cup dream – or should that be nightmare – is over. Unable to break down a strong Uruguayan defence, overrun by a speedy Mexican attack and outplayed for much of the game by hosts South Africa les bleus scored only one goal and managed to secure just one point. When fancied teams, like France, crash out of tournaments, there is usually an inquest as to why this may have occurred but with this team there is no such need as it was all so blatantly obvious.

Before the tournament had even started the football world knew that trouble and tension existed between players and the rather eccentric coach Raymond Domenech. Many felt that by not bringing to the tournament young stars Sammi Nasri from Arsenal and Karim Benzema of Real Madrid nor the leadership qualities of World Cup winner Patrick Vieira then his team would suffer. His captain Thierry Henry was patently out of form so could not start any of the games leading to another argument, this time over who should hold the captaincy – Patrice Evra got the nod but Franck Ribery and William Gallas were not impressed. There were rumours of cliques in the camp with players not talking to each other while there was dissatisfaction from home about the 5-star lifestyle and with the poor attitude of the team in general. Then at half-time against Mexico striker Anelka launched a foul-mouthed tirade against Domenech for which he was dropped and sent home after refusing to apologise. Surely that would be it but the players then refused to train in response to this action or maybe due to the story being leaked. Backroom staff resigned, French federation staff resigned and the French public were resigned and disgusted with their team.

The coach Domenech called his players imbeciles after their dramatic walk out from training and then dropped some of the supposed ringleaders meaning that a weakened side faced South Africa. That game produced a red card, a defeat and a poor performance, which ensured the end for the coach but to top it all off he then refused to shake hands with his South African counterpart the Brazilian Perreira claiming that he had said that France should not have even been in the finals due to the infamous handball decision against Ireland in the qualifiers. You didn’t think I would fail to mention that incident did you? I would like to think I am above laughing at others’ misfortunes but in this case I will make an exception.

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The eyes of fans of teams in Groups C and D will be turned on today’s fixtures and in this show we focus on England v Slovenia and Germany v Ghana – A win for any of these teams will guarantee a play off spot so it’s all to play for. England have been trying to copy France in terms of dismal displays on the pitch and players speaking out about the coach – John Terry you naughty boy. As for Germany, they are a bit Jekyll and Hyde, winning plaudits for their opening win and causing disbelief by being beaten by Serbia. So all to play for, but what do fans think. We asked four fans their predictions, to describe England and Germany’s campaigns so far and for their highlights this week. Also:

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‘Maybe it’s the pressure?’ suggested England manager Fabio Cappello after England’s dismal draw with Algeria, so on this World Cup podcast we take a look at the pressure of playing in the most important sporting event in the world. We also have our regular items on the show including:

Transcript

Damon: Well, obviously bad for England, terrible in fact but worse for Rooney. He was out of the game completely and at the end of the match ranted at the England fans sarcastically saying ‘it’s nice to hear your fans booing’. It was a miracle that the booing hadn’t started earlier, England’s performance definitely deserved it and up until the end the England fans could be heard supporting their team above the din of the vuvuzela – at least they did their bit. Poor play and an even worse attitude from Wayne Rooney.

Damian: Well, that was Damon’s take on the Algeria – England scoreless draw, which left fans here in the UK scratching their heads and wondering why players such as Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard have not performed for the country like they do for their clubs. Manager Fabio Capello puts it all down to pressure – the inability to cope with it is causing the team to malfunction.

Surely, these well-paid players are used to it – they play in the Champions League and are under close scrutiny from the media throughout their regular domestic season and therein lies the crux of the matter. The World Cup is simply not a regular tournament. Fans who may not have watched any games during the year – or even know what football is – become experts over night fuelled by the media’s agenda. Suddenly everyone has an opinion and, thanks to the wall-to-wall coverage here, is also a master tactician. Rooney has since apologised for his outburst, something which French striker Nicolas Anelka refused to do to his manager, Raymond Domenech after a half-time tirade in the defeat against Mexico. The French Sports minister, Roselyne Bachelot reckoned that, “The very high pressure weighing on Les Bleus does not authorise any form of slip-up.’ A bit late for that then as the rest of the French team will be following Anelka home very shortly. Another team going home early is Cameroon, many people’s tips as the dark horses of the tournament but with reports of in-fighting among players and huge pressure on manager Paul Le Guen the Indomitable Lions have been well beaten and are out of the competition.

Other teams that will have to face up to huge pressure over the next few days are Spain who lost their first game to Switzerland, Germany who unthinkably face elimination after losing and missing a penalty against Serbia and Brazil manager Dunga who is not only expected to win the World Cup but to do so in style. Now, that’s pressure.

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The World Cup is a week old and languagecaster looks at some of the highs and lows of the tournament by asking some football fans in Tokyo what they think of the World Cup so far. Remember you can also:

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In this podcast, Damian reflects on the media reaction to England’s first game against the United States, we review some of the main talking point of the past few days and also look forward to some great games in our predictions. Remember you can also:

Transcript

After all the build up and the hype, England yet again fail to convince in the World Cup, this time in their 1-1 draw with the USA. However, they can count themselves a little unlucky on two fronts. First of all, it’s difficult to legislate for the goalkeeping howler that Robert Green made (unless of course you feel he shouldn’t have been picked in the first place) and secondly the fact that England played on a Saturday evening meant that the all-powerful Sunday newspapers were ready to savage them the next day. And savage them they did. Stars and Tripe (rubbish) proclaimed the News of the World, the biggest-selling Sunday tabloid, the Guardian also blamed the keeper though in a much less aggressive manner ‘Green slips and England stagger‘, while the Sunday Times questioned the role of the previously untouchable Fabio Capello (As Capello fiddles, so a nation’s hopes burn). Slightly over the top? Yes, of course but that’s the job of the Sunday press.

But really how bad was it? Yes, the team looked shaky at the back, they have an injury crisis and that it is obvious that Gerrard and Lampard cannot play together but it is a point against the team that is favoured to go through with England to the next round and without dominating they definitely created more chances than their frankly limited opponents. America will not be anywhere near the business end of the tournament but England may well be. The other two members of the group are appalling so there should be no problems in qualifying for the next round while World Cup winning teams traditionally start slowly. If you need another omen all you long-suffering England fans here is another one. The USA opened their World Cup account in Germany 4 years ago against a team that was lambasted by the press for an insipid opening display. That team was Italy and they went all the way.

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The World Cup is finally here and languagecaster kicks off its World Cup coverage with a look at the teams we think will do well and not so well. We also discuss those teams we think may cause a surprise or two and predict which players will feature in the Golden Boot race. Remember you can also:

On this, the final podcast of the year, we take a look back at some of the highs and lows of the European football season. Remember you can also:

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This week’s podcast looks at the stats behind Inter and Bayern’s road to the Champions League final. Remember you can also:

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To commemorate Chelsea and Bayern Munich’s domestic doubles on this week’s podcast we look at what it means to win a double and feature some of the most successful double-winning sides in football. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s podcast we focus on Germany and their World cup pedigree. They will certainly be a force again in this year’s World cup in South Africa. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we preview the second legs of the Champions League semi-finals which are beautifully poised after last week’s matches. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we spotlight World Cup hopefuls, England, as well as reviewing Tottenham’s win over Arsenal and looking ahead to some great derbies taking place this weekend. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we preview el clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona as well as taking a look back at the Champions League quarter-finals and a look forward to the FA Cup semi-finals. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we spotlight the quarter final games in the Champions League. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we feature an interview with an expert on Mexican football, Juan Pablo Camargo, who tells us all about the Primera División de México. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we feature Ligue 1. We take a look at some background to the season, the contenders for the title, the relegation situation and French clubs in Europe. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we feature the World Cup of 1950 when Uruguay upset all the odds to win their second tournament and send Brazil into mourning. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we ask, ‘why hasn’t football taken off in India, the second most populous nation on Earth?’. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we feature five questions about football derbies, including which one is the fiercest in world football. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we have another in our series on World cup stars. We also review the footballing week, introduce another English for Football phrase and look ahead at some of the big games coming up in the next week. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we feature the Champions League knock-out stages as 16 teams battle it out to make the final in Madrid come May. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we focus on the premier League in England. There are 12 games to go and it’s becoming clearer who are title contenders and who are looking at the drop. Remember you can also:

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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:

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On this week’s show Hans, our German correspondent talks about the runners and riders in the Bundesligaa. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show Damian takes a look at one of the African sides that has made it to South Africa – Algeria. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show Damian and Damon take a look at one of the biggest football competitions in the world – The African Cup of Nations. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show Damian and Damon look back at some of their FA Cup memories – the highs and the lows of supporting Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in the FA Cup. Remember you can also:

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Transcript
Liverpool have a good history in the FA Cup although, strangely they didn’t have much success during their Golden Age from the mid-seventies to the mid-eighties. For me, one of the best FA Cup moments was when Ian Rush’s second sealed a 3-1 win over Everton – a beautiful sweeping move which was started by Rush in his own half and finished in clinical style. The whole atmosphere of that game was great, too. Both sets of fans from Liverpool, a city going through a lot of problems in the 80s with Margaret Thatcher’s government in power, seemed to take the opportunity to make a statement for the city their teams both play in – obviously better for Liverpool who won, but still a great FA Cup afternoon.

But the best is the fantastic 2006 final against West Ham, when Liverpool again came from behind to seal a memorable victory with echoes of the Champions League win against AC Milan the year before. I watched it in an empty bar in Tokyo in the early hours of the morning with one other football fan – a West Ham supporter. We both went through the mill watching as each goal went in, 3-3, then extra time, then penalties. Fantastic drama, own goals, smashed volleys, flukes, last-gasp equalisers, cracking saves – it had it all at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. One of the best FA Cup Finals ever.

Bad? Take your pick from the last few years – comfortably beaten by Arsenal 1-3 in 2007 in the third round – followed by a trouncing in the League Cup by the same side; out to Barnsley in 2008 after struggling throughout the competition; losing to cross-town rivals Everton in 2009. Fingers crossed this year in Liverpool’s tie against Reading!

Like Liverpool, Tottenham have a pretty impressive Cup tradition though they have not been in the final since 1991 when they beat Nottingham Forest in a real topsy-turvey battle that is best known for Paul Gascoigne’s tackle and subsequent serious injury but also featured a missed penalty, an own goal, extra time and a come from behind 2-1 win for us. Like Damon watching Liverpool in 2006 I also saw the game in a bar but not in Japan but rather in Spain alongside two former England captains, Terry Butcher and Mick Mills. A great day indeed. The following year saw one of my lowest moments in the Cup when local rivals Arsenal beat us in the semi-finals. They did so again in 2001 despite us going 1-0 up early on and since then Tottenham have not really come near getting to the final.

But perhaps my greatest FA Cup memory is the 1981 replay that saw Spurs beat Manchester City 3-2 with a wonder goal from Argentinian star Ricardo Villa. His mazy run and finish possibly ranking as the greatest ever winning cup final goal. How about this year? Well, it depends what our manager wants to do – we are currently in a Champions League position and he may want to rest senior players rather than risk injury and fatigue by playing them in the Cup. I hope not because the glory of the FA Cup is still important to all Spurs fans. This year we play Championship side Peterborough at home and hopefully a victory can be the start of another enjoyable cup run.

On this week’s show Damian and Damon take a look back at 2009 and how their team’s – Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool did – the highs and the lows and a look forwards. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we feature this season’s FIFA Club World Cup that is taking place in the UAE this weekend. Remember you can also:

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On this week’s show we ask five fans what they think of their teams’ chances at the World Cup next year and to comment on their groups. Remember you can also:

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Leo Messi and the World Cup draw dominate this week’s show as we congratulate the Argentinian forward and look forward to the finals in South Africa next summer. You can also:

This week we continue our look at the qualifiers for next year’s World Cup. And this podcast is all about Slovakia, who have qualified for the first time in their history.

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The World Cup dominates this week’s show as we take a look back at the dramatic play-offs and we also have two England fans looking forward to the finals in South Africa next summer. You can also: