http://languagecaster.com Welcome EFL ESL students and teachers to languagecaster\'s English learning through soccer. Every week a new FULL football podcast and a LEARNERS\' podcast. Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:32:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en ©languagecaster.com admin@languagecaster.com (languagecaster.com) admin@languagecaster.com(languagecaster.com) language education 1440 football, soccer, free, podcast, worksheets, esl, efl, english language, learners, cliches, phrases, premier league Soccer news from the Premiership and around the world brought to you by Damian and Damon and their free football podcast. Interviews, match reviews, predictions and more. Welcome EFL ESL students and teachers to languagecaster\'s English learning through soccer. Every week a new FULL football podcast and a LEARNERS\' podcast. languagecaster.com languagecaster.com admin@languagecaster.com No no http://www.languagecaster.com/wp-content/uploads/DandD.jpg http://languagecaster.com 144 144 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/29/summer-podcast-6-euro-2008/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/29/summer-podcast-6-euro-2008/#comments Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:15:27 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1242 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/29/summer-podcast-6-euro-2008/feed/ 12:25 So it's Spain and Germany in the final of Euro 2008. History against flair. In today's show we focus on these two teams while ... So it's Spain and Germany in the final of Euro 2008. History against flair. In today's show we focus on these two teams while also remember ing that football is not just all about the Euro 2008 as the Copa Libertadores comes down to the final game. We also Look back at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the football news Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue the languagecaster predictions competition Transcript Germany Germany in the final. It's something we're getting used to. Seven times in the world cup with three wins, and this is their six time in the European Championship finals with three wins already under their belt. So looking at form and history, Germany are looking at a less than a 50% chance of winning this final. That's of course what most pundits think too. Spain are the favourites, but Germany come into the game with perhaps less pressure on their shoulders. Will this mean they can relax and play with a freedom that might upset their Spanish opponents? I don't think so. Let's be frank, apart from Portugal, the Germans have had a rather soft route to the finals. Spain meanwhile have had to overcome the group of death and the rejuvinated Russians to get where they are. Podolski and Schweinsteiger's goal threat relies almost entirely on the quick break, and apart from this Germany have little else to offer apart from Michale Ballack at set pieces and his industry in the middle of the field. Without him, it is doubtful Germany would have progressed this far, but he is unlikely to dominate against a Spanish midfield packed with talent and the key defensive midfielder Senna. There are also rumours that he is injured and may not even feature in the final. This year he's been a runner up in the Carling Cup final and the Champions League final, and of course his team, Chelsea, finished second in the Premiership race. He's also missed out in a final in the World Cup 2002 through suspension. Not a lucky player to have. Add to this Lehman's erratic form between the posts and it is hard to see Germany coming out on top. But that's what most people said when they played Portugal and at half time against the Turks. Spain Now as Damon has already mentioned Germany are no strangers to playing in international tournament finals but the same cannot be said of their opponents Spain. Indeed, in my lifetime they have only played in one final and that was the 1984 defeat to Michel Platini's France. Since then it has been said that they have flattered to deceive, even earning the tag of underachievers and often accused of lacking bottle though in my opinion this is all rather unfair. They have suffered appalling refereeing decisions at crucial moments, most notably against South Korea in 2002 and they have also been knocked out on penalties on three occasions at the quarter final stage in recent competitions. The fact that they went through this time on penalties against their bete noir, Italy, suggests that this team not only possesses the traditional style of its predecessors but has grown up. And how. Much of this is down to the dour but very experienced coach Luis Aragones who dropped national icon Raul, decided that wingers were too unpredictable and encouraged the team to play to its strengths, in particular allowing los jugones literally those that play - well, to play. So, the Barcelona pair of Iniesta and Xavi, Valencia's much-underated David Silva and Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas have all played prominent parts in Spain's run to the final. Can they beat Germany? Yes, they can. Will they beat Germany? Difficult to say, but that penalty win over Italy in the quarter finals was an important breakthrough for Spain and I think they are going to run out winners in Vienna on Sunday. Podcast languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/28/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-6-euro-2008-final/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/28/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-6-euro-2008-final/#comments Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:31:36 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1239 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/28/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-6-euro-2008-final/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/28/predictions-summer-podcast-6-df-23-9-db/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/28/predictions-summer-podcast-6-df-23-9-db/#comments Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:24:37 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1240 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/28/predictions-summer-podcast-6-df-23-9-db/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/25/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-5/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/25/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-5/#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:27:40 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1238 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/25/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-5/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/21/summer-podcast-5-euro-2008-quarter-finals/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/21/summer-podcast-5-euro-2008-quarter-finals/#comments Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:54:57 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1236 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/21/summer-podcast-5-euro-2008-quarter-finals/feed/ 12:39 Turkey and Germany win dramatic quarter finals to set up a semi final that few would have predicted. Who will play in the other one? ... Turkey and Germany win dramatic quarter finals to set up a semi final that few would have predicted. Who will play in the other one? Damon asks some football fans their verdict. We also Look back at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the football news Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue the languagecaster predictions competition Podcast languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/21/predictions-summer-podcast-5-df-19-7-db/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/21/predictions-summer-podcast-5-df-19-7-db/#comments Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:20:39 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1235 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/21/predictions-summer-podcast-5-df-19-7-db/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/19/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-4/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/19/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-4/#comments Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:35:47 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1230 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/19/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-4/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/17/predictions-summer-podcast-4-df-12-6-db/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/17/predictions-summer-podcast-4-df-12-6-db/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:05:18 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1229 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/17/predictions-summer-podcast-4-df-12-6-db/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/17/2008-summer-podcast-4-euro-2008/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/17/2008-summer-podcast-4-euro-2008/#comments Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:43:36 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1228 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/17/2008-summer-podcast-4-euro-2008/feed/ 13:34 Euro 2008 is a week old and Greece join the co-hosts in exiting the competition. Germany are looking shaky while Holland impress. On today's show we ... Euro 2008 is a week old and Greece join the co-hosts in exiting the competition. Germany are looking shaky while Holland impress. On today's show we look at two of the dark horses who are through to the quarter finals. We also Look back atnbsp;the Good, the Bad and the Uglynbsp;in the football news Introduce a football expression innbsp;English for Football And continue the languagecasternbsp;predictions competition Podcast languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/13/2008-summer-podcast-3-euro-2008/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/13/2008-summer-podcast-3-euro-2008/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:54:51 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1226 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/13/2008-summer-podcast-3-euro-2008/feed/ 13:01 Euro 2008 is a week old and already hosts Switzerland are out, Portugal and Croatia are through to the quarter finals and Germany and Italy ... Euro 2008 is a week old and already hosts Switzerland are out, Portugal and Croatia are through to the quarter finals and Germany and Italy are no longer everyone's favourites. On today's show we ask a German fan about his country's chances as well as reviewing your predictions from last week. We also Look back at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the football news Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue the languagecaster predictions competition Transcript Damon: OK, I am sitting here with Hans, a German supporter. Of course Germany were the pre-tournament favourites, so I'd just like to ask him what he thinks of the tournament. How's Germany going so far do you think? Hans: Well, you know very well how Germany's going so far. We lost last night against Croatia and we've beaten Poland 2-0. So, we're going fairly averagely. Damon: So, you've had two games so far, have there been any stand-out players for you or any disappointments or any comments about the players? Hans: Obvioulsy, Podolski has scored three goals - all the three goals for Germany - he's playing particularly well at the moment. His strike partner Klose seems to have done very little and he's a bit of a concern but the main concern I think for Germany is the defence and the goalkeeping. Lehmann has pulled off some nice saves but he's also fumbled a bit and he's standing behind a defence that's a bit creaky and a bit short of match practice so ... there's some concerns in the German camp that's for sure. Damon: One more game to go in the groups and what do you think will be the result for Germany? How can you see them progressing in this tournament? Hans: Well, we play Austria and really we should beat Austria, if we don't then we deserve to go home. So, I'm tipping a fairly comfortable scoreline against Austria, maybe 2-0 or even 3-0. So, I think that will be enough for Germany to go through. The problem is the next round where Germany will then play Portugal, which is a sort of a game you'd want to avoid in the quarter finals. But that will be a great game if it gets to it and still, Germany are a good chance. They haven't lost anything yet really. Damian: With Euro 2008 almost a week old we thought we'd take a closer look at some of the predictions from our listeners and readers that we received over the last week. Now, we asked you to name a winner, a dark horse, a flop and the player of the tournament. So, nearly half of you felt that Germany would be winners though I wonder if that was before or after last night's result. Spain, France and Portugal were next but only two of you felt that the World Champions, Italy, would do the double of holding World and Euro titles at the same time. As for dark horses most went for Croatia and this may have something to do with the draw - most would agree that groups A and B are slightly easier than C or, the group of death, D. It may also have something to do with their manager or the tactically astute players or the fact that the Croats have a fantastic record at international tournaments. As for flops, France were the most 'popular' - perhaps the absence of Zidane and the aging squad had something to do with that - or maybe you simply just don't like the French! Player of the tournament? Surely everyone went for Ronaldo? Well, not everyone actually many of you also went for Fernando Torres and interestingly one of you went for David Villa. Of course, all will be revealed in a couple of weeks time after the final in Vienna. Podcast languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/13/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-3/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/13/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-3/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:14:55 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1224 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/13/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-3/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/13/predictions-summer-podcast-3/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/13/predictions-summer-podcast-3/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:30:53 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1225 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/13/predictions-summer-podcast-3/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/11/asian-world-cup-qualifier-oman-1-1-japan/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/11/asian-world-cup-qualifier-oman-1-1-japan/#comments Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:27:20 +0000 Hello Japan http://languagecaster.com/?p=1221 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/11/asian-world-cup-qualifier-oman-1-1-japan/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/10/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-2/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/10/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-2/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:36:19 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1215 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/10/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-summer-podcast-2/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/10/predictions-summer-podcast-2-df-6-2-db/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/10/predictions-summer-podcast-2-df-6-2-db/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:43:09 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1220 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/10/predictions-summer-podcast-2-df-6-2-db/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/10/2008-summer-podcast-2-euro-2008-week-1/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/10/2008-summer-podcast-2-euro-2008-week-1/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:13:59 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1217 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/10/2008-summer-podcast-2-euro-2008-week-1/feed/ 12:51 The competition is in full swing and some of the big clubs have laid down their markers already. the highlight so far has to be ... The competition is in full swing and some of the big clubs have laid down their markers already. the highlight so far has to be Holland vs Italy: another Dutch masterclass. On this show we ask three ladies for their predictions and see if they match our other listeners and readers' opinions. We also Look back at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the football news Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue the languagecaster predictions competition Transcript Damian (DF): Right now, Euro 2008 is taking place and all the people in Thailand are watching the games including a football fan who we found here today. Hello how are you doing? Tak: Hello! Very good. DF: Can you please introduce yourself. Tak: OK, sawahdii kap I am Tak from Thailand, Bangkok. DF: Which team do you think Tak is going to be the winner of Euro 2008? Tak: I think France. DF: How about the dark horse? Tak: It should be Czech Republic. DF: Interesting choice yes. What about flop of the tournament? Tak: OK, let me think ... Italy. DF: Yes, yes, good choice after last night. How about player of the tournament? Tak: Of course it should be Ronaldo. DF: Yes, he's very popular here, yes? Tak: Yes, that's right, everybody knows him. DF: OK, thanks very much. Damon (DB): OK, I am sitting here with Kay, hello Kay. Kay: Hi DB: Euro 2008 is on can you tell me which team do you think is going to be the champions? Kay: I think Germany is going to win. D: Germany, OK. What about a flop? Kay: Erm, Spain. DB: Spain, I see and which team would you say is the dark horse for the competition? Kay: I don't know, I'm not really sure but maybe Croatia. DB: OK and who is going to shine, who's going to be the star player? Kay: I think Podolski is going to be the star. DB: Thank you very much. DB: Hello Hiromi. OK, 2008 who is going to win? Hiromi: I think Germany. DB: Germany. And a dark horse? Hiromi: Sweden. DB: And who's going to be your star player? Hiromi: Nani. DB: Nani, he plays for Portugal, right? And who is going to be the flop of the tournament? Hiromi: I think it's going to be Italy. DB: Thank you very much. Hiromi: You're welcome. DB: There you have it, we asked three ladies four questions each, so that's twelve questions and we got ten different answers there doesn't seem to be much consensus there and that reflects what we've found on our website. We've asked our readers and listeners to come along to languagecaster.com and tell us who they think their champion, flop, star player and dark horse will be and there's such a wide variety of answers. Podcast,,Posts languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/07/euro-2008-predictions/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/07/euro-2008-predictions/#comments Sat, 07 Jun 2008 10:16:09 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1214 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/07/euro-2008-predictions/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/07/2008-summer-podcast-1-european-championship-preview/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/07/2008-summer-podcast-1-european-championship-preview/#comments Sat, 07 Jun 2008 03:40:27 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1211 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/07/2008-summer-podcast-1-european-championship-preview/feed/ 13:39 Welcome to the first of our summer specials which sees us focusing on the big football action taking place over the summer: World Cup qualifiers; ... Welcome to the first of our summer specials which sees us focusing on the big football action taking place over the summer: World Cup qualifiers; Copa Libertadores action and of course, the European Championships. On this show we look back at the history of the European Championships as well as focusing on this year's version. Who will be the dark horses? The flops? The player of the tournament? The winners? Download the show to hear our expert analysis. In addition, we: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football And start a new battle in the predictions competition Transcripts for the main pieces of the show can be found below. How many different countries have won the World Cup? When France won in 1998 they became only the seventh country to do so in 18 tournaments. How about the European Championships? Well, this is the 13th time that the competition has been held and remarkably there have been nine different winners of the tournament in that time. This may be due to the fact that the strongest teams focus more on the World Cup but it may also have to do with the strength in depth of the European game. Germany are the most successful with three victories, with the last of those wins coming in England in 1996. France are the only other side to have won it more than once, taking the trophy in spectacular style under the leadership of Michel Platini in 1984. They won it again in dramatic fashion in 2000 when David Trezeguet scored a last-gasp winner against Italy to give them the double of Euro and World titles. The first winners of the tournament were the Soviet Union who beat Yugoslavia in the final in 1960. At that stage the competition comprised of only semi-final and final matches and continued to do so until the 1980 version in Italy, which saw 8 teams participate in group matches before the knock-out stages. In 1996 the number of teams increased to 16 which has remained unchanged to the present day. Current holders are Greece who surprised everyone by winning in Portugal four years ago though perhaps even that victory was not as remarkable as Denmark's win in 1992, for they had not even qualified for the tournament entering as a last-minute replacement for Yugoslavia. Other teams that have won it include Italy, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Spain and thanks to Marco Van Basten, Holland in 1988. So, with such strength in depth who is to say that a tenth different name won't be on the trophy at the end of June? o how about 2008. Well 16 teams meet in four groups. 2 teams are hosts - Switzerland and Austria. It's doubtful whether the Austrian team would have qualified as most pundits agree they are a woeful side, ranked 92nd by FIFA. This year there are seven out of the top ten FIFA ranked teams taking part: Germany, Spain and Italy are the top three favourites, with Germany most people's pick. As Damian said they have won it three times already, can they make it a fourth? The group of death this time around is Group C with the last two World Champions France and Italy joined by Holland and Romania, both teams that are no push overs. Romania are the lowest ranked team in that group at 12th spot and they qualified top of their group above the Dutch team. France and Italy will not have an easy passage into the quarter finals. So, two teams from each group go through to the last eight and surely Germany will be one of them as they are in arguably the easiest group, Group B. The German team continues its run of easy groups this year and it's difficult to see them slipping up even if Poland will be desperate to beat them, and Croatia have proved they are there on merit by finishing ahead of England and Russia in their qualifying group. Austria are there to... um... I'm not sure. Group A has the Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey and the other co-hosts Switzerland, and in Group D we have Spain, Russia, Greece, the holders, a Podcast languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/07/summer-podcast-1-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/07/summer-podcast-1-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comments Sat, 07 Jun 2008 02:54:33 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1208 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/07/summer-podcast-1-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/06/predictions-summer-podcast-1/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/06/predictions-summer-podcast-1/#comments Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:36:15 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1207 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/06/predictions-summer-podcast-1/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/05/asian-world-cup-qualifier-thailand-2-3-bahrain/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/05/asian-world-cup-qualifier-thailand-2-3-bahrain/#comments Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:18:31 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1202 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/05/asian-world-cup-qualifier-thailand-2-3-bahrain/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/05/japan-3-0-oman/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/05/japan-3-0-oman/#comments Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:30:19 +0000 Hello Japan http://languagecaster.com/?p=1200 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/05/japan-3-0-oman/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/03/euro-2008-predictions-2/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/03/euro-2008-predictions-2/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:37:45 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1216 http://languagecaster.com/2008/06/03/euro-2008-predictions-2/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/25/learners-podcast-42-the-end-of-season-review/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/25/learners-podcast-42-the-end-of-season-review/#comments Sun, 25 May 2008 06:36:00 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1197 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/25/learners-podcast-42-the-end-of-season-review/feed/ 9:18 Another season at languagecaster is over and this week we look back at the big news stories of the last year. For learners of English there ... Another season at languagecaster is over and this week we look back at the big news stories of the last year. For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansrsquo; forum компютри втора употребаTranscript Damian: As we have reached our final show the languagecaster team thought it would be good to look back at some of the highs and lows of the 2007-8 season. First up is Damon with a review of the Premier League Title Race. Damon: The 2007/8 Premier League title race was one of the most exciting in recent times with Chelsea and Arsenal pushing Manchester United all the way in a three-horse race. The Gunners were the early pace setters but a run of injuries to key players, as well as a lack of depth and experience in the squad ensured another trophyless year for Arssene Wenger's men. No trophies either for Chelsea though they took the title race down to the wire only losing out on the final day to allow Sir Alex Ferguson's men to retain their title, their seventeenth overall. With the league's top scorer and player of the year, Ronaldo, in their ranks and an attacking style that often left opponents in their wake, Manchester United were worthy champions again. Relegation (Damian) Some say that with the top four in the Premier League a closed shop the relegation race is a much more exciting affair, that is, any one of up to 12 teams are battling to survive and not go down to the Championship. And so it proved yet again as the final relegation spots were decided on the last day of the season. Joining the bottom side Derby were Birmingham City and Reading after Fulham pulled off a dramatic escape in May to avoid the drop. Learners',Podcasts languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/24/podcast-42-the-year-in-review/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/24/podcast-42-the-year-in-review/#comments Sat, 24 May 2008 04:20:44 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1195 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/24/podcast-42-the-year-in-review/feed/ 24:02 The languagecaster season is over! But of course, there is plenty more football being played. Join us again in June for our Euro 2008 Summer ... The languagecaster season is over! But of course, there is plenty more football being played. Join us again in June for our Euro 2008 Summer Podcasts. On this week's show we review the year. We also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football Find out where David Beckham is in Beckham Watch And continue the weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansrsquo; forum Podcast languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/22/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-week-42/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/22/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-week-42/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 16:19:08 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1190 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/22/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-week-42/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/22/predictions-damian-crowned-champion/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/22/predictions-damian-crowned-champion/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 10:10:17 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1191 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/22/predictions-damian-crowned-champion/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/17/learners-podcast-41-premier-league-fans-review/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/17/learners-podcast-41-premier-league-fans-review/#comments Sat, 17 May 2008 05:39:13 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1186 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/17/learners-podcast-41-premier-league-fans-review/feed/ 7:00 The Premier League is over and on this week's show we ask some fans what they thought of their team's performance during the season. For learners ... The Premier League is over and on this week's show we ask some fans what they thought of their team's performance during the season. For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansrsquo; forum Transcript Derby DB: Hans, can you sum up the season for us? Hans: Disappointing. That's about it. Disappointing. DB: Low points? Hans: Lots, lots and lots. Pretty much every weekend was a low point, except when we beat Newcastle 1-0 at Pride Park. DB: So that would be the high point, would it? Hans: That would be the high point, yes. DB: Player of the season? Hans: The fans. Sellout crowd every week at the home games so, the fans, no player. DB: What are you looking forward to next year? Hans: Promotion. Liverpool DB: OK, I am sitting here with Tim, a Liverpool fan. Can you sum up your Liverpool season? Tim: Well, it had a very promising start and I think the first game we had against Chelsea we looked like we were the best team and I thought we were going to have a great season and then we had this terrible long middle patch where we got some very, a lot of innocuous results, a lot of draws, dropped points without actually really ever playing badly and we had a bit of a spring interest in the European competition, that was good, some good matches there. But at the end of the day, another season without anything to show for it. DB: OK, who is your player of the season? Tim: Well, that's gotta' be an easy question, that's Torres. I can't... I was trying to think of a player who's had such a ... been such a good signing for us and I don't think since the days of Barnes or Beardsley we've had someone we've signed made such an impact. He's made a difference in a lot of games, he's going to be great for three or four years. DB: OK, what was the highlight? Tim: Well, we probably have to look at the European Champions League. And I think the drama and the excitement, the game, the two games against Arsenal were just fantastic. DB: The low point? Tim: Well, there are a few actually, unfortunately. There's the odd match, which... I mean losing to Chelsea in the semi final was rather difficult to take as this year actually for the first time I thought we were the better team. I think that...that long stretch of draws was very dispiriting. We had lots of, we just lost points without ever really playing badly and then we just lost our chance to win the title. Tottenham Damian: I suppose if there was one word to sum up Tottenham's season it would be frustrating. Tipped by many to do well before the campaign started, one win from the first fourteen matches put paid to that prediction. During that period we also replaced manager Martin Jol with Juande Ramos in a move that was at best, messy. Since then Spurs have been, well, typical Spurs lots of goals and strong performances yet since the middle of January the team has not moved from 11th place. Highlights? Well, it has to be the Carling Cup, which included a 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal in the semi finals and then we defeated Chelsea 2-1 to win our first trophy in nine years. Low points? Not being able to hold onto points after taking the lead in almost half of our games and, of course, missing a penalty at The Emirates when it was 1-1 and only fifteen minutes to go. Ironically, the player who missed that penalty is my player of the year. Robbie Keane worked tirelessly throughout the season, scoring his 100th goal for the club including the goal of the season in the 95th minute against Chelsea in the 4-4 draw at White Hart Lane. Learners',Podcasts,,Posts languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/17/podcast-41-premier-league-fans-review/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/17/podcast-41-premier-league-fans-review/#comments Sat, 17 May 2008 04:31:24 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1184 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/17/podcast-41-premier-league-fans-review/feed/ 19:02 The Premier League is over and on this week's show we ask some fans what they thought of their team's performance during the season. The ... The Premier League is over and on this week's show we ask some fans what they thought of their team's performance during the season. The predictions battle also goes down to the wire with only two points separating Damon from Damian. We also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football Find out where David Beckham is in Beckham Watch And continue the weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansrsquo; forum Podcast,,Posts languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/16/vocabulary-week-41/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/16/vocabulary-week-41/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 05:18:00 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1182 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/16/vocabulary-week-41/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/15/an-end-has-a-start-farewell-rijkaard/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/15/an-end-has-a-start-farewell-rijkaard/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 16:23:19 +0000 Pim http://languagecaster.com/?p=1181 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/15/an-end-has-a-start-farewell-rijkaard/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/15/predictions-week-41-df-219-221-db/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/15/predictions-week-41-df-219-221-db/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 12:06:01 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1180 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/15/predictions-week-41-df-219-221-db/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/15/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-week-41/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/15/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-week-41/#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 11:41:39 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1177 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/15/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-week-41/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/14/trivia-challenge/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/14/trivia-challenge/#comments Wed, 14 May 2008 13:06:31 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1179 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/14/trivia-challenge/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/11/vocabulary-week-40/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/11/vocabulary-week-40/#comments Sun, 11 May 2008 11:59:25 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1176 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/11/vocabulary-week-40/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/10/learners-podcast-week-40/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/10/learners-podcast-week-40/#comments Sat, 10 May 2008 03:19:13 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1175 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/10/learners-podcast-week-40/feed/ 9:37 On this week's show we focus on the last 8 of the Copa Libertadores, the Premier League as well as having a new English for ... On this week's show we focus on the last 8 of the Copa Libertadores, the Premier League as well as having a new English for Football phrase. For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansrsquo; forum Transcript The Copa Libertadores is down to the quarter-finals after last week's eight games that saw plenty of goals, lots of controversy, many red cards and some improbable comebacks. Holders Boca Juniors, despite being written off by many - including myself, are through after beating Brazilian side Cruzeiro 2-1in Belo Horizonte and once again the Riqueleme-inspired side will be challenging for the title. With Lanus going out to Mexican side Atlas and Estudiantes falling to Ecuador's Quito there will only be one other Argentinian side in the last eight and that is San Lorenzo who made it after a remarkable 2-2 draw against River Plate. Holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg, San Lorenzo found themselves 2-0 down and two men down with an hour gone yet fought back to draw 2-2 and knock out their more illustrious rivals who were jeered from the pitch by their furious supporters after the match. But that comeback was nothing compared to the one that Mexican side America pulled off against Rio de Janeiro's Flamengo. Having won 4-2 away from home, the Brazilian side was odds-on favourite to qualify yet they ended up being thrashed 3-0 and crashing out of the competition. In the quarter finals America will play Santos, while Brazil are guaranteed at least one semi-finalist with the Sao Paulo - Fluminense match up. Boca will play Atlas while underdogs Quito face San Lorenzo. Though Mexican and Ecuadorian fans may beg to differ, I am going for two Argentinian and two Brazilian teams in the semi finals. *** Yeah, it's quite a nervy time for Manr United fans at the moment because this league really should have been put to bed before now. Man United had three away games: Chelsea; Blackburn and Middlesbrough to secure a win, which I think would have guaranteed them the title. They failed to do it, two points from nine, and now it's all or nothing on the final game against Wigan, who themselves are in good form. Prior to Steve Bruce' arrival, they hadn't taken a point off any of the top four since their return to the Premiership but they've now drawn with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with Liverpool at Anfield and at home to Arsenal earlier in the year. So this isn't a gimmee for Man united and of course a draw for Man United mightn't be enough because I think Chelsea will definitely take care of Bolton at home ... at Stamford Bridge. So, nervy time I think obviously the early goal is important and if Man United can get that perhaps Alex Ferguson will be celebrating his tenth title. But my overriding emotion would be one of nervousness. *** While the fans of Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United will be nervously cheering their teams on as they battle it out for the title at the top of the league, supporters of Reading and Fulham will be equally anxious as their teams fight for survival at the foot of the table. Reading travel to Pride Park to face Derby, now officially the worst Premier League team ever with only 11 points, hoping that the pride has been knocked out of the Rams and they roll over, preferably allowing the Royals an 8-0 victory. Goals are important as Reading are 6 goals behind Fulham on goal difference with the same points. Fulham are also on the road, all the way to the south coast where they face FA Cup finalists, Portsmouth. They will also be travelling with hope: they will be praying that Portsmouth have their eyes on the FA Cup final and that their players will not be willing to charge into tackles and run all day. Portsmouth don't have anything else to play for, as their chance of a place in the UEFA Cup via the league went with a 2-0 loss to Middlesbr... Learners',Podcasts languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/10/podcast-40-copa-libertadores-and-the-premier-league-run-in/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/10/podcast-40-copa-libertadores-and-the-premier-league-run-in/#comments Sat, 10 May 2008 02:47:28 +0000 grell http://languagecaster.com/?p=1171 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/10/podcast-40-copa-libertadores-and-the-premier-league-run-in/feed/ 21:39 This week's show reviews the games from the Copa Libertadores last 16 and focuses on the end of the Premier League season with the title ... This week's show reviews the games from the Copa Libertadores last 16 and focuses on the end of the Premier League season with the title race still on and relegation threatened clubs facing squeaky bum time. We also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a football expression in English for Football Find out where David Beckham is in Beckham Watch And continue the weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansrsquo; forum Podcast languagecaster.com no No http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/09/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-week-40/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/09/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-week-40/#comments Fri, 09 May 2008 18:19:55 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1170 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/09/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-week-40/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/09/predictions-week-40/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/09/predictions-week-40/#comments Fri, 09 May 2008 16:35:00 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1169 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/09/predictions-week-40/feed/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/05/vocabulary-week-39/ http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/05/vocabulary-week-39/#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 08:19:32 +0000 damianf http://languagecaster.com/?p=1167 http://languagecaster.com/2008/05/05/vocabulary-week-39/feed/