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This week we take a look at France’s Ligue 1. You can listen to the report by clicking above while vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

Background

There are 20 teams in Ligue 1 and the current title holders are Bordeaux, who halted Olympique Lyonnais’ record run of seven straight titles victories last year. Every year, three teams are relegated and three promoted, and this year Lens, Montpellier and Boulogne replaced Caen, Nantes and le Havre.

The contenders

Currently, there are six teams withing three points of each other at the top of Ligue 1, making the run-in to the season a very exciting one. Champions, Bordeaux are in pole position on 53 points and a game in hand over their rivals. But the club from the south west of France have only managed to pick up one win in six games and have lost momentum. A team with momentum is Auxerre in third place on 51 points with five wins in six, including a win over leaders Bordeaux. they sit one point behind surprise package Montpellier, newly relegated and impressing everyone with their confident attacking style. can they overhaul Bordeaux and stop the Champions adding to their six titles, or will they fade and let more established clubs like Lyon and Marseilles in fifth and sixth respectively contest for the title? last year’s fourth place finishers Lille sit in fourth place at this stage of the season on 51 points and have been solid performers in recent seasons and will be hoping to qualify for the Champions League at least this season.

At the bottom

At the foot of the table it looks a lot clearer. Grenoble, just south east of Lyon and St Etienne, look doomed to go down. They have just 14 points, 15 points from safety. And probably joining them will be Le Mans on 21 points, and Boulogne on 20. Le mans may hold out some hope that St Etienne, 7 points ahead of them will slip up again and drop further and that the team from the centre of France can win its game in hand to further close the gap, but it doesn’t look promising. These three teams will most likely be playing in Ligue 2 next season.

Europe

This season has been a good one for French clubs, but not outstanding. They have two representatives left in the Champions League quarter final stages – Lyon and Bordeaux. Lyon of course stunned European giants Real Madrid 2-1 on aggregate showing that money doesn’t always buy success, and they shouldn’t fear anyone. However, history says bet against them progressing as they’ve appeared 11 times in the Champions League but have never got further than the quarter final stage. Bordeaux booked their place in the last eight with a 3-1 aggregate win over Olympiacos. On paper, not as impressive as Lyon’s victory, but like Lyon, they won both legs of the tie. Their one worry could be losing focus in the league by concentrating on Europe. While the two clubs have done well to get this far, I don’t expect them to make it through to the semi finals.

In the Europa League things were looking quite good until this week when Ligue 1’s last representatives, Lille and Marseille were knocked out by Liverpool and Benfica respectively.

So overall better than last year, but only a semi-final place in the Champions League would really make people sit up and take note. And whose going to win the league? For football romantics, a Montpellier win would be great, but I think it will be back to back wins for Bordeaux.

Vocabulary

current: at the present time, reigning

the run in: the final stretch, the last part, nearly the end

surprise package: an unexpectedly strong team

solid performers: consistent, not outstanding/fantastic, but regularly good

slip up: make a mistake, fail

book a place: win in a competition so that you go through to the next round

sit up and take note: take seriously, be interested in

A bad week for David Beckham, John Terry and Phil Brown as they suffer injury, defeat and job loss respectively. Good however for Jose Mourinho, Leo Messi and Keisuke Honda as Inter, Barcelona and CSKA Moscow all progress to the last 8 of the Champions League. These and many other news stories all feature in this week’s languagecaster.com’s football podcast. For more football news come to our site, read the posts and check out our links section.

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PREDICTION

This week’s featured match is Manchester United v Liverpool from the Premier League

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FOOTBALL EXPRESSION

This week’s English for football phrase is ‘to thump a team‘. If you thump a team it means that one team has beaten another team easily – other words that can be used include, thrashed, hammered and destroyed. The word thump actually means to strike or beat someone or something so we can suppose that if a team is thumped they feel battered and bruised, as if they have been beaten up. For example, this week Liverpool easily beat Portsmouth in the Premier League – in fact the BBC suggested that they thumped the team from the bottom of the league. To thump a team.

Click here for more football cliches and football phrases.

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This week’s QUIZ QUESTION:

Which French team has won most French titles?

a. Olympique de Marseille
b. Saint-Étienne
c. FC Nantes
d. Olympique Lyonnais

Answer next week.

The answer to last week’s question, ‘Where was the 1950 World Cup played?’ The answer is d – Brazil.
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For all students of the beautiful game

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Two big games from Ligue 1, a top of the table clash in Holland and a host of derbies that include the Eternal Derby from Greece, the Superclásico from Buenos Aires and the small matter of Manchester United against Liverpool. Our guest predictor this week, is Peter who is a Celtic fan.

Current Scores: DB 128 | DF 119 | Guest 107

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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Continuing our World Cup countdown we feature one of the most dramatic tournaments to have taken place, the 1950 World Cup in Brazil in this week’s main report. You can listen to the report by clicking above while vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

Background

The 1950 World Cup was the first tournament to be held after the Second World War and as much of Europe’s infrastructure had been destroyed, FIFA turned to Brazil to host the fourth World Cup. Before the competition had even started there was drama with many teams pulling out for a variety of reasons: Argentina didn’t go because they were in dispute with their neighbours Brazil, Scotland had qualified by coming second in their group behind England but refused to travel as they were not British champions. Turkey pulled out and then so did their replacements, France, while India withdrew because they were not allowed to play barefoot. Austria felt their team was too young while Germany were banned from international competition leaving a total of 13 teams to participate.

Group Stages

Rather bizarrely the 13 teams were divided into 4 groups, two of which contained 4 teams, one with three and one group comprised only Uruguay and Bolivia with the Uruguayans easily qualifying. The hosts found themselves in the same group as Mexico, Switzerland and Yugoslavia and despite only drawing with the Swiss managed to make it to the final stage. Sweden also made it there after knocking out Italy which may have seemed a surprise but the Italian side had been badly depleted after an air crash in 1949 had killed all of the Torino squad, a squad that had dominated Italian football and indeed made up the bulk of the national side. England, making their first ever appearance in a World Cup, were expected to qualify from their group but succumbed to one of the most embarrassing defeats in their history when they lost 0-1 to the USA. So unthinkable was this defeat that many back home thought there had been a misprint in their newspapers on reading about Joe Gaetjens’ goal.

The Final Stage

FIFA had decided that there would be no final match in this competition but instead there was a group play-off between the final four teams. The hosts Brazil thrashed Sweden 7-1 and then trounced Spain 6-1 meaning that they only needed a draw against their South American neighbours from Uruguay who had beaten Spain but drawn with Sweden. The whole of Brazil was confident of victory with the mayor of Rio de Janeiro proclaiming the team as world champions before the game had even kicked off and newspapers already preparing front page headlines describing the Brazilians as champions. Approximately 200.000 people crammed into the newly built Maracana Stadium to watch this coronation and when Brazil went 1-0 up it seemed that everyone’s belief had been correct. But with 30 minutes remaining Uruguayan star Schiaffino scored and then 20 minutes later the unthinkable happened – Gigghia beat Brazilian keeper Barbosa at the near post to snatch an unlikely victory for Uruguay. They had won their second World Cup and left Brazil stunned.

Vocabulary

to host: To hold the tournament, the place where the competition takes place

pulling out: To withdraw, to not play for a reason

were in dispute with: To not have friendly relations with (arguing with)

to play barefoot: To play football without football boots

Rather bizarrely: Strangely, seemingly no reason for the decision

comprised: Made up of

The hosts: The country where the competition takes place (Brazil)

depleted: To have been weakened

made up the bulk of : To have supplied most of the national team from one club (Torino).

succumbed to: To lose out to

thrashed: To be badly beaten

trounced: To be badly beaten

crammed into: Packed into, too many people in one place

to snatch an unlikely victory: To win when no one expected it, snatch suggests stole the victory!

Beckham’s return to Old Trafford, Real Madrid dumped out of the Champions League – again – Portsmouth make the semi-finals of the FA Cup, Goal-line technology has been kicked into touch while AC Milan were thrashed. These and many other news stories all feature in this week’s “>languagecaster.com’s football podcast. For more football news come to our site, read the posts and check out our links section.

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PREDICTION

This week’s featured match is Chelsea v Internationale in the second leg of the Champions League knock-out phase

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FOOTBALL EXPRESSION

This week’s English for football phrase is ‘to be cagey‘. If you are cagey about something, you do not give a clear answer, or make a firm decision. A cagey answer does not want to give away too much information, and a cagey player may be a clever, but cautious footballer who thinks a lot about the game. Managers are often described as cagey, especially when asked about their future plans. This week, in the Champions League, many people people have been asking Leonardo whether or not David Beckham will play against his old club Manchester United. But the manager remains cagey and will not say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Quote (ESPN Soccernet)

‘Leonardo cagey on Becks – Leonardo is not promising David Beckham a place in his starting XI at Old Trafford even though he knows how “special” it would be for the former Man United favourite.’

Click here for more football cliches and football phrases.

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This week’s QUIZ QUESTION:

Where was the 1950 World Cup played?

a. Uruguay
b. France
c. Argentina
d. Brazil

Answer next week.

The answer to last week’s question, ‘How many times has India qualified for the World Cup? The answer is b – 1. They qualified in 1950 but refused to take part as they would have to wear footwear.
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For all students of the beautiful game

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Lyon shock Madrid, Portsmouth make it to Wembley, FIFA turn down technology and Wayne Rooney keeps on scoring goals. These stories and more feature in this week’s 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

A good week for Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Lyon and Arsenal as they all made it through to the last 8 of the Champions League. The two English clubs won easily – United thrashed AC Milan 4-0, while Arsenal hammered Porto 5-0. Bayern lost 3-2 at Fiorentina but won through on away goals while Lyon caused the shock of the round with their 1-1 draw in the Bernabeu to knock out Real Madrid.

Good news for Premier League strugglers Portsmouth, who progress to the semi-final stage of the FA Cup in England after beating Birmingham 2-0. The winners in 2008, they will face either Fulham or Tottenham. If it is the latter, they will face their old manager Harry Redknapp and a host of ex-players, too. The club from the south coast were of course forced into administration last week, and still face the likelihood of being docked nine-points, something which would almost certainly result in their relegation. The cup run is just what they need, both to lift their spirits and to help their bank balance. Although it has been reported that the English FA may withhold Portsmouth’s match fees because they owe other clubs for past transfers. Winning the cup usually means entry into the Europa league but that too looks unlikely given their financial situation. Still, everyone’s loves a good cup run.

The Bad

Nine-time winners of the Champions league, Real Madrid were dumped out of this year’s tournament after being held by French side Lyon at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium this week. This was the sixth year in a row that the Spanish side have failed to make it to the quarter-finals of the premier club competition in Europe. Already there is a huge amount of speculation over the future of coach Pelligrini while the Madrid press have also turned their ire on Brazilian star Kaka who has failed to reach the heights of when he was at Milan.

Bad for AC Milan’s David Beckham on his return to his former club, Manchester United. The LA Galaxy and Rossoneri midfielder had hoped to put in a winning performance in front of his old manager, Alex Ferguson, but didn’t make an appearance until the second half, and by that time his side were already 3-0 down and effectively out of the competition – they finally lost 4-0, 7-2 on aggregate. Beckham being Beckham though, he did manage to get himself in the limelight even after such a heavy defeat. After the final whistle he donned a green and yellow scarf – the colours represent the group of fans trying to get rid of the Manchester club’s owners, the Glazers. Anything for a photo opportunity!

The Ugly

FIFA’s decision to not use technology in the game and in particular goal line technology is ridiculous in my mind. Tennis, cricket, rugby and American football all benefit from having this form of technology to settle disputes within their respective sports yet football lags behind. While FIFA stressed that they did this in order to preserve the human decisions in the game surely it would be better for those decision makers, the referees, to have as much information as possible? Poor but unsurprising decision from FIFA.

Vocabulary

thrashed: To be heavily beaten (hammered)

hammered: To be heavily beaten (thrashed)

the Bernabeu: The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is the home ground of Real Madrid

were dumped out of : To be knocked out of a competition (in a bad way)

turned their ire: Became angry towards; looking for a scapegoat

lags behind: To be some way behind

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Each week we explain a soccer phrase or cliché on our weekly languagecaster podcast. You can find many more examples by going to our football phrase page here and football clichés here.

Click here for the audio

This week’s English for football phrase is ‘to be cagey‘. If you are cagey about something, you do not give a clear answer, or make a firm decision. A cagey answer does not want to give away too much information, and a cagey player may be a clever, but cautious footballer who thinks a lot about the game. Managers are often described as cagey, especially when asked about their future plans. This week, in the Champions League, many people people have been asking Leonardo whether or not David Beckham will play against his old club Manchester United. But the manager remained cagey and would not say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Quote (ESPN Soccernet)

‘Leonardo cagey on Becks – Leonardo is not promising David Beckham a place in his starting XI at Old Trafford even though he knows how “special” it would be for the former Man United favourite.’

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A London derby, a huge game in France, and our first look at a game from Mexico this season – two of the top teams go head to head there, as well as an important match in La Liga. And there’s still room for some Champions League action, too. This week, Greg, an LA Galaxy fan is our guest predictor.

Current Scores: DB 122 | DF 117 | Guest 105

We are in the run-in to many of the European league’s title races. If we look at the Premier League, it is Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in the top four, while in La Liga Real Madrid are first, followed by Barcelona, Valencia and Mallorca.

Most league tables are based on how many points a team has. How about these top fours? How are they decided?

Last week was International Friendly week, with some of the big guns getting good wins – Spain were particularly impressive with their 2-0 win over France. Crouch also shined for England in their 3-1 win over Egypt. The feud between John Terry and Wayne Bridge continues with all eyes on a handshake. In South America there were good wins for Lanus and Cruzerio, but a shock loss for Estudiantes in the Copa Libertadores. The debate about the ‘English’ style of play resurfaces after a terrible tackle left Arsenal’s  Aaron Lennon’s leg broken in two places. Chester City FC were thrown out of the Football League in England and now have to hope they can rebuild a new team – all because of debts £26,000 – compare that to the £700,000,000 owed on loans by Manchester United and you can see the gap between the haves and have nots.  And of course there was lots lots more. For more football news come to our site, read the posts and check out our links section.

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PREDICTION

This week’s featured match is Chelsea v Internationale in the second leg of the Champions League knock-out phase

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FOOTBALL EXPRESSION

This week’s English for football phrase is to give the ball away cheaply. This expression is used to describe a situation in a game when one team, under little or no pressure, loses the ball to the opposing team. It is similar to an unforced error in tennis. We use the word cheaply to describe the fact that the opposition have not had to work hard (or ‘pay’) to get the ball back. Coaches and fans become very frustrated when their team gives the ball away cheaply as it may prevent an attack from building or worse may give the opposing team a chance to counter attack. To give the ball away cheaply.

Click here for more football cliches and football phrases.

________________________________________

This week’s QUIZ QUESTION:

How many times has India qualified for the World Cup?

a. never
b. 1
c. 2
d. 3

Answer next week.

The answer to last week’s question, ‘When was the last time Aston Villa won the Carling Cup?’ The answer is c – 1996. Villa are second in the ranking with 5 wins behind Liverpool on 7.
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For all students of the beautiful game

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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More trophies for Alex Fergeson as Man United pick up some silverware in England, good results for some of the big teams in last week’s international friendlies, a horror tackle and injuries put players out for the season 8and the World Cup), and some strange motivational tactics in the Bundesliga all feature in this week’s the Good the bad and the Ugly.

The Good

Good for Manchester United as they get the first silverware of the season in England – that’s if you don’t count the Community Shield, the season opener won by Chelsea. They beat Aston Villa 2-1 and lifted the Carling Cup trophy for the fifth time, equal second in the all time ranking with the team they beat, Villa but still behind Liverpool’s seven wins. The game was not without incident as Nemanja Vidic, as last man, should have been sent off for a blatant tackle in the penalty box in the fourth minute. Phil Dowd the referee decided simply to award a penalty. After escaping going a man down, Manchester United slowly took hold of the midfield and the game, and Owen and Rooney were on target to win the game. And with league leaders Chelsea also losing to Manchester city, it was a good weekend for the Red Devils.

Good for Spain, as they comfortably beat France in a friendly 2-0 in Paris. The performance cemented their position as favourites to lift the World Cup. Their rivals for that title, Brazil also won, 2-0 over the Republic of Ireland with Robinho putting in a performance that his old team Manchester City would have liked to see more often. Argentina beat historic rivals Germany 1-0 in Germany, and while the result was not emphatic, it does mean that Maradona’s team are finding some form before the World Cup kicks off – less than 100 days to go now.

The Bad

Bad at Bayer Leverkusen, as, not only do they lose their top spot to Bayern Munich at the weekend, but their coach, Jupp Heynckes, then goes on to say second would be a great achievement. With so little of the season remaining, added to the fact that they are unbeaten in 24 games, it seems bizarre that a team’s coach would seem to throw in the towel. He went on to point out that his team doesn’t compare to Bayern’s. Perhaps true but hardly motivational. Basically he’s said, give up lads, your not really good enough to win the title and you should be happy to be were you are! They are only two point behind in the title chase with ten games to go. Last weekend they drew at home against Colgone while Bayern won one-nil against Hamburg.

Bosingwa has been ruled out of the World Cup after needing more surgery on an injury picked up last year in October. The Chelsea and Portugal full back had been back in training, but the doctors now say he needs another operation on his knee. Also bad for Michael Owen, whose hamstring went in the Carling cup final against Aston Villa. The Manchester United player hasn’t been a regular in the England squad for some time, but was hoping that his move to United might put him back in the spotlight. This injury effectively rules him out of the England squad.

The Ugly

Another  bad tackle results in a horror injury in the Premier League – and it was an Arsenal player on the receiving end again. Following terrible injuries to Diaby and Eduardo in similar circumstances, Aaron Ramsey had his leg broken in two places by Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross. Stoke manager, Tony Pulis, defended Shawcross saying he is not that kind of player, and that  it was a committed tackle, with no intent to injure the opponent. But many in the game feel that there is no place for the kind of blood and guts tackle where there is little chance of winning the ball without injuring another player. An ugly tackle. A bad injury. Let’s hope Ramsey recovers completely and is able to play football again.

Vocabulary

silverware: in football, trophy, cup, title

blatant: clear, obvious, shameless, easy to see

to go a man down: to lose a player to a red card. have a player sent off

to cement (your) position: to make your situation safe/secure

emphatic: clear, decisive, (winning by a large score)

to throw in the towel: (from boxing) to give up, to finish early, to stop trying

lads: informal expression meaning men, used with friends or teammates in England (also, a boy)

to be ruled out: to be eliminated, to be prevented, to be stopped

to be in the spotlight: to be the centre of attention, to be noticed, to be in the news

to be on the receiving end: to have something bad happen to you

committed tackle: strong tackle,

blood and guts tackle: with too much physical force, violent, committed

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Last week, I visited Mumbai, India. Mumbai is arguably the most cosmopolitan city in India, the business centre, and home to 12 million Mumbaikers. While I was there I saw people walking around sporting Manchester United and AC Milan fake tops, Beckham T-shirts, and in the shop windows there are Chelsea, Man United, and Real Madrid school bags. Despite this, I hardly saw anybody playing football in the streets or in the many parks and beaches in the city. And there was nothing about local football in the newspapers. Why don’t most Indians play or follow football?

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A big game from the Indian Professional League, some relegation battles from the Premier League in England and the second leg matches from the Champions League all feature in this week’s predictions, which of course can be heard on our podcast. Our guest this week is Marc who is a fan of Spurs. Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Current Scores: DB 122 | DF 112 | Guest 102

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Each week we explain a soccer phrase or cliché on our weekly languagecaster podcast. You can find many more examples by going to our football cliché page here.

Listen here to this week’s football phrase

This week’s English for football phrase is to give the ball away cheaply. This expression is used to describe a situation in a game when one team, under little or no pressure, loses the ball to the opposing team. It is similar to an unforced error in tennis. We use the word cheaply to describe the fact that the opposition have not had to work hard (or ‘pay’) to get the ball back. Coaches and fans become very frustrated when their team gives the ball away cheaply as it may prevent an attack from building or worse may give the opposing team a chance to counter attack. To give the ball away cheaply.

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:

Automatically receive the podcast each week by clicking here

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There are a host of derbies being played around the world this weekend so we thought we’d take a look at some of these football rivalries in this week’s main report. You can listen to the report by clicking above while vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

What is a derby?

A derby is a game played between rival teams – usually from the same city or region though not always, think Barcelona against Real Madrid or Liverpool vs Manchester United, for instance. Generally the games are played at a frenetic pace as the teams are roared on by the fans who want to have bragging rights over their rivals. This of course means that form often goes out the window making these games very difficult to predict.

Where did the term originate from?

Well, though there is some confusion over its origin, it is now generally accepted that the term derby comes from a folk football match between two local sides from the village of Ashburton in Derbyshire in the Midlands area of England

What is the oldest derby in world football?

Again, there is some dispute about this but it seems that the Sheffield derby between Wednesday and United is now regarded as one of the oldest local rivalries in world football.

So derbies are always about geographical rivalry then?

Usually but not always. Sometimes there are other factors involved such as history (for example, West Ham and Millwall’s London rivalry dates back to an industrial dispute), animosity between a country’s different regions, religion, politics (for example the ‘eternal enemies’ Olympiakos and Panathanaikos in Greece) and footballing honours. For instance, there is rivalry between the two cities of Manchester and Liverpool yet when Liverpool take on Manchester City or Manchester United play Everton there is no real animosity. But when Liverpool and Manchester United play each other then a different form of rivalry kicks in: which of the two sides is the most successful in English football?

The clásico in Spain between Barcelona and Real Madrid is an example of a derby involving two teams from different regions but as many people know, this game is all about history and identity. Rangers and Celtic in Scotland not only share the same city, Glasgow, are the two most successful sides in Scottish football history but they are also divided on religious lines: Celtic, traditionally is a Catholic club while Rangers is a Protestant one. But then there is the example of Galatasaray and Fenerbahce from Turkey – two teams that are also divided on religious lines but they also come from from a city, Istanbul, that spans two different continents.

What are the biggest derbies in the world?

Celtic-Rangers, Galatasaray-Fenerbahce and Barcelona-Real Madrid are three of the most passionate, some would say hate-filled, games in the world but there are many others like them. In England there is the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, the North London derby between Spurs and Arsenal, the Manchester derby between City and United. In Italy, Milan versus Inter is a big game, as is the Genovese derby between Genoa and Sampdoria but the biggest game in that country for my money is Lazio and Roma when almost anything can happen on or off the pitch. Then there is the Ruhr derby in Germany between Schalke and Dortmund, the big game in France is Lyon against St. Etienne while in Portugal the Lisbon derby between Sporting and Benfica is always a tasty affair.

Of course, these matches are not restricted to Europe, in Brazil, the games involving the big Rio de Janeiro sides attract huge amounts of global interest, in particular when Vasco da Gama play hated rivals Flamengo. But for my money, one of the biggest rivalries in world football has to be the Buenos Aires derby, the superclásico between River Plate and Boca Juniors when no matter how badly either side is playing the whole city stops to watch their team hopefully win them the bragging rights.

Vocabulary

a frenetic pace: The game is played at high speed

to have bragging rights over their rivals: Fans can boast about their team

form often goes out the window: It doesn’t in which position teams are in, the derby game is a great leveller.

animosity: Very bad feeling, hatred

spans: To cross (here a bridge but can also refer to time)

for my money: In my opinion

a tasty affair: A match that may often be violent or tempestuous

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Each week we explain a soccer phrase or cliché on our weekly languagecaster podcast. You can find many more examples by going to our football cliché page here.

Listen here to this week’s football phrase

This week’s English football phrase is to run riot. This expression is used when one team completely dominates another team and scores lots of goals. Before this week’s Champions League game between holders Barcelona and German side Stuttgart the experts were suggesting that Barca would run riot , however, the game finished 1-1. Another example was when Premier League side, Tottenham ran riot against Wigan earlier on in the season when they won 9-0. The expression can also be used to describe a player’s performance against an opponent as in, Wayne Rooney ran riot against the West Ham defence in the 3-0 victory. To run riot.

Another busy week in the world of football with English club Portsmouth going into administration, Chelsea players warned about their public behaviour, Wayne Bridge deciding not to play for England any more, Wayne Rooney continuing his impressive league scoring run for Manchester United, Champions League wins for Inter Milan and Bordeaux and an impressive FA Cup victory for my team Spurs and a Europa League win for Damon’s team Liverpool. These and other stories will feature on this week’s podcast, which looks at football derbies. Indeed, we feature three of them in our regular predictions battle, as well as the final of the Carling Cup and some international friendlies. We also have another English for football phrase. Come along to the site at languagecaster.com to read more.

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PREDICTION

This week’s featured match is Aston Villa v Manchester United in the Carling Cup final

________________________________________

FOOTBALL EXPRESSION

This week’s phrase for football is to run riot. This expression is used when one team completely dominates another team and scores lots of goals. Before this week’s Champions League game between holders Barcelona and Stuttgart the experts were suggesting that Barca would run riot . Another example was when Premier League side, Tottenham ran riot against Wigan earlier on in the season when they won 9-0. The expression can also be used to describe a player’s performance against an opponent as in, Wayne Rooney ran riot against the West Ham defence. To run riot.

Click here for more football cliches and football phrases.

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This week’s QUIZ QUESTION:

When was the last time Aston Villa won the Carling Cup?

a. 2000
b. 1998
c. 1996
d. 1994

Answer next week.

The answer to last week’s question, ‘How many different countries are represented in the last 16 of the Champions League this year?’ The answer is 8 – Portugal, Greece, Russia, Spain, Italy, England, Germany and France.
________________________________________

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For all students of the beautiful game

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A big game in the Premier League, derbies from Portugal, Scotland and Germany, as well as the Carling Cup final all feature along with some interesting international friendly games in this week’s predictions. Our guest this week is Maki who is a fan of AC Milan. Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Current Scores: DB 114 | DF 112 | Guest 100

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French clubs in Europe, John Terry vs Wayne Bridge, Portsmouth’s troubles and Thai politicians lose out to female footballers. These stories and more feature in this week’s 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’s been a good 10 days for French clubs in European competition as Lyon and Bordeaux scored impressive wins in the Champions League and Lille and Marseille made progress to the last 16 of the Europa League. We spoke about Lyon’s 1-0 defeat of Real Madrid in last week’s show and in this week’s set of Champions League games, top of the table Bordeaux won in Greece at Olympiakos. Laurent Blanc’s side look as if they will retain the French title this season so they can focus their efforts on a possible surprise Champions League cup run. Good for French clubs in Europe.

Good for women’s football in Thailand as the profile of the game is raised in a game featuring the Thai Cabinet and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in Bangkok last Sunday. The women’s team were convincing winners, putting seven goals past the politicians. Now, I’d like to see some other politicians running around the pitch helping spread the popularity of women’s football.

The Bad

It has been a very bad week for Chelsea both on and off the field. Their players have been warned about their off-the field behaviour after the scandals involving first, John Terry and then Ashley Cole. Cole, of course, is out for three months with an ankle injury and he was joined on the injury list by goalkeeper Petr Cech who could face up to a month out of the game. He was injured in the defeat by Inter Milan in the Champions League first leg and his replacement Hilario had a nightmare in the 2-4 home defeat by Manchester City this weekend. Not only did this game dent their title hopes they also had two players sent off – Ballack and Belletti. A bad week indeed for the Blues.

Bad in South America as another player is assaulted. Following the shooting in the head last month of Paraguayan striker Cabanas, and four months ago of former Argentinian defender, Caceres, this time another Argentinian player Neston Gaitan was attacked by two men, one with a broken jug, and was injured in the neck and back. The attack, which happened in a club in Iquitos, Peru, followed a dispute a week earlier when the player had defended his girlfriend who had been insulted by one of the attackers. Bad bordering on ugly.

Ugly

Speaking of ugly, Portsmouth have finally been placed into administration, that is they have been taken over by an external organisation to mange their financial affairs as they are so much in debt – thought to be around £70 million. The club will probably be docked 9 points which would almost certainly confirm their relegation from the Premier League this season. As if that wasn’t enough, the Premier League authorities this week discovered that their clubs have amassed more than half of the debt owed by all the clubs in Europe, which is a shocking state of affairs. The Premier League needs to act quickly or its ‘product’ will be damaged even further.

Vocabulary

scored impressive wins : Won well, comfortable won the match

made progress to: Qualified for the next round

injury list: A list of players who are unable to play due to being hurt

had a nightmare: To play really badly (To have a mare)

dent their title hopes: To damage a team’s chances of winning the championship

a dispute: An argument, a quarrel

be docked: To be penalised, to lose points

have amassed: Have gathered or collected

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Our fourth spotlight on World Cup Stars looks at one of Germany’s finest – der bomber! Check out previous posts on World Cup Stars here.

“(He) was short , squat, awkward-looking and not notably fast”, wrote David Winner in Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football. This description does not sound like one you would expect of a World Cup great, but the player described won a European Championship, a World Cup, is second all time top scorer in the competition and has one of the best goal to match ratios of any player – ever! 489 goals in 565 games. Gerd Müller, born in 1945 in Bavaria, was a deadly finisher, a fox in the box, and was simply know as der bomber – the bomber!

He has already established his fearsome reputation as a goalscorer at Bayern Munich, the team that dominated German club football in the late sixties and early 70s. Playing alongside Sepp Maier and Franz Beckenbauer it wasn’t long before Muller, initially believed to be too short and stocky to be successful, was called up to the national side, and in his first international competition, the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, he scored 10 goals and won the Golden Shoe. His haul included hatricks against Bulgaria and Peru, a winner in extra time against rivals England, and two against Italy in a match the Germans lost 4-3. Müller himself believed this competition was the most important in his career and it certainly propelled him into the international spotlight.

A European Championship title in 1972, culminating in a 3-0 win over Russia – two goals for der bomber and the top-scorer award – was followed two years later with West Germany’s successful campaign in the 1974 World Cup in front of their own fans. Müller’s West German side were up against most neutrals favourites, Holland. The Dutch, led by legend Johan Cruyff, were playing what became known as ‘total football’ a fluid approach to the game freeing players to change position in combinations that defied traditional thinking about line-ups and tactics. The West Germans had been solid in the tournament but not outstanding, unlike the Dutch who most pundits thought claim the trophy. The game became a tight, tense affair and the difference between the sides was  der bomber and his goal that put the Germans up 2-1 and ended up being the winning goal, and Müller’s last for his nation. This is how he described it, “I ran forward with two Dutch players then checked back because the pass was behind me. The ball jumped off my left foot, I turned a little and suddenly it was in.” ‘Suddenly it was in’, if any phrase describes the short, squat, stocky, slow striker from the south of Germany, ’suddenly it was in’ is perhaps it.

David Miller goes on to say about Gerhard Müller, “he had lethal acceleration over short distances, a remarkable aerial game, and uncanny goalscoring instincts.” Der bomber, goal-scoring machine and World Cup great.

Vocabulary

squat: short and a little fat, maybe muscular, low

fox in the box: a striker who usually scores from close range, a predator, a player who pops up to score

fearsome: if you are fearsome, you make opponents worried / scared

haul: usually used when fisherman catch a lot of fish with nets, haul in football means total number of goals. It’s used when a player scores a lot of goals

to propel: tp push forwards, to motivate, to launch

fluid: not static, loose, changing, shifting

defied: went against, did not follow

to check (back): to stop suddenly

uncanny: exceptional, strange, difficult to describe,

The Champions League knock out stage is underway, with Rooney starring for Manchester United, and if the knockout phase has started in Europe that means in South America the Copa Libertadores’ group stages are underway. The holders, Argentinian outfit Estudiantes, suffered a shock 4-1 defeat to Peru’s Alianza Lima. Elsewhere, Barcelona are beaten, Montpellier win again and extend their extraordinary form in Ligue 1, and Patrick Viera is handed a three match ban in his second game.And on languagecaster we talk about more football news and spotlight another World Cup great – Gerd Müller.

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PREDICTION

This week’s featured match is the Champions League match between Inter Milan & Chelsea

________________________________________

FOOTBALL EXPRESSION

This week’s English for football expression is the phrase to be a handful which means that something or someone is difficult to handle or control. In football this is used when one team has difficulty controlling or defending against a player from the opposing team. The phrase often collocates with the verb to prove as in ‘… Chris Maguire proved to be a handful for Celtic with his vigour‘ which means that the Scottish side Celtic were unable to control Chris Maguire because of his power or pace. The phrase can also be used without the verb to be in it. So, recently, Wayne Rooney has been playing very well for his club Manchester United and in this week’s Champions League game against AC Milan he scored twice and proved a real handful for the Rossoneri defence. To prove to be a real handful.

Click here for more football cliches and football phrases.

________________________________________

This week’s QUIZ QUESTION:

How many clubs did Gerd Müller play for in his career?

a. 1
b. 3
c. 4
d. 6

Answer next week.

The answer to last week’s question, ‘How many different countries are represented in the last 16 of the Champions League this year?’ was d.8.
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For all students of the beautiful game

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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Turkey’s new manager, Wayne Rooney, Sol Campbell, Chester City and another crazy idea from the Premier League all feature in this week’s 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

Good news for Turkish football as they announced this week that Dutchman Guus Hiddink is to take over as head coach of the national side. Turkish football is in the doldrums after their dismal performance in the World Cup qualifiers which saw them finish in third place behind Spain and Bosnia. Turkey face a daunting task to qualify for the next major tournament – the European Championships of 2012 – as they will have to play against Germany and Austria but with the experienced Hiddink at the helm they will be feeling a little more confident.

Good for Wayne Rooney and maybe for England at the World Cup if he keeps fits and stays in form. The scouse striker scored twice at the San Siro in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over European aristocrats, AC Milan. Rooney is proving to be a real handful for defenders this season and it looks as though he has come into his own with the departure or Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. Currently he is top scorer in the Premier League with 21 goals, comfortably clear of Drogba in second with 17. While Milan looked on top for most of the match and Manchester United were generally second best, Rooney proved the difference with his two clinical goals. The Red Devils, thanks to their stocky striker, look set to progress with this victory and three away goals.

The Bad

It was a bad night for the Arsenal defenders in their Champions League second round match against FC Porto last night as howlers from goalkeeper Fabianski and veteran defender Sol Campbell handed two soft goals to their Portuguese hosts. Manager Arsene Wenger was not happy with the decision – a surprise there then – but the Gunners had only themselves to blame. Bad defending indeed.


A lot of clubs are in financial trouble at the moment, but one could be finally about to exit the Football League structure for good. Chester City, founded in 1885, have slid into the non-league Blue Square Conference last year and because of debts of 7 million pounds were docked a whacking 25 points at the start of the season. Things have only got worse and last week Chester City players refused to board the bus to a game against Forest Green – they haven’t been paid for three months – and the club has been unable to pay police bills. They have been suspended from the Conference for a week, meaning they miss the derby match against Welsh neighbours Wrexham and  a game against Kidderminster Harriers. They are really hanging on by their fingernails, and It is make or break time for the Seals whose only hope is for a buyer to come in and pay off their unpaid tax bills and debt.

The Ugly

First it was a 39th game abroad and now the Premier League has come up with another daft idea. This time the fourth to seventh placed teams would have play-offs to decide who gets  the Champions League fourth spot. This is very similar to what happens in the lower divisions with promotions and has obvious appeal to TV broadcasters, advertisers and sponsors – who would be set to earn millions. But it would be another nail in the coffin for the national game, first in England and then who knows, if the idea spreads to other countries too. The Premier League would become a glorified qualification campaign for the real ’super’ league, which the Champions League is already threatening to become. Not to mention the fact there is no time to play these extra games in the all-year-round football schedule the modern game has become. Daft, but scarily it just might happen because too many people may make a lot of money. Daft and ugly.

Vocabulary

is in the doldrums: To be down, to be not doing very well

dismal performance: A poor display by a team, performed badly

face a daunting task: To have a difficult time, to play against tough teams

at the helm: To be in charge, to be the leader

scouse: coming from Liverpool, scouser, someone from Liverpool (also a kind of stew originating in Merseyside)

to come into (your) own: to mature, to develop well

stocky: short, solid, muscular

howlers : Big mistakes

soft goals: Bad goals to concede because of poor defending

to board (a bus): to get on

to hang on by (your) fingernails: to be in a desperate situation, to be on the edge of disaster. to not give up in a bad situation

daft: stupid, crazy

nail in the coffin: something that brings death/failure/loss closer

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Each week we explain a soccer phrase or cliché on our weekly languagecaster podcast. You can find many more examples by going to our football cliché page here.

Listen here to the football phrase

This week’s English for football expression is the phrase to be a handful which means that something or someone is difficult to handle or control. In football this is used when one team has difficulty controlling or defending against a player from the opposing team. The phrase often collocates with the verb to prove as in ‘… Chris Maguire proved to be a handful for Celtic with his vigour‘ which means that the Scottish side Celtic were unable to control Chris Maguire because of his power or pace. The phrase can also be used without the verb to be in it. So, recently, Wayne Rooney has been playing very well for his club Manchester United and in this week’s Champions League game against AC Milan he scored twice and proved a real handful for the Rossoneri defence. To prove to be a real handful.

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Champions League Part II, big games in the Premier League – Merseyside vs Manchester, and a quick look at Serie A and La Liga. Our guest this week is Paul, who is a Manchester United fan. Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Current Scores: DB 110 | DF 107 | Guest 96

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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The Champions League is back after a two-month break with the first-leg matches from the last 16 taking place this week. On this week’s main report we preview these games and predict which teams should make it to the quarter-finals. You can listen to the report by clicking above while vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

Barcelona and Beckham

The Champions League returns this week after a two-month break with the knock-out stage involving 16 teams from 8 different countries. This season UEFA has decided to have the 8 ties played over two different weeks, so there are 4 games this week and four next in an obvious attempt to maximise the competition’s advertising power. This means that holders and favourites Barcelona do not play until next week when they face Bundesliga side Stuttgart in what should be a fairly straightforward tie. The Germans scraped out of a weak group though their form has improved recently in the domestic league. Barca’s big rivals, however, Real Madrid face a tough trip to France where they will play Lyon. The French side are not as strong as they have been in recent years but Madrid will be under pressure to make it past the second round for the first time in 5 seasons, particularly after spending so much money on new players this year. Now, despite the pressure and this tricky away first leg I am tipping them to progress. On the same night, English champions Manchester United travel to AC Milan where they received a thrashing on their last visit three years ago. Few predict a similar scoreline this time in what should be an intriguing battle, especially as it will see David Beckham face his former club for the first time since he left. Despite the brouha surrounding David Beckham’s return to Old Trafford for the second leg I don’t think Milan will have enough and Manchester United will qualify.

Dark Horses?

Another English club in action this week is Arsenal who will play away in Portugal against FC Porto, who are playing in the Champions league for the 13th consecutive year and gave Chelsea a scare in the group stages to prove that they will be no pushovers. In fact, I am predicting that they will knock-out Arsene Wenger’s side. The other match to be played this week sees Italian side Fiorentina going to Germany where they will play a resurgent Bayern Munich team that is challenging for the Bundesliga title as well. The Germans have hit form at the right time and will comfortably make it to the next round where they will no doubt make things uncomfortable for whoever they face – a dark horse to win the title maybe?

Jose and Chelsea

Now, next week sees Russian side CSKA Moscow take on Sevilla from La Liga. The Russians are still in their pre-season, while Sevilla have been inconsistent in recent weeks – dropping out of contention for La Liga title but making it to the Copa del Rey final. A Spanish victory here then. Many people’s dark horses, Bordeaux travel to Athens to play Olympiacos in what should be a hostile atmosphere but the French team had the best qualifying record – 5 wins and a draw – and should have too much for the Greek side. The final game to take place next week sees Jose Mourinho return to his former club Chelsea with his current side Inter Milan. Jose is under pressure there, for despite looking as if the club will retain the Italian title he was brought in to win the top European prize for the first time since 1965. Now, Chelsea do not need motivation after coming so close in the past three seasons but I think they are going to get a shock here with Jose’s team making the last 8.

fairly straightforward tie: The game should be fairly easy; few difficulties

scraped out of a weak group: Just about made it; were not so convincing

a tricky away first leg: A difficult match away from home in the first of two games

they received a thrashing : They were well beaten (On this occasion 0-3)

an intriguing battle: A very interesting game

brouha: A media circus (one that always seems to follow David Beckham)

no pushovers: The team will not be easy to defeat

a resurgent: The team is playing well again after not performing well for some time

a dark horse: A team that not is one of the favourites but could win (surprisingly)

dropping out of contention: Not in the race for the title anymore

Another busy week in the world of football with a full programme of mid-week Premier League matches, the Copa del Rey semi-finals in Spain, the ongoing saga of Portsmouth’s possible demise and the 2012 European Championship draw that took place in Poland last weekend. On this week’s podcast we turn our attention to the Champions League as the knock-out stage begins. There are 4 games from the round of 16 taking place next week and they will all feature in our regular predictions battle, as well as the 5th Round of the FA Cup and the big games in Spain and Germany. We also have another English for football phrase. Come along to the site at languagecaster.com to read more.

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PREDICTION

This week’s featured match is AC Milan v Manchester United

________________________________________

FOOTBALL EXPRESSION

This week’s phrase for football is ‘I’ve seen them given’. This phrase is used when there is a tackle in the box, or a ball hits a player’s arm. It looks like the referee might give a penalty but decides not to. This is when commentators use the phrase – ‘I’ve seen them given’ meaning they would not have been surprised if the referee had given a penalty. There is a further nuance. A person who says ‘I’ve seen them given’, perhaps also feels it would be a ’soft’ penalty, perhaps an unfair one.

Click here for more football cliches and football phrases.

________________________________________

This week’s QUIZ QUESTION:

How many different countries are represented in the last 16 of the Champions League this year?

a. 5
b. 6
c. 7
d. 8

Answer next week.

The answer to last week’s question, ‘How many points did WBA have when escaping relegation in 2005 – the lowest ever?’ The answer was 34.
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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 2012 European Championship draw, possibility of a Premier League going bankrupt. There’s a silver lining to bad news in China, but violent deaths in Argentina and the UK also make the news. These stories and more feature in this week’s 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

With 4 months to go before the World Cup in South Africa, the draw for the next European Championship took place in Warsaw last weekend to decide the 14 teams that will join co-hosts Poland and Ukraine in the summer of 2012. Yes, it is a long way off and anything can happen between now and then but there are some intriguing ties to be played. Defending champions Spain should comfortably overcome Scotland and the Czech Republic to qualify, while it should also be straightforward for England who need to get past Bulgaria and Switzerland. However, it does not look so easy for Germany who will have to beat Austria, Belgium and Turkey to make the finals. Perhaps the toughest group, though, involves Italy, Serbia and Slovenia – 3 teams taking part in this summer’s World Cup in Group C. Portugal and Denmark will battle it out in Group H, Croatia and Greece will do the same in Group F while it should be between France and Romania in Group D. Group B sees Ireland drawn against Slovakia and Russia – certainly not the easiest but there is a sense that it is definitely doable. Here we go again!

Good for China as they sweep past defending champions South Korea 3-0 in the East Asian Football Championship held this year in Tokyo (see the goals here). Their opening match was a draw against hosts Japan, and with one game to play against Hong Kong, the Chinese will be confident they can lift the trophy this weekend. The win was also their first over their neighbours. They will have to hold their breath and hope Japan don’t also beat the South Korean side by a large margin in the last game of the tournament on Sunday, but as Japan and Korea are the fiercest of rivals it’s hard to see that happening. Good news for Chinese football that has had some rocky times this year with scandals in the domestic game.

The Bad

And those scandals in China are still having repercussions which meant it was bad for the fans of China as the state TV channel CCTV cancelled showing the match with Japan and also hadn’t scheduled to show the games against South Korea and Hong Kong either. No explanation was given for the decision but match-fixing scandals, fighting on the pitch in the domestic game and other problems are thought to have persuaded the broadcaster to pull the programme – something that they have done before.

It has been a tough season for Portsmouth as they languish at the foot of the table with only 4 victories so far. Financially they are also in a mess with debts spiralling out of control and facing a winding up order from the UK Inland Revenue this week. The club has been given a reprieve of a week to find the £11 million that they owe the state but there is a real threat that the club could go out of existence which would affect the players, the staff, the supporters and the town, as well as the whole Premier League.

The Ugly

Unfortunately there were two football-related deaths over the weekend. First up, the Reuters news agency reported that a young Argentinian fan was shot and subsequently died as he returned home to Rosario after watching his side play against Huracan in the clausura championship. It has been suggested that the shooting may have been carried out by members of a local football gang in Buenos Aires. The other death occurred at the Britannia Stadium in Stoke when a Blackburn fan died after being hit with a bin.

Vocabulary

sweep past: easily beat, win comfortably

hold (your) breath: wait nervously for something, have your fingers crossed

a large margin: a big score, by several goals

hard to see (something) happening: unlikely, difficult to believe

repercussions: fallout, results, affects

to pull a programme: to cancel, to not show, to not air

languish at the foot of the table: be at the bottom of the league with very little hope of improvement, seem destined to stay at the bottom

to spiral out of control: to become more and more chaotic, to have more and more problems

winding up order: a legal requirement to stop doing business, to be forced to sell the club

The Inland Revenue: the tax department of the UK government

clausura: The second of two championships played in Argentina

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The Champions League is back and on this week’s predictions battle we have 4 games from the last 16 of the most important club tournament in Europe. In addition, we feature an FA Cup 5th round match from England and big games from Germany and La Liga in Spain. Our guest this week is Niall, who is a West Ham fan. Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Current Scores: DB 107 | DF 102 | Guest 94

Way back in our first podcast of the season, we previewed the English season and asked our listeners which team they thought would emerge as champions of the Premier League and which ones would be relegated. You can see how well (or badly) they did here. Now with 12 games to go in the Premier League we are asking you once more – post your predictions for the top 4 and bottom 3 below and remember you can also click on our Premier League poll in the sidebar on the right. If you need any help with your predictions then listen to last week’s podcast for some ‘expert’ tips!

Lots of football news to talk about last week. There was Guti’s ‘Heel of God‘ for Real Madrid, the end of the transfer window – in the news because of how little action there was during it, and Manchester United start to hit real form as the season enters the final stages with Wayne Rooney scoring his hundredth Premier League goal . And it’s the Premier League that is the focus of this week’s show as we take a look at the title contenders and those teams in the battle to avoid relegation. 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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PREDICTION

This week’s featured match is Liverpool v Everton

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FOOTBALL EXPRESSION

This week we look at the English for football phrase, ‘to slide towards relegation’. To slide means to skid, to slip, to move uncontrollably -  like a car on ice. Relegation is losing your place in a league and dropping to a lower one. In football, we use this phrase to talk about clubs that are losing a lot of games and are ’sliding’ down the table towards relegation. The feeling is that they cannot escape. So, in the Premier League this weekend, Portsmouth visit Manchester United and will surely lose, and slide further towards relegation. Burnley host West Ham – can the Burnley side halt their slide, stop their slide, which has seen them drop into the relegation zone?

Click here for more football cliches and football phrases.

________________________________________

This week’s QUIZ QUESTION:

West Brom famously avoided relegation from the Premier League in the 2004/05 season despite being bottom at Christmas – the only team to do so – and bottom at the start of play on the last day of the season. They also survived with the lowest number of points ever. How many points did they have?

a. 39

b. 37

c. 34

d. 30

Answer next week.

The answer to last week’s question, ‘Which of the following Spanish teams have not won the league title – Villareal, Sevilla, Real Betis, Deportivo?’ was Villareal. The closest they’ve come is second in the 2007/08 season.
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For all students of the beautiful game

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Not long to go now in the Premier League, so it’s a good chance to check out where the runners and riders are – who’s on their way up and who’s on their way down. Vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

Click above to listen!

Twelve games remain in the Premier League and it now looks as if it is a two-horse race between Chelsea and holders Manchester United for the title. The London side currently lead by two points but they have just been held to a draw by relegation-threatened Hull City and of course the allegations over their captain John Terry may undermine them further. United have suddenly hit form and with players returning after injury and Wayne Rooney in their side they will feel that they have the experience to win the title yet again. If they were to do so it would be their fourth in a row – a feat that has never been done before – it would also give the club a record 19th league title which would upset their Lancashire rivals Liverpool no end. What of Liverpool? Well, they currently lie in 5th place, 14 points behind the leaders but it is not the title they are challenging for but rather the much-coveted 4th spot, which would guarantee Champions League football next season. If the Reds were not to make it then the financial repercussions could be extremely damaging indeed, something which would not affect one of their rivals for that Champions League spot Manchester City.

Mega-rich City don’t need to be in the Champions League for the cash, they just want to be able to play with the big boys and be taken seriously next year. They lie in 6th place 1 point behind my team Tottenham who are in 4th with 42 points. This time last year Spurs were flirting with relegation so the turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable. Most fans still don’t think they can maintain their challenge but rather than worry about the chasing pack – including Aston Villa – it might be worth focusing on the third place currently filled by rivals Arsenal. Yes, they are 7 points clear but they have just received a thumping from Manchester United, face leaders Chelsea this weekend, are struggling in front of goal and have lost confidence in defence.

So, who is going to win it? I am going for Manchester United first, Chelsea second, Manchester City third and Tottenham to finish in the  top four. Now that would throw the cat amongst the pigeons!

It would indeed! But what about at the foot of the table? Which teams are struggling and in danger of the drop? It looks as the south-coast side, Portsmouth, FA Cup winners in 2008 but financial car crash this year, have already booked their place on next year’s Championship, the second division of English football, as they have been stuck at the bottom since , well, pretty much the start of the season. They have 15 points and only four wins and despite new owners, – their fourth this season – you could put your house on them being relegated. But they may be able to salvage something as they are in the 5th round of the FA Cup where they take on rivals Southampton.

But who will join them? Burnley sit 5 points above them in 19th and there are five teams within two points. Any kind of win in the remaining games is going to be like gold for Burnley, Hull, Wolves, Bolton, West Ham and Wigan. These look the likely candidates to fill the final two relegation spots. Two of those came up last year, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers and my feeling is that Wolves will be going straight back down. While Burnley have been poor recently they have the faint hope that their form at Turf Moor may return to see them safe – they’ve only lost twice in 11 games.

That leaves one more team to join Pompey and Wolves. West Ham seem to have steadied the ship with new money and new players and Bolton have shown in their 3-3 draw against Manchester City and even the 4-2 loss against Arsenal that they have a side that should do enough. So Wigan or Hull. For me, it’s Hull City, who escaped relegation last season by the skin of their teeth. Phil Brown’s side are often hard to beat, but with no win in 10 they may find it hard to pick up enough points to save themselves. Portsmouth, Wolves and Hull to go down.

Vocabulary

a two-horse race: a competition between two teams, only these two teams are likely to win

thumping: thrashing, hammering, beating

feat: achievement, accomplishment, triumph

much coveted: prized, wanted a lot

flirting with relegation: being dangerously close to dropping down a division, being close to the bottom of the table

throw (put) the cat among the pigeons: cause a big upset/surprise, shock people, cause chaos

financial car crash: financial disaster, a team whose finances are in a terrible condition

salvage: save, rescue

put your house on: bet a lot of money, gamble a large sum of cash

faint: small, unlikely but possible

steady the ship: resolve problems, make things less chaotic, become more settled and relaxed

escape by the skin of your teeth: narrowly avoid something, be lucky to escape

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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Subscribe: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

News from a top-of-the-table clash in the Premier League, the Africa Cup of Nations, an old footballing rivalry that has flared into life again over recent years, plus a shocking decision from one of the World’s footballing confederations. Vocabulary support can be found for the words in bold at the foot of the post.

The Good

Congratulations to Egypt who won their third Africa Cup of Nations in a row – the first country to ever achieve this feat and which means that they get to keep the trophy. The Pharoahs have not lost in 19 Africa Cup of Nations matches which is a record, they won all 6 of their matches in Angola this time round including a fantastic victory over the Ivory Coast, scored more goals than anyone else, beat their fierce rivals Algeria in the semi-finals and had the tournament’s leading scorer in Gedo. I wonder would they have swapped it all for a place in the World Cup this summer?

Good again for Manchester United who steamrollered Arsenal in the ‘Super Sunday’ fixture last weekend in the English Premier League. It was far from ’super’ for Arsenal, but the Reds will be enjoying their visit to London and the vital three points they took back to the North West of England, particularly as Chelsea could only manage a draw at Hull, leaving last year’s Champions, United, only two points behind. Nani seems to be fulfilling his potential, Rooney continues his fantastic scoring run, netting again in the 3-1 win (see the goals here) to mark his 100th Premier League goal. Smiles all round at Old Trafford and I wouldn’t like to be a Portsmouth fan this weekend as their club, rooted at the bottom of the division, visit United who look in scorching form with 16 goals in their last 5 matches.

The Bad

I suppose this is bad, but it’s also great entertainment. The East Midlands derby between Derby County, 18th in the second tier of English football, and Nottingham Forest, the form team coming into the game, and 2nd in the league , again proved to be a spite-filled affair. The last game between these clubs, ended in both teams being fined for trouble which flared after Nathan Tyson, who scored Forest’s winner that day, waved a corner flag in front of the Derby fans, sparking a confrontation between players and coaches. This game also ended in chaos, after Derby’s Jay McEveley refused to hand the ball back for a Forest throw in, trying to run down the clock – Derby were leading 1-0 with minutes to go. Players, coaching staff and managers were then involved in a bit of argy-bargy – and Billy Davies, Nottingham Forest’s coach has accused Derby’s manager, Nigel Clough of kneeing him in the back during pushing and shoving. Both clubs have been charged by the FA and it looks as though this English derby is going to get more bitter with each game.

It has been a bad week for England and Chelsea captain John Terry who, after the allegations about his personal life were revealed in the UK press at the weekend, has become a victim of the boo boys at any away ground he plays at. How strange it must be for foreign football fans to see the captain of the national side being taunted and jeered whenever he plays. Then again, it must seem pretty weird to see the obsession that the tabloid press have with stories such as these – it’s not as if there has been a dearth of newsworthy stories in the country this week.

The Ugly

Adebayor angry at ban

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has banned Togo from the next two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. Remember, the Togolese bus came under attack from separatists in the Kabinda region of Angola during this year’s competition killing three and injuring several others. The team pulled out of the competition – and that’s where it should have ended – a tragic event that shocked the football world. But no, now they are banned from taking part in the continent’s premier event by CAF. Crazy, insensitive and unjustified.

Vocabulary

achieve this feat: To accomplish something important (To win the competition three times in a row)

The Pharoahs: The nickname of the Egyptian football team

to steamroller: to crush, to beat, to hammer, to thrash

vital: very important, crucial, necessary for life

to fulfill potential: to perform to your level, to do what you are capable of, to live up to expectations

to net: to score

form team: a team with a good recent record of wins, a team on a roll

(trouble) flare: start, break out

to spark a confrontation: to start a argument/fight/stand off

argy-bargy (sometimes argey-bargey): a fight (mainly pushing and shoving), a physical confrontation, an ugly dispute

a dearth of To be lacking in something, not having enough of something

to ban: to not allow something, to prevent from playing

to pull out (of): to quit, to leave a competition

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Well, this week we focus all our attention on the Premier League. Games at the top that could decide whether it’s a two-horse or still a three-horse race for the title, key games in the race for the Champions League fourth spot, and of course we don’t neglect the battles at the basement! Our guest this week is Theo, a Liverpool fan. Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Current Scores: DB 101 | DF 101 | Guest 90

were our former Icelandic owners and now our current bosses intentions to win the Championship within seven years or the Champions League? Our bi-annual dalliance with relegation is confusing me. Exciting as this is, i’m finding it difficult to summon any enthusiasm. Deeds please.