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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 and introduce a football expression in English for Football.
Introduction
Damon is in Tokyo and Damian is in Bangkok and they discuss the first week of the 2008 European Championship. They look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the first week, give some predictions, explain a key phrase ‘lay down a marker’ and also have an interview with some football fans from Tokyo and Bangkok in which they predict the winners, the dark horses and the flops of the tournament.
Transcripts
Interviews
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.
English Football Phrase: Put down a marker
Today’s English for football phrase is to put down a marker The ‘marker’ in this phrase originally meant a line in the ground, a boundary which could not be crossed. To put down, or to lay down, a marker originally meant to outline your territory, what is yours. Nowadays, it is most often used to mean ‘to send a signal’, ‘ to announce a ‘presence or power’. So, in football, if you lay down a marker you have a good result in an opening game in a competition. The win shows your opponents that you are a strong team and that you have a good chance of winning the competition. In the European Championships this week, Germany, Portugal and last night Holland, have all put down a marker showing the other teams that they will not be easy to beat. To put down a marker.
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