This football language post looks at the phrase ‘to lose the dressing room‘. You can read the transcript for this post below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.
To Lose the Dressing Room
This expression is used when a manager (or captain) has lost the respect of the rest of the players, making it very difficult for him or her to carry on in the job. If the players no longer listen or react to the manager then they will no longer play for him/her – the manager has lost the dressing room. The dressing room is the place where the players change before and after the game but it also describes the space where the manager and players work and communicate – so to lose the dressing room suggests that no one is listening to you anymore. If a manager loses the dressing room then there is a very good chance that they will leave the club soon afterwards.
- Example: The formerA managerA was forced out of the club afterA losing the dressing room.
- Example: ‘Marsch hasna€™t lost the dressing room at any point’ (BBC.co.uk, December 6 2022)
- Example: ‘Frank Lampard had reportedly a€˜lost the dressing rooma€™ at Chelsea in his final weeks as manager, thanks largely to his lack of communication with a number of players in his squad. (Metro.co.uk, January 25 2021)
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Glossary
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