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Learn English Through Football Podcast – Week 3 – Spurs v Liverpool

It’s the thirdA podcast of the new season and this week we take a look at some language from the big games, including ‘last ditch defending’ and ‘give the green light to‘. We also look back at some of the good, the bad and the ugly from this week’s football – including a small Lancashire club, while we also feature some of the big games from the Premier League in our predictions battle – including Damian’s team Tottenham taking on Damon’s team Liverpool. You can check out the transcript for the show in the post below (Damian = DF, Damon = DB).

2016-17 Learn English Through Football Podcast: Week 3A – Spurs v Liverpool

Transcript of the show

DF: You’re listening to languagecaster’s football podcast

DF: Hello football lovers everywhere. If you also want to improve your English language skills, youa€™ve come to the right place! My name is Damian, and this is week 3 of the 2016-17 football season and today on our football language podcast we will be reviewing some of the football news, introducing some football phrases and taking a look at the Premier League games coming up this weekend.

Now, in here London the weather here has recently been really really hot – I wonder what it is like in Tokyo, where Damon is hopefully there at the end of the line. Damon, how are you doing?

DB: Hi there Damian. Yep, good to hear from you. Well, over here I’m doing well after a battering by a couple of typhoons, Tokyo is now sunny, hot and humid – the sun is good, the rest is not! Now, ita€™s been an interesting week of football with Brazil becoming Olympic mena€™s football champions for the first time after a penalty win over Germany, the qualifying rounds for the Champions League have finished and the draw has already taken place – a nice draw for the English sides – and the transfer deadline approaches, thata€™s the 1st of September. Damian, talking about the Olympics, does the football competition mean much?

DF: I think for fans in Brazil it most definitely did; though we should remember it is mainly an under 23 tournament, I ‘m not sure I’d actually say that in Brazil.. I am not sure either that it means that much for fans here in Britain however. How about in Japan, is it a big competition there?

DB: Well, yeah, I think it is a bigger over in Japan than perhaps in Europe. It’s seen as a big scalp if you can do well in that tournament, I think,A  in Japan.

Line up &A Quiz

DF: Now, wea€™re going to start our show this week with our good the bad and ugly section, with three news stories from the beautiful game this week. But before that, we have a quick question for our listeners: which two countries have won the mena€™s tournament at the summer Olympics three times – the answer is at the end of the show. Now, Damon, what was good this week?

Good

DB: Well, of course congratulations go to Brazil for winning the Olympic gold but I think that this week the a€˜gooda€™ should go to Accrington Stanley, a fourth-tier club in the English league who beat Premier League side Burnley in the English Football League Cup 1-0 to go through to the third round where they are going to face West Ham at the former UK Olympic Stadium. Not bad for the tiny side from Accrington. Now, what about bad?

Bad

DF: Well, it was a bad day at the office for four-time European Champions Ajax, as they were thumped 5-2 over two legs by the Russian team Rostov and they crashed out of the Champions LeagueA in the qualifying round. The Dutch outfit were hammered 4-1 in the away leg and A Rostov, appearing for the first time in the tournament, will be looking forward to the group stage draw! How about ugly Damon. What was ugly this week in football?

Ugly

DB: The future isA looking ugly for Joe Hart, England’s first choiceA keeper, at Manchester City as Pep Guardiola has demoted him to the bench and seems to A be showing him the door, as Barcelona keeper, Bravo, flies in for talks of a transfer. The City shot stopper has been at the club for 10 years, but Pep does not seem impressed with his skills with the ball at his feet. A potentially big call for the new manager, as Hart is popular among the fans, but it looks like it is good bye for Joe.

Last ditch defending

DF: Right, let’s take a look at some football phrases and language shall we?

DB: Good idea. Can I start with ‘last ditch defending‘?

DF: Of course, be my guest.

DB: OK, well this phrase is connected with warfare. A ditch is a defensive position, a trench or a hole in the ground, which stops attackers crossing a defending armya€™s lines. The last ditch is the final obstacle to stop an attack. In football last ditch defending, therefore, means desperate defence. Defenders will throw themselves in front of shots, slide in front of attackers and do anything to stop conceding a goal. For example, in the Olympic Games men’s football final in 2016 between Germany and Brazil,A last ditch defending by Germany meant the game went to extra time. What phrase are you going to talk about Damian?

Give the green light

DF: Well Damon this is one sent in by listener and friend of the site, Amadeu, who’s from Brazil, so I’m sure he is delighted with the Olympic gold for his team, and he wants the phrase ‘give the green light’ to be explained. Now we are all familiar with driving and the rules of the road. One rule is you stop at a red light and go when it is green, so this phrase, give the green light to means to say something is OK, that you can continue. Now, you mentioned that Guardiola at Manchester City has benched Joe Hart and it also looks like he’s given the green light to the keeper leaving; that is, he said it is OK for the keeper to move to another club.

Follow us

DF: Remember, if you come along to Languagecaster.com you can find a massiveA collection of more football terms, phrases, expressions, vocabulary and football cliches in our language glossaryA – we think it is the biggest glossary in the world!A If you haveA more words and phrases you think we should add or want explaining thenA contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.A Thanks to Stefan who is theA founder of attackingmidfielder.com, who let us know about his interesting post on the most expensive signings in the Premier League – go along to his site to check that out. Also, thank you to Pedro for your question about the meaning of glory hunter – you were right Pedro when you asked about this, this means a fair weather fan, someone who follows a team when they are successful and may have no connection with the club, a glory hunter

DB: You can also follow us on Facebook a€“ Learn English Through Football a€“ or on twitter@languagecaster.A Of course thank you for all your follows, likesA andA retweets -A @SpecialK1555, @adel_hypa, and @MarceloXXIAlves on twitter to name a few, and Ivison, Nguyen and Sutida on Facebook. Thanks a lot. Now. it’s time for predictions

Predictions

DF: Next up we have our predictions battle in which both of usA will try and predict some of the big games from the Premier League. Why don’t you give it a try too? Simply come along to our site at languagecaster.com, signA in (for free) to our predictions competition a€“ you can see that at the top of the menu bar on our site and then of course just make your choices. Ita€™s 3 points for a correct score and one for the right result. Now the current leader in the competition is still Aung Kyaw, who is from Burma, who has 17A points but theA lead is shared with Tokyo Red, is that you Damon?

DB: It is indeed!

DF: And you also have 17 points. In third is rooneytunesA on 11 with myself asA Learn English Through Football on the same points.

DB: Well done. OK, well, this week we have three games to talk about on the show and the first is Spurs v Liverpool. Damian, last season both away and home fixtures were draws. What do you think here?

DF: I think this game may also finish in a draw as both sides will cancel each other out. 1-1 for me. How about you?

DB: Interesting. Well, I think we’re going to have a nice away trip to London and teach your boys how to play a bit of football. 2-0 to Liverpool and that’s fighting talk!

DF: Fighting talk indeed! We’ll see! We’ll see! We’ll see Damon, we’ll see. Next we have Hull City vs Manchester United. Both teams with two victories so far this season. Man U with Pogba joining, an on fire Ibrahimovic.A  I’m going for a Manchester United win. 2-1 for me. How about you?

DB: I’d love to see Hull continue their great start but Manchester United are looking ominously good and I think will pick up all three points with a 1-0 away win. Finally, we have West Brom v Middlesbrough. West Brom always seem to be in the relegation fight come the new year while Middlesbrough are a newly promoted side off to a good start in the Premier League with a win and a draw. What are your thoughts?

DF: Yes, ‘Boro have started well but I see this one ending in a draw: 1-1.

DB: I disagree. I think Middlesbrough are going to continue their good form, and I think they will beat West Brom and bring doom and gloom to the Midlands. I think it’s going to be a 1-0 Middlesbrough victory. Now what do you think listener, what do you think will happen in this weeka€™s Premier League? Come along to our site at languagecaster.com and add your scores.

Quiz Answer

DF: Earlier in the show we asked, which two countries have won the Olympic men’s gold the most times and the answer is, Damon?

DB: Hungary and England, but I think both got their victories some time ago!

DF: Yes, I think Britain won its last gold in 1912!

Good bye

DB: And now it’s time for us to go, so enjoy all of the football and hope your team does well – come on you Reds!

DF: Thanks, enjoy all the football and see you next week when we’ll be looking ahead to some 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Bye!

 

Learn English Through Football Podcast
Learn English Through Football Podcast
Damian Fitzpatrick

Learn English Through Football Podcast: A show for football fans to improve their English language skills

Author
grell

I was born and brought up near Chester in the north west of England. I have always loved playing and talking about sport, especially football!
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