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Here are some words and phrases you can hear on this weeka€™s languagecastera€™s Good, Bad and Ugly section of the podcast – a review of the footballing news. For more English practice check out our worksheets, football glossary and English for football phrases.

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  • Cast off: Someone or thing that has been let go

Example: Damon says that Juande Ramos is a Tottenham cast off.

  • A step up: A promotion, a move up

Example: It is a step up for Ramos having left Tottenham for Real Madrid.

  • Arch-rivals: Huge rivals, footballing enemies

Example: Barcelona play their arch-rivals Real Madrid in this week’s big game in Spain

  • To book a place: To reach the next round

Example: Gillingham booked a place in the third round of the FA Cup after beating Stockport.

  • To land a tie: To earn the right to play

Example: Gillingham landed a tie against Aston Villa in the next round

  • Unprecedented: Never done before, something new or unique

Example: Sao Paolo won an unprecedented third Brazilian title in a row last week.

  • Relegated: To move down a division after performing poorly.

Example: Vasco da Gama were relegated from the top Brazilian division after losing at home to Vitoria.

  • Fallen giants: Teams or players that were once big stars but are now not so good.

Example: Ronaldo and Corinthians are examples of two fallen giants that may be on the verge of comebacks.

  • Farce: A joke

Example: Damon reckons that the Champions League group stage is a farce.

  • To be touted: To be promoted, to be called something good

Example: The Champions League is touted as the best competition in the world.

  • A revamp: A change in a tournament.

Example: Damon is looking for the Champions League to be revamped.

  • Off the ball: Away from the referee’s view, the referee cannot see it.

Example: Rooney hit a Danish player in an off the ball incident.

  • To stamp: To hurt an opponent by putting your foot on them.

Example: Wayne Rooney stamped on a Danish defender.

  • To turn a blind eye: To not really watch closely

Example: The French referee turned a blind eye to Wayne Rooney’s off the ball antics.

Welcome to the website that helps students interested in football improve their English language skills. Soccer fans can enhance these skills with lots of free language resources: a weekly podcast, football phrases, explanations of football vocabulary, football cliches, worksheets, quizzes and much more at languagecaster.com.

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