Learn English Through Football languagecaster.com

In this football language podcast we look back at some of the language from the big game from the Premier League last weekend: Manchester City versus Liverpool using the Guardian newspaper match report. You can read the transcript for this podcast 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.

 

Learn English Through Football Podcast: 2023 Man City v Liverpool (Mis-hit Clearance)

DF: Hi Damon and hello to all the listeners. Hope we are all well and enjoying the return to domestic football after the international break. Yes, I am in a rather cold but bright London – perfect conditions for watching and playing football! Indeed, straight after playing five-a-side on Saturday morning I got home to watch the City-Liverpool match with anticipation but thought it was a little flat, especially the atmosphere which was maybe due to the early kick-off time (12:30 in the UK). What did you think of the game Damon?

DB: Hi there Damian. Playing five-a-side in a bright and sunny London sounds a great way to start the day. Tokyo too is chilly but with sunshine. Nice weather! As for the Man City versus Liverpool game, I agree that it was not as exciting as many people had thought it would be. The early kick off never helps, but I also thought both teams showed each other a lot of respect, so it was quite a tactical game. I think both teams were happy with the point, so weren’t prepared to go for it. Although Man City fans will probably feel they did enough to win, especially with a goal ruled out for a foul on Alisson. As a Liverpool fan, I was relieved to get to the final whistle at 1-1, and was pretty pleased with how we played overall.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Korean).

Key Words

DB: Yes, you are listening to Languagecaster.com and that message was in Korean. Right, let’s take a look at some of the language used to describe the Manchester City vs Liverpool game from the Guardian newspaper report. And in particular, we will be looking at some of the language to describe the Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson’s performance. But before we take a look at them, here are some of the words and phrases that you will hear:



* Set up a counter attack: To start a quick attack that tries to catch out the opposition.

* Hit the ball cleanly: This means to strike or kick the ball well

* Mis-hit pass: A pass that is not hit cleanly, the ball is not hit well and so goes in a different direction that the player wants it to go.

* Infringement: When the laws of the game are ‘broken’; an example would be a handball or a foul.

* Contentious: A controversial decision

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase ‘rattle the crossbar‘ or ‘rattle the woodwork‘ which we use to describe a shot hitting the frame of the goal. Don’t forget we have hundreds more explanations of football language in our football glossary and we also have a page full of football cliches. If you have questions or comments about this or any other phrase then email us at: admin@languagecaster.com.

 

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Learn English Through Football Language Podcast: November International Break & Rattle the Crossbar

DF: Hello again everyone and welcome to Languagecaster.com – the football-language podcast for learners and teachers of English. I’m Damian and I’m based here in London and…where the weather is a little chilly actually. And of course the other member of the Languagecaster team is Damon who is based in Tokyo in Japan. 

Now, this week was an international break and so we had European Championship qualifiers for next year’s finals in Germany, while the 2026 World Cup qualifiers were also being played in Africa, South America and Asia. So, on this week’s podcast, we will be looking at some of the language from the good, the bad and the ugly from some of those international matches, while we will also be looking at some language used when a ball hits the crossbar, including rattle; hit; shave; cannon and smack against the bar.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from a Brazilian fan).

Yes, that was from a Brazilian fan and we will be featuring Brazil in the bad section of our good, bad and ugly part of the show as we look back at some of the language that emerged from the November international break. Before we take a look at the stories here are some of the words and phrases that you will hear:



* Respective histories: This means both countries’ histories. So, when we use ‘respective’ it refers to two separate things that share something. 

* To top the group: This means to lead or to win the group (see also the phrase to top the table)

* Standings: This refers to the position that a team finds itself in the league or division. 

* An ill-tempered match: And this is a bad-tempered game where both sides behaved badly 

* Seleção: This is the nickname of the Brazilian national team

* showpiece: This the main event; the game everyone was waiting for

* disciplinary proceedings: An investigation set up to find out why trouble has occurred. 



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The Good

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In this football language podcast we look at the phrase ‘fortress‘ which is used to describe a stadium where the home team is very strong and does not lose very often. Don’t forget we have hundreds more explanations of football language in our football glossary and we also have a page full of football cliches. If you have questions or comments about this or any other phrase then email us at: admin@languagecaster.com.

 

Learn English Through Football Podcast: Fortress

DF: Hello again everyone and welcome to Languagecaster.com – the football-language podcast for learners and teachers of English. I’m Damian and I’m based here in London where the weather has recently been very wet indeed. What is the weather like where you are? I wonder what the weather is like in Tokyo in Japan where of course the other member of the Languagecaster team Damon is based? Now, recently here at Languagecaster we have posted some football-language podcasts on the phrase ‘bundle home‘ and we also looked at some of the language from the recent Copa Libertadores final which of course Fluminense won. We have also posted some new phrases on our site including, The Toffees and the phrase ‘To be at it‘. Just come along to our site to find these language-learning resources. And on today’s podcast we will be explaining the word ‘fortress‘ – what do you think this means in football?

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from Vietnamese fans)

What football have you been watching recently? Have you watched any of the Champions League? Or maybe the new WSL season in England – that’s the Women’s Super League of course. Or maybe you saw the recent ‘clasico‘ in Spain in which Jude Bellingham scored a brace (including a very late goal) to defeat Barcelona? Or maybe that crazy game of football earlier this week between Tottenham and Chelsea? Hopefully your team has been doing well – my favourite team Tottenham are currently second in the Premier League – despite that 1-4 loss to Chelsea – while Damon’s favourite side Liverpool are currently in third place so we are both really happy. And so on this short podcast we will be looking at a phrase that describes when a team is playing really well and, in particular, when they are playing well at home. So, we’ll be explaining the term, ‘fortress‘.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from a Spanish fan)

Fortress

The meaning of the word ‘fortress‘ is a big building (or maybe a group of buildings) that protects people against an attack; it is like a castle and it defends the local population. In football, we use the word fortress to describe a stadium where a home team rarely lose or that they win lots of their home matches. So,

In this football language podcast Damian looks back at some of the good, the bad and the ugly from the 2023 Copa Libertadores final between Fluminense and Boca Juniors in the Maracanã Stadium Brazil. In particular, he looks at the phrases, ‘  ‘ Don’t forget we have hundreds more explanations of football language in our football glossary and we also have a page full of football cliches. If you have questions or comments about this or any other phrase then email us at: admin@languagecaster.com.

 

Learn English Through Football Podcast: 2023 Copa Libertadores Final Review – Fluminense v Boca Juniors

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DF: Hello again everyone and welcome to Languagecaster.com – the football-language podcast for learners and teachers of English. I’m Damian and I’m based here in London where the weather has been very wet indeed – storms, floods and heavy rain for the past couple of weeks. Hopefully the weather has been good where you are.

Now, apologies for no podcasts from me over the past couple of weeks but as a teacher the start of term is always a busy time. But the other member of the Languagecaster team, Damon, has been posting some wonderful football-language podcasts, including the phrase ‘Orange card’, the nickname of the Everton football team – ‘the Toffees‘ and most recently he explained the expression ‘bundle home‘. So come along to our site here at Languagecaster.com and give them a listen. You can of course also subscribe to our football-language podcasts and if you already do then thank you so much indeed.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from an Brazilian fan)

Vocabulary

Now on this podcast I am going to be looking back at some of the words and phrases from the 2023 Copa Libertadores final between Fluminense and Boca Juniors that took place this weekend. But before we look back at some of the good, the bad and the ugly from the Copa Libertadores final let’s take a look at some of the key words you might hear.



* After extra time (AET): An extra 30 minutes are added on to the game when teams have drawn after 90 minutes – this time is added on in order to find a winner and this is used in cup games not in league games.

* Open the scoring (Broke the deadlock): The deadlock is when there has been no score so to break the deadlock means to score the first goal of the game.

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This podcast is for those who love football and also want to improve their English. This week, we look at various ways to say score with the noun ‘home’: eg. bundle home. You can read the transcript of the show below. It is a great way for learners of English to practice. You can also check out our massive glossary of footballing phrases here. We have hundreds of previous posts and podcasts too on our website. If you are a teacher of English, why don’t you use the audio and transcript to provide practice for their students: Try some true/false questions, pick out some key vocabulary before playing the podcast as an audio quiz, etc. And learners of English can access all resources for free.  Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.

Learn English Through Football

DB: Hello there everyone. Welcome to the podcast for all those who love the beautiful game of football and also want to improve their English. My name’s Damon, and I’m based in Tokyo. It’s a beautiful weekend here in Japan. I wonder what it is like over in London, where Damian, the other half of the team lives. Nice I hope. Damian has recently posted on the website and looked at the word ‘challenge’. Check it out if you want to know more about this phrase used to talk about tackling.

In this podcast, we’re not talking about tackling, but instead we will focus on scoring from close range, and how to describe goals using the noun ‘home‘.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Danish)

DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and that message was in Danish.

Bundle Home

DB: OK, let’s kick off with today’s football language, using a verb plus ‘home‘ to describe a goal. I’m going to focus on goals scored close to the goal line, say around the six-yard area, and see how we can describe goals in this way.

The first one is bundle home. If a player bundles the ball home, it isn’t a clean strike or hit. Maybe the ball comes off the player’s shin or thigh, it is almost pushed in. It is a bit chaotic and several players may be trying to either shoot or clear the ball.

Here’s an example from the BBC: “Sharp, who had only been on the pitch for six minutes, bundled the ball home from close range after Oliver McBurnie’s mishit shot bounced off Nathan Ake and into the striker’s path.”

Stab Home

DB: Next, stab home. This is also a shot close to the goal line, but instead of being a bit lucky, to stab home describes a quick shot; the player has quick reactions and connects with the ball, often with the front of the boot, and stabs the ball home.

Here’s an example from Eurosport.com: “Juve looked set to drop two valuable points until Cambiaso stabbed home from close range in the dying minutes of stoppage time.”

Notice again we have the phrase ‘from close range‘ as well, just like in our example of bundled home.

Very similar to stab home, is poke home.

Tuck Home

DB: Next is to tuck home. This describes a shot anywhere from perhaps the penalty spot to the six-yard area, so still close to the goal.

To tuck away means to put something safely away. For example, someone might tuck some money away to save it and keep it safe. In the passive construction, be tucked away, this is often used to describe a building in a quiet street – her house was tucked away in the corner of the park. The house is difficult to find but safe and cosy.

In football, if a player tucks the ball home,

This podcast is for those who love football and also want to improve their English. This week, we explain the nickname for Everton FC, The Toffees. You can read the transcript of the show below. It is a great way for learners of English to practice. You can also check out our massive glossary of footballing phrases here. We have hundreds of previous posts and podcasts too on our website. If you are a teacher of English, why don’t you use the audio and transcript to provide practice for their students: Try some true/false questions, pick out some key vocabulary before playing the podcast as an audio quiz, etc. And learners of English can access all resources for free.  Let us know if you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.

Learn English Through Football

DB: Hi there everyone. Welcome to the podcast for those who love football and also want to improve their English. My name’s Damon, and I’m based in Tokyo. In a few hours the 243rd derby between Liverpool and Everton will kick off, and I thought it was a good opportunity to talk about the nicknames of the two clubs.

Now, I am sure Damian, the other member of the languagecaster team, knows the nickname for Everton football club, but I wonder if he knows the history behind their nickname. And how about you, do you know why Everton are called the Toffees?

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Persian)

DB: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster and that message was in Persian.

The Toffees

DB: Right, let’s kick off. Now, I’m a Liverpool fan, but we’re going to start with the nickname for Liverpool’s big rivals, Everton. They are often called the Toffees. Now, a toffee is a hard sweet, and its main ingredients are sugar and butter.

Two sweet shops have been connected with the history of Everton FC and both, therefore, influenced the nickname. The first was located closer to Anfield, where Everton originally played. This was  Ye Anciente Everton Toffee House. The second was closer to Goodison Park where Everton moved later. This was Mother Noblett’s Toffee Shop.

The second shop became closely identified with the club as it invented the Everton Mint, toffee surrounded by white and black striped mint. This was similar to the colours worn in the club’s early decades. They wore, for a time, black shirts and white socks.

Even now, a woman, in late nineteenth century dress,  will throw toffees to the crowd at Everton’s home games. They are known as the Toffee-lady Mascot.

I recommend you check out the Everton FC website for much more on this history.

Bluenose

DB: Another nickname you may hear for an Everton fan, is Bluenose. Obviously Everton now play in blue and Bluenose just refers to this fact. It is used for other fans of teams in blue, for example Birmingham City FC  fans in Birmingham may be called bluenoses.

In the city of Liverpool, most fans are either blue, Everton, or red. If you are blue you are an Everton fan. If you’re a red, you’re a Liverpool supporter . So a fan of Everton would be a Toffee, a Bluenose, or a Blue.

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Goodbye

DB: Thank you for that message in Cantonese. How about the team you follow? What are their nicknames? Come along to our site at languagecaster.com and leave us a comment or email us directly at admin@languagecaster.com. It would be great to hear the history of other nicknames from clubs around the world.

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