Learn English Through Football Podcast

A On this week's show Damian and Damon focus on the Champions League knock out stage. In addition the languagecaster team: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Continue the David Beckham update in Beckham Watch Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competitionFor learners of English there are also: Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

A A This week Damon is still in freezing Tokyo while Damian is in hot and humid Bangkok. On this week's show our Ireland pundit, talks about the appointment of Trapattoni as Ireland's coach. We also have another expression forA English for Football. There is a transcript A for the report below as well as the following links for language learners. Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers inA fansa€™ forumTranscriptNow, good news for Irish football fans as the FAI, the Football Association of Ireland, finally appoint a new manager in Giovanni Trapattoni. And I spoke to our Irish football correspondent Brendan Fitzpatrick earlier on the reaction in Ireland.A BF: The new coach is 68 year old Giovanni Trapattoni. He's won everything in the game, he's won the league in Italy, he's won the league in Germany, he's won the league in Portugal and he's also won the Champions League and every major European club trophy so, very much a coup for the FAI and that's the way it's been seen over here with everyone delighted with his appointment.A DF: So a lot of optimism in Ireland today?BF: Lot of optimism in Ireland today, Trapattoni was approached by the FAI about ten days ago and after he was approached by the association he contacted an old friend of his called Liam Brady who played under Trapattoni for Juventus in the 1980s. He checked out the position with Brady and Brady told him that he believed there was enough raw materials, i.e. the players for them to qualify for the World Cup.A DF: Do you think Liam Brady will have a role to play in the new Irish set up?BF: Now i caught up with Liam Brady, who was holidaying at the time in Barbados, who said that he would like to sit down with Trapattoni face to face and to discuss a particular role in the Irish set up but at the same time he would be reluctant to leave his current position at Arsenal where he's head of youth team affairs, so perhaps some kind of part-time role there in the future.A DF: Interesting. Now has there been a positive reaction towards the FAI for their appointment?BF: Yes, there was one, I suppose, cloud on the horizon yesterday when the FAI announced at the press conference to anoint Trapattoni that they'd received A£1million from an Irish businessman called Dennis O' Brien towards the appointment of Trapattoni. O' Brien donated this money, he approached the FAI in October, one week before the departure of Steve Staunton so the question mark remains would Dennis O' Brien have put forward the money, say for example if the FAI were to appoint Terry Venables or did he in any way have an input into the selection into the new coach. The FAI say it is a A£1million gift that they'd got from the businessman with no strings attached and that's what Dennis O' Brien himself has been saying himself over here in the media in the past 24 hours.A DF: OK, good times ahead for Ireland hopefully, thanks a lot Brendan. A A

A On this week's podcast, Damian and Damon talk about the new Ireland Manager's appointment and the the story that Premier League teams may play abroad. In addition the languagecaster team: Review the football week inA the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in theA predictions competitionFor learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers inA fansa€™ forum

This week Damon is in freezing Tokyo while Damian is in hot and humid Bangkok. On learner's podcast 27 there are three reports: first Damian reviews the African Cup of Nations then Damon explains the Munich Air Crash on its 50th anniversary. Finally we have another expression in English for Football. There are transcripts for all three of the reports below as well as the following links for language learners. Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum Transcript The African Cup of Nations has reached the semi final stage and the languagecaster team looks back at the unqualified success of the tournament so far. With Ghana proving to be excellent hosts, large crowds watching the games, teams playing attacking football, lots of wonderful goals and new stars emerging the controversy surrounding the club versus country issue before the competition had even started has become a distant memory. 70 goals were scored in the group stages with only two scoreless draws taking place as teams attempted to qualify in positive style and few would have predicted the North African sides, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt being among the top scorers. These three teams scored 20 goals in total with only Morocco not making it to the later stages. Two other teams that were expected to make the knock-outs but failed were Senegal and Mali, who were many people's dark horses. While pre-tournament favourites Nigeria were poor throughout and returned home after losing to their great rivals Ghana in the quarter finals. Their coach Bertie Vogts will be looking for a new job soon I feel! The other quarter finals saw Ivory Coast thrash Guinea 5-0, Cameroon beat Tunisia 3-2 after extra time and holders Egypt hold off a spirited Angolan team 2-1. The Angolans were playing in the knock out stages for the first time and threw up one of the stars of the tournament in Manucho who has been signed by Manchester United. Other star performances so far include Ivory Coast's Drogba, Kalou and Keita, Ghana's Michael Essien and Julius Agogo, Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o and Stephane M'bia, as well as Egypt's Amr Zaki and Zidan who all hope to be playing in Sunday's final. I am sticking with my original prediction and going for an Ivory Coast victory. The 6th of February, 1958 saw one of the biggest footballing tragedies in the English game. Flight 609 crashed while making it's third attempt to take off from Munich airport in poor weather. There was snow on the runway and ice on the plane's wings. Twenty two of the passengers died either immediately or because of their injuries later. The plane was carrying the 'Busby Babes', the young Manchester United side coached by Matt Busby - the average age of the squad was just 24, and they were on their way back from a European tie against Red Star Belgrade. The team had looked set to dominate the English game and perhaps the new european Cup too. It was to be a decade before Matt Busby, who nearly died in the crash, built a side capable of winning European's top club prize. So this year is a special one for Manchester United. It's 50 years since the tragedy and the club would dearly love to mark it by winning the European Cup and the premiership title. They look capable of both. They could even win a treble with the FA Cup as well. What a way to honour those players, coaches and journalists who died half a century before. And in one of those weird footballing coincidences, Manchester United will take on their rivals in blue Manchester City four days after the anniversary. The newspapers and message boards have been full of speculation about how the Manchester City fans will mark the event. United want a minutes silence, while City asked for a minutes applause - fearing that a silence will not be able to hide the noise some of their fans may make to disrupt the mark of respect. As another mark of respect, United will play in a kit based on that of 1958. It will have no numbers or players' names.

This week Damon is in freezing Tokyo while Damian is in hot and humid Bangkok. On podcast 27 we have two main reports: first Damon will look back at the tragic events of February 6th 1958 when 7 members of the Manchester United team were killed in an air crash in Munich. In the second report Damian reviews the African Cup of Nations so far. In addition the languagecaster team: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show Hans talks about the club he follows, Derby County and Damon introduces another English for football phrase. Try out ourA worksheetsA orA online quizzesA to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. TranscriptIf youa€™re looking for consistency in the Premiership this year, look no further than the great Derby County football team. Thata€™s right ladies and gentlemen, the Rams are the most consistent team in the Premiership. And why? Well, you can look at the league table and you can see why. They seem to lose every week. But I believe they are a great football club. Leta€™s tell you why.A First of all, I am a passionate Derby County fan. I have been all my life, and I will never support any other team. This year, you may think, how is it possible to support such a terrible team? Looking at the table youa€™ll see theya€™ve had only one victory, at home against Newcastle. Theya€™ve had a couple of draws away and a couple at home and the rest have been losses: sometimes 3, 4, 5 and even six nil games. Billy Davies, the manager who brought them up to the Premiership last year, has been sacked, replaced by Paul Jewel. And last week Derby were beaten at home by Championship strugglers Preston North End 4 to 1.A Are you wondering why Ia€™m so happy at being a Derby County fan? Because this week was a big week for them. This week, not only did we draw with Man City, picking up a point to take our tally to eight, but we also have new owners. Now recently, the thought of having American owners in the Premiership has had a bit of a bad taste about it. But in Derby, this is actually quite good news because Derby County has had a very torrid past few years. It was only a couple of years ago that my team was languishing at the bottom of the Championship facing relegation, much like Leeds United did last year, and with masses of debt piling up. But then, along came a good season. Along came promotion. And now, new owners, who have reportedly put in A£50 million to keep the club afloat, pay off their debts and inject some money into the transfer market for new players.The future for Derby County is bright. Yes, they will probably be relegated. Yes, they will probably be playing Championship football next year. But I for one am delighted because with this new money Derby should be able to compete for better players, and they should be aiming for promotion again: if not next season then the following season.A And they should come back into the Premiership with an excellent base upon which to build.And dona€™t forget Derby have a fantastic fan base. This season, this season of loss upon loss, they still pull over 30,000 fans to all their home games, which is a lot better than some other Premiership teams. And they still are the Rams playing at Pride park, and for me, the only team worth watching in the Premiership.Go the Rams! Go Derby County.A

A This is the last show with Damian in the studio with Damon. Damian will be off to live in Thailand and then Europe next week. On this week's show we take a look at Derby County with Ram's fan, Hans and: Review the football week inA the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in theA predictions competitionFor learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers inA fansa€™ forumA

On this week's show Damon and Damian take a look at cup competitions in England also Damon has a new English for Football phrase.

On this week's show we ask if the romance of the cup has disappeared as the Carling Cup semi finals and the FA Cup 4th round take place in England. We also... Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

A On this week's show Damon and Damian take a look at the African Nations' Cup in Ghana. Damian also has a new English for Football phrase.Try out ourA worksheetsA orA online quizA to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. TranscriptA A This cup keeps getting bigger and bigger in terms of worldwide interest, and even though Africa only has one team, Nigeria, ranked in FIFAa€™s top 20 therea€™s no doubt that Africa producesA some of the best and most exciting players in world football: Michael Essien, Youssef Hadji, Obafemi Martins, Yakubu, Drogba, Kolo Toure, Etoa€™o, the list goes on. To celebrate this feast of football, here is a look at the tournament in numbers.5 - The number of letters in the host nations name - Ghana. Also the number of times Egypt (the most successful side in the competition) have won the Cup.26 - The number of times it has been held. The whole show started in 1957.4 - There will be four venues: Tamole (20,000), Mumasi (44,000), Accra (44,000) and Sekondi-Takoradi. This is also the number of groups, and the number of times Mali have participated and the number of times they have progressed to the last four. Can they do better this time?16 - There are sixteen teams taking part: In group A, Ghana the hosts take on Guinea, Morocco and Namibia. A tough group, but my guess is Ghana to go through with Morocco. Group B is also a difficult group: Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Mali and Benin. Ivory Coast have got to be favourites here, as they are packed with big stars playing in Europe, and Ia€™m going to tip Mali to join them. Group C has Egypt, Cameroon, Zambia and Sudan, and this looks like a two horse race, with the team with the history in the cup, Egypt, probably vying with Cameroon for the top two spots. The final group, D, will pit Tunisia, Senegal, South Africa and Angola against each other. South Africa seem to be going backwards at the moment and Angola would be a big surprise to progress, so it looks like the Carthage Eagles and the Teranga Lions to go through.13 - The number of countries who have won the Cup3 - The number of teams with a€˜eaglea€™ in their nickname: The Super eagles form Nigeria, The eagles from mali, and the Carthage Eagles from Tunisia.0- The number of times Angola, the next host for the competition in 2010, has won the Cup4-2 - The score in penalties of the last competitiona€™s final between Egypt and the Ivory Coast.14 -A Goals scored by the competitions top-goal scorer, Laurent Pokou from the Ivory Coast. I wonder if Drogba can top that?

On this week's show we look at the African Cup of nations, and... Review the football week inA the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in theA predictions competitionFor learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers inA fansa€™ forumA

A On this week's show Damon and Damian ask fans from English Premier League teams, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal how they see their teams performing in the rest of the season. Damon also has a new English for Football phrase. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript DF: Here we are with a Manchester United season ticket holder, how do you see the rest of the season panning out? Shane: Well, hopefully it will go similarly to last year. I think they have probably the best squad in the league but I think complacency has struck them on a couple of occasions and I think it's for them to lose in a certain manner but at the same time, you have to keep the eye on the ball, I don't want to ... all the old cliches or anything... DF: Who is going to be your biggest rivals? Shane: It's going to be Arsenal. DF: Chelsea? Shane: No. I ... initially when Mourinho left we all thought Chelsea would fall away but it didn't materialise but they had a fairly good run of matches but the only thing is when they came across the bigger teams, I think, I think, Grant's calibre has shown he's not as tactically aware as the other top 4 managers, so I think Chelsea could be written off, well, not written off... I'd be very surprised if they made a run. Liverpool, they're not doing enough, they're not doing enough against the big teams. DF: Now you are still in the Champions League of course. Shane: Oh yeah. DF: How do you see United's chances inthe Champions League this season? Shane: Up to the draw to the last 16 very, very confident butA I think the draw we got was as difficult a draw as we could have got in the alst 16 butA as a lot of people say, if you want to win it you've got to beat the best teams and it shouldn't matter who you play, but I think we have a tough last 16 round but if we get through that, who knows? I'd be confident. DF: Would you take The Premier League or The Champions League? Shane: Being greedy I'd want two but ...I think I'd prefer the Champions League.

On this week's show we hear three fans of Premier League teams predict how they will fare in the remainder of this season. Damian and Damon also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show Damon and Damian focus on the FA Cup Third Round games in England and Wales and introduce another English for football phrase. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript The FA Cup. As English as a cup of tea, Stonehenge and red double-decker buses. Draw <a href="http://www.mattelove.com">poker</a> ist das Top online Poker Spiel, welches die meisten Leute wahrscheinlich gespielt haben, mindestens bei irgendeiner Gelegenheit in ihrer Lebenszeit. At least that's according to a survey in England to try to find English icons. Certainly most men in their thirties or forties will remember as boys following the FA Cup final build up from the early morning on TV until the game kicked off - player profiles, trivia, what the teams were eating for breakfast, the fans on the coaches, the end of the football season in England. The third round is where the small fry get their chance against the big fish from the top leagues. If the smaller team is lucky they'll get drawn away to one of the Premier League sides and reap the rewards of the ticket sales. It can mean a new stand, a quality player, clearing debt for the minnows, and huge embarrassment if they lose for the giants from the top league. So will there be any upsets in this years Cup? Well, here are four games that I think could produce a surprise result. Remember even a draw for a smaller club feels like a victory. First up is Bristol Rovers from the First Division at Fulham. Now, Fulham have a new manager but their recent form is terrible, and they are really on the ropes. Rovers will believe this is their chance, and if they won it would be a huge shock. Second, Champions league side Stoke against Premier League side Newcastle United. Of course, you would expect the greater experience and strength in depth to show, but Stoke are in the race for promotion and haven't lost for 10 games. Sam Allerdyce will not be looking forward to this tie. Thirdly, a David and Goliath match up sees Swansea from Division One host Havant & Waterlooville from the non-league Conference South division. With a striker called Rocky Baptiste playing for the semi-pro Hawks anything could happen. But finally, Chasetown, who are the lowest ranked team to reach the third round of the FA Cup take on Cardiff from the Championship. The Welsh side should win comfortably, but they are playing away at Chasetown and it will be a poor playing surface, cold showers, cramped changing rooms and a hostile crowd. The pressure just might get to Cardiff. And who knows, we could see Chasetown progress to meet one of today's giants in the fourth round.

The FA Cup is back! The 3rd round is the focus of this week's podcast. Damian and Damon also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show Damon and Damian look back at some of the highs and lows of the footballing world in 2007. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript Kaka has just been named the best player of 2007 for his performances for AC Milan during the past year but in this languagecaster review of 2007 we hope to remind you of some of the other teams, moments and personalities of the past 12 months. In England, the Big Four continued to dominate with Chelsea winning the Carling Cup in March in a tumultuous game against their London rivals, Arsenal. Indeed at one stage the Blues looked as if they might win an unprecedented quadruple but after losing to Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final they a€˜onlya€™ ended up with a Cup double after winning the first FA Cup final at the new Wembley Stadium against Manchester United in May. Sir Alex Fergusona€™s Reds had been thwarted from winning the double in that final having already won the Premier League for the first time in four years with Cristiano Ronaldo dominating the league and winning the English Player of the Year award. This season has seen little change at the top as the big four dominate again though Arsenal look as if they will push United all the way. Spaina€™s La Liga saw one the most exciting title races in recent times as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla were all battling to win the league. It went down to the wire on the last day of the season with Fabio Capelloa€™s Madrid eventually winning the three-horse-race. Inter ran away with the Serie A title in Italy as their rivals were unable to recover from the calciopoli scandal and though this yeara€™s title race in Italy is a much tighter affair, Roberto Mancinia€™s team yet again lead the scudetto at Christmas. With Bayern Munich struggling last season the Bundesliga also proved to be an exciting affair with Stuttgart winning the championship on the final day of the season to deny Schalke the chance of their first German title, remaining the nearly men of German football. This season has seen another exciting race this time with a resurgent Bayern battling with Bremen and Hamburg for the title. In other European leagues there was more of the same as Celtic won their second title in a row in Scotland, Porto their third in Portugal and amazingly Lyon won their sixth French title in a row. Unsurprisingly, all three of these teams are top of their countriesa€™ table at the half way mark this season again. In European competitions, Sevilla repeated their UEFA Cup triumph in beating fellow Spanish team Espanyol in the final while in the Champions League we saw a repeat of the 2005 final between AC Milan and Liverpool. In Japan Urawa Reds were unable to win their second J-League crown in a row as Antlers came with a 9 match winning steak to pip them at the post, though the Reds did manage to become Asian Club champions for the first time in their history. Congratulations too to Etoile Soleil from Tunisia, Pachuca from Mexico and Argentinaa€™s Boca Juniors for winning their respective continental championships though Boca were unable to win their own domestic league as this honour went to little Lanus for the first time. Sao Paolo were Brazilian champions but perhaps the biggest story in that country was the fact that former winners, Corinthians, were relegated for the first time in the cluba€™s history. In the MLS New York lost their third final in a row a€“ this time to Dallas but the biggest story there was all about this man. The jury is still out on whether Beckhama€™s impact was a positive one but it cannot be denied that he still is a huge draw wherever he goes. Other personalities to make the news this year included Jose Mourinho being sacked from Chelsea - an unthinkable prospect this time last year, Steve MacClaren was also fired for his lamentable performances as the England manager while his predecessor, Sven Goran Erikssonn, has reinvented himself as a very successful Manchester City manager. The Argentinian striker, Carlos Tevez was at the centre of a storm at the end of last season as he helped West ham to survive in the Premier League. Other clubs, most notably Sheffield United, were not convinced that he was legally entitled to play for the club however. The Euro 2008 qualifying section was completed with few surprises as all the big teams made it to Austria-Switzerland for next summera€™s finals. Actually, there was one surprise as England failed to reach the major final for the first time since 1994. Outplayed, out thought, out classed and out of the competition was how one critic described them. There were no surprises in the Womena€™s World Cup in September as the dominant Germans won their second trophy in a row as they stormed to victory without conceding a goal

Football Language Podcast: Review of 2007 Season

On this week's show Damian and Damon look at the new appointment of Fabio Capello as England coach. Damon also has a new English for Football phrase. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript This week the English FA announced the appointment of the new England coach, the Italian Capello. They decided to, in the words of a former England coach Glenn Hoddle a€˜go foreigna€™. Of course ita€™s not the first time. Sven Goran Eriksson was famously the first non-English coach of England. He was given the job in 2000 after Kevin Keegan resigned following a defeat to arch-rivals Germany in the last game at the old Wembley. Both Eriksson and Cappello have won the league in Italy: the former with Lazio in 2000, and the latter more impressively with AC Milan four times and Roma once. Capello also won one of the most impressive European Cup victories when AC Milan hammered Barcelona 4-0 in 1994. Like Eriksson, who also was successful in Portugal with Benfica, Capello has also been able to transfer his winning ways to another country. Last season Real Madrid finished top of La Liga for the second time under his leadership. Add to that all the various cup competitions he has won and he has a very strong CV. One that, perhaps from Britain, only Alex Ferguson could hope to match, and certainly no English coach comes close to. The comparisons with Eriksson dona€™t stop there. Both can speak more than one language: Capello speaks Spanish, Italian, and enough English to be confident that he will be able to speak competently in a month. Both men also like the finer things in life: opera, art collecting for Fabio, classical music and good food for Sven. But unlike the Swede, who had a private life that was fertile ground for the British tabloid press, Capello seems much less likely to give journalists any juicy gossip. He has been married for 40 years and is used to the glare of publicity having worked at some of the biggest clubs in football. Simon: Capello? Is he right? Well, mixed feelings on this one. I think hea€™s going to take time to get used to whata€™s going on in the English game. The advantage of Mourinho or an English manager is they could hit the ground running. It took Sven quite a while to get used to knowing whoa€™s who. I think hea€™ll be good in terms of discipline, and I think there are some prima donnas in the English team and hea€™ll sort them out. It might actually give some fringe players a chance. You know, people like at Villa, and the two wingers theya€™ve got: Young and I cana€™t pronounce his name (Sorry, the voice of football, Agbonlahor). But he might give a few people a chance. Ia€™m not convinced that long term hea€™s the right man for the job. I think that hea€™s only really got to win four games of any consequence. you know, the big games at Croatia and the Ukraine. So, and also hea€™s paid a lot of money for doing very little. I think we should have gone for an English manager. While on the whole his appointment has been greeted positively, there are some reservations about employing a non-English coach with managers such as Gareth Southgate, Steve Coppell and Paul Ince, and even Arsene Wenger, arguing that there are a number of qualified English coaches that should have been given the job Their argument is weakened by the fact, as has been mentioned, that there is no-one with his experience or success. Others argue that he is bringing in too many Italian staff as part of his team, and that he should work with an English coach who can learn from him and can also help him communicate with the English players. It is certainly difficult to imagine Italy, France, or Germany being coached by someone from another country. But it has worked for Brazil with Scolari from Portugal coaching them to the World Cup in 2002, and the German Otto Rehhagel taking Greece to the Euro 2004 crown. Terry Venables has coached Australia, Gus Hiddink has managed Korea and is now with Russia, and until recently the Japanese team was guided by Osim, a Bosnian. Damian: Is Capello the right man for England? Yes he is. I have no truck with those people who say just because hea€™s not English he shouldna€™t be England manager. Best man for the job. Seria A titles, La Liga titles, Champions League titles. Stamp his authority all over that prima donnaesque England. So there are some reservations about his nationality, but some commentators are also waiting to see how his famously disciplinarian approach to players works with the English players. Since the English team failed to overcome Brazil in the 2002 World cup quarter finals questions have been asked about the so-called golden generationa€™s view of themselves as untouchable superstars. Will the likes of Ferdinand, Terry, Rooney, Lampard or Gerrard be

The big story this week is the appointment of Fabio Capello as England coach, and on this week's show Damian and Damon discuss this and lots more: They: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

A On this week's show Damian and Damon look at the relationship between football, TV and money. Damon also has a new English for Football phrase. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript Arsene Wenger: I personally believe that, of course, Man United will be in contention but Chelsea and Liverpool as well. Frank Lampard: Theya€™re very important because ita€™s very tight this year and at the weekend all four teams play against each other at the top and maybe this season the games against each other are going to be the deciding factor in who wins the league. Sir Alex Ferguson: No matter the position of the clubs this is a game separate from everything as far as I am concerned. Damian: This weekend in England sees two huge matches involving the top 4 teams in the Premier League, Manchester United travel away to Liverpool and Arsenal host Chelsea in a London derby. These four teams have dominated the Premier league in recent times, having supplied all the winners since 1996. The gulf between them and the rest of the teams in the division is further demonstrated by the fact that since 1999 only one other side has managed to break into the top 4, while the FA and League Cups have also been dominated by these teams. Of course success breeds more success so the best clubs will tend to attract the best players but in order to do this they need money - and lots of it. Luckily for them there is quite a lot of it around. But where is it all coming from? The simple answer is television. Before 1992 football was barely seen on TV in Britain and hardly any of what was shown was live.A One or two hours a week was all that viewers were able to see and even then some felt that was too much. But this all changed when Rupert Murdoch and his newly-formed Sky TV bought the rights to show English football on television. He paid so much money to the clubs and the league that suddenly live matches were being shown which in turn brought in new sponsors eager to promote their brands through the new-found popularity of football. This popularity was not solely down to Sky Sports but its influence cannot be ignored. With a flood of money entering the game, teams were able to attract players from overseas by paying them top salaries. The standard improved and so did football's image. Crowds flocked to the new stadia being built from TV money, players became millionaires and suddenly football was everywhere and Sky was at the heart of it all. But there are many concerns with the power that Murdoch's channel wields - teams play when the channel dictates as the kick off times follow TV schedules and some would argue that the soul of football has been lost in its pursuit of even more riches. Players now earning more money in one week than teachers, say, they could earn in three or four years. This gap is expressed within football too with the top four clubs in England becoming richer all the time. There seems to be little or no chance for other teams to make the break through and this polarisation may lead to the eventual disinterest in the game. Of course, this does not mean I won't be watching the top four battling it out on TV this weekend.

A With the top four in the Premier League playing this weekend, Damian and Damon investigate the role TV has played on shaping modern football and ask whether money is destroying the game. They also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

2007 Club World Cup: The Club World Cup kicks off in Japan this week, and it is the third year running that FIFAa€™s club championship has...

Damon and Damian take a look at the Club World Cup in Japan. They also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's show Damian and Damon look at the World Cup Qualifying draw made in South Africa last week. Damon also has a new English for Football phrase. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript Last weekend the World Cup Qualifying Draw for countries in Africa, Asia, Central and North America, as well as Europe took place in host nation South Africa. Now this draw is important as it decides which teams may be participating in the 2010 Finals. So, on this week's show the Languagecaster team will focus on some of the standout groups in Asia and Europe and listen to the reaction from fans of some of the countries taking part. First up we look at Europe where there are nine groups with the winners and four of the runners up of each group qualifying for the tournament. Here's what a group of England fans said on hearing the draw. Damian: Happy with the group? Paul: Yes, Croatia, it could have been France, it could have been Germany, it could have been... DF: Ireland. So, you'll qualify? Ed: Of course, forever the optimist. Tim: No, actually we will cruise this qualification. DF: Hmm, how quickly they forget. Maybe we'll get a more measured response from Damon? What do you think of England's chances of qualifying? Damon: Well, they've gotta' be favourite, I think despite losing to Croatia. DF: Do you not learn anything? Damon: No, I don't, not at all. They've got to be favourites, they're up against Andorra, Belarus, Croatia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Ukraine could be tough, then there's a lot of distance of course going to Kazakhstan is a pretty long haul flight. But their main rivals, I think, will again be Croatia but I think they're going to have enough time to build an exciting young team that will be able to learn from their loss to Croatia and take them on at their own game, I hope. I think they 're going to be favourites and I think they''ll qualify as winners. Damon: So how about you? How about Ireland? Damian:A Ireland got a tough group, we're in with ... Damon: It is pretty tough isn't it? Damian: Yes, we've got Bulgaria, Cyprus, of course who caused us trouble, Georgia who defeated Scotland in the recent European Championships Montenegro should be doable and then the World Champions, Italy. Damon: They're going to be tough aren't they? Damian: Yes. Damon: How about, looking at the groups, what do you think, which is the easiest and the most difficult - the group of death for you? Damian: Well, I think we both agree that the easiest group has to be group 2. Greece, Israel Latvia, Luxembourg, Moldova and Switzerland. Luxembourg may well think they have a chance. Damon: They may indeed. Damian: That's an appalling group. Damon: It does seem bizarrely easy doesn't it? Damian: What about the group of death, what do you think? Damon: Well, it's difficult, I think group 1 and group 3 are both looking very difficult. I'm kind of leaning towards group 3, Czech Republic Northern Ireland, Poland, San Marino, Slovakia and Slovenia all of those teamss, apart from San Marino perhaps, can get a result sometimes, as Northern Ireland have shown people. They may take points off each other but I think that's going to be a pretty difficult group. Damian: Yes, I go with you on that one. Damon: We asked a German fan what he thought about his team's chances in group 4. So Hans, what do you reckon about Germany's World Cup qualifying group? Hans: Very happy with the group. looks very doable doesn't it? Damon: It does indeed. Hans: Russia probably the toughest opponent. The rest are fine, should qualify. Damon: Thank you very much. Damian: Now in Asia two teams qualify from each of the five groups and they will then meet in a later play-off tournament later on. This is also the first time that Australia have taken part in the Asian section and their group could not have been tougher. Right, we've got Mark here who is from Australia, Mark, what do you think about the group that Australia faces in the World Cup qualifier? Mark: Well, I'm pretty happy actually because I don't think we could get a better group together for our first run. Now I know that the coach has said Iraq isA tough and Qatar is foxy but I think we can do it. I think Qatar is doable and Iraqis we can work them out if we really put our minds to it. Now, listen, it's no accident that Australia is ranked number 48 alright, now the others, they do not even come close, 70 for Iraq, China for 85 and Qatar for 86 so we're well to be the favourites. No problem there. Damian: That's interesting that's very optimistic because most people in Australia would think that this is

Damon and Damian review the 2010 World Cup qualifying draw held in Durban, South Africa this week. They also: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

On this week's learners' podcast Damian and Damon look back on the Euro 2008 qualifiers and Damian has another English for Football phrase.

Euro 2008 qualifiers are over and Damon and Damian look back at some of the results. Also they: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Have a new Vox Pops topic Introduce a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

Here are some of the words and phrases that we used on this week's show. You can practise the vocabulary with our online crosswords here Check out the BBC's football vocabulary page here deserve a pat on the back - deserve praise, you say this when you have done something well We deserve a pat on the back. We've been doing the podcast for a year. sink or swim - left with no help, having to rely on yourself I think players should be left to sink or swim. to drop like flies - quickly collapse, die, or get sick Chelsea's defence is dropping like flies. to fall out - to disagree, have an argument Gillet and Hicks seem to have fallen out over plans for a new stadium. repercussion - an unplanned consequence There were repercussions all around Italy to hang by a thread - be in danger of failing, very close to failing England's chances of qualifying for Euro 2008 are hanging by a thread. to cost (someone) dearly - to cause (someone) a lot of problems, to have a bad effect on (someone) Poor away form has cost McClaren's team dearly. a mixed bag - a variety of something (in this case, reactions) So, a mixed bag from the England fans. malaise - sickness, unease, depression The malaise of the team isn't down to McClaren. to smack of - to look / sound like Quotas frankly smacks of desperation at best. to border on - to nearly be something It's bordering on racism.

On this week's learners' podcast Damian reports on the England team and David Beckham while Damon has another English for Football phrase. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript The final round of European Championship qualifiers take place this week and with England's chances of making the finals in Austria and Switzerland next summer hanging by a thread, languagecaster decided to focus on some of the issues that are currently surrounding the national team. With no Premier League matches to cover this week, the British media is full of stories about the real possibility of not qualifying, the roles of David Beckham and Steve McClaren in the team, as well as the controversial issue of limiting the number of foreign players in each squad. We asked a group of England fans their opinions on these matters. Poor away form has cost Steve MacClaren's men dearly culminating in that 2-1 defeat against Russia last month that has left England relying on other teams to help them qualify for next year's tournament. Even if they beat Croatia at home on Wednesday they will not make it unless Russia drop points in their game at Israel on Saturday night. So, possible but not very probable. Simon: I think Israel will draw 1-1 with Russia and we'll beat Croatia 2-0. Paul: I must admit I have kind of lost a bit of interest. It's not of course down to us it's the game between Israel and Russia and... I don't know I'm not taking a lot of interest, I'm least excited about this international game that I have been for a long time. Tim: I think they've left it too late this time. I don't think they will even beat Croatia. So a mixed bag from our selection of England fans but how do they feel about former captain David Beckham's return to the team? Simon: I think if they play against Croatia I'd put him on in the second half perhaps but I don't really think he's really necessary at the moment. I think in the changing room he might be useful but actually on the pitch I'd stick with Shaun Wright-Phillips. Paul: Once he'd been dropped by MacClaren I think he should have stayed dropped. But since he's been brought back, perhaps it's been a short-term fix, I'm okay with it. Tim: He is a step backwards really. The manager Steve McClaren's job is under threat and he appears a dead man walking despite the fact that some of the England players have come out in support for him this week. Tim: Well, he should never have been the manager of England so I don't see why... but one thing you could say is he may have learned something on the job and if you look at Bobby Robson he had a pretty rough start and by the end of it in 1990 he was... he looks like one of the best managers we've ever had. So maybe McClaren is picking up some skills I don't really see evidence of that though. Simon: No, he's never been good enough and I think most English fans sort ofa€¦ the same opinion. I personally would want Mourinho in the job because I think he might actually win something for us. Paul: If we could get somebody better - a Mourinho, a Hiddink - I'd get rid of him in a second. But I fear that the malaise of the team isn't so much down to him but the structure of the Premier League and the playing demands. Another suggested reason for England's demise is that there are not enough young homegrown players being given the chance to play in the Premier League. The issue of having a domestic quota in each league, limiting the numbers of overseas players, is a controversial one that, frankly, smacks of desperation at best and protectionism at worse. Tim: I think it's ridiculous really I don't see it as being the reason England is so poor. Maybe we should limit the number of coaches or the ... have some kind of quota system to get the coaches up to a certain standard. But we want to see the best football in our country and at the moment, finally, we are actually attracting the best football in our country and I don't see why we should stop doing that. Simon: I think it's very good because British players should be playing in British teams and you look at Arsenal and they play lovely football but there is hardly an Englishman on the pitch. So, I am an advocate of having maybe 5 Englishmen or not just Englishmen but 5 British players or Irish players per team So actually I agree with that idea. Paul: I think legally it's very difficult to do, there are all sorts of EU regulations which relate to this but I really hope they can and I really wish they would because I think for most football fans, of course you've got your club which you care about but also you care about the

Damian and Damon focus on the England national team, David Beckham and Steve MacClaren in this week's free show. Also they: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a new Vox Pops topic Explain a football expression in English for Football And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

Damian and Damon look at the AFC Champions League in this week's free football show for learners of English. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript This year an Iranian side, Sepahan, and a Japanese club, Urawa will contest the AFC Championa€™s League Final over two legs. The first leg in Iran ended a one-one draw, and Asian football is eagerly awaiting the return leg in Saitama, Japan next week. This competition run by the AFC, the Asian Football Confederation, only started five years ago in 2002, coincidentally the same year Asia hosted the World Cup for the first time in Japan and Korea. In this respect, it is much like the Champions League in Europe, which also is a relatively young competition, with only a 15 year history. While expanding cup competitions to include more clubs from the same countries certainly seems to bring in more money, many argue that it devalues the title a€˜Champions Cupa€™ as it isna€™t really only the champions that take part. The AFCa€™s Champions league grew out of the old Asian Club Championship, which started life with only eight entrants. Think about the size of Asia and ita€™s easy to understand some of the difficulties involved in running a big competition. Also, back in 1967 when the cup started, football was not the big business, popular sport it is becoming now in Asia. The early years were dominated by Israel, but Iran also tasted success in 1970, 1990 and 1992, the last Iranian victory coming for Pas. Japan too has had a taste of club success in the competition with in 1986, 1987 and the 1988/89 season with Jubilo Iwata winning. In 1990, an Asian Cup Winners Cup was started and in 1995 the winners of the Asian Club Championship and the Cup Winners Cup met in the Asian Super Cup. The Super Cup in ita€™s short history was dominated by Korean and Japanese sides. But since 2002 the Champions of the 15 top federations in Asia and the winners of those domestic knockout cup competitions meet in the group stages of the present AFC Champions League. They are drawn from four regions. While deciding which countries are the top 15 in the continent may be complicated to decide, having the Champions and the cup winners represent their countries does sound slightly more legitimate than the European version of the Champions League which has countries like England and Spain having four clubs in the competition. Perhaps Europe should consider copying the Asian competitions format. And how about the second leg of this yeara€™s cup final? Well, Sepahan, currently second in the league in Iran, met japanese side Kawasaki Frontale in the quarters and won on penalties and seem much stronger at home than away. Certainly they are solid defensively, and they can score goals - Seyed Mohammad Salehi is currently second highest goal scorer in this competition with five goals. Urawa also got through on penalties in the semi finals against tough Korean opponents Seongnam Ilhwa. I suspect that home advantage will see them win Japana€™s first AFC Champions League Cup.

Damian and Damon focus on the AFc Champions League in this week's free show. Also they: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Introduce a new Vox Pops topic Explain a football cliche And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

Damian and Damon investigate some of the reasons that managers lose their jobs in this week's free football show for learners of English. On this week's show Damian and Damon: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Explore why managing a football team is such a tough job. Introduce a new Vox Pops topic Explain a footballing phrase And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

Damian and Damon investigate some of the reasons that managers lose their jobs in this week's free football show for learners of English. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript Here is a question for you. What do the following clubs have in common? Chelsea, Bolton and Tottenham from The Premier League in England, Valencia from La Liga in Spain, Ajax and PSV from the Dutch league, Marseilles from France, Livorno from Italya€™s Serie A, Energie Cottbus from The Bundesliga in Germany and Benfica in Portugal? The answer? They have all parted with their manager within the first two months of this season. In addition, the international manager Steve Staunton was fired by Ireland last week and you have got something approaching an epidemic! Languagecaster decided to have a look at some of the reasons why the job of being a football manager is a precarious one indeed. This time of year is when club presidents and fans become nervous as they realise that their best-laid plans and optimism at the beginning of the season are starting to fall apart. It may still be early enough to turn the team around while it is not too early to be described as callous. Though Benficaa€™s dismissal of their coach, Santos, in the first week of the season borders on the ridiculous. Now, perhaps the most obvious reason for a manger to be let go is that the team is under-performing and may even be in danger of losing their status in the division. This was the reason for the sackings of Orsi from Livorno and Sanders from Energie Cottbus and Emon from Marseiles. This pressure to succeed has always made the football managera€™s job a stressful one, though with football now a huge business there is more pressure than ever on clubs to do well. Though being at the foot of the table was a major reason for the firing of Sammy Lee from Bolton it was not the only factor. Lee had incurred the wrath of the senior players in the squad, which undermined his leadership as they lost all respect for him. This is called a€˜losing the dressing rooma€™ and is becoming an increasingly common reason for removing a manager, though this was not the reason for former Tottenham manager Martin Jola€™s dismissal. Rather than losing the dressing room he lost the support of his chairman and board as they felt that he had taken them as far as he could and they wanted someone to push them on to better things. This support of the board is crucial for the security of the managera€™s position as they hold the power at the club and nowhere is this better demonstrated than at Chelsea under the all-powerful Russian owner Roman Abramovic. Despite winning five trophies in three years, Jose Mourinho was fired by the club as he did not see eye-to-eye with the chairman over tactics and style, though the question of whose ego was bigger probably had something to do with the decision. Valenciaa€™s Quique Sancez Flores has been another recent managerial casualty even though his team was in fourth place in La Liga. The home supporters lost faith with him and their constant criticism meant that he too was removed from his post. However, managers also move clubs of their own accord as they see the chance of working at a bigger team with better chances of success. And of course a higher salary. Juande Ramos has just tripled his salary by moving to Tottenham from Sevilla, while Ten Cate quit Ajax and Koeman resigned from PSV to coach at Chelsea and Valencia respectively where their salaries are much higher. So, who is next for the chop? With a host of top managers waiting in the wings, such as Mourinho, Lippi, Capello and Klinnsmann, as well as constant pressure to succeed now bein part of the game it will surely not be too long before we are reading about another managerial dismissal. At the moment, there is huge speculation that Steve Bruce may leave Birmingham, Carlo Ancellotti will be sacked at Milan, that Steve MacClaren will be forced out as England manager and that even Rafa Benitez may be fired at Liverpool. My money is on MacClaren.

This week, Damon and Damian look at why football is the world's most popular sport footballing cliche. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript Why is football the worlda€™s game? Why is it followed with so much passion? With football all too often being in the headlines for the wrong reasons in the past twenty or thirty years, it is easy to forget that this sport is followed by more people than any other on the planet. Forget hooliganism, pampered players, diving - or simulation if you like, money destroying the soul of the game. Football was, is and will be a€˜the beautiful gamea€™. Perhaps ita€™s the unique combination of team spirit and free expression. For team spirit here is one of the greatest managers in the English game, Bill Shankley - "Train the right way. Help each other. It's a form of socialism without the Politics." The sport has always been linked to the a€˜peoplea€™ or perhaps more accurately, the working people. After all, what do you need to play? Some jumpers for goal posts, a ball, some space or a wall, and a mate. Think about cricket, rugby, American football, baseball and you need equipment, a team, a special place to play. Football has it all. Politics, philosophy, religion ... Politics. Football is war without the shooting. So said George Orwell, the British journalist, writer and political thinker, who was born in India in 1903. Well, yes and no. In 1969 war did break out over football between Honduras and El Salvador. Two world cup qualifiers, a suicide by an El Salvadorian at her teama€™s loss, nationalism, and politics mixed to result in a shooting war that left more than 4,000 dead in the two countries. While passions can be raised, resulting in conflict, football also has the power to reach out across politics and differences of the day and even across the battlefield. 1914, Christmas saw a truce between some German and English soldiers and a game of football in no-mana€™s land. Every man knew the rules, every man knew the spirit behind the game, every man was united by the game. More recently in the Ivory Coast the controversial president Lauren Gbagbo has promised to work for peace in the country after the national football team told him they wanted their success on the pitch to help unite the country and bring peace. No one can ignore the power of a successful national team. Philosophy. Football isna€™t a sport ita€™s a philosophical act. Behind every kick of the ball lies a thought argues the scorer of perhaps the greatest goal in a world cup, the Dutch striker - Denis Bergkamp - what a fantastic goal it was, too: three sublime touches: first the control plucking the ball out of the air, then beating the man with a sharp change of direction, and a stinging outside-of-the-foot volley into the net. A moment of beauty. Football is the ballet of the masses just as Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, born in 1906 said. But more philosophical weight is added in support of the importance of football by Camus, born in Algeria in 1913, and a skilled goalkeeper. The writer and philosopher argued that he learnt about duty and the morality of man through football. And how can we argue? Football is a team game that relies on the responsibility and choices the individual in that team makes. Religion. Sometimes religion spills over over into football, think about the Glasgow derby between Rangers and Celtic and the hundreds of years of religious hatred as a backdrop. But more often than not it is football that is the religion. It is the opium of the masses. Jock Stein, the coach of Celtic and of his country, born in 1922 in Scotland, reminds us that football is nothing without the fans. And these fans turn up week in week out to watch their team, know ecstasy and agony through victory and defeat, and gain a sense of solidarity as a member of the a€˜tribea€™ boasting about their heroes. The game connects people across the generations, it gives them a focus, something to look forward to, it teaches humility after a stinging defeat, and there is the opportunity for the collective joyous singing or chanting from the terraces. Everyone believes in their gods on the pitch. Players such as Maradonna, the Argentinian magician born in Buenos Aires in 1960 know that football is more than a game. "God makes me play well. That is why I always make the sign of the cross when I walk out onto the field. I feel I would be betraying Him if I didn't." He was of course rewarded for his devotion to God when the divinity inspired him as he destroyed England in the 1982 World Cup while also simultaneously restoring some pride for an Argentinean nation defeated in war by the British. Football is the worlda€™s game. As Anthony Burgess, the British writer and c

Damian and Damon bring you a slightly more philosophical look at football in their football podcast for learners of English and fans of the beautiful game

This week, Damon and Damian look at football derbies and a footballing cliche. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript Football experts will tell you that the most important thing about the game is winning. It does not matter how well or how badly you play as long as you win, as there is nothing greater than winning. Well, maybe there is one thing, beating one of your local rivals for example, which then makes that victory even sweeter. Though the origin of the term is a little unclear, it is generally accepted that the word derby originated from folk football times in the UK. These were matches between two different parts of a village that took place over the whole day, throughout the whole town and involved everyone in the area. The games were often violent as players defended their local honour while others saw the match as a way of taking revenge on disliked neighbours. This feeling has continued through the ages right up to the present time and the derby game can often provoke high tension and emotion, which sometimes leads to violence among the supporters. Derbies are rarely described as cooperative or celebratory but rather as fierce or highly charged affairs and the supporters know that they will have bragging rights if they win but that they will have to endure taunts if they lose, until the next game comes round of course. These games are so tense that form is often thrown out of the window as the derby atmosphere acts as a great leveler for both teams. So, what is the biggest derby game in Britain? Perhaps the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton? Manchester United versus Manchester City or the North-London derby game between Tottenham and Arsenal?A We asked some football fans what they thought. Tim: Ia€™d have to say The Old Firm, so Rangers-Celtic is the biggest derby. I think because they are not only the biggest teams in Scotland, theya€™re also always competing for the same competitions and therea€™s a very long sectarian history between the two fans. Paul: There are a lot of big derbies around, of course, therea€™s Everton-Liverpool, Man United-Man City and lots and lots of them in London but Ia€™ve got to say the biggest derby in Britain is undoubtedly Celtic versus Rangers. Both teams are big teams theya€™re both battling for the championship every year and therea€™s the huge religious divide as well. Simon: I would say Celtic-Rangers simply because, not just the history I mean all derbies have got history, but therea€™s the religious aspect to it all. I think the Scottish fans, and in particular the Glaswegian fans are quite, sort of, vociferous in their support and they actually generally dislike each other I think. Well, a unanimous decision. The Old Firm game in Glasgow between Celtic and Rangers is generally regarded as the biggest derby game in Britain. Ita€™s been played since 1888 and, as the earlier speakers suggested, the games represent something more than just football. This can be seen from looking at their respective histories, with Rangers receiving most of their support from the Protestant community in Glasgow while Celtic were founded by Irishmen, wear green and their fan base is generally Catholic. There is little love lost between the two sets of fans, though there has been a decline in the violence that affected these games. That still does not mean that the passion, the noise, the excitement, the sense of history and of course, the bragging rights have diminished. Not at all. Boca Juniors versus River Plate in Argentina may claim to affect 90% of all supporters in the country when they play, fans from Roma and Lazio in the Italian capital or Sevilla and Betis in Andalucia in southern Spain may argue that they hate their opponents more, while Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are playing for the pride of two continents in their games in Turkey, but I have to agree with the earlier comments, the biggest derby in football? If you know your history, it has to be The Old Firm game between Rangers and Celtic.

Podcast 11 2007 Local Derbies

This week, Damon and Damian look at the World Cup Qualifiers and a footballing cliche. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript It is only 15 months since Italy won the World Cup in dramatic fashion on penalties but the qualifying campaign for the next World Cup in South Africa has just got underway. Indeed, countries such as Samoa, Tahiti and Tonga have already been knocked out and must wait till four years from now before they can dream again of taking part in the next World Cup. So, with less than a thousand days to go till the opening game in South Africa, the languagecaster team kicks off its World Cup campaign with a look at how qualification for the tournament takes place. Only 32 teams play in the finals and with the hosts, South Africa, already taking one of those places, the remaining 31 spots are decided by six regional tournaments that play over the next three years. The first of these regions to start their qualifying campaign was Oceania in August this year and the teams from this area, mainly from around the Pacific islands, are battling to make a play-off spot against a team from Asia, so really they only have half a place! Asia has 43 teams taking part in its regional competition and there will be 4 teams qualifying directly plus another will face that play-off with the winners of the Oceania section. Now, one former member of that region, Australia, has joined the Asian tournament this time and will be taking part in the main qualifying stage early next year. Africa has 51 teams that are divided into small groups to decide the 5 teams that will represent the continent along with the hosts, South Africa. This is always an exciting competition and after some preliminary matches this month, the group stages will also begin next year. The North and Central American region has 35 members and they will start playing from February of 2008 to see which three teams will go to South Africa. The team that finishes fourth will have a play-off chance against the 5th team from the South American group. Now, this region only has ten members but has a really gruelling schedule with countries playing each other home and away for a total of 18 games each. The tournament begins this weekend, lasts for two years and the top 4 teams progress directly. Finally, Europe will be supplying 13 teams to the finals since it has the most members, with 53, and the fact that traditionally the strongest teams are from this part of the world, the four semi-finalists from the last World Cup were all European. This competition starts in August 2008 and teams from the region, such as Italy, France, Germany and Ireland, will once again be favourites to do well in the World Cup 2010. Only 973 days to go!

Damian and Damon bring you football news from around the world for learners of English and fans of the beautiful game on their free weekly podcast. On this week's show Damian and Damon: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Focus on the German League and teams Look at World Cup qualifying Introduce a new Vox Pops topic look at a football cliche And continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes wcqualifiers.pdf Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

In week 9 we look at the Champions League and the four Italian teams, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma and Lazio. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. Ita€™s a great way to practice listening and fluency! Transcript DB: So of course the current Champions league champions are an Italian side, AC Milan, and theya€™re joined this year by Inter, their cross-town rivals, Roma and Lazio. What do you think about these teams? Leta€™s start with AC Milan, the current champions. DF: Yeah, much like last season they have not done well in their own domestic league but you can never rule them out although I think possibly this year their team is probably a little bit too old to win the Champions League. However, in their group, even though they lost away to Celtic, I still think that they should qualify although wea€™ve had a couple of people tipping Shakhtar Donetsk to actually get through as well but I think Milan will actually make it. What do you think? DB: Well yes, on paper theya€™ve got such a strong line up however theya€™ve already lost to Celtic, theya€™ve got a dreadful league performance, theya€™re in 11th position with only 7 points in the league. But I agree with you I think theya€™ll get out of their group, they may only qualify second, as second winners there and I dona€™t think theya€™re gonnaa€™ get further than the quarter finals. DF: Now how about Inter Milan? DB: Well, for me Inter Milan are a team that has a winning habit. I think theya€™ve got a winning mentality people say they are not playing so well but they are topping Serie A. Theya€™ve got a goal scorer in Ibrahimovic playing very well recently, of course, Crespo. Although in their game against PSV they got two red cards that may have an impact on their performance in the group but I can see them winning this group and going through comfortably and perhaps getting as far as the semi finals and then, who knows? DF: Yes, ita€™s interesting you mentioned winning mentality with reference to Inter Milan because within Italy I think theya€™ve been the one team that does not have the winning mentality like say, Juventus or AC Milan. But as you say this season theya€™ve really, really improved and one of the key players, Ibrahimovic, he really has stepped up and hea€™s scoring goals for fun at the moment. Theya€™ll definitely qualify from their group but I still think that mental fragility will kick in later on. Possibly quarter-final, semi-final. DB: How about Roma? What do you think? DF: Everybody loves Roma, they play great attacking football. But theya€™ve had a bit of a torrid time in the last ten days. Theya€™ve drawn matches in Serie A, theya€™ve been beaten at home by Inter and theya€™ve just lost away to Manchester United in the Champions League. Totti is key, Totti is key. If he gets injured or if he dips in form then theya€™re not going to do anything but they should get through from the group with Manchester United. What do you think? DB: Yes, I agree I think theya€™ll get through with Manchester United, even though they lost against Manchester United. And talking about Totti, it was a nice gesture sending a personal apology to the Manchester United fan who was injured in the stadium when Manchester United visited Roma. But they have had a bad time recently, theya€™ve failed to win in the last four matches and theya€™ve lost the last two. Theya€™ve got some injuries so troubled times ahead. Theya€™ll get through the group but Ia€™m not sure theya€™ll get further than the quarters, if that. DF: Right, now how about their city rivals, Lazio? They actually had to play a qualifying round to get into the Champions League. They drew 2-2 with Real Madrid the other night at home. What do you think of their chances? DB: I dona€™t think they have a strong chance at all. I dona€™t think theya€™ll get out of their group with Olympiakos and Real Madrid. Theya€™re good at getting draws recently a€“ six out of eight, in the last eight games, sorry six draws. I dona€™t think theya€™re going to get out of their group. DF: Yes, ita€™s a tricky one. Obviously Real Madrid are favourites to get through there, yes ita€™s between them and Werder Bremen to get through I think and I think their home form might just see them through. Yes, Lazio to qualify but thata€™s it, theya€™ll go no further at all. DB: OK so my order, running order for the Italian teams is Inter perhaps semi-finalist, AC Milan perhaps quarter-finalists, Roma no further than the quarters and Lazio not to get out of their group. DF: Well, more or less I agree with you although I think Lazio may just get out of the group. Yes, Inter definitely have the best chance of the four.

Damian and Damon bring you football news from around the world for learners of English and fans of the beautiful game on their free weekly podcast. On this week's show the hosts: Review the football week in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Focus on Italian teams' chances in the Champions League Introduce a new Vox Pops topic Talk about a new football phrase in English for Football Continue their weekly battle in the predictions competition For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes transcript-podcast-9.pdf Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fansa€™ forum

In week 8 we look at the Champions League and the four English teams, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript as you listen. It's a great way to practice listening and fluency!

Damian and Damon bring you more free football news from around the world. Live and direct from Tokyo the languagecaster team brings you: The past footballing week in The Good, the Bad and The Ugly The English teams in the CL Your views in Vox Pops A new football phrase in English for Football And the predictions battle King of predictions For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fans' forum

Here is the seventh learner's podcast. In it we look at the Champion's League. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript below as you listen. It's a great way to practice listening and fluency. Transcript That was Pipo Inzaghi winning last year's Champions League title for his club AC Milan and with this season's competition about to get underway, the languagecaster team will be spending the next couple of weeks focusing on the competition that Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, suggested is bigger and better than the World Cup. Or is it? There are many critics of the competition who feel that the Champions League is too long, has too much money and that the opening stages are boringly predictable. Damian: Are you excited by the whole competition? Niall: No, it's quite dull actually in the opening rounds. I don't see the point of it at all. It?s just boring, cannon fodder for the big teams. It?s dull, the same old faces every single year - just an opportunity for them to make loads of money at the expense of the home leagues. This predictability has affected attendances, with English club Chelsea having their lowest crowd for five years to watch them open their Champions League campaign against minnows Rosenburg of Norway this week. And the fact that there were empty seats in the games at Marseilles in France and even the defending champions Milan. Another reason for this is the dominance of television with every match being shown live across the continent. But maybe there is a danger of the competition losing its glamour as there are far too many teams that simply are not good enough for taking part. Niall: How can a team that comes fourth win the Champions League? You're not even champions of your home country, it's ridiculous. Only the champions of each team (country) should be able to enter and that?s it. Damian: There are other murmurs of discontent as the dominance of the major clubs remains unchallenged. Clubs from England, Spain, Italy and, to a lesser extent, Germany have dominated this competition since the format changed from a straight knock-out to a league system and there is little to suggest that this year?s tournament will be any different.

Damian and Damon bring you more free football news from around the world. Fresh from London this week's episode looks at: The past footballing week in The Good, the Bad and The Ugly The English teams in the CL Your views in Vox Pops A new football phrase in English for Football And continue their fight to see who will be the King of predictions For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fans' forum

For our sixth learner's podcast we look at the 2007 Women's World Cup in China

More international news on languagecaster's free weekly podcast as we focus on the FIFA Women's 2007 World Cup in China.

For our fifth learner's podcast we will look at the Republic of Ireland's chances in the Euro 2008 qualifying games. We hope you enjoy it. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript below as you listen. It's a great way to practice listening and fluency. Transcript Brendan: Hello, my name is Brendan Fitzpatrick, I live in Dublin and normally I would be at this weeka€™s games but I cana€™t make it this year so Ia€™ll be watching the games on television. Thata€™s two games coming up in the next ten days, Slovakia and The Czech Republic away, both games crucial for qualification. DF: How would you sum up the qualification campaign so far? Brendan: I think ita€™s fair to say that the Irish team struggled in the early part of the campaign. Therea€™s a new inexperienced manager in charge. The first game was away in Germany where they put up a credible performance but were beaten 1-0. Then went downhill after that when they were beaten 5-2 by minnows Cyprus and then they struggled to beat San Marino 2-1 so it was fair to say at that stage that many people were calling for Steve Stauntona€™s head but he stayed on and they played their next two games at home against Wales and Slovakia and they won both of them 1-0. So it means they are back in the qualifying campaign if they can get four points for the next two games. DF: So you mentioned Steve Staunton, the Irish manager, how would you rate Steve Staunton? Brendan: Well, he was brought in initially with Bobby Robson, the veteran manager, a former manager of England, whoa€™s also managed around Europe with Barcelona and PSV amongst others. But Bobby Robson got sick shortly afterwards and Steve Staunton was, more or less, left to manage on his own. Hea€™s really been learning on the job and finding his feet and I think people are starting to think that therea€™s light at the end of the tunnel and things are improving. DF: Now, Ireland are on an unbeaten run at the moment. Brendan: Thata€™s right, eight games unbeaten run at the moment, including a 4-0 victory in Denmark, which was unusual because this Irish team never normally wins away from home and this is the big albatross around the neck of the Irish football team. The last time they won a qualification match away from home against a top team was Scotland in 1989 before they qualified for the World Cup Finals in 1990. DF: Now they are away over the next week at Slovakia and The Czech Republic, what do you think? Brendan: Well, actually the manager himself curiously enough said that he felt the Slovakian game would be more difficult but traditionally the Czechs would be seen as the stronger team. So, the common perception is that Ireland need four points from these two games so one win and one draw. Wea€™ll take it wherever we get it but I feel that they have to probably beat Slovakia and then hope to get a point against the Czechs in Prague. DF: So do you think then overall that could be enough to see them qualify for the European Championships next summer? Brendan: Well, it still depends on results after that. It more or less gives them an opportunity to qualify then their next two games are at home to Cyprus and at home to Germany. After that Ireland play Wales away from home and it could be all on that final game against our Celtic cousins. DF: Now very briefly, who are the key players for Ireland this weekend? Brendan: One of the main key players for Ireland over the next two games will be the goalkeeper, Shay Given. Hea€™s probably one of the three world-class players that we have. Hea€™s been consistent in The Premiership for the last seven years and hea€™s bailed out the country on numerous occasions. DF: Finally Brendan, give us a prediction for the match in Slovakia. Brendan: Well, I am going for a narrow Republic of Ireland victory, 2-1. I think we might concede a goal but at the moment with Robbie Keane of Tottenham and Kevin Doyle of Reading playing up front, they seemed to have gelled quite well, and I think we might just sneak a win and hopefully the draw then against The Czech Republic on Wednesday but ita€™s going to be very difficult. Most Irish fans are pretty realistic, despite the fact that all football fans are optimists, they realise that it will be tough to get four points but, you know, footballa€™s a funny old game.

On this week's show Damon and Damian: Review the footballing week in The Good, the Bad and The Ugly Damian looks at the Republic of Ireland's chances in Euro 2008 Introduce a new Vox Pops Talk about a new football phrase in English for Football Continue their fight to see who will be the King of predictions For learners of English there are also Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers in fans' forum