Football English: Losing

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Language level

Learning goals

Skills: Listening

Language: Football English (things fans say when their team is losing)

Language: If only

Pronunciation:

/ʃʊdəvbɪn/

Task: Tell us about a match you're team has lost

Football English: Losing

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich are watching their team on the TV. Their team is losing and they're not happy. The language focus is on football English and words and phrases we use when our team is losing and we also take a look at the phrase if only and pronunciation of should have been. In this week's task, we want you to tell us about a match you've watched or played which ended in defeat. Don't forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess.

If the listening was a bit difficult, you can listen again and read the transcript at the same time.

Read and listen at the same time.

Football English: Losing

Introduction

Jack: Hello my name’s Jack

Rich: And my name’s Rich and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast.

Jack: In the Premier Skills English podcast, we talk about football and help you with your English.

Jack: It’s just the two of us this week, Rich.

Rich: That’s right. Rowan is not here this week or next week - she’s on holiday. I think she’s gone camping.

Jack: Nice - I hope it doesn’t rain. So, what are we going to do this week?

Rich: We’re going to focus on football English and, more specifically, words and phrases we use when our team is losing or has lost.

Jack: Rich is lucky because he supports two football teams but this season he hasn’t been so lucky because neither of his teams have been playing very well.

Rich: Thanks for reminding me, Jack. How’s your team doing?

Jack: You’re welcome, Rich. Let’s move on. In this podcast, you will learn lots of phrases that Rich has been using this season - phrases you can use when your team is losing.

Rich: In our roleplay this week, we both support the same team. We’re watching a match on TV and our team is not playing very well.

Jack: After the roleplay, we’ll look at some words and phrases we often use when our team is losing or our team has lost.

Rich: And we’ll also speak a little about regrets and the phrase ‘if only’.

Jack: And we’ve got a bit of pronunciation practice for you, too.

Rich: After the language focus, we have a task for you to do. This week we want you to use some of the language we introduce in this podcast to talk about a match which your team has lost.

Jack: If you are listening to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcast platform, you should also check out our website.

Rich: On the Premier Skills English website you’ll find the transcript, examples and activities to help you understand the language, and a task for you to complete.

Jack: Before we start this week’s roleplay we need to look back at last week’s football phrase.

Last week’s Football Phrase

Rich: OK, our football phrase. If you’ve not listened to the podcast before, every week we set our listeners a challenge. We explain a football phrase or word and you have to guess what it is.

Jack: When you know the answer, go to the Premier Skills English website and write the word or phrase in the comments section for this podcast. If you’re correct we’ll announce your name on next week’s podcast.

Rich: Thanks for all your answers last week. The first listener with the correct answer was Max Alex from Vietnam. Well done Max Alex!

Jack: And congratulations to these other listeners who also got the correct answer to our football phrase: Abdlrhman Nady from Egypt, MoBeckham and HSN from Turkey, Marco Zapien and Vic from Mexico, Hayato from Japan, Fathi from Malaysia, Jacek from Poland, and Emmanuel from France.

Rich: If you didn’t hear last week’s football phrase, we’re going to give you one more chance to guess now. And later on, at the end of the podcast, we’ll tell you the answer. Are you ready?

Jack: The phrase was an ******** **** ****. The referee awards an ******** **** **** for minor offences such as when a player blocks another player. You can’t score from an ******** **** **** and when one is awarded the referee will raise their arm and keep it in the air until the ******** **** **** has been taken.

Rich: Last week’s podcast was about the environment and Jack was at a car showroom looking at electric cars.

Jack: Ah, yes! I remember. I really would like to buy one. I’m sure my next car will be electric. In the podcast, we asked you about electric cars and thanks for all your comments and answers.

Rich: Ranj is from Oslo which is the capital of Norway and told us that the city was chosen as the green capital of Europe in 2020 and that there are lots of electric vehicles on the streets. Ranj hopes to buy an electric vehicle but says they are a little expensive.

Jack: Affordability is a problem - Electric cars are still very expensive so people can’t afford them - that’s what Abdlrhman Nady from Egypt and HSN from Turkey said but Ahmad and Bertoldt both from Indonesia said they think there will be more electric cars in the future even if there are not that many on the roads at the moment.

Rich: Maybe governments can help? Vic from Mexico says that the Mexican government offers tax incentives when you buy an electric car which makes them cheaper.

Jack: That sounds like a good idea. If you haven’t heard this podcast it’s called Learning Vocabulary: The Environment and you can find it on the Premier Skills English website or on Apple Podcasts.

Introduction to roleplay

Rich: As we said earlier, in this week’s roleplay we’re watching our team on TV.

Jack: They are losing and not playing well. We’re going to use lots of words and phrases that you can use when your team are losing or have lost.

Rich: You might have heard football fans saying things like I can’t believe we lost that match or we were so unlucky before. In this podcast, we’re going to look at some expressions that might be new for you.

Jack: The phrases and expressions we use often depend on whether we are losing and the match is still being played or we have lost and the match is finished.

Rich: That’s right. While your team are losing many fans always think there is a chance to win. It’s only when the match has finished that reality hits them.

Jack: While you’re listening to the roleplay, we want you to answer two questions.

Rich: Question one: Who thinks the team were unlucky?

Jack: Question two: Who thinks the team played badly?

Roleplay

Jack: Oh no! That was shocking defending. I can’t believe we let that one in.

Rich: The goalkeeper had no chance. The shot was too good.

Jack: But … the defending … shocking. Where was the defence?

Rich: I don’t know. We don’t deserve to be 1-0 down. No way. We’ve been the better team - we can still get back into this. If only we’d taken that chance in the first half.

Jack: We always freeze on the big occasion. Look! The board is going up. Two minutes? There’s got to be at least 5 minutes extra!

Rich: Two minutes? You’ve got to be joking. Come on. We just need one more chance.

Jack: The final whistle. Rubbish!

...

Jack: You know … the best team probably won in the end. We were awful.

Rich: You’re joking, right? We were robbed! Their striker should have been sent off, too.

Jack: It’s only a game. We’ll bounce back next week.

Rich: Did you just say it’s only a game?

Jack: Er ... no?

LANGUAGE FOCUS

Jack: Before the roleplay, we asked you two questions. The first question was: Who thought the team were unlucky?

Rich: That was me. I didn’t think they played that badly. The second question was: Who thought the team played badly?

Jack: That was me. I didn’t think the team played well enough. They could have played a lot better.

Rich: Our team lost the game. Let’s look at some language connected to losing.

Jack: We often don’t know what to say when we lose a game. If you’re playing, you can say ‘well played’ or ‘good game’ to an opponent, but fans can’t really do that.

Rich: No, fans are much more likely to say how they are really feeling.

Jack: Some fans often feel that their team didn’t deserve to lose. Even when their team has played badly, they can’t accept it and still feel as if their team deserved to win.

Rich: We often hear the word deserve in football. The team deserved to win. They didn’t deserve to win. It was a deserved victory.

Jack: If something is deserved it means the person who receives something has earned that thing or worked hard to achieve something through their actions or behaviour.

Rich: For example, when I work hard all morning I deserve a coffee. If I work extra hard I deserve a coffee with a biscuit.

Jack: Yes, quite. Anyway, fans often feel that their team didn’t deserve to lose.

Rich: We often use conditional sentences here. We say things like ‘if only we’d taken our chances’ or ‘if only we’d scored with that chance near the end’.

Jack: Listen to what Rich said in the roleplay:

Rich: I don’t know. We don’t deserve to be 1-0 down. No way. We’ve been the better team - we can still get back into this. If only we’d taken that chance in the first half.

Jack: ‘If only’ is used to express regrets - a regret is a sad feeling that you have normally because you didn’t do something or something didn’t happen. To express a regret with ‘if only’ you need to add the past perfect. Listen to these examples:

Rich: If only we’d scored in the first half.

Jack: If only I had studied more at school.

Rich: You can also regret things that you did do. Listen to these examples with if only and the past perfect.

Jack: I overslept and missed my flight. If only I hadn’t stayed up so late.

Rich: Ugh ... I’m feeling a bit sick. If only I hadn’t eaten that box of chocolates.

Jack: At the end of a losing match, it’s common for fans to express regrets about what their team did and didn’t do on the pitch. But there is another way for fans to express their emotions.

Rich: As well as expressing regret, fans can also blame others for the result. Opponents and referees are usually the target.
You often hear the phrase ‘should have been’. That player should have been sent off or they should have been given a penalty. Listen to this part of the roleplay again:

Jack: You know … the best team probably won in the end. We were awful.

Rich: You’re joking, right? We were robbed! Their striker should have been sent off, too.

Jack: Let’s look at some pronunciation here: ‘should have been’ in normal speech is usually said /ʃʊdəvbɪn/. That player should have been sent off. Listen to these examples and try to repeat:

Rich: You should have been more careful

Jack: You should have been listening.

Rich: Let’s look at some more vocabulary. We used one of my favourite football phrases in the example you just heard, ‘we were robbed’.

Jack: I like that too. We use it when we think the other team has stolen the result through luck. You feel that your team deserved to win, not the other team.

Rich: There are phrases we use while we are losing, too. We are usually more optimistic at this stage. We say things like ‘we can get back into this’ or ‘we just need one more chance’.

Jack: And we always complain about the amount of injury time whether we are winning or losing.

Rich: A good phrase to use here is ‘you’ve got to be joking’, ’Two minutes? You’ve got to be joking! There should be at least five!’

Jack: It’s worth looking at the pronunciation of this phrase as well.

Rich: I think people normally associate gotta with American English, but it’s contracted in British English, too. You have got to be joking is pronounced: /jəvˈgɒdəbɪ/ joking. You’ve got to be joking.

Jack: Are you a good loser, Rich?

Rich: No, I’m a terrible loser and you should never ever say ‘It’s only a game.’ That will just make things worse.

Jack: We’ll look at these phrases and a few more in the lesson which you can find on the Premier Skills English website and there are some activities to check your understanding.

Rich: We look at a few adjectives to describe how you feel when your team loses, too. Words like: glum, dejected, gutted deflated, crestfallen and down in the dumps.

Jack: We’re now going to play the roleplay again. Have a listen and listen out for some of the phrases we’ve been talking about.

ROLEPLAY (repeat)

Jack: Oh no! That was shocking defending. I can’t believe we’ve let that one in.

Rich: The goalkeeper had no chance. The shot was too good.

Jack: But … the defending … shocking. Where was the defence?

Rich: I don’t know. We don’t deserve to be 1-0 down. No way. We’ve been the better team - we can still get back into this.

Jack: We always freeze on the big occasion. Look! The board is going up. Two minutes? There’s got to be at least 5 minutes extra!

Rich: Two minutes? You’ve got to be joking. Come on. We just need one more chance.

Jack: The final whistle. Rubbish!

...

Rich: You know … the best team probably won in the end.

Jack: You’re joking, right? We were robbed!

Rich: It’s only a game. We’ll win next week.

Jack: Did you just say it’s only a game?

Rich: Er .. no?

TASK

Jack: This week’s task is to use some of the language we introduced in this podcast to talk about a match you’ve watched on TV that your team lost.

Rich: The match could be a recent match from the Premier League, an important match your country played in the past or even a match that you’ve played in.

Jack: We want you to tell us how your team played. Were they unlucky or did they just play badly? What could the team have done differently?

Rich: Describe the goals and how you felt. How did you feel when your team were losing? How did you feel when your team had lost?

Jack: Look again at the phrases we introduced in this podcast and see how many of them you can use to talk about a match.

Rich: Write all your answers in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website.

FOOTBALL PHRASE

Jack: Have you got a football phrase for us, Rich?

Rich: Yes, I have. This week’s football phrase is ****** ****. A player can transfer from one team to another. Sometimes this transfer is permanent and sometimes it is temporary - a loan. When it is a loan the player still officially belongs to their ****** ****, not the team they are playing for. In the Premier League, a player can’t play against their ****** ****. Jesse Lingard is on loan at West Ham from Manchester United. He can’t play against Manchester United because it’s his ****** ****.

Jack: That was a long one, Rich. Here’s a clue: mums and dads can also be called ...

Rich: Let’s see if anyone gets it right and who is first this week. If you are still wondering what the answer was to last week’s football phrase it was an indirect free-kick.

Jack: If you have a question for us about football or English you can email us at premierskills@britishcouncil.org

Rich: or you can leave your questions and comments on the website in the comments section or on our Facebook page.

Jack: or you could give us a rating and a fantastic review on Apple Podcasts.

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football!

These players look CRESTFALLEN after losing an important match.

What to say when your team is losing?

In the first part of the roleplay, Jack and Rich's team were losing but the match was still in progress. Most fans are supportive during the match and the language they use reflects this. Many fans believe that they can find a way back into a match and they are not going to lose! Take a look at these phrases from the podcast:

We don’t deserve to be 1-0 down. No way!

We’ve been the better team - we can still get back into this.

We just need one more chance.

But, some fans are the opposite and are less supportive; especially if they're not happy with the team's performance. Take a look at these phrases from the podcast:

Oh no! That was shocking defending. I can’t believe we’ve let that one in.

Where was the defence?

We always freeze on the big occasion.

The final whistle. Rubbish!

Do you know any other phrases that fans use when their team is losing?

After such high hopes of winning, this player now feels a little DEFLATED.

What to say when your team has lost?

In the second part of the conversation, Jack and Rich's team had lost; the match had finished. After the match, the language we use changes. Fans often complain a lot. Their complaints might be about the referee, the opposition, their own players, the manager or even the fans. Here are some phrases that are used after a defeat. Decide what the complaint is about and who it is aimed at; the referee? the opposition? their own team? the fans?

We were robbed.

That goal should never have counted.

The atmosphere was rubbish today.

I can't believe their number six got away with that tackle.

We need to get behind the players more.

We should have made a few changes earlier.

If only we'd taken that chance near the end.

He was a bit card happy, wasn't he?

She really should be saving those. It was straight at her.

Do you know any other phrases you could use to complain about a defeat?

Activity 2: In this activity, type the words and phrases from the roleplay to complete the sentences.

Fans feel GUTTED when their team get knocked out of the World Cup.

If only

In this week's podcast, Rich and Jack spoke about how you can use 'if only' to talk about regrets. Here are some examples:

If only we’d taken that chance in the first half.

If only I had studied more at school.

I overslept and missed my flight. If only I hadn’t stayed up so late.

When we talk about regrets (something in the past that we wish we could change), we can use if only + the past perfect. The examples are things that we would like to change but can’t because the action has already happened.

Take a look at this lesson if you want to learn more about wishes and regrets: understanding grammar: wishes and regrets

If only we hadn't lost! Liverpool players look GLUM after a recent defeat.

Sadness and Disappointment

When our team loses we often feel sad and disappointed. If it is a very important match we will feel even sadder and even more disappointed. There are many words and expressions to show this in English.

Take a look at all the photos on this page and you will see a word or expression that means to be sad or disappointed. Try to learn the words and then have a go at this activity:

Activity 3: Look at the images and complete the sentences.

Fans are usually more than just DOWN IN THE DUMPS after a heavy defeat.

Losing a match

Leeds United's Raphinha looks DEJECTED on the side of the pitch.

This week’s task is to talk about a match you’ve watched or played in that your team lost.

Was your team unlucky or did they just play badly? What could the team have done differently?
How did you feel when your team were losing? What did you think/say?
How did you feel when your team had lost? What did you think/say?

Look again at the phrases we introduced in this podcast and see how many of them you can use to talk about a match. Write all your answers in the comments section below and don't forget to make a guess at this week's football phrase!