Roy Hodgson – England – Press Conference

Difficulty Level: (1)→(2)→3
Important football (soccer) vocabulary is highlighted at the bottom of the page.
Watch the video first without reading the text so you practice your listening skills.

Think about this question when you watch the video for the first time: what problems do Roy Hodgson and the press think he will have before Euro 2012?
[afterwards read the text to check your understanding]

Background: It’s May 2012. There are forty days until Euro 2012. England have been without a manager since February. Today it has been confirmed that Roy Hodgson has been chosen to be the manager. This is his first press conference. He is an unpopular choice amongst the press; most of the press wanted Harry Redknapp to be the manager.

I suppose it’s a very proud day for me. I’m a very happy man to have been offered the chance of managing my country. I’m, er, looking forward enormously to the task ahead. Everyone knows it’s not an easy one. But I’m also hoping that everybody, fans, supporters, everybody within the country will get behind the team. Because it’s the team that counts, and it’s the team that will win us matches, and all I would [will]do is, I’ll do my very best to make sure the team is as well prepared as possible for the tasks that lie ahead. So, I’m grateful for the chance to be the manager of England, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Roy, many congratulations. Thank you Nick. Just how big is the challenge going to be to get this England squad named and prepared for Euro 2012 which is less than 6 weeks away.

Well, yes, it’s going to be difficult, of course. But, er, hopefully I’ve got a lot of time on my hands to think about it and to make the decisions that are necessary. Obviously I’ve been working in the country for the last 5 years. So, all the players are pretty well known to me. Even though I haven’t worked with that many of them, and it’s going to be very important after this press conference to get straight down to the task really, of making certain that when the time comes to announce the squad, which we’re likely to put back, as a matter of fact, until after the last game of the season, and I have done as much research as I can, and spoken to as many players as I can.

What are your views on whether John Terry and Rio Ferdinand could play in the same team, given that there are issues between them. Would you, for example, be speaking to both of them (yes), and do you want both of them in your England squad this summer?

Well, I think the important thing at the moment is to speak to as many players as possible, and, of course, John and Rio, as respected members of the team, are gonna be 2 guys I need to speak to. But I couldn’t answer your question at this moment in time. Certainly not before I’ve had a chance to, hopefully, sit down with them. But if I can’t sit down with them, reach them on the telephone.

Steven Gerrard was your captain at Liverpool, is he in pole position for your first England captain?

Well, that’s another thing that will have to be very carefully thought out, so, if you don’t mind, I’ll skip, I’ll skip decisions like that at this first press conference. And, in the days ahead, it’s obviously going to be one of the things which will occupy my time.

At the risk of getting a similar answer, um, Wayne Rooney will miss the first two games…??????

No, not at all, I can give you a clear answer on that one. I’m looking forward very much to Wayne Rooney coming to the Euros with us, and, looking forward to his contribution, albeit that he can’t play the first 2 games.


to get behind the team: to support the team
to name the squad: to officially announce the group of players who will travel to tournament such as the Euros or the World Cup


Practice your English by leaving a comment on the blog…
Got a questions about the English in this text? Leave a question on the blog…

Pep Guardiola – Barcelona

Difficulty Level: 1→(2)→(3)
Important football (soccer) vocabulary is highlighted at the bottom of the page.
Watch the video first without reading the text so you practice your listening skills.

Think about these questions when you watch the video for the first time:
Why is the result not as bad as the 6-1 scoreline suggests?
Does he think that City are now favourites to win the Premier League?
[afterwards read the text to check your understanding]

Background: It’s October 2011 and Manchester United have just lost 6-1 to their local rivals Manchester City. This is seen as a sign that City will replace United as England’s top club. Guardiola gives his opinion.

I didn’t see the game. I spoke with some persons [people] who saw the game. It’s one ???, it’s a tough result [difficult result to take for United]. We can forget that [it’s easy to forget that] Manchester United played all the second half [the whole of the second half] 10 against 11 [with 10 men]. And the last 3 goals, it was in the last 2 or 3 minutes, so, you have to… but, United is [are], for his [its] history, absolutely one of the best clubs of the world [in the world]. Never change, nothing change that [nothing has changed that], even the defeat from yesterday [of yesterday]. And, er, City is [are] getting better year by year. Cos [=because] the same coach [is] working with them, the investment of the owners, each year, it’s better and better, so… And Silva is one of the top players, absolutely, [he has] huge qualities [great qualities]. It’s important for England [playing in English football] [that] he can adapt [to] these kind of players. Because he can move, he can play, he can make player[s] play to the rest of his teammates. So it’s congratulations for [to] David. And, er, I think it will be a very fascinating Premier League this, this, year, because, er, Manchester United, er, City, er, Chelsea also, Liverpool sooner or later will be there, so…


result: the score at the end of the match
a defeat: a loss (of a football match)


Practice your English by leaving a comment on the blog…
Got a questions about the English in this text? Leave a question on the blog…

Robin Van Persie – Arsenal – Post-Match Interview

Difficulty Level: (1)→2→(3)
Important football (soccer) vocabulary is highlighted at the bottom of the page.
Watch the video first without reading the text so you practice your listening skills.

Think about these questions when you watch the video for the first time: Was it an easy game for Arsenal? Were Arsenal positive or negative in their tactics? [afterwards read the text to check your understanding]

Background: It’s October 2011 and Arsenal have had a really bad start to the season but manage to beat Chelsea 3-5 away. Robin Van Persie has scored a hat trick. This is his post-match interview.

Robin, Premier League hat tricks, you know, don’t come around every day. And they certainly don’t come around every day at Stamford Bridge… what a great day for you and the team…

Yes, it was.  In my opinion, one of the hardest grounds in the world, because, to do it here, to score 5 goals here at Stamford Bridge is a big achievement.

Do you feel that today, and over the last couple of weeks, Arsenal have answered the critics, because people were very quick to criticise Arsenal this season, very quick.

Yes, I know, and I noticed. Er, if you look at our last 8 or 9 games, we’ve won, er, 7 or 8 of them, er, so we’re having a good run, not for the last couple of weeks, but, for 2 months now. So we’re coming back slowly to the game we want to play. I think that, er, yeah, today’s game showed everything what [that] a fan everywhere in the world wants to see. I think that we showed [a] really good game, erm, overall, we had to come back twice, you know, when they just scored, you know, just before half-time. It was a bit of a blow. But we came back, then they scored the 3-3, so we had to come back again. Yeah ?????? was a big game as well for us.

And just one final question. Arsene, in his interview, said that he knew a win here was not good enough. Most people would have thought that Arsenal would have settled for a draw here. But that says something about how you approach things from now on…

Yeah, we felt very similar to, er, to the boss, because we felt a draw isn’t really helping us [wouldn’t really help us]. You know, er, we needed to win, because, er, a draw, I think, yeah, we would have stayed 6 or, 6 points behind them anyway. Yeah, we needed to come back. So now, we are only 3 or 4 points behind them, I think, so we closed the gap. That’s why a draw wasn’t good enough.

*Underlined text in brackets [ ] show alternatives which are more common in standard English.

****

a ground: a synonym for stadium
achievement: something very good and difficult that you have succeeded in doing
a good run: good results in recent matches
a draw: the teams have the same number of goals at the end of the match
to settle for something: to be happy with something even though it’s not the best thing
to close the gap: to get more points than the team above this week, so the points difference is now less
to score a hat trick: to score 3 goals in one match

****
Practice your English by leaving a comment on the blog…
Got a questions about the English in this text? Leave a question on the blog…

Mancini – Machester City

Difficulty Level: 1→(2)→(3)
Important football (soccer) vocabulary is highlighted at the bottom of the page.
Watch the video first without reading the text so you practice your listening skills.

Background: It’s May 2012. Manchester City have just beaten Manchester United at home, which means they are now level on points, and will win the league if they win their last two matches of the season (Manchester City’s goal difference is much better than United’s). Mancini and Ferguson have argued during the match.

Think about these questions when you watch the video for the first time: Is Mancini happy with his team’s performance? Is he confident that they will win the league?[afterwards read the text to check your understanding]

Roberto, they said this was the biggest Manchester Derby for years, you’ve won, how does that feel?

We are happy, we are happy, we are happy, but don’t change nothing [it doesn’t change anything] in our mind because we have another two games, two really difficult game[s], instead United [however United] will play two easy games.

Are you favourites now to win [the league]?

No, no, no, no. I think that Sunday… after Sunday… but, don’t change nothing [anything]. I think that United has a light advantage [slight advantage] yet [still].

The goal when it came… was it always likely to be a set piece? Because United had defended so well.

Yeah, but they defended with all [their] players for all the game, also [but] in the second time [second half] they push[ed] more but they didn’t have any chance[s] to score. I think that we did a good performance [gave a good performance]. But we know [knew] before that [it] was a difficult game because United is a top team.

The goal. A captain’s goal…

Yeah, yeah. I am very happy for him because he deserve[d] this.

At the end, some nervous moments… How were you feeling?

No, no, no, me no. I said, er, to [the] fourth official that [it] was a foul for us. Sir Alex told me, not kindly, ???? but, I answer[d] him, but it finish[ed] there, but I can understand because… [it] was high tension [in] that moment. For me, no problem.

You both looked pretty angry…

Maybe, maybe, me no, I only protest[ed] against the fourth official.

****

A Derby: a match between two teams who are geophraphically close to each other.
The favourites: the team which most people think are going to win (a match, or in this case, the league title).
A set piece: a free kick or a throw-in.
To give a good performance: to play well (even though the team maybe don’t win)
The fourth official: the ‘reserve’ referee, who stands on the side near the managers whose job it is to hold up the board with the number of minutes of added time at the end of a match.

****

Practice your English by leaving your comments below…
Got a question about the English in this lesson? Leave a question below…