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Football Gaffes Answer Key and Teacher’s Notes

Author: Dennis Delany

Page 1 of 2

2

r: Katie Jones.

© Pearson Education 2010

PHOTOCOPIABLE

This activity can either be done individually (reading both pages) or as a paired speaking

and listening ‘information gap’ exercise. To introduce it, the teacher can use this text.

Commentators have a tough job finding new things to say about football. As a result, they

sometimes get mixed up and say things that don’t actually make sense. For instance: Bobby

Robson, who managed the England squad for eight years, was trying to explain that footballers

are not angels and need to relax and have fun in their free time. But he had difficulty expressing

this idea on live television. Here is what he actually said:

"We don't want our players to be monks. We want them to be better football players because a

monk doesn't play football at this level." (At what level do they play, then?)

Key: 1 f, 2 i, 3 k, 4 b, 5 h, 6 e, 7 l, 8 a, 9 j, 10 g, 11 c, 12 d

Comments:

1 f This is what is called ‘stating the blindingly obvious’.

“Argentina won't be at Euro 2000 because they are from South America.” (Kevin Keegan)

2 i This statement is a tautology – by definition, one’s opponents are those whom you play against!

"No matter who our opponents are, or who we are playing against, we want to win the game."

(David Beckham)

3 k How else can you win a match?

"We were in an awkward position against Yugoslavia in that in order to win we needed to score

more goals than they did." (José Antonio Camacho)

4 b The second part of the statement totally contradicts the first.

"There was nothing wrong with the performance, apart from throwing away the game." (Mark Bright)

5 h This is what is known as a ‘mixed metaphor’.

"If you count your chickens before they have hatched, they won't lay an egg." (Bobby Robson)

:

Football Gaffes Answer Key and Teacher’s Notes

Author: Dennis Delany

Page 2 of 2

2

r: Katie Jones.

© Pearson Education 2010

PHOTOCOPIABLE

6 e They still have 1% to give.

"Ireland will give 99% – everything they’ve got." (Mark Lawrenson)

7 l Well, exactly – Ian Rush, who is Welsh, was living in a different country while playing at Juventus.

"I couldn’t settle in Italy, it was like living in a different country.” (Ian Rush)

8 a A match lasts 90 minutes plus injury time!

"The first 90 minutes of the match are the most important." (Bobby Robson)

9 j How can cramp be worse than a broken leg? Muscle cramp only lasts for a few minutes.

"In some ways, cramp is worse than having a broken leg." (Kevin Keegan)

10 g Again, the second part contradicts the first so ‘much the same today, except that…’ doesn’t

make sense.

"I came to Nantes two years ago and it's much the same today, except that it's completely different"

(Kevin Keegan)

11 c He was attempting to explain the pressure of playing in front of a vast crowd.

"You're on your own out there with ten mates." (Michael Owen)

12 d Another fine example of contradicting yourself from this commentator.

"Don't tell those coming in the final result of that fantastic match, but let's just have another look

at Italy's winning goal." (David Coleman)