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The World Cup dominates this week's show as we take a look back at the dramatic play-offs and we also have two England fans looking forward to the finals in South Africa next summer. You can also:

Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly Check out a new football expression in English for Football Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with: Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases) Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts
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Rio Ferdinand will not play for Manchester United again this year.

The England centre-back has been told he needs another six weeks of rest and physio work before his back will be strong enough for Premier League football.

Ferdinand, 31, had been playing with back problems since last season leading to a calf injury this term.

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WITH 205 days until the start of the World Cup in South Africa, the big question on every England fans lips is who will be in Fabio Capello's 23-man squad this summer. An interesting point that I am choosing to examine is if ... Click to continue reading...

2010 is on the horizon and it's safe to say that it's been a wonderful decade for football. We here at Footy Factor have taken the opportunity to celebrate the greatest teams, players, and matches of the past 10 years. Â Next up...

Free Kick Taker of the Decade

Winner: Juninho Pernambucano.

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I got on to the concourse just in time to catch the Chelsea game from the 89th minute onwards. After Villa had gone 2-1 up I thought at best Chelsea would score an injury time equaliser, at worst, an injury time winner but kept my fingers crossed they would drop points regardless.

There was a roar at the final whistle before then pouring up the steps in to our seats in anticipation it what could be a table topping result.

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Can it be done?

Maybe it's a tactical titbit or a player who should be given more of a chance but what advice would you offer to Fabio in order to help England's end 40+ years of hurt? Maybe you just want to be smart and offer everyone some witty nugget or perhaps you can use your six words to point out that England fans are dreaming if they think this side can finally win their second World Cup.

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Rio Ferdinand is perhaps one of the more unlikely of digital ambassadors. Before yesterday's online-only broadcast of Ukraine v England, the defender offered his opinion on the unique way the game would be broadcast to the nation.

"I'm sure it'll be the way forward and in the future it'll probably be the reality.

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Austin "Jack" Warner FIFA

Most Hated Men in Football

Listen up, England fans: Jack Warner, FIFA Vice-President and CONCACAF President, might be the one man you're going to want to have a quiet chat with when hosting for World Cup 2018 is decided in 2011.

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This week's good, the bad and the ugly features stories from the upcoming World Cup qualifiers as well as a shock salute from Spurs-fan Damian to Arsene Wenger. Whatever next, Damon to congratulate Sir Alex Ferguson?

Good

Just to prove that we are balanced here at languagecaster, my good this week goes to Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger who completed 13 years in charge of the second-best team in North London (sorry!

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Big Story
Have fans become spoiled, expecting every major game to be available for free and in their own language on their home television set, whereever the game is being played? The patchy television rights structure of World Cup qualifiers in which home teams sell their own coverage has led to considerable frustration for fans of both England and the U.

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U.S. national team fans still seething over the fact that the upcoming World Cup qualifier in Honduras is only available via closed circuit, you are not alone.

England national team fans are facing the same issue with England's upcoming qualifier in Ukraine, with English fans being forced to watch the qualifier either by paying for an internet feed, or by watching in select movie theaters showing the match.

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U.S. national team fans still seething over the fact that the upcoming World Cup qualifier in Honduras is only available via closed circuit, you are not alone.

England national team fans are facing the same issue with England's upcoming qualifier in Ukraine, with English fans being forced to watch the qualifier either by paying for an internet feed, or by watching in select movie theaters showing the match.

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On the Comeback Trail

One Thomas Haynes Bayly wrote this commonly uttered phrase. No, I never heard of him either. But there is much truth in this statement. These days one way for a footballer to raise his profile, and become a favourite amongst supporters and pundit alike is to take a leave of absence for a couple of games.

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It'll have to be a quick one I'm afraid: Spurs v Man United was a great game, with a goal after 47 seconds and a United comeback. Unfortunately Man City v Arsenal will be remembered for Emmanuel Adebayor's pathetic behaviour; Togo still have a slim chance of qualifying for South Africa (they have to win in Cameroon on 9th October and hope Morocco win in Gabon) so if you're a fan of running almost the whole length of the pitch to take the mick out of the fans of your former club and stamping on the head of one of your ex-team mates then you might still be in for a treat.

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Fabio Capello feels England should make the World Cup final next year, but has warned the squad that form in the qualifying group will mean nothing when they arrive in South Africa.

England sealed their place in the 2010 World Cup with two games to spare in Group Six thanks to a crushing 5-1 win over Croatia at Wembley, making them one of the favourites to lift the ultimate prize next summer.

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When Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United over the summer, questions were asked about who would replace the ever-present match winner in Sir Alex Ferguson's side. Wayne Rooney has thus far proven the man to replace the world's greatest player, and Tuesday night against Besiktas he took that to a whole new level.

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This was written by a City fan about Wayne Rooney: I sit there awaiting with baited breath for him to receive a beautiful through ball that he then latches onto, and promptly puts it in the back of the opposing net.

The insanity of an Ingerlurnd fan. One week they will come to Old Trafford and chant "you fat bastard!

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Take back your boos, England fans Arsenal striker Eduardo has had his two-match ban for an alleged dive in the Champions League qualifier against Celtic reversed. Uefa has performed a U-turn stating that they could not prove that the Croatian international had deliberately deceived the referee after the Gunners appealed. Click to continue reading...

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England Fans WILL die at South Africa 2010!

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What a difference two years make. In November, 2007, England succumbed to Croatia at Wembley by a scoreline of 2-3 and thus surrendered their qualifying for Euro 2008. Cue the images of a fumbling Steve McClaren and an England team with so little confidence. Croatia, meanwhile, looked like world beaters.

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First things first and apologies for the lack of blogging yesterday, I got distracted by shiny things (my new laptop) and a chicken sandwich which obviously had been left out of the fridge for too long. It was a mixed afternoon.

So, what did I miss? Not a whole lot it seems.

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Whilst Paddy Crerand is piling the praise on Darren Fletcher today, Sir Bobby Charlton has spoken of his great admiration for Wayne Rooney.

Sir Bobby reckons both club and country are lucky to have Wayne and looks to our young striker being able to bag 50 goals or more for England.

"Wayne Rooney is a very important person for club and country," said Charlton.

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Anyone tuning in to ITV1 late on Saturday afternoon will have been greeted by the sight of grown men sporting silly hats in a sea of similarly dressed people and empty red seats. This, apparently, was Wembley's pre-match atmosphere in all its glory ahead of England's friendly with Slovenia. The St George Cross hung from every ledge in the famous (new) stadium as the national side took to the field and will no doubt be out in force again on Wednesday night when Croatia visit the capital. Click to continue reading...

It was only a friendly, so I got the sense that both the supporters and England footballers were a little more subdued than usual, but in England's 2-1 victory against Slovenia at Wembley on Saturday night there was a lot to worry about.

Despite winning, England looked like they were playing in slow-motion, had difficulty rapidly moving the ball up the field and revealed lots of holes in the back.

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Are you a fan of Frank Lampard? Don't worry, if you choose not to answer in the affirmative, you surely have some company. While I have written several articles here at Premiership Talk to demonstrate my support for Frank Lampard, this article is not about my support.

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Stability. Composure. Quality. These are just a few adjectives that England's defense certainly doesn't deserve based on the Three Lions' 2-2 draw against Holland in their most recent international fixture. However, only the aforementioned adjectives can do justice to one defender that England's system failed to recognize.

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The first Saturday of August in England and it's raining; football weather. Normally this would be time to look forward to the new season but when the news broke yesterday that Sir Bobby Robson had passed away it was time to stop and reflect on what an outstanding career he had as a player, coach and manager not only in and for England but also abroad with some of the heavyweights of European club football; he always came across as being a good bloke and one of the last 'old school' football personalities too, something that came across yesterday in the many tributes that were paid to him.

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Fresh from giving England fans palpitations after Fridays semi-final win against host nation Sweden, England's young lions have a chance to win some silverware for the junior lions for the first time since 1993. England Under 18's triumphed that year, riding a week long wave of growing optimism and support to beat Turkey 1-0 in front of 25,000 fans in Nottingham.

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Here are some pics for you to enjoy!

(To see more great photos, just click below)

• Chelsea and England Star Is £20m Barcelona Target (0)
• Yet more evidence that Chelsea players were disillusioned under Phil Scolari (1)
• Manchester United and Chelsea players set to produce gangster movie!

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UEFA U21 Tournament: England v Finland
Halmstad, Sweden
Domestic interest in the UEFA U21 tournament is higher than usual this year, partly because the National Team is on leave for the summer and partly because there is the sniff of victory from England.
A tasty crop of young Englishmen have made the journey to Sweden including Premier League-honed Gabriel Agbonlahor, Michael Mancienne, James Milner, Micah Richards and Theo Walcott, giving coach Stuart Pearce both hopes and headaches; the Three Lion Cubs have the quality to win the trophy after falling to the Netherlands on penalties at the semi-final last time, but also for the first time in around a quarter of a century England head to a tournament as favourites; there is now expectation and responsibility on Pearce's head that was not there before. Click to continue reading...

I'm sure there was a fair few MCC members scowling yesterday but ultimately yesterday was just a cricket carnival.
Even the most cynical of England fans would doff their caps to the Indian fans, fanatical doesn't even begin to cover it. As the Australian will attest our "Barmy Army" are no slouches either so it made for an amazingly vibrant evening. Click to continue reading...

Ever wondered if there's a US version of Alex Gerrard or Coleen Rooney? Considering football's lower profile in the States, the short answer is: there isn't one. However, open it up to other sports and there's a whole new world of skanks, skeeves and half-classy ladies to discover. Please welcome the inimitable Matt from With Leather and his excellent, extensive guide to the girls.

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Ever wondered if there's a US version of Alex Gerrard or Coleen Rooney? Considering football's lower profile in the States, the short answer is: there isn't one. However, open it up to other sports and there's a whole new world of skanks, skeeves and half-classy ladies to discover. Please welcome the inimitable Matt from With Leather and his excellent, extensive guide to the girls.

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A photograph of the new Blackburn Rovers home jersey for the 2009-2010 season has been leaked.

From season to season, the Rovers home kit doesn't change that much due to its classic style. But there are some important enhancements made in the new jersey compared to the one from last season.

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