Early doors
A common expression among footballers and pundits, ‘early doors’ simply means early in a game. It is believed to originate in northern England as a term to describe the early closing of a public house.
Example: “We nicked a goal early doors and then it was just a case of shutting up shop to grind out the win.”
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men’s domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competition in the world. It is organised by and named after The Football Association (The FA). Since 2015, it has been known as The Emirates FA Cup after its headline sponsor. A concurrent women’s tournament is also held, the Women’s FA Cup.
False nine
The ‘false nine’ is a player who takes up the position of a central forward in a team, but performs a more withdrawn role than a traditional ‘number nine’ striker. A false nine is not as advanced as a conventional striker and drops deep to drag centre-backs out, allowing the left and right wingers to get in behind.
Example: Explaining the position, Lionel Messi said: “[Pep Guardiola] had been talking with Tito Vilanova and they had thought about me playing as a false nine. He was going to put Samuel [Eto’o] and Thierry Henry on the outside, and I was going to play as the false centre forward.”
Feint / Flip Flap
The dribbling of the ball in one direction after faking the dribble in the other direction with a bogus body movement. Also known as the snakebite for being resembling a snake’s agile attack on its prey.
Fergie’s Fledglings
The term ‘Fergie’s Fledglings’ describes the clutch of young players who graduated from the Manchester United academy to the first team under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson. It is inspired by the Busby Babes.
Fergie Time
‘Fergie Time’ describes the perception that former Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson had a psychological influence on referees that made them add just enough time after 90 minutes to allow the Red Devils to score. First used in the 1990s, the fact that Ferguson could often be seen pointing at his watch on the sideline and his teams scored plenty of late goals contributed to the perception.
Example: “Back in the 1992-93 season, with Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday drawing 1-1, seven minutes of time was added at the end and Steve Bruce scored a winner. Thus Fergie Time was born.”
First touch
Skill attribute for a player which signifies their ability to bring the ball completely under control immediately upon receiving it.
Great first touch skill
Fox in the box
A ‘fox in the box‘ is a phrase which describes a striker whose movement within the 18-yard box is clever enough to elude markers so that he can score goals. The term evokes the idea of cunning which is commonly associated with foxes.
Example: “Michael Owen had bags of pace so he could always get in behind defences, but he was also a fox in the box – a total nightmare for defenders to keep an eye on.”
Football pyramid
The football pyramid is the term for a football league system which is bound together as a unit by promotion and relegation. In England, for example, it is possible for a club to progress from non-league football to the Premier League and vice versa.
Foot like a traction engine
When someone says a player “must have a foot like a traction engine” they mean that they have a powerful shot. The phrase comes from the satirical British television show The Day Today. Steve Coogan’s character on the show, Alan Partridge, was a parody of a sports reporter and, while doing commentary on a match, he says: “Sh*t! Did you see that? He must have a foot like a traction engine!”
