
Getting into soccer? You’re in the right place.
Welcome to The Tap-Inn. We serve simple, witty, twice-weekly explainers to help you understand soccer, the world’s most popular sport. No assumed knowledge, no PhD-level tactics, no nonsense.
—Joe, your Irish bartender (no, really)
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“The hairdryer”
/ðə ˈhɛːdrɪə/
phrase · soccer
- Definition:
- A manager standing inches from a player's face and shouting hard enough to blow their hair back. Usually delivered at half time, at full volume, in front of the entire team.
- Origin:
- Coined by Manchester United players describing Sir Alex Ferguson's dressing room rollickings. The heat and the wind arrived at close range, and grown professionals learned to study the floor until it passed.
“They clearly got the hairdryer at half time. They came out for the second half looking like a different team.”
ASK THE BARTENDER
Games At The Bar
Find Your Premier League Club
New to the Premier League? Take our quick quiz and discover which team matches your personality, values, and style!
Want to get into soccer? Start here.
Answer ten questions about how the game works and we'll tell you what kind of fan you already are — and how to fill in the bits you don't know yet!
Understand soccer? Let’s find out.
Ten things we’ve overheard at the bar. Ten chances to prove you know what they mean. Plus: get your own personalised soccer 'style of play' at the end!
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