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 Great Escape”
/ðə ˌɡreɪt ɪˈskeɪp/
phrase · soccer
- Definition:
- When a club that looked certain to be relegated somehow claws its way to safety, usually on the last day of the season. Nobody calls it a good year. They just call it survival.
- Origin:
- Lifted from the 1963 movie about imprisoned Allied soldiers and Nazi Germany, and pinned forever to West Bromwich Albion. They sat bottom of the Premier League at Christmas in 2004, eight points from safety, then stayed up on the final afternoon. First club ever to manage it.
“They were cut adrift in March and now they’re a point clear with two games left. Proper West Brom stuff, this.”
ASK THE BARTENDER
Games At The Bar
WHAT PL TEAM MATCHES YOUR PERSONALITY?
Find Your Premier League Club
New to the Premier League? Take our quick quiz and discover which team matches your personality, values, and style!
9
Questions
30
Seconds
114k+
Matched
WHAT KIND OF FAN ARE YOU?
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!
10
Questions
2
Minutes
10,000+
Fans Tested
THINK YOU KNOW THE LANGUAGE OF SOCCER?
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!
10
Questions
2
Minutes
3,000+
Join Regulars
MOST READ EXPLAINERS
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How to read the numbers in common soccer formations and what they reveal about a team's intentions.
What is the Carabao Cup?
England's second domestic knockout competition, why it keeps changing names, and why clubs care more than they admit.