New football terminology
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New football terminology
Please feel free to correct me on the 1st 2 but I've no idea about number 3. Cheers
1. Low block - sitting deep
2. Transition - winning the ball back in defence and moving the ball forward
3. Pivot - no idea
1. Low block - sitting deep
2. Transition - winning the ball back in defence and moving the ball forward
3. Pivot - no idea
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Re: New football terminology
Or is transition counter attacking/ hitting on the break?
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Re: New football terminology
Pivot is just a defensive midfielder who sits back and helps to break up play.CalamityClaret wrote: ↑Tue Sep 09, 2025 7:41 pmPlease feel free to correct me on the 1st 2 but I've no idea about number 3. Cheers
1. Low block - sitting deep
2. Transition - winning the ball back in defence and moving the ball forward
3. Pivot - no idea
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Re: New football terminology
Cheers
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Re: New football terminology
When did “Bomb Squad” become a thing in football?
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Re: New football terminology
Used to have a pivot when you had a schemer who was an attacking inside forward.ollieclarets8 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 09, 2025 7:45 pmPivot is just a defensive midfielder who sits back and helps to break up play.
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Re: New football terminology
But now it's basically a defensive midfielder? How did I do on the transition? I know I should have just Googled it on reflection. I'm sure I'm not alone though
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Re: New football terminology
Don't forget false nine.I assume Duke was a false nine a none scoring striker?
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Re: New football terminology
4. Press - attack
"Press, press....... press press press " doesn't sound the same
"Press, press....... press press press " doesn't sound the same

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Re: New football terminology
Pivot is all about carrying a sofa
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Re: New football terminology
There’s also this idea that a no.10 is further forward and more attacking than a no.8 - they are just on different sides of the pitch
Re: New football terminology
Formerly known as the holding roleollieclarets8 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 09, 2025 7:45 pmPivot is just a defensive midfielder who sits back and helps to break up play.
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Re: New football terminology
1. childish w@nker: most footballers.
Last edited by yTib on Tue Sep 09, 2025 8:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New football terminology
Luis is supposed to be a holding midfielder rather than a pivot, according to Benfica fans, at least.KellyClaret wrote: ↑Tue Sep 09, 2025 9:14 pmIs there not a bit of a difference? A pivot more of a ball player from deep and a holding midfielder would generally have less influence on the ball but is instead be better at breaking up play
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Re: New football terminology
A pivot is generally something that turns through 180 degrees without changing its position.
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Re: New football terminology
A bit like Andrea Pirlo then?dougcollins wrote: ↑Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:01 pmA pivot is generally something that turns through 180 degrees without changing its position.
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Re: New football terminology
It’s all nonsense. Derived claptrap from pundits who want to sound cleverer than they are.
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Re: New football terminology
One day a manager will set up with wing halves and everyone will think it’s amazing
Re: New football terminology
Recycling the ball. What’s that all about?
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Re: New football terminology
Inverted wing backs - Right/Left back moving into midfield
Double Pivot - two players who sit in front of the defence to support them off the ball and then attack with them acting as the defender's first option for a pass.
1st/2nd/3rd phase of play - the newest invention created to make offsides more complicated and difficult to judge
Double Pivot - two players who sit in front of the defence to support them off the ball and then attack with them acting as the defender's first option for a pass.
1st/2nd/3rd phase of play - the newest invention created to make offsides more complicated and difficult to judge
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Re: New football terminology
Low centre of gravity - Short with a fat arse?
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Re: New football terminology
What's the difference between a 'number 8' and a 'number 10'?
Re: New football terminology
Number ten is an attacking midfielder usually behind the striker. (Joe Cole should've/would've)Im_not_Robbie_Blake wrote: ↑Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:07 amWhat's the difference between a 'number 8' and a 'number 10'?
Number eight is a box-to-box. (Gerrard)
Last edited by Pickles on Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New football terminology
I think it depends who you ask.Im_not_Robbie_Blake wrote: ↑Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:07 amWhat's the difference between a 'number 8' and a 'number 10'?
A number 8 for me is an attacking central midfielder. A number 10 is further forward partnering a forward or 'in the hole'.
Re: New football terminology
I'd not heard of that in a football context and assumed it was the same as in rugby. Googled it and turned out to be pretty much the opposite.
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Re: New football terminology
I would say number 2. Transition , works both ways.CalamityClaret wrote: ↑Tue Sep 09, 2025 7:41 pmPlease feel free to correct me on the 1st 2 but I've no idea about number 3. Cheers
1. Low block - sitting deep
2. Transition - winning the ball back in defence and moving the ball forward
3. Pivot - no idea
Defensive transition = when a team loses the ball and has to switch from attacking shape to defending shape. (e.g. counter-pressing immediately after losing the ball, or dropping into a low block).
Offensive transition = when a team wins the ball and has to quickly change from defending to attacking. (e.g. launching a counterattack before the opponent can reorganise).
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Re: New football terminology
One which makes me cringe is "legacy fan" - just so cold and is indicative of the tiered systems we're seeing in terms of ticketing.
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Re: New football terminology
Don Revie was probably acknowledged as the first and best of his time, false nine, or deep lying centre forward in this country.
Man City's 1956 FA Cup win often referred to as the Revie Plan.
In Europe, Austria 30's and Hungary (Hidegkuti) 50's were the most successful exponents.
Nothing new in football and no doubt South Americans would claim to have invented the idea earlier.
Lots of recent examples, in the Premier League, Bobby Firmino might be considered the classic.
Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane both certainly drop/dropped deep as a natural part of their game.
Man City's 1956 FA Cup win often referred to as the Revie Plan.
In Europe, Austria 30's and Hungary (Hidegkuti) 50's were the most successful exponents.
Nothing new in football and no doubt South Americans would claim to have invented the idea earlier.
Lots of recent examples, in the Premier League, Bobby Firmino might be considered the classic.
Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane both certainly drop/dropped deep as a natural part of their game.
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Re: New football terminology
They are the exactly the same - except the 8 is a right sided inside forward and a 10 left sided. Both normally play behind a centre forward and inside a winger. Modern punditry has confused the terms.Im_not_Robbie_Blake wrote: ↑Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:07 amWhat's the difference between a 'number 8' and a 'number 10'?
Re: New football terminology
What about a false nine?
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Re: New football terminology
The dumbest one of the lot is “scanning” i.e. looking around.
Re: New football terminology
I think it’s you that’s confused to be fair.LincsWoldsClaret wrote: ↑Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:28 amThey are the exactly the same - except the 8 is a right sided inside forward and a 10 left sided. Both normally play behind a centre forward and inside a winger. Modern punditry has confused the terms.
Funny this thread, 90% of folk on here think we play with a ‘10’, and did for all of last season, and under Kompany. Perhaps learning some ‘modern terminology’ might help better understand what’s happening on the pitch.
Re: New football terminology
Why can't people just refer to players as strikers, centre forwards, left winger, right winger, central midfield etc.
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Re: New football terminology
Pressing, or the press, i.e. aggressive and proactive defending to win the ball back, is nothing new. There are clips of the great Dutch team from the 70’s where they just go for it and the opposition (Argentina spring to mind) just don’t know how to handle it and crumble.Alanstevensonsgloves wrote: ↑Tue Sep 09, 2025 8:24 pm4. Press - attack
"Press, press....... press press press " doesn't sound the same![]()
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Re: New football terminology
Or would it be " shcopping " Insta for Barca for example.quoonbeatz wrote: ↑Wed Sep 10, 2025 12:36 pmThe dumbest one of the lot is “scanning” i.e. looking around.
Re: New football terminology
Wasn't transition one of Dyche's buzzwords, seem to remember him wanting fast transitions which I think we used to call longball.
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Re: New football terminology
It's all for nerds who've never even played on the park on a Sunday but can give you the xG progressive pivot stats for a 'number 6' in the Albanian 2nd division.
Funnier than ever now, when the top sides are launching long throws into the mixer again and playing for corners. No doubt there's some new online hipster terminology for that too.
Funnier than ever now, when the top sides are launching long throws into the mixer again and playing for corners. No doubt there's some new online hipster terminology for that too.
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Re: New football terminology
I'm probably fatter than fatboy so I'm not scaredLisbonclaret wrote: ↑Wed Sep 10, 2025 6:41 amCareful bfcmik, some bloke called fatboy will be along shortly to castigate you and all Benfica fans for an opinion like that![]()

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Re: New football terminology
I thought pivot was used in old-school football reporting to describe the centre half, probably arising from the time before the 60s when there was a man between the two full backs, with numbers 4 and 6 the wing halves who did a bit of both defending and attacking
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Re: New football terminology
I'm sure I've read "Quarterback" used on here. Now that's taking things to the extreme! 

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Re: New football terminology
Number 2Im_not_Robbie_Blake wrote: ↑Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:07 amWhat's the difference between a 'number 8' and a 'number 10'?

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Re: New football terminology
Obviously you consider yourself one of the 10% who are better informed than the rest of us. Thank your for your valuable insight.RVclaret wrote: ↑Wed Sep 10, 2025 12:53 pmI think it’s you that’s confused to be fair.
Funny this thread, 90% of folk on here think we play with a ‘10’, and did for all of last season, and under Kompany. Perhaps learning some ‘modern terminology’ might help better understand what’s happening on the pitch.
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Re: New football terminology
Pivot used to be the centre half, around whom the fullbacks "pivotted" - one pushing forward, the other hanging back, ready to sweep across in the event of a sudden counter-attackollieclarets8 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 09, 2025 7:45 pmPivot is just a defensive midfielder who sits back and helps to break up play.
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Re: New football terminology
Seems to me that a considerable number of people think that there is a preferable way to play football, and become resistant to change, when football is always changing, with coaches constantly trying to overcome opponents with new systems and styles. They don't want to be predictable.
If they can find a system that works, they'll try and develop it.
If they can find a system that works, they'll try and develop it.
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Re: New football terminology
Legacy football.NottsClaret wrote: ↑Wed Sep 10, 2025 1:46 pmIt's all for nerds who've never even played on the park on a Sunday but can give you the xG progressive pivot stats for a 'number 6' in the Albanian 2nd division.
Funnier than ever now, when the top sides are launching long throws into the mixer again and playing for corners. No doubt there's some new online hipster terminology for that too.