News imageFootball Daily, The Commentators' View: England squad & Producer Gary

Football Daily

The Commentators' View: England squad & Producer Gary

20 March 2026

59 minutes

Available for over a year

John Murray & Ian Dennis are joined by producer Gary Flintoff. Also hear from Thomas Tuchel after he names his England squad. Gary gives a behind-the-scenes insight into what a football producer does and dishes the dirt on his most interesting post-match interviews. Plus more unintended pub names and terms for our Great Glossary of Football Commentary. Messages, questions and voicenotes welcome on WhatsApp to 08000 289 369 & emails to TCV@bbc.co.uk

03:00 What does a football producer do?

10:45 Gary’s face is his accreditation!

14:05 What’s it like interviewing Premier League managers?

19:55 Who’s the most difficult to interview?

27:30 5 Live commentaries this weekend,

29:05 History already in the League Cup Final,

32:00 Thomas Tuchel names his England squad,

34:15 Thomas Tuchel INTERVIEW,

44:45 Unintended pub names,

51:15 Great Glossary of Football Commentary.

5 Live / BBC Sounds commentaries:

Sat 1200 Man City v Spurs in WSL on Sports Extra,

Sat 1500 Fulham v Burnley,

Sat 1730 Everton v Chelsea,

Sun 1415 Spurs v Nottingham Forest,

Sun 1415 Aston Villa v West Ham on Sports Extra,

Sun 1630 League Cup Final - Arsenal v Man City.

Great Glossary of Football Commentary:

DIVISION ONE

Agricultural challenge,

Back of the net,

Back to square one,

Booked,

Bosman,

Bullet header,

Channel of joy,

Coupon buster,

Cruyff Turn,

Cultured/educated left foot,

Dead-ball specialist,

Draught excluder,

Elastico/flip-flap,

False nine,

Fox in the box,

Giving the goalkeeper the eyes,

Grub hunter,

Head tennis,

Hibs it,

In a good moment,

In behind,

Magic of the FA Cup,

The Maradona,

Off their line,

Olimpico,

Onion bag,

Panenka,

Park the bus,

Perfect hat-trick,

Piledriver,

Put his cap on it,

Rabona,

Roy of the Rovers stuff,

Schmeichel-style,

Scorpion kick,

Spursy,

Stick it in the mixer,

Sweeper keeper,

Target man,

Tiki-taka,

Towering header,

Trivela,

Where the kookaburra sleeps,

Where the owl sleeps,

Where the spiders sleep.

DIVISION TWO

2-0 can be a dangerous score,

Asterisk,

Back on the grass,

Ball stays hit,

Beaten all ends up,

Blaze over the bar,

Business end,

Came down with snow on it,

Catching practice,

Camped in the opposition half,

Cauldron atmosphere

Coat is on a shoogly peg,

Come back to haunt them,

Corridor of uncertainty,

Couldn’t sort their feet out,

Easy tap-in,

Daisy-cutter,

Drubbing,

First cab off the rank,

Giant-killing,

Goalkeepers’ Union,

Good leave,

Good touch for a big man,

Half-turn,

Has that in his locker,

High wide and not very handsome,

Hospital pass,

Howler,

In the dugout,

In the hat,

In their pocket,

Johnny on the spot,

Lackadaisical,

Leading the line,

Leather a shot,

Middle of the park,

Needed no second invitation,

Nice headache to have,

No-look pass,

Nutmeg,

On their bike,

One for the cameras,

One for the purists,

Played us off the park,

Points to the spot,

Prawn sandwich brigade,

Purple patch,

Put their laces through it,

Queensbury rules,

Reaches for their pocket,

Rolls Royce,

Root and branch review,

Row Z,

Screamer,

Seats on the plane,

Show across the bows,

Slide-rule pass,

Staving off relegation,

Steal a march,

Sting the palms,

Straight in the bread basket,

Stramash,

Taking one for the team,

Telegraphed that pass,

Tired legs,

That’s great… (football),

Thunderous strike,

Turns on a sixpence,

Walk it in,

We’ve got a cup tie on our hands.

UNSORTED

After you Claude,

All-Premier League affair,

Aplomb,

Bag/box of tricks,

Brace,

Brandished,

Bread and butter,

Breaking the deadlock,

Bundled over the line,

Champions elect / champions apparent,

Clinical finish,

Commentator’s curse,

Denied by the woodwork,

Draught excluder,

Elimination line,

Fellow countryman,

Foot race,

Formerly of this parish,

Free hit,

Goalmouth scramble,

Honeymoon Period,

In and around,

In the shop window,

Keeping ball under their spell,

Keystone Cops defending,

Languishing,

Loitering with intent,

Marching orders,

Nestle in the bottom corner,

Numbered derbies,

Opposite number,

PK for penalty-kick,

Postage stamp,

Rasping shot,

Red wine not white wine,

Relegation six-pointer,

Rooted at the bottom,

Route One,

Sending the goalkeeper the wrong way,

Shooting boots,

Sleeping giants,

Slide rule pass,

Small matter of,

Spiders web,

Stayed hit,

Steepling,

Stonewall penalty,

Straight off the training ground,

Taking one for the team,

Team that likes to play football,

Thruppenny bit head / 50p head,

Two good feet,

Turning into a basketball match,

Turning into a cricket score,

Usher/Shepherd the ball out of play,

Walking a disciplinary tightrope,

Wand of a left foot,

Wrap foot around it,

Your De Bruynes, your Gundogans etc.