hoofball

n. football (U.S.: soccer) played with a focus on long kicks (rather than on dribbling and passing). Subjects: English, United Kingdom, Sports & Recreation

Editorial Note: Hoofball is usually considered a passive, boring way to play the sport. Etymological Note: From hoof (it), to kick.

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Citations: [1992 [Patrick Brosnan] Usenet: rec.sport.soccer (Apr. 14) “English Hoofball on TV”: English Hoofball on TV…Does anybody know if and when the Liverpool-Leeds game is live on TV?] 1995 Deryk Brown Sunday Times (London, England) (Sept. 24) “Yeboah Steals The Show As Leeds Run Wimbledon Ragged—Football”: Wimbledon took a while to realise that Leeds were not only prepared to play hoof-ball with them, they were also much better at it. Gradually, Leeds began to play more football; Wimbledon became less crass. 2000 Chairboys on the Net (United Kingdom) (May 17) “Sanchez Goes For Goals”: I’ve read certain pieces on the Internet that we play “Hoofball.” We don’t play “Hoofball” because we haven’t got a big front man who we can play “Hoofball” to. We’ve done exceptionally well to do what we’ve done without being able to cross the ball and someone to head the ball into the goal. 2002 [hughff] Crystal Palace Football Club BBS (United Kingdom) (Aug. 2) “Our Squad”: The teams sampled were English, where there is a much higher number playing hoofball anyway. Thus more goals were scored by hoofers. Once the ratio of hoofing teams to passing teams is figured into the data of similar experiments, hoofers are found to be consistently less likely to score. 2002 Mark Smith BlogFootball (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, United Kingdom) (Dec. 24) “Transfer Window”: Whatever happened to we’ll risk losing games to win them, and what about the non set-piece factor where improved passing and ball retention (as we avoid hoofball) might actually avoid being under pressure in the first place? 2004 [Candu] Sportsnet.ca (Nov. 17) “Way to go Canada”: When Canada lined up in a 41212, a tactic that sacrifices width for a lot of midfield triangles to pass the ball around and create scoring opportunities, I was hopeful of a more possession orientated style. Alas, the two central midfielders were overwhelmed and Canada was quickly back to aimless hoofball. I hate hoofball but if you are going to play that way at least put on a legitimate target striker and look for second phase balls. 2005 Mark Waters O-Net (Aug. 7) “Cheltenham Town 1 Leyton Orient 1”: From the kick-off, Simpson delivered a long, old-fashioned ball to Alexander deep on the left-wing. The Orient crowd groaned (Hoofball again?) but Gary controlled, made the bye-line and sent over a low cross which goalkeeper Higgs dived to cut out. 2005 Coventry Evening Telegraph (United Kingdom) (Nov. 12) “How would YOU run the Sky Blues?” p. 32: A glass roof to be built ten foot above the pitch, so “hoof-ball” can no longer be the tactic of choice. It’s certainly not my choice. 2005 [Alex] Trent End Talk (Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, United Kingdom) (Nov. 14) “Taylor bags a brace to send us flying”: Megsons defensive tactics were depressing to watch, with hoof ball being the run of the day. The only time we played attacking, passing football we scored.…I am unhappy with 3-5-fecking-2. It doesn’t work and results in a hoof ball game of panic kicking to “get rid.”…All there is is panic and hoofing the ball up field, either back to the opposition or out for a throw.…Am I happy with Megson? Nope. Not at all. More defensively minded hoof-ball. *2006 JB Norwich City Football Club Fans Community—Wrath of the Barclay (United Kingdom) (May 25) “Worthington Petition”: Please let’s stop Norwich losing it’s long and proud tradition “playing the passing game” to the hoofball that seems to be the favoured tactic of the current incumbent/incompetent. 2006 Richard Matthews Vitalfootball.co.uk (May 27) “Amnesty? No Way!”: They were told frequently, that if what was wrong was NOT Worthington to prove it by playing a more entertaining game than was being dished up week after week. They did nothing to show the fans any different to the growing thought that Worthington was insisting on a style of football more scathingly referred to as “hoof”ball.

Posted 29 May 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend