The Athletic.

Hello, I'm Adam Hurry, and what you're about to hear is pure cliches.

A few minutes, we think perfectly encapsulate the essence of our podcast.

So whether you've been with us right from the very start, or you're a potential Johnny

come lately, we hope you enjoy this pause for thought on a curious phrase for a team rooted to the

bottom of the table and a bit from one of my favourite clichés line-up episodes of all,

the pure Europa League 11.

Anyway, moving on, a lovely phrase fell upon my sight this week. It's a sort of phrase, Nick,

that really kind of I take for granted.

And then the longer I stare at it, the more absurd it becomes.

And that phrase was basement boys.

Which, if you just analyze it in both isolation

and if you strip it down to its individual parts,

it is just brilliantly stupid and weird.

But I spotted it in passing and I had to stop and marvel at it for a bit.

And it was, of course, in relation to Sheffield United.

I mean, do you think you could ever say the words basement boys out loud?

No, no, no, never, no. I mean, only ever written down and, you know, then at a push.

It feels like one of those, it feels like there needs to be a sort of minimum number of weeks or games

that a team has been bottom of the table for them to be referred to as a basement boys.

Sheffield United this season, this season, obviously qualify perfectly.

But, you know,

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