Bouncebackability: a word coined for the play-offs that fits them perfectly

25 May 2018 14:15
The best preparation a team can have for a play-off final is the experience of losing one the year beforeBy Richard Foster, author of The Agony and the EcstasyIain Dowie coined the word bouncebackability in the 2003-04 season when describing how his Crystal Palace team had gone from the fringes of relegation in December to winning promotion through the play-offs in May. Not many managers have been responsible for adding words to the English lexicon but Dowie shared the honour with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2005 when both “squeaky bum time” and “bouncebackability” entered the Oxford English Dictionary.It is fitting that Dowie came up with the word while discussing a side promoted in the play-offs, as bouncebackability has been remarkably common in so many sides who have won promotion in these showpiece finals. Of the 10 beaten finalists who have returned to the same fixture the next season, nine have succeeded second time around – and the only exception made amends a year later. Related: Boreham Wood lost at Wembley but their journey has brought a lot of joy Related: The Football League play-offs at 30: a quick fix that survived and thrived Continue reading......read full article

Source: TheGuardian