The Language of Football: Part 2

Mazy Run

As in, “Giggsy is off on another one of his mazy runs.”

Mazy doesn’t appear in the OED. Presumably, it’s being employed here as an adjective to describe something that resembles a maze. Like a run.

Via this phrase, then, the commentator is suggesting that the player in question, whilst in possession of the ball (one would hope), appears, by virtue of their non-linear progression, as though they are running though a maze.

It is usually employed in a complimentary manner. However, not all mazy runs are created equal: have you ever seen Diomansy Kamara play? Upon receipt of the ball, the head typically goes down, the brow furrows, and he’s off - locked on to some mysterious ultrasonic frequency that only he can receive and decipher. Intent on reaching some elusive destination that only he appreciates the significance of. If only it were the goal.

Potential future developments:
Primark Run – player bustles his way through a group of closing defenders in a similar manner to a teenage girl entering a clothes store on the first day of the sale;
Clapton Run – player weaves in and out of defenders as though dodging bullets on Lower Clapton Road.