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Women's World Cup 2019 - anyone here interested?

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    Women's World Cup 2019 - anyone here interested?

    Topic.

    USA beat Thailand 13-0. Saw that and kept watching as it was football history in the making but the rest, so far, I'm wondering why I bothered. That sort of gap between the best teams and the worst is like an indicator of how far the women's game has improved over the last decade or more. But the fact there are still international sides qualifying who are so completely out of their depth also says a lot.
    Last edited by fallenangle; 14-06-2019, 11:36.

    #2
    Originally posted by fallenangle View Post
    Topic.

    USA beat Thailand 13-0. Saw that and kept watching as it was football history in the making but the rest, so far, I'm wondering why I bothered. That sort of gap between the best teams and the worst is like an indicator of how far the womens' game has improved over the last decade or more. But the fact there are still international sides qualifying who are so completely out of their depth also says a lot.
    I do see what you're saying, but I don't necessarily agree with all of it.

    Let's not kid ourselves here: That is precisely what would happen if San Marino/Luxembourg/Malta, etc. ever got into a Men's World Cup or European Championships.

    It's not so long ago that we were watching Germany thrash Brazil 7-1 in a Men's World Cup semi-final, after all.

    Comment


      #3
      I was not going to go down this controversial route and I definitely do not mean this to be some misogynistic, sexist rant it is just that I can not see how any knowledgeable viewer of the beautiful game can witness this 'quality' of football without criticism.

      The USA team have been the only women's side I've seen that can actually play a decent game in all parts of the pitch and they'd still be owned by most non-league men's teams. It just is not good football to watch in comparison to the men's game and no amount of BBC hype can disguise that.

      It is cheap football on TV and lots of extra career opportunities and world travel for their stable of commentators and ex-player pundits. It ticks so many boxes and that is why it is getting this depth of coverage but at the same time that is exposing it to honest scrutiny.

      I just feel it is a case of the empresses' new clothes and that nobody is actually being truthful about what they're seeing. Gender is irrelevant - it is, a lot of the time, simply not good football.

      Discuss.
      Last edited by fallenangle; 14-06-2019, 11:39.

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        #4
        I don't bother with football but I've seen a lot of articles on it lately popping up and it seems to be as clear cut as it's a simple case of it growing in support and exposure but only in a very small number of countries. Until there's an international drive to massively increase the investment, exposure and overall support of it then it's going to suffer from chasms of skill levels and interest, it's on the beginning of an upward journey but it's a very long one and it may never attain the popularity and money the men's side does as it's just as reliant on marketing practicalities as well.

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          #5
          That is the problem - the disparity between the best and the worst is not going to be closed. Unless you have high quality league football being played regularly in every country who aspire to play international tournaments the gap is only going to get wider. That's just as true of the men's game but amplified for the women as in some places you're starting at zero: women who've never played any sport let alone a sophisticated team sport like football.

          In the UK women's football has a history and even forty years ago I was playing for a short while in a college 5-A-Side league where there was no gender distinction. I really didn't think anything about it despite previously having been to all boys schools and never having played football against girls. Admittedly we had only one regular and one other occasional women players but more would join in casual kick-abouts.

          But if you do not have that grass roots level interest where the girls who might want to play can do so and progress to competitive local team leagues and so on up, the quality of football is never going to be the same as the men's game even at the highest level.

          Whilst the interested generated by tournaments like the WWC might benefit the development of football in those countries which have that grass roots structure in many of the other countries who are starting at year zero it does not help. Seeing their international football team broadcast world wide being trounced by double figure scorelines might even be detrimental to the development of interest in the sport in those countries.
          Last edited by fallenangle; 23-06-2019, 13:04. Reason: typo

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            #6
            In the short term it could work better for them to have a high profile, high stakes tournament for only the teams that meet a certain skill bar (assuming there's a fair way to determine that). Something that segregates high level play in a way that looks appealing to other countries that aren't there yet to catch up in hope of taking home the spoils. If not that then something that pits the higher level teams against each other more as otherwise people will tune out fast.

            Comment


              #7
              I’ve quite enjoyed the games I’ve watched. USA and England seem to be a better standard than a lot of the others but there’s plenty of decent individuals in other squads. It’s kind of like football was years ago there is a lot less emphasis on raw strength and speed so it flows quite nicely with an open passing game.
              Scotland’s meltdown against Argentina was disappointing seems like they’ve learned from the men’s team there!

              It’s good to see the women’s game getting a higher profile. If today’s youth see it as normal to have both genders on TV and hero players to admire its all for the good of the sport.

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                #8
                I stopped watching the men's game years ago, fed up with the diving, moaning at the ref and time wasting. The women's game for me is a far more watchable, flowing and honest version of the game with good hard tackling and for the most part only 'going to ground' in the pen area.

                I don't watch league or Euro stuff but enjoyed the last WC and have been watching this one as well.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by fallenangle View Post
                  The USA team have been the only women's side I've seen that can actually play a decent game in all parts of the pitch and they'd still be owned by most non-league men's teams. It just is not good football to watch in comparison to the men's game and no amount of BBC hype can disguise that.
                  I think the Women's World Cup is a better to watch than most lower league men's football. At that level, size/strength/speed make up for a lot of other shortcomings, there's a lot playing down the wings to get in a cross, and a lot of goals that come from scrambles in the penalty area.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    That is exactly what we have seen here in the WWC, the best teams are clearly fitter and stronger than they were 4 years ago. They can now can shoot very decently if still irregularly and, something which is new since the last WWC, is that they have learned you can actually score with your head. Previously that was rare and heading most often used to play pointless keepy-uppy exchanges in midfield.

                    It is the final third both defensively (although that is far better than it was) and in attack where the gulf still lies. That's where the footballing brain comes in - seeing the patterns, seeing the space, making the space for yourself or others. Teamwork, fitness and ball skill you can learn to a certain level but getting that footballing brain working in the fluid arena of an actual match is another thing. That's the difference between good and average players of either gender.

                    Best thing I've seen in this WWC in that respect was/is from an England player who has been around for years and does, clearly, have that good footballing brain: Jill Scott. She is far from stella in all areas of her game and can be stupidly nasty but she mitigates those failings with a unfailingly high work rate.

                    I can not remember which match it was but they highlighted in the half-time talk what I'd seen her do and I've seen her do before in other games - intelligent running off the ball. Dragging defenders away just by that movement, creating space for others is a natural skill and that sort of intelligence is what seems to be missing from many players.

                    It is like that perfectly executed, visionary pass into the space nobody else has seen except the other equally visionary player destined to receive it and has even started to move. When you see that sort of thing, not accidental, a mix of instinct skill but still clearly thought out all in a fraction of a second. That is what raises football to the sublime sporting level it can be.
                    Last edited by fallenangle; 23-06-2019, 15:32.

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                      #11
                      Lucy Bronze is for me our best player, her footy brain is excellent and was saying the other day that she behaves on the field just like a top male player would.
                      Bronze was excellent in the last WC, scoring an absolute belter. Although she doesn't play central she reminds me of Brian Robson.

                      Steph Houghton is another very good player, absolutely brilliant at tackling.

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                        #12
                        Watching the England v Cameroon game as I'm posting this. Just hope it is a entertaining as the Norway v Australia game yesterday. That was one of those well above average WWC football games probably because the sides were evenly matched and the it had plenty of incidents.

                        The England men's team now have serious rivals in the Australian women for the worst penalty takers in the world.

                        VAR - what a ******** joke.......................................and England score, yay but also boo! Ruining the game.

                        EDIT

                        Extraordinary and very entertaining game for all the wrong reasons except for England winning 3-0.

                        Cameroon had a collective and increasingly embarrassing hissy fit once the first VAR decision went against them. When they were on the wrong end of a disallowed 'goal' it became even worse. For most of the rest of the match they did everything they could to disrupt the play. It clearly affected England, as intended, who lost concentration and could easily have lost their lead because of that.

                        Towards the end there was also an undeniably deliberate 'leg breaker' foul on the England captain that only received a yellow card.

                        The referee lost control and ignored blatant verbal and general dissent from the whole Cameroon team. I think she may even have been pushed by one of their players too.

                        Not a good advertisement for the women's game except, again, for the fact that the England women were the epitome of professional in their response to such provocation throughout.

                        England versus the dark horse: Norway will be better football but will it be as entertaining?
                        Last edited by fallenangle; 23-06-2019, 18:10. Reason: Match result

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Yep Steph got a Tommy Smith special and the Cameroon player should have gone.

                          Ref did lose control, it looked as though the Cameroon players didn't know the rules at certain points. They were perplexed at what was happening with the pen area free kick and looked as though they didn't fully understand the offside rule either.
                          I did feel sorry for them with their disallowed goal as it was marginal and backs up what a lot are saying that VAR is becoming a safety blanket for the officials.

                          I do think that replays are good for sorting out pivotal moments but it seems to be being used for almost every goal that goes in, in my opinion the French have just had a perfectly good goal wiped out.

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                            #14
                            Agreed, that goal should have stood.
                            Lie with passion and be forever damned...

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                              #15
                              ...and then VR comes to the rescue by reversing one disallowed for the Brazilians - without much stoppage time to be fair.

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