Women's World Cup

So with the Women's World Cup in full flow and Hope Powell a distant memory. Are there any players who could cut it in the fifth division of the men's game and if so would you want her at Town?

Interestingly, on the topic of the women's game, what are the rules regards women competing in the mens game?

mmm defo not the goalies, some of those germans are bloody scarey!!

Quoted from jamesgtfc

Interestingly, on the topic of the women's game, what are the rules regards women competing in the mens game?

I'd have thought you would not be able to discriminate. However I'd bet there'd be loads of "pressure" for it not to happen.

I'm pretty sure there are FA rules about it, as schools often have mixed teams but at a certain age (9 I think) then it has to be girls or boys only.

I have wondered a lot about the England's woman's football team.... oooh matron!

But if they were placed in a league would they find their level in the Conference? Ryman's or below?

Quoted from Teesknees

I have wondered a lot about the England's woman's football team.... oooh matron!

But if they were placed in a league would they find their level in the Conference? Ryman's or below?

I reffed a lot of woman's premier league just as it was starting out and it was terrible, but these are the best in the world so I'm interested to see how it's progressed.

Quoted from Theimperialcoroner

So with the Women's World Cup in full flow and Hope Powell a distant memory. Are there any players who could cut it in the fifth division of the men's game and if so would you want her at Town?

To be perfectly honest I couldn't name one woman footballer let alone say if they could cut it in Div 5.

Quoted from Theimperialcoroner

I'd have thought you would not be able to discriminate. However I'd bet there'd be loads of "pressure" for it not to happen.

Surely, under those rules men can play in the womens game as it discriminates. Feminists moan about equal rights but when it's the other way round...

There are some decent women players but they are a million miles away from the level of the men's professional game. The difference in physical attributes - pace, height, strength - just mean it's not a fair comparison. The best female player of all time would not get in to an average local semi-pro side. If that sounds like an insult then it means you haven't considered how good you have to be get in to an average semi-pro side!

The OP asks if she was good enough would you want her at Town?  
Yes of course I would. Age is no barrier so neither should sex be.
However, I doubt if there is any woman in the world that could compete in the conference. Sheer physical attributes prevent that.
I recently attended a wedding in Manchester where several of the guests were top level female footballers. Spoke to five or six of them. Not one thought they could cut it in the men's game. Interestingly, they also said that they much rather preferred watching men's football as much more exciting than women's.
Edit:  meanwood just beat me to it

Tbh im quote impressed with some female players.  The number 11 for Switzerland is very pacey.

Quoted from Civvy at last

Edit:  meanwood just beat me to it

No, it's interesting to hear from you that the women players themselves don't think they could cut it in the men's game.

I once played in a friendly at uni and a top flight female Charlton Athletic player was on the other side. It was not a particularly high standard, comparable to a decent sunday league level probably, but we were all pretty fit. She simply couldn't get a kick. At the risk of repeating myself, the natural physical advantages men have meant that she was completely anonymous. It's just a one off anecdote but the contrast was so overwhelming that it really stuck with me.

FA are revising rules so that girls can play with lads all the way to under 16.

My 10 year old put an 11 year old giant of a boy from Barnskey on his backside in a cup final recently. She is in the girls elite programme. She has gone back to grassroots football recently and looks more than comfortable.
A GTFC academy coach watched our team play at tge weekend. He said "if she was a lad I would sign her"

Do Grimsby have a womans football team?

I think an ex Lincoln player who signed for a top prem side plays for England although can't remember her name.

I don't suppose its any different to men being able to play in the  womens game is it.
Going back 20years, I remember boys weren't allowed to play netball for the school.
Im talking about primary school. And that was non contact

Watching the England-Colombia game right now and they really should be playing on a smaller pitch!

Mind you the Colombians are doing their best to save throwing the ball so far - they typically steel 10 metres from where the ball goes out for a throw.

Quoted from Meza

Do Grimsby have a womans football team?

I think an ex Lincoln player who signed for a top prem side plays for England although can't remember her name.

Unfortunately Grimsby don't have a ladies football team playing at a decent level. The Lincoln Ladies team became the current Notts County as the man financing it is a County fan.

Glen Harris the ex manager of Lincoln Ladies is now the manager of Doncaster Rovers Belles but also works for the Lincs FA as Welfare Office, and was until he took the Belles job he was Techical Director of Lincs FA Girls COE.

There have been a number of former Lincoln Ladies players that have played for England. The most notable being Casey Stoney who now plays for Arsenal Ladies. She has captained England and the London 2012 Olympic team.

England's football tonight was superb. Especially in the first half. Technically excellent.

Their general standard of play of the England Women's team has certainly improved a good deal in comparison to just a couple of years ago from what I saw last night. Very good in the first half but on the back foot for much of the second as they sat back a bit too much to defend their lead.

Think they are lacking real pace or anyone with a powerful shot (like that French lass who has belted in one or two long-rangers already this tournament), but not bad. Can't see them getting near winning the tournament as they spurn too many chances to create a shooting opportunity with inaccurate of badly-timed passes, but they are certainly heading in the right direction.

I also think this may not be a fair comparison.

There are plenty of athletic, fast and strong women around.

Men's football has more money in it than almost any sport.  There are top footballers who could have made it in other sports but maybe saw football as their best shot.

A top female footballer might not get in a semi pro football side but a top female tennis player will beat a semi pro man.  A top female sprinter will beat a top club runner etc.

The best female athletes generally don't go into football but can be found in tennis, cycling, athletics etc.

Cameroons number 7 was awrsome vs Switzerland she pretty much won the game for Cameroon.  She was direct skilful and very pacy.

Hmmm...a women's World Cup...an interesting idea. I'm sure it will happen sometime, just a question of when I suppose.
Don't suppose they'll take their shirts off when they score, or be described as "good in the box", but otherwise there could
be some similarities with the game I used to love which sadly is now a cruder-than-average business.

I reckon women's football is more about potential replica-shirt sales than gender equality. (Discuss...?.)  

Women no matter how fast or fit and strong they are will never be a match for a fit strong fast man,

When I watch the women play footy its like watching young lads aged about 15 playing,

That is not a criticism just a fact,

I enjoy watching all levels of football and think some women could stand their own in Sunday league football.

BUT

Not at a professional level.

Quoted from grimsby pete

Women no matter how fast or fit and strong they are will never be a match for a fit strong fast man,

When I watch the women play footy its like watching young lads aged about 15 playing,

That is not a criticism just a fact,

I enjoy watching all levels of football and think some women could stand their own in Sunday league football.

BUT

Not at a professional level.

That's rubbish Pete

Watching the Eng Norway game and it's bloody awful.
I think I've answered my own original question.

Quoted from Theimperialcoroner

Watching the Eng Norway game and it's bloody awful.
I think I've answered my own original question.

Sorry mate but that's incorrect because Ascend's daughter pushed a young lad over once or something...

I put this game on with an open mind hoping to see a good game of football but am struggling to enjoy it. The general passing play is great, probably due to the pitch being so big, but there is no real pace or technique to the play and most players either lose the ball or fall over when they get anywhere near goal.

Credit to the commentator for trying to sound excited though

Women's football is just awful. Neither of the sides involved in that first half would beat any Conference team.

I think that there has been some comment that most of the teams have struggled with the artificial pitches. Apparently they are watered before kick-off but dry out very quickly indeed which slows the game down hugely.

Only caught the last 20-odd minutes of the first half but it looked like we had the better of things in general without creating too much.

They look like fit, coached, park footballers. The pitch doesn't help, but like the poster above, I came to watch it with an open mind, and I've been disappointed.

Quoted from Theimperialcoroner

They look like fit, coached, park footballers. The pitch doesn't help, but like the poster above, I came to watch it with an open mind, and I've been disappointed.

There are so many wayward passes, poor decision making and terrible touches.

I'm sure the point's been made before, but would it not make sense to play on a smaller pitch? There's a lot of wide open spaces (that the ball is in a lot of the time)

To be fair, as many goals from corners in 5 minutes as we probably scored all last season

(it did help that the Norway number 8 moved off the post though)

That excellent winning goal for England was awful and boring. Ok I know what people mean.  But England came from behind to win very well in the end.  

Quoted from Abdul19

To be fair, as many goals from corners in 5 minutes as we probably scored all last season

(it did help that the Norway number 8 moved off the post though)

I was going to comment on how great that header was but then I noticed their number 8 following the keeper across the line and leaving her post totally unmanned(or unwomaned)

Nice winning strike, caught it like Nathan Arnold!

She's also a hairdresser too.  

I've really enjoyed this tournament! Yes the standard isn't the same as watching the men's game but look at facts. No sport is the same when you compare the men's and women's games. Compare the athletics records, the tennis game, the hockey, rowing etc etc etc. The level playing field of the ladies game is refreshing and seeing them get to the quartets is great! I'm more happy watching the ladies than their male counterparts!

I just watch it for what it is. Pointless comparing it with the men's game. Same with tennis. Just because the players are not as strong and there's not as much power doesn't stop it being enjoyable to watch,

Quoted from GrimRob

I just watch it for what it is. Pointless comparing it with the men's game. Same with tennis. Just because the players are not as strong and there's not as much power doesn't stop it being enjoyable to watch,

The original comparison was out of interest. I would love there to be a Messi-esque woman out there who could cut it in the men's game. I'm less convinced there is after watching some of the games. The comparison with tennis and to an extent golf is interesting as there does become a level where men and women can compete equally if you drop down the men's rankings. Likewise Paula Radcliffes pacemakers were men.
With footy, it's the same, just what is the level that the crossover of the top of the women's game occur.

Some of the comments on here about women's football  leave me dumbfounded. I think that there must be a lot of "would be" soccer pundits in here that aren't capable of watching football closely enough to appreciate just how technically adept the women are in the more developed football nations. You really cannot understand football if you are unable to see that these women are accomplished professional players with a lot of skill and ability. Playing in highly coached teams.

Aside from the obvious difference in physicality, there is football being played and skills on show, that you would struggle to find below the Football League Championship. Skills that you would see being used in the Championship and above.

I do wonder whether much of the ancient views on here are simply because it is women playing football, the sport that has been male dominated since the dark ages. Also that people switch off from it because the crowd noise at the games is totally different to the atmosphere in the men's game.

They did a test in Germany, where women's football is massive. They put 50 open minded men in a cine room to watch a top level women's football match. Then they made them watch it again, but they dubbed the audio very cleverly with crowd noise from a Bayern Munich men's game against Borussia Dortmund. The guys then were asked to give an honest opinion of the game experience. They concluded that their viewing experience was enhanced as a result of enhanced background football atmosphere noise. Just goes to show.

It's no accident that last year's runner up in FIFA's Puskas Award, which is for most aesthetically significant, or "most beautiful", world goal of the year; was none other than Stephanie Roche. I wonder how that goal would be received by Joe Public, if it had been scored in front of 50,000+ supporters in a massive stadium with crowd atmosphere behind it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30284831

Get yourself to a men's reserve game, or top elite level academy game. You will find the atmosphere there to be no different to what you experience at women's football. Infact you might even find the atmosphere to be worse. But you have to close your mind to atmosphere and watch the football closely. Then you will start to see what I mean about how atmosphere colours peoples opinion of the game. Better still, watch a mans game, top level if you like, but mute your volume on your TV and see how it affects your viewing experinece.

For some of us, students of the game, the atmosphere means very little, as we are tuned in to watching the technical aspects of the game.

Quoted from 120790

Some of the comments on here about women's football  leave me dumbfounded. I think that there must be a lot of "would be" soccer pundits in here that aren't capable of watching football closely enough to appreciate just how technically adept the women are in the more developed football nations. You really cannot understand football if you are unable to see that these women are accomplished professional players with a lot of skill and ability. Playing in highly coached teams.

Aside from the obvious difference in physicality, there is football being played and skills on show, that you would struggle to find below the Football League Championship. Skills that you would see being used in the Championship and above.

I do wonder whether much of the ancient views on here are simply because it is women playing football, the sport that has been male dominated since the dark ages. Also that people switch off from it because the crowd noise at the games is totally different to the atmosphere in the men's game.

They did a test in Germany, where women's football is massive. They put 50 open minded men in a cine room to watch a top level women's football match. Then they made them watch it again, but they dubbed the audio very cleverly with crowd noise from a Bayern Munich men's game against Borussia Dortmund. The guys then were asked to give an honest opinion of the game experience. They concluded that their viewing experience was enhanced as a result of enhanced background football atmosphere noise. Just goes to show.

It's no accident that last year's runner up in FIFA's Puskas Award, which is for most aesthetically significant, or "most beautiful", world goal of the year; was none other than Stephanie Roche. I wonder how that goal would be received by Joe Public, if it had been scored in front of 50,000+ supporters in a massive stadium with crowd atmosphere behind it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30284831

Get yourself to a men's reserve game, or top elite level academy game. You will find the atmosphere there to be no different to what you experience at women's football. Infact you might even find the atmosphere to be worse. But you have to close your mind to atmosphere and watch the football closely. Then you will start to see what I mean about how atmosphere colours peoples opinion of the game. Better still, watch a mans game, top level if you like, but mute your volume on your TV and see how it affects your viewing experinece.

For some of us, students of the game, the atmosphere means very little, as we are tuned in to watching the technical aspects of the game.

Really?

I have tried watching it but some of the football on show is pretty poor if that is supposed to be world class standard and some of the goalkeepers make Anthony Williams look the best keeper in the world.

Sorry Ascend, but last night was a million miles off the type of football you describe. I really wanted it to be quick, skill full and interesting. Now the late goals. Made it the latter, but quick and skill full it was not. I am a long way off a Richard Keys type who sees no place for women in football but I think the standard of the game is massively overblown.. Hopefully, this exposure will start to change this, but it's not there yet.

If you want to talk about standard of the game, then I would actually tell you that women's football is better.

Very little if any cheating.
A huge amount of honesty and integrity.
No time wasting.

Where does the importance of being "quick" even come into it IPC? Skill and technical ability is far more important to a student of the game. There are no prizes for being fast in soccer, be that individually or as a team playing fast pace. Interesting that you use the word "quick". Football on the continent is played at a much slower pace than in Premier League, and the game is better for it.

As for skillful, well both teams showed some superb skills. Do you just consider that "skill" means the ability to do a step-over or a Cruyff turn or a Maradonna turn etc? Is your view on skill just a player that can make someone look daft with his/her trickery? How about the the other skills involved in football? Do you consider defending to be a skill? Because it is and it is a very important part of the game and both teams showed to superb defending skills last night, with individual defending excellence and collective defensive pressure skill and organisation! What about the the skill with which a player receives the ball, passes the ball, shoots, crosses, heads or dribbles. These are all skills that are important in addition to how players read a game and combine. The fixture last night had loads of these skills.

The use of the word "soccer" voids any arguments about football.

LH, you were drawn in on the use of the word Soccer. I wondered who would comment on that first.

Many people think that Soccer is a word invented and used by the Americans for our brand of football. They are wrong. In fact Soccer is a very English word created from slang abbreviation during some of the earliest days of our Association Football. The word "Soccer" being a derivative of the word "Association".

It was used way back in the 19th century, to differentiate "Soccer" (Association Football) from "Rugger" (Rugby). The man on the street and the kids in the street in England played Soccer long before they played Football in its singular term. Their ball was their "Casey" if they could afford one, but somebody in the street usually could. When they got to wear boots, they were known as their "Toggs". Now this was also at the time when their teams played in a "Strip" not a "Kit". Now a football "Kit" can certainly be blamed on the Americans. American military in fact.

Soccer - Don't blame it on the Yanks....

Ascend why don't you give barrack Obama a tinkle on your phone and tell him it will always be called football  

Quoted from 120790

It was used way back in the 19th century, to differentiate "Soccer" (Association Football) from "Rugger" (Rugby).

To differentiate two terms - Association Football and Rugby - which are already... errrr... different?

Quoted from jonnyboy82

Ascend why don't you give barrack Obama a tinkle on your phone and tell him it will always be called football  

I'm on it.

Good lad  

Imagine spending a single second paying serious attention to someone who continually refers to himself as a "student of the game".

lol.

On yer bike.

I agree with the honesty part of the game - that chance that the Norwegian striker had where the England player was next to her falling over in the penalty area is a perfect example. The Norwegian stayed up,carried on to shoot but was saved. Virtually any men's team would have been disappointed that the striker didn't go down and claim a penalty.

Quoted from pizzzza

To differentiate two terms - Association Football and Rugby - which are already... errrr... different?

Not back then they weren't. Rugby and Association Football were very similar, with variations on rules (now known as laws).

There was actually quite a lot of politics involved back then among mainly fellas in Oxford Uni that were trying to influence there being just one game, the game of their own chosen discipline. It was at this stage that people decided that there ought to be set of fixed rules for each discipline and separate organisation. This was when an Association was formed for the game of "Association Football" referred to as Soccer. Rugby Football then went its own way as did other forms including variations which evolved such as Aussie rules football and Gaeilic football.

Quoted from mike_d

I agree with the honesty part of the game - that chance that the Norwegian striker had where the England player was next to her falling over in the penalty area is a perfect example. The Norwegian stayed up,carried on to shoot but was saved. Virtually any men's team would have been disappointed that the striker didn't go down and claim a penalty.

Absolutely.

Columbia though have shown signs of the shenanigans that you see in the men's game. Faking injury, leading with the elbow etc. I just wonder how long the women's game will take before it is ruined by some of the nonsense we see in men's football. Especially as the stakes get higher and higher.

Quoted from 120790

If you want to talk about standard of the game, then I would actually tell you that women's football is better.

Very little if any cheating.
A huge amount of honesty and integrity.
No time wasting.

I've not watched much of the WWC but I have seen the England games and when we were 2-1 up we spent most of the last 10 minutes running the ball towards  the corner flag. You could argue that that's not cheating or time wasting but it's still blatant "professionalsim" and the crowd were booing England for doing it. I'm sure players (men or women) never did that when it was an amateur game. I remember reading a biography of C B Fry and he was against the penalty when it was introduced because only a "cad" would deliberately foul an opponent . I live watching the WWC but you can't make out they play in a true corinthian spirit.

Quoted from GrimRob

I've not watched much of the WWC but I have seen the England games and when we were 2-1 up we spent most of the last 10 minutes running the ball towards  the corner flag. You could argue that that's not cheating or time wasting but it's still blatant "professionalsim" and the crowd were booing England for doing it. I'm sure players (men or women) never did that when it was an amateur game. I remember reading a biography of C B Fry and he was against the penalty when it was introduced because only a "cad" would deliberately foul an opponent . I live watching the WWC but you can't make out they play in a true corinthian spirit.

Yes keeping the ball in the corner is not cheating or time wasting. Certainly not time wasting as you are actually having to keep the ball there shielded legitimately whilst it is in play. It is actually a clever tactic to keep the ball in an area of the pitch during the dying embers of the game, where it cannot harm you.

Germany got a pen the other night with a blatant dive. Jonathan Pearce hilariously stopped short of saying it.

Great to see Macca Bilk back on form though

Quoted from 120790

Yes keeping the ball in the corner is not cheating or time wasting. Certainly not time wasting as you are actually having to keep the ball there shielded legitimately whilst it is in play. It is actually a clever tactic to keep the ball in an area of the pitch during the dying embers of the game, where it cannot harm you.

But it's "not cricket". The likes of CB Fry I am sure would be horrified if he saw it, as he would by diving, batsman not walking and all the other "professionalism" we have today.

Quoted from 120790

Yes keeping the ball in the corner is not cheating or time wasting. Certainly not time wasting as you are actually having to keep the ball there shielded legitimately whilst it is in play. It is actually a clever tactic to keep the ball in an area of the pitch during the dying embers of the game, where it cannot harm you.[b]

Yes, to waste time or time wasting.


"A common legal tactic often employed during football games involves carrying the ball into the corner of the field and shielding it from the defender. This will commonly lead to a free-kick if the frustrated defender budges the player out of the way, or it can also lead to a throw-in by the defender placing a tackle and managing to legally make contact with the ball so close to the line it often rolls out of play. This can be repeated to continue timewasting"

Quoted from arryarryarry

Yes, to waste time or time wasting.

No just to keep the ball away from the opponents in a perfectly legal way in a manner that is not unsporting in the slightest. Using your ability to keep the ball in an area of the pitch that it can do you no harm at a crucial time.

As opposed to faking injury, rolling around on the ground, taking an age to take a free kick or throw in or goal kick, all of which are legal (barring faking injury) but unsporting.[face=Arial][/face]

I watched most of last night's game.  It was a poor game for much of it but in that respect no different to many of the poor games that England men's team have played.

The good patches were entertaining to watch and I agree that the lack of atmosphere and crowd noise made it feel flat.

Some errors were made - eg short back pass but I've seen that in England and Premier games.

Overall, I thought it was decent entertainment.  It doesn't matter that a women's team would lose to a men's team - Paula Radcliffe in her prime would be beaten by Mo Farah but that doesn't mean women's athletics is less interesting than men's or of lesser value.

I think too many men refuse to believe women can be any good at their "macho" sport, so they are determined to think it's crap whatever they see. Actually, some of these women are very skilled and all are extremely fit and they would leave most casual or even semi-serious male players in the dirt.
Do passes go astray? Are shots missed? Do keepers make errors? Do defenders make mistakes? Are some games pretty dull? Why, yes. Just like in the men's game!
  I honestly don't know what level of the men's game the best women could compete at. I suspect their skills would be competitive to quite a high level, but their speed and strength would hold them back, just like in, say, tennis or athletics, but so what, honestly?
  I do know this. The moves that the French ladies put together to score their first two goals against Korea the other night would have had most of us purring about quality if Town had come up with them. Go check them out if you haven't seen them.
Watch it or don't watch it, but the level of condescension some people display shows insecurity, in my opinion.

Quoted from 120790

No just to keep the ball away from the opponents in a perfectly legal way in a manner that is not unsporting in the slightest. Using your ability to keep the ball in an area of the pitch that it can do you no harm at a crucial time.

As opposed to faking injury, rolling around on the ground, taking an age to take a free kick or throw in or goal kick, all of which are legal (barring faking injury) but unsporting.[face=Arial][/face]

So you are suggesting that is a good tactic? So we go one nil up in the first minute then try to keep the ball near the corner flag for the remaining 89 minutes.

That will bring the fans flooding back.

No not at all based on your scenario.
But if we are 1 nil up with three minutes of added time then yes get it in those corners and try and keep it there.

It's nothing nothing new

Quoted from 120790

LH, you were drawn in on the use of the word Soccer. I wondered who would comment on that first.

Many people think that Soccer is a word invented and used by the Americans for our brand of football. They are wrong. In fact Soccer is a very English word created from slang abbreviation during some of the earliest days of our Association Football. The word "Soccer" being a derivative of the word "Association".

It was used way back in the 19th century, to differentiate "Soccer" (Association Football) from "Rugger" (Rugby). The man on the street and the kids in the street in England played Soccer long before they played Football in its singular term. Their ball was their "Casey" if they could afford one, but somebody in the street usually could. When they got to wear boots, they were known as their "Toggs". Now this was also at the time when their teams played in a "Strip" not a "Kit". Now a football "Kit" can certainly be blamed on the Americans. American military in fact.

Soccer - Don't blame it on the Yanks....

Did anyone else refer to a game of football as 'a game of Togger' at school? Or was it just me?

Quoted from Tinymariner

Did anyone else refer to a game of football as 'a game of Togger' at school? Or was it just me?

You certainly aren't on your own!

Thanks for that Chris, thought I was imagining it, I haven't called it Togger for nearly 30 years.

Quoted from 120790

Some of the comments on here about women's football  leave me dumbfounded. I think that there must be a lot of "would be" soccer pundits in here that aren't capable of watching football closely enough to appreciate just how technically adept the women are in the more developed football nations. You really cannot understand football if you are unable to see that these women are accomplished professional players with a lot of skill and ability. Playing in highly coached teams.

Aside from the obvious difference in physicality, there is football being played and skills on show, that you would struggle to find below the Football League Championship. Skills that you would see being used in the Championship and above.

I do wonder whether much of the ancient views on here are simply because it is women playing football, the sport that has been male dominated since the dark ages. Also that people switch off from it because the crowd noise at the games is totally different to the atmosphere in the men's game.

They did a test in Germany, where women's football is massive. They put 50 open minded men in a cine room to watch a top level women's football match. Then they made them watch it again, but they dubbed the audio very cleverly with crowd noise from a Bayern Munich men's game against Borussia Dortmund. The guys then were asked to give an honest opinion of the game experience. They concluded that their viewing experience was enhanced as a result of enhanced background football atmosphere noise. Just goes to show.

It's no accident that last year's runner up in FIFA's Puskas Award, which is for most aesthetically significant, or "most beautiful", world goal of the year; was none other than Stephanie Roche. I wonder how that goal would be received by Joe Public, if it had been scored in front of 50,000+ supporters in a massive stadium with crowd atmosphere behind it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30284831

Get yourself to a men's reserve game, or top elite level academy game. You will find the atmosphere there to be no different to what you experience at women's football. Infact you might even find the atmosphere to be worse. But you have to close your mind to atmosphere and watch the football closely. Then you will start to see what I mean about how atmosphere colours peoples opinion of the game. Better still, watch a mans game, top level if you like, but mute your volume on your TV and see how it affects your viewing experinece.

For some of us, students of the game, the atmosphere means very little, as we are tuned in to watching the technical aspects of the game.

The level of skill on show is nothing like you suggest. Play is slow, passes are wayward, touches are often poor, so many shots are hit with poor technique that it is at times laughable. The football played is very rarely even at L2 level let alone Championship. I would be very confident that Town would easily beat either Norway or England if they were to play them. The atmosphere has nothing to do with it, I watched it with the sound barely on as my flatmates were asleep.

Totally agree Matt. But then I know nothing about football.

You'd hope a league 2 side could beat them
A decent sunday league would too I would have thought - the play is pretty pedestrian at times. Theyre allowed to play whereas in mens football, half a dozen tackles would have flown in before they were allowed to cross it.
Theyre technical very very good though, better than I expected.
Goalkeepers look abit crap. Anyone half decent at shooting from range will score past them
Mind you, I have only watched parts of the England games....

Quoted from nightrider

You'd hope a league 2 side could beat them
A decent sunday league would too I would have thought - the play is pretty pedestrian at times. Theyre allowed to play whereas in mens football, half a dozen tackles would have flown in before they were allowed to cross it.
Theyre technical very very good though, better than I expected.
Goalkeepers look abit crap. Anyone half decent at shooting from range will score past them
Mind you, I have only watched parts of the England games....

I am not sure what is the relevance of saying that an [insert your favourite derogatory comparison here] team would beat England Women.  Its a biological fact that man are on average faster, stronger etc.  Take any sport and the best women will get beaten by average men.  That doesn't mean that the women's version of any sport is somehow lesser to the men's, its just different. Serena Williams is a great tennis player but she would get thrashed by Andy Murray etc etc.  

Gender aside, it's just plain boring. Ponderous build up with not much end product.

Bit like some of the games at BP in the past few seasons.  

Yeah, I wouldn't say that the women's game against Norway was any less rubbish in quality or more boring to watch than the England U21 game against Sweden the other night.

Let's blame the Scandinavians!

Well ! sorry to disagree with most on this thread but I find the womens football quite entertaining, yes got to admit it's nothing like watching mens professional football and wouldn't expect women to be able to compete against men. I've watched all the England games in the tournament and will watch them until they are knocked out. There are various sports I dislike, for instance cricket and rugby but I always like to see any English team or sports person do well against other nations In whatever sport they participate. I'm a true BRIT and got the "T"shirt.   .

Quoted from 120790

Absolutely.

Columbia though have shown signs of the shenanigans that you see in the men's game. Faking injury, leading with the elbow etc. I just wonder how long the women's game will take before it is ruined by some of the nonsense we see in men's football. Especially as the stakes get higher and higher.

Oh yeah, the women's game is absolutely spotless, as pure as the driven snow...


https://vine.co/v/e56buMKH6i6

Quoted from 120790

That's rubbish Pete

What ?

Who holds all the world records for running, Jumping and throwing then ?

I did say at a lower level a women could hold her own against not so fit men,

BUT

What women could play in the professional game ?

I enjoy watching all levels of football

From Sunday league up to the premiership,

My niece played for Denmark under 21 about 20 years ago,

I had a kick about with her and a few family members,

She was a lot better than me,

BUT

A young fit Pete would have been a match for her.

Quoted from 120790

Some of the comments on here about women's football  leave me dumbfounded. I think that there must be a lot of "would be" soccer pundits in here that aren't capable of watching football closely enough to appreciate just how technically adept the women are in the more developed football nations. You really cannot understand football if you are unable to see that these women are accomplished professional players with a lot of skill and ability. Playing in highly coached teams.

Aside from the obvious difference in physicality, there is football being played and skills on show, that you would struggle to find below the Football League Championship. Skills that you would see being used in the Championship and above.

I do wonder whether much of the ancient views on here are simply because it is women playing football, the sport that has been male dominated since the dark ages. Also that people switch off from it because the crowd noise at the games is totally different to the atmosphere in the men's game.

They did a test in Germany, where women's football is massive. They put 50 open minded men in a cine room to watch a top level women's football match. Then they made them watch it again, but they dubbed the audio very cleverly with crowd noise from a Bayern Munich men's game against Borussia Dortmund. The guys then were asked to give an honest opinion of the game experience. They concluded that their viewing experience was enhanced as a result of enhanced background football atmosphere noise. Just goes to show.

It's no accident that last year's runner up in FIFA's Puskas Award, which is for most aesthetically significant, or "most beautiful", world goal of the year; was none other than Stephanie Roche. I wonder how that goal would be received by Joe Public, if it had been scored in front of 50,000+ supporters in a massive stadium with crowd atmosphere behind it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30284831

Get yourself to a men's reserve game, or top elite level academy game. You will find the atmosphere there to be no different to what you experience at women's football. Infact you might even find the atmosphere to be worse. But you have to close your mind to atmosphere and watch the football closely. Then you will start to see what I mean about how atmosphere colours peoples opinion of the game. Better still, watch a mans game, top level if you like, but mute your volume on your TV and see how it affects your viewing experinece.

For some of us, students of the game, the atmosphere means very little, as we are tuned in to watching the technical aspects of the game.

I support the women's game as much as anyone, but the above is simply ludicrous. Remember, these are the best women in the world, and there's still no way the "skills on show" are anywhere near Championship-calibre. Especially the "keepers" (and I use that term loosely).

Look, I'm glad the women have their own World Cup and their own domestic leagues, but let's not exaggerate here. I appreciate the matches I've seen at this WWC, and used to watch some of the WSL games played here in the US... at first the tendency is to compare the women's game to the men's, but after a while you let that go and enjoy what's in front of you.

But Championship-level skills? Yer havin' a laugh!

Just seen the Germans beat the French in a penalty shoot out  : 5-4

Didn't see the actual game but seems the French should have won the game but just one missed penalty and that's your fate sealed....as we all know all too well

Quoted from FishOutOfWater

Just seen the Germans beat the French in a penalty shoot out  : 5-4

Didn't see the actual game but seems the French should have won the game but just one missed penalty and that's your fate sealed....as we all know all too well

The French missed one of the easiest chances I've ever seen with three minutes of extra time left. Still, the sort of thing you see all the time in the Championship and higher right Ascend?

ENG 2 - 1 CAN Live Now, half time

That Tancredie woman or whatever her name should be booked for trying to ref the game.

Quoted from Tinymariner

Did anyone else refer to a game of football as 'a game of Togger' at school? Or was it just me?

Aye. Not heard it since the early 70s though (apart from when i used it with the kids once).

I've gone off Canadians. All this booing when things don't go their way. Wouldn't mind if the ref was getting it wrong.

WE ARE IN THE WORLD CUP SEMI FINAL!!  

England deserved that with all that screaming ringing in their ears. Despite the possession England looked more threatening.  And we had a Ross Joyce moment near the end too.

Bad form by the Mooses too not giving us the ball back properly when we kicked it out for an injury.

Could be an England Germany.final!

Quoted from GrimRob

Could be an England Germany.final!

Be interesting to see if the Cannucks support us or are there too many descendants of French and Scots  

If it was us v the Yanks would the spirit of 1812 come out.

Yes !  I must be sad, I stayed up to watch the match all the way through and must admit I thoroughly enjoyed it.

So pleased for Mark Sampson and the England team

just seen the highlights. Both team's outfield players have a lot of skill and played at a decent tempo. The goalkeepers are terrible though. All 3 goals the keepers should have done better.

It's enjoyable but it is a mistake to compare it to the men's game. It is completely different in pace and physicality. That doesn't make it less enjoyable, just different.

In fact the only real similarity with the men's game is the number of tattoos.

Quoted from Tinymariner

Thanks for that Chris, thought I was imagining it, I haven't called it Togger for nearly 30 years.

Yes!!  But it was early 70s when we called it that, so 40+ years ago.
Three and yer in was the favourite game if I remember right!

UTM

Quoted from stuart brace was king

Yes!!  But it was early 70s when we called it that, so 40+ years ago.
Three and yer in was the favourite game if I remember right!

UTM

Rush goalies!

The one who scores fetches the ball.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Rush goalies!

The one who scores fetches the ball.

No, the one who misses!

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Rush goalies!

The one who scores fetches the ball.

It must be embedded in the football brain and explain why players score then run round the back of the goal.

I didn't see the game, just the goals.

I see I wasn't wrong about women goalkeepers.

Well there is headers and volleys, FA Cup