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Wednesday, June 27 Last week saw the shocking news leak out that Charlton Athletic FC are due to abandon their highly successful ladies team after dropping out of the Premier League. While this news is shocking it is hardly surprising. Money is everything in football these days. Nothing else matters. Absolutely nothing else. Charlton have decided that the £300,000 needed to fund the womens team each year is too big a burden to carry having fallen off the Premier League gravy train. It would be wrong to dispute Charlton's decision. After all, why should they fund the womens' game when most of their competitors can't be bothered? Even Manchester United withdrew their backing from the womens team carrying their name a few years ago. The disappointing thing about this case, however, is that Charlton were not just supporting a team, they had built a superb infrastructure to support and develop the game at youth and senior level. They were represented by a fine, talented, highly entertaining young side and they had every right to be proud of what they had achieved over the past seven years. They had built something which should have kept them at the forefront of what is, according to their own website, the fastest growing sport in the country. The one thing womens' football patently isn't, however, is a money spinning venture so all the previous investment and hard work can be thrown away in one fell swoop the moment the club drops out of the Premier League. I really don't get the massive appeal of the Premier League to teams like Charlton, or anybody else for that matter. Sure you get loads of money but what happens to that money? It ends up in the pockets of people like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and their agents. The tv money has doubled this year so what happens? Transfer fees rocket and wages rocket. In the end there is no real difference except to the bank balances of a few footballers and their hangers on. Charlton were perhaps the club most interested in making a difference to the community with the riches they had at their disposal and while that was commendable what was the point if these are the things that are going to suffer when their overall income is reduced? I don't blame Charlton for their decision but it is simply that they had been such a positive force in the womens' game that the news is so disappointing. The clubs' website stresses that they are still involved in trying to find a sponsor to allow them to keep the side going and we can only hope that they are successful. They will need to act fast, however, as two players have already found another club and more are sure to follow if the uncertainty continues. One website where there is nothing to be found about the situation at Charlton is the FA's own site. The FA is the body responsible for womens' football yet the news that the second biggest club in the country is on the verge of closing doesn't warrant a mention. It should surprise nobody that the wonderful people at the FA only choose to carry news of a positive nature which allows them to maintain the image of prosperity and growth. They would have been great during the war. If they had been in charge of propaganda nobody would have even realised it was going on. It could be that they are embarrassed about the situation. All that money in the game as a whole and yet even the club perhaps most committed to the womens' game is about to fold. If they keep quiet, however, the problem might just sort itself out or perhaps nobody will notice. It is time the FA used their position of immense privilege and power to do some lasting good for a game that is its' responsibility. After all, they will be crowing if England have a good World Cup. It is pathetic that they haven't tied in womens' football with their other packages when it comes to negotiating television deals and basically forced broadcasters to put it on their channels. I would suggest they might also want to look at the league structure that is in place at the moment. At present neither television nor sponsors seem particularly interested in the format, or if you prefer, the product. Perhaps splitting the country into four regional sections with a play off system then in place to decide the champions at the end of it would be more attractive. This would reduce costs for the clubs and surely play off fixtures, at least, could be sold to tv. This might not strike you as a great idea but I did just come up with it off the top of my head as I was writing this. I'm not paid thousands of pounds a week by the FA to protect and promote womens' football. Maybe somebody within that institution has the time and imagination to come up with something better and actually manage to do something about the crisis at the top level of the womens' game.
Thursday, June 28 Having no sooner told you that the one place you wouldn't find any comment about the plight of Charlton Athletic WFC is the FA's own website than, lo and behold, there appears an article of immense self justification detailing that bodies' overwhelming commitment to the womens' game. It's easy to be flippant at the FA's expense and there is no doubt that they have done the womens' game much good (since renouncing their own decision to ban the sport) but the fact remains that at the top level the game is fighting for survival and that, no matter how much work, support and commitment has gone into the game at grassroots level, it is actually at the other end of the spectrum that attention and action is desperately needed. The article on the FA's site is interesting in many ways. Firstly it provides a detailed breakdown of the money put into the game at the top level in way of prize money and support for centres of excellence. It would appear that Arsenal Ladies earned less than £20,000 for completing a domestic treble last season. What would a team get in the mens' game for doing the same? In the week when the tennis started at Wimbledon this shows just how lowly womens' football is considered in this country. The women get paid the same as the men at Wimbledon even though they wouldn't be able to beat the men if they had to play them one on one. They don't even play the same number of games but they are considered as equals. In football, even though the women play exactly the same length of game (once again they would not beat the men but they put in the same shift), the players basically aren't paid at all and their clubs receive next to nothing for their achievements. The article says that a review of the league structure is underway. Let's hope some benefit comes of this before any more teams are faced with closure. Much of the article is filled with convenient phrases which sound impressive but don't necessarily mean that much. The FA point to an ill fated professional league set up in the States after the successful 1999 World Cup there and say that "Lessons such as those are vital to learn from, so that the same mistakes are not replicated in the next stage of development of the elite game in England." Okay, what were those lessons and what have you learned? That World Cup was eight years ago. If anything that just sounds like an excuse. When exactly is the next stage of development of the elite game in England going to take place? What is that stage? The article also claims that womens' football "has made tremendous forward strides in the last fourteen years since The FA took on its development." Has it? It is at a stage where the second biggest and most succesful club in England cannot continue to function. The article also introduces us to Rachel Pavlou, the FA's Head of Women's Football, which is nice. The only other mention of her I could find on the sites' archive is during a trip to Botswana to help the development of the game out there. Maybe that's the next stage of development for the elite game in England. Fill it full of foreigners. After all, it's worked in the mens' game. Pavlou does rate many more mentions in her previous role within the Birmingham FA, which is quite telling really. The FA love their regional, community type intiatives. The grassroots. That is were they can genuinely point to success stories and quantify the "tremendous strides forward" made. This is all well and good but the simple truth about "grassroots football" is that the clue is in the title. All you have ever really needed for the game to thrive at that level is some grass and a football. All girls ever needed to make football a success at that level was the encouragement and assurance that football is an acceptable game for them to play. Now that this assurance is becoming more and more widespread they can get on with playing and enjoying the game as never before. Centres of excellence and qualified coaches are all well and good, perhaps, but as long as youngsters are allowed to play at all then talent will always shine through. What our young girls, and the future generations, really need is a thriving game at the top level. You wouldn't need to spend money at grassroots trying to encourage girls to take up football if Kelly Smith earned as much money for playing the game as David Beckham does or if Arsenal Ladies were on the tele as much as the Arsenal men. Girls would be killing themselves for the opportunity. Even now they are flocking to the game in record numbers even though there is no prospect of them being able to make a living out of the game and, quite the opposite, one of the really big, glamorous names in the game looks set for the morgue. As it stands at the moment any girl who is really talented at sport would be well advised to enjoy a kick about in the park with her mates but put all her real energies into becoming a Wimbledon champion. Much crappier game but far much more money to be made out of it.
Monday, July 23; Countdown To The World Cup England World Cup Squad 2007 The womens' World Cup Finals in China are now less than two months away so it's about time we took a look at the players likely to be representing us in the competition. There are 21 squad places up for grabs and these will be filled from among the 31 woman training squad which assembled for Hope Powell during the summer. Here we rate the players in that squad, predict Powell's selection and make our own. The Training Squad Rachel Brown (Everton) Siobhan Chamberlain (Bristol Academy) Carly Telford (Sunderland) Kay Hawke (Blackburn Rovers) Alex Scott (Arsenal) Casey Stoney (Chelsea) Stephanie Houghton (Sunderland) Rachel Unitt (Everton) Corinne Yorston (Bristol Academy) Michelle Hickmott (Birmingham City) Faye White (Arsenal) Anita Asante (Arsenal) Mary Phillip (Arsenal) Lindsay Johnson (Everton) Laura Bassett (Birmingham City) Emily Westwood (Everton) Fara Williams (Everton) Katie Chapman (Arsenal) Jill Scott (Everton) Kelly McDougall (Everton) Vicky Exley (Doncaster Belles) Kelly Smith (Arsenal) Karen Carney (Arsenal) Rachel Yankey (Arsenal) Sue Smith (Leeds United) Jo Potter (Charlton Athletic) Amanda Barr (Leeds United) Lianne Sanderson (Arsenal) Jody Handley (Everton) Eniola Aluko (Chelsea) Katie Anderton (Blackburn Rovers)
Football England's Predicted Squad Rachel Brown Football England's Squad Rachel Brown From the squad I predict Hope Powell to select I would leave out Carly Telford, Vicky Exley and Sue Smith and choose Kay Hawke, Shelley Cox and Lindsay Johnson instead. This is what we think loking ahead a couple of months but the final say, of course, is Hope Powell's.
Wednesday, July 25 The England Under 19 team have progressed to the semi finals of the European Championship tournament currently taking place in Iceland. By topping their group they have also ensured a place in next years' Under 20 World Championship to be held in Chile. These are exciting times for the game at national level and the future looks bright. Let's hope this will eventually be reflected by a stable and successful domestic league. Of course the most important competition of all will shortly be upon us and England's performances in the World Cup will have a massive bearing on the future of the domestic game so we all have to hope the girls do well. Back to the Under 19's for the moment though. The first game against Poland proved a real trial as Mo Marleys' team trailed for most of the match to a Jayne Eadie own goal. Salvation came deep into stoppage time, however, from an equaliser by Everton's Fern Whelan. This was hardly a performance to inspire confidence ahead of a meeting with France but the late goal would have undoubtedly have kept the camp in good spirits. The next performance would not only have boosted spirits still further, it will have given the girls genuine belief about their chances of winning the tournament. A strong, polished display saw the French beaten 3-1. The Leeds defender Sophie Bradley put England on their way before Natasha Dowie increased the lead. The French pulled one back but victory was sealed by another goal right at the death by Chelsea's Ellen White. White has been impressive throughout and is a real star in the making. The final group game, against Spain, was a tight, hard fought affair settled by a free kick from Danielle Buet, a Chelsea reserve, in which goalkeeper Danielle Hill, back up to Rachel Brown at Everton, gave an assured display. This sets up a semi final meeting with Norway tomorrow and the possibility of a final against either Germany or France. Marley made a usual coaches' comment about "breeding a winning mentality" (then pointed out that this is something you can't actually do) but the point remains valid. Until an England team of any gender at any level actually wins something the concept will remain somehow alien to us as a nation. If the Under 19's manage to win this competition it won't magically ensure that our senior side then go to China and do the same at the World Cup but it will certainly give everyone involved in the game in this country a huge lift and increased self belief. Here's hoping.
Saturday, July 28 The England Under 19's have reached the finals of the European Championships after Ellen White inspired them to a 3-0 victory over Norway in Thursday's semi final in Iceland. Chelsea's strong, pacy forward has been the star of the tournament so far and was simply too hot to handle for the Norwegian defence on a windy night in Reykjavic. We have commented on White's excellent progress several times on this site and her development now appears to be speeding up further. It's easy to get carried away about exciting young talents but White has many of the attributes which make Kelly Smith the world class player she is. With Chelsea benefitting from the uncertainty surrounding Charlton Athletic and already having a strong contingent of young players in their squad White should continue to improve as her club side become more realistic challengers for honours over the next couple of seasons. England now face, you've guessed it, Germany in Sunday's final and this will provide White with another opportunity to test herself. Germany will know all about her awesome semi final display and their defenders will no doubt be out to keep her quiet. It will be interesting to see if England's star performer can put in another match winning effort. If you want to see her try then the game is being broadcast live on Eurosport with a kick off of 5pm our time. The early stages of Thursday's semi final were, not surprisingly, very tight with battle locked in midfield where Mo Marley has sent out a solid, combative unit. This has worked well through the tournament although the forwards, sometimes just a forward, have been left to shift for themselves somewhat. The breakthrough came midway through the first half and was courtesy of a bad defensive mistake. Danielle Hill had just made her most testing save of the game when White seized onto a short back pass and rounded the keeper in style to slot into the empty net. The strong running White continued to torment the Norwegian defence and having powered down the wing on one occasion her low centre was almost turned into her own net by a desperate defender. From the resulting corner the defence was again at full stretch to scramble an England effort off the line. White also sent a dipping shot just over from outside the box before Norway wasted their best opportunity shortly before the break. A sloppy pass from Danielle Buet exposed the England defence but with players over an equally sloppy pass by the Norwegian player saw the chance go begging. There would be no such encouragement from England after the break as the Everton duo of Danielle Hill and Fern Whelan became commanding presences. At the other end it was all Chelsea, however. White gave England breathing space on the hour after breaking clear of the defence and finishing with a crisp low shot and the win was wrapped up by her club colleague Lizzie Edwards who smacked home a beauty from 25 yards. Germany were pushed all the way by France before claiming their place in the final. Having taken a two goal lead the Germans were then pegged back to 2-2 before the French hit the woodwork right at the end of normal time. Typically the Germans responded and clinched victory in extra time. It is always tough against the bloddy Germans but England have every right to be confident ahead of tomorrows' final. Their performances have improved throughout this tournament and they spanked the French in their group encounter. Hopefully Ellen White has another big performance left in her for the Germans and Natasha Dowie might also be due a goal or two. Come on girls.
Monday, July 30 Having spent the past decade or so watching England's men go out of a succession of major tournaments in a depressingly negative manner it was the womens' Under 19's turn to inflict torture on Sunday. After doing so well to reach the European Championship final Mo Marley's team might as well not have bothered turning up to face Germany given their total lack of ambition. From the beginning England's one forward, initially Natasha Dowie and later on Ellen White, was left up front completely on her own with no support or service whatsoever. Nobody made a move from the midfield to get forward and the two flank attackers were unable to offer any meaningful support. The performance was one of utter containment with no attempt to attack at any stage. It can only be assumed that the gameplan was to hold out for a penalty shootout despite the fact that Germany were the opponents. It almost came to this as well as the Germans struggled to create chances themselves but late in extra time a scrappy goal conceded at a corner shattered England's rearguard action and the manic attempts to then throw players forward simply resulted in the loss of another goal. While Germany had hardly impressed in their efforts to break down the England defence any other result than a Germany win would have been an absolute travesty. They had the attempts at goal, they were the team trying to win. This was an abject way to lose a major final. Most of the players involved will probably never get another chance to win an international competition and they must already know that this golden opportunity was simply tossed away. In the whole 120 minutes the German goalkeeper was not forced to make a single save. I don't even think England put in a shot. The closest thing to an opening came in the second half of normal time when White combined with Dowie for the only time and the latter skipped neatly around a defender only to poke the ball into the side netting with her weaker left foot. Whether this was meant as a shot or a cross it was impossible to tell. The closest the Germans came in normal time was on 70 minutes when Danielle Hill came for a cross but did not get there and was lucky to see the headed effort cannon back from the crossbar. It is impossible not to question the role of manager Mo Marley after this desperate display. Marley set up the team in this formation, gave the tactical talk before the game and had three more opportunities to talk to the players during the game. Not until the Germans took the lead deep into extra time did she alter the formation despite the fact that her team had not created a single chance. When she came to make a change she removed Dowie and sent White to plough a lonely and futile furrow up the middle by herself. Why did she not send White up alongside Dowie and hope that this potentially dangerous partnership managed to make an impact? At least if England had then lost they would feel that they had made some kind of effort to win the game. As it was they never gave themselves a chance. I often wonder about the modern breed of coaches. They might have their certificates and their qualifications but do they have any initiative or imagination? Was Marley actually satisfied with what she was watching until Germany finally scored? Could she actually envisage England scoring? I'll tell you for nothing that I couldn't. The worst moment of a depressing performance came midway through the second half when England were awarded a free kick about ten yards inside the German half on the left touchline. We had not been in the German box in the entire game and here, at last, came a chance to push a few players forward and get the ball into the penalty area. Instead Sian Larkin pushed the ball back into the England half to Sophie Bradley, she moved it across to Fern Whelan who moved it on to the right back Chelsea Weston. She then tried to push it forward to White but only succeeded in passing the ball straight out of play for a Germany throw in, directly opposite from where the free kick had been taken. Fantastic. Even if the ball had reached White she was tightly marked, tight to the touchline with no support and every German bar one behind the ball. Now this is something that possibly appears in a coaching manual somewhere. It probably says something about possession being nine tenths of the law. What it was in practise was a complete and utter waste of time. Just like the rest of the performance. Will I ever live to see an England team knocked out of a competition actually giving it a real go? Honourable mention in defeat goes to Fern Whelan who was absolutely magnificent at the back. Quick, decisive in the tackle and covering all across the back line she was chiefly responsible for keeping the Germans at arms length. She also looked willing to try and carry the game to the opposition. The trouble was that when she brought the ball out of defence once she had travelled twenty yards forward she had already bypassed the entire England team bar one. There was never any chance of building an attack. Very dull, very depressing and rewarded in the end with the result the approach deserved. Defeat. What was the point? Answers on a postcard. Or an e-mail.
England under-19 womens final Pat Higgins wrote: Your article (see below) about the Final was interesting and thought provoking, but a little harsh on the management of Mo Marley in my opinion.
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