Anyone else watching it? I'm really enjoying it. The standard of play is better than four years ago, and I'm pleased to say that the standard of officiating has improved exponentially, though VAR undoubtedly helps.
If I had the resources, I'd have taken a month off work for a holiday in France to watch some of the games.
I’ve watched a few minutes here and there. It’s not really for me to be honest, It lacks the pace,passion and general atmosphere of the men’s game,in my opinion. That’s not to say in years to come that it won’t establish itself as the number one football generic..but it’s just not for me.
I know the pc would like us all to say and agree that it’s the best thing ever, but to me it’s just ok. I hope I don’t offend anyone with my honest view.
Last Edit: Jun 12, 2019 17:52:15 GMT by armchairfan
I’ve watched a few minutes here and there. It’s not really for me to be honest, It lacks the pace,passion and general atmosphere of the men’s game,in my opinion. That’s not to say in years to come that it won’t establish itself as the number one football genre...but it’s just not for me.
I know the pc would like us all to say and agree that it’s the best thing ever, but to me it’s just ok. I hope I don’t offend anyone with my honest view.
I’ve watched a few minutes here and there. It’s not really for me to be honest, It lacks the pace,passion and general atmosphere of the men’s game,in my opinion. That’s not to say in years to come that it won’t establish itself as the number one football genre...but it’s just not for me.
I know the pc would like us all to say and agree that it’s the best thing ever, but to me it’s just ok. I hope I don’t offend anyone with my honest view.
Of course not, we all have our tastes. It's not a PC issue for me (even though those are my initials) , but I've enjoyed watching a fairly reasonable standard without loads of dissent and diving. One player was booked for diving that I saw, and dissent seems to be raised eyebrows and quizzical looks.
I totally agree that the game is played at a slower pace, but it allows an old fart like me to keep up .
I haven't been watching all games of course - I have to work - but I was rained off this afternoon so put my feet up and watched.
Advance apologies in case this appears sexist or condescending or both:
The ball is actually quite a heavy & difficult thing to control and sometimes when watching the WWC you are reminded of it... and realise how much we simply take for granted the basic fitness & strength of footballers & just how quickly they ping it around.
Ps. If you feel the need for further reminders, try standing in the South Terrace during pre-match shooting practise sessions, it can be bloomin' terrifying on occasions...!
In today's climate it's quite difficult to make an objective unbiased assessment of women's football without either being accused of being sexist or as politically correct drone.
Anyone who understands basic biology will know that women are not as physically strong and as fast as men. It's clear to see that women do not play with the same aggressiveness or competitiveness as men, you can clearly see the same is played at a much slower pace. Women, for obvious reasons cannot control the ball on the chest as well as men and it's clear as day that they cannot head the ball with the same aggressiveness or power as men. The standard of the keepers is very poor as well. The only thing that women can get anywhere near men on is technical ability, some of the top women's team have reasonable technical ability to control and pass the ball.
In summary, the women's game is FAR below the men's standard.
In today's climate it's quite difficult to make an objective unbiased assessment of women's football without either being accused of being sexist or as politically correct drone.
Part of the issue is that we should objectively assess the WWC on its own merits... but I (in common with a few others hereabouts) find it inevitable to (unfairly) make comparisons...!
But I would make the point that - in the last 3 decades - football at all levels has progressed in leaps & bounds in terms of fitness & technique.
Take a look at images of even the most lauded players from the sixties, seventies & early eighties. Very few (including the so called "hard men") had any sort of muscle definition & it is clear that booze, bookies, baccy & birds was their priority.
And a surprising amount could not trap a ball or play a decent pass, which did not matter too much as the focus was on lumping it as quickly as possible in a forward direction, accuracy was a bonus.
So yes, the Ladies have a bit of progress to make, but so did the male game not so long ago...!
I do think that comparing it to the men's game can leave some feeling a bit cheated, which is why I compared it to the women's game of a few years ago. I note that when lining up a wall the women tend to cover their chest areas whereas the men cover their nuts. When chesting the ball, women usually take the ball a bit higher on their bodies than men. The passion for the game seems just as strong with the women, but it's expressed differently.
Scotland vs. Argentina could be a cracker; there's a decent chance that a draw won't be any good to either of them so they'll probably both go for the win.
One aspect of the WWC is that VAR is really coming under scrutiny (remember Lingard's offside toe in the Nations League), the criticism is that when there is no subjectivity, that it borders on being too technically precise...!
There have been lots of controversy with decisions, the biggest being when the Nigerian Keeper made an inspired penalty save against France/there was a spectacular penalty miss by the French forward, who hit the post (depending on your viewpoint)... but there was a retake as the goalie had moved - an absolute fraction - ahead of the kicker connecting with the ball.
The Lady players in the commentary box felt there would be an urgent need for changes in training regimes, to adjust to the new level of (frame-by-frame) accuracy they now have to cope with... It seems to be a case of "beware what you wish for", as the argument for VAR was its impartiality in binary decisions...(?)
Scotland vs. Argentina could be a cracker; there's a decent chance that a draw won't be any good to either of them so they'll probably both go for the win.
A cracker... but possibly for all the wrong reasons...?
No lack of drama... with a 3 goal lead being wiped out well into stoppage time, by a controversially awarded & twice taken penalty... putting VAR once again in the spotlight...!