Women's World Cup

[Anton]

"Today’s Doodle celebrates the eighth edition of the tournament with a collage of characters from our upcoming series of Doodles by guest artists representing each of the competing countries" (source)

[Roger]

Hi Anton - I didn't know you were a footy fan   

After a long hard season following football, I just can't get interested. And IMO women's football has been pushed too hard on the BBC and in the Media generally - as if for the purposes of equality, women's football has to be given undue prominence to overcome the reality of a much lower level of interest.

I see the Players are starting to whinge that their pay doesn't compare with the men. That'll be interesting - after all, women tennis players achieved the same as the men although playing at 2/3 of the speed for half the time   

[caller]

I've stopped reading BBC news and their all things PC football stories are driving me nuts as well. They are promoting women's football way beyond the level it has actually reached or deserves. Most of it is really quite poor, bar a few teams in England anyway and the Ladies European championship, which will be a higher standard of everything at the World Cup, bar the final stages. So for me too, it's largely a pass.

[Roger]

I watched parts of the England / Scotland game today - it was OK. I can't see England winning the tournament. Both sides showed bits of skill and I thought Scotland played the best for a spell in 2nd half. At the slower pace, you could actually see what was going on. It's OK but it's the silly build up and the wild commentaries turn me off.

Undeniably less dissent, diving (but too slow for diving), and only a little spitting   
Good luck to the England team.

Caller - I agree, ''They are promoting women's football way beyond the level it has actually reached or deserves.''

[Roger]

I predicted 10-0    But 13 ?  Ouch 

Are they pushing the Women's game too fast ? Maybe there's not yet enough National Teams to compete in a World Cup competition of this size? I hope the Thais can pick themselves up and do better in the next game.

''Striker Alex Morgan scored five times as holders United States began their World Cup campaign with a record 13-0 win over Thailand on Tuesday.''

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2019/06/11/usa-vs-thailand-womens-world-cup-2019-live-score-latest-updates/

[Roger]

As expected, the USA Women won their World Cup again . . . it seems Holland put up quite a fight but the USA were just too savvy and strong. Only a handful of teams seem around the top standard yet they are talking of expanding the next World Cup from 24 to 32 teams - is this too early ? I wonder if Pres. Trump will be tweeting his congrats - apparently the team want to boycott a White House visit    I was in the UK and watched quite a few games and enjoyed it - Anton ?

The DT's conclusions :-

''Perhaps the Women’s World Cup can be stripped down to this simple truth; 22 women kick a ball around for 90 minutes over the course of a 52-game tournament and then, at the end of it, the United States lift the trophy. The US looked like the best team in their first game, when they thrashed Thailand 13-0, and they ended it looking in a different class against Holland.

Europe has thrown everything it has at them and all have come up short. There can be no arguments, no doubt, no confusion, the US are worthy champions. As hard as Spain, France, England and the Dutch have made them work, the US have overcome all of them on their way to winning their second successive World Cup and their fourth since 1991.

They walked the toughest, trickiest, most testing path to the final, wobbled occasionally, stumbled a little, but kept marching on. In the end nobody could match their shock-and-awe football, not the skill of the Spanish, the finesse of the French, not the power of the English or the lightning counter attacks of the Dutch.''

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2019/07/07/usa-vs-holland-womens-world-cup-final-2019-live-score-updates/