Fran Kirby

[Brosef Stalin]

RoyalBlue, female football is of relatively poor quality. I'm not sure how anyone could argue against that.

Show me the best of female football highlight reel. I'm open to having my opinion changed.

Have there been (reasonably) competitive matches of men v woman. What level mens team has the best female team beaten? Just looking for evidence. Get a gauge on what comparable level it is. No anecdotal bullshit either that you've just made up i.e. 'they had to protect the mens team'

quite a few were surprised by the standard in the Olympics, and the world cup games should be reasonable too.

Reading, of course, play in the 2nd tier of the game here, and the standard really doesn't compare.

I watched an Olympic game USA v France. It was terrible

[Platypuss]

Royalblue, I don't know why you're so defensive or why you think the women's game needs you to white knight it. If it's good enough and attractive enough, people will flock to pay good money to watch it. But It isn't, and they don't..

From all the coverage I've seen it's just Samuel's Johnson's quip about dogs preaching writ large.

[Maidenhead Royal]

Just hope the sad old myopic dinosaurs on here enjoy watching the turgid shyte that Clarke's teams dish up. I guess they must do, since they are (wrongly) so dismissive towards females playing the game. Every game I have seen the women play this season has been far better and more entertaining than virtually all of those produced by the men's team last season.

And what a stroke of genius to add 'k' to turn Fran into Frank!

I guess the goal the Canadian player scored was a fluke or perhaps the goals were bigger or something else like that! I doubt any of the experts on here criticising the women players could have produced a similar finish, no matter how many times they tried.

Indeed I wonder what level these bigots ever managed to play at? (XBox360? School 2nd team? pub Sunday team?). I suspect the Reading Ladies could have run rings around them and made them look like donkeys with the touch of the proverbial, even when (if) they were ever fit and playing football at some stage in their lives.

Fortunately the majority of decent level male footballers that I know pay their female counterparts the respect they deserve.

Actually, it's a bit of both. Winding up RB is predictably easy, but the quality of the ladies' game is still utter tosh.

I mean just look at the latest highlights on the RW website:

http://reading.fawsl.com/latestVideos.html#KwCYuR2TaOld3yQu.97

You can watch stuff like that down King's Meadow on a Sunday morning.

Yep, I guess so, if you pick the one game they lost and when they didn't play well (mind you would have to search a long time to find a men's game this season when they won, let alone played well!).

If you can lever your backside out of your armchair, how about you turn up and participate in a Reading FC Women's training session? I reckon it can be arranged and I know the girls would appreciate a good laugh before kicking your *rse.

I'm not saying that women can't play football or shouldn't, just that some aspects of the game is nowhere near the men's game. Goalkeeping in particular is worse than my old school team in year 8. Even the striking can improve, despite the best efforts of Fran. Quite a few shots on the World cup highlight reel even I can replicate. And, seeing as I play 3 sports each week and am generally fit, I'd be happy to participate in a training session with Reading FC women. Maybe you're the one generalising.
I am not saying no female game and don't show up to support, only that comparing it to the men's game is ridiculous.

[floyd__streete]

The crowds they play in front of in their national league are miniscule too aren't they? Yet BBC - at their most self-insistent PC worst - still try and peddle 'news' from the women's game as lead stories on their various outlets. They play in front of Maidenhead Utd-esque crowds, yet I cannot recall full national BBC coverage of MUFC's new managerial appointment last month. All very well giving minority sports some coverage but the BBC have their own beligerent agenda at play here.

[Brosef Stalin]

The crowds they play in front of in their national league are miniscule too aren't they? Yet BBC - at their most self-insistent PC worst - still try and peddle 'news' from the women's game as lead stories on their various outlets. They play in front of Maidenhead Utd-esque crowds, yet I cannot recall full national BBC coverage of MUFC's new managerial appointment last month. All very well giving minority sports some coverage but the BBC have their own beligerent agenda at play here.

the fcuking pinko's

[Royal Rother]

It's all about adjusted expectations.

I watch low level non-league football and enjoy it immensely.

I watch my son's U16 team and enjoy it immensely.

Both teams play what I consider to be good football. For their level.

But I have no expectation of it competing with what you see in the Premier League, Championship et al.

It is what it is - you get used to it, expectations naturally realign and you enjoy it for what it is. Sport is not all about the elite / highest level.

Royal Blue obviously cares deeply about the women's game (tbh I've always assumed he has a daughter involved in the set up, such is his passion) and fair play. I can watch it and see qualities in the skill and commitment that I enjoy.

Dismissing the quality of women's football as crap is pretty ignorant - best just accept it for what it is, and if it's not good enough for you then leave alone and let those who enjoy it do exactly that with respect and acceptance.

Shirley.

[Maidenhead Royal]

It's all about adjusted expectations.

I watch low level non-league football and enjoy it immensely.

I watch my son's U16 team and enjoy it immensely.

Both teams play what I consider to be good football. For their level.

But I have no expectation of it competing with what you see in the Premier League, Championship et al.

It is what it is - you get used to it, expectations naturally realign and you enjoy it for what it is. Sport is not all about the elite / highest level.

Royal Blue obviously cares deeply about the women's game (tbh I've always assumed he has a daughter involved in the set up, such is his passion) and fair play. I can watch it and see qualities in the skill and commitment that I enjoy.

Dismissing the quality of women's football as crap is pretty ignorant - best just accept it for what it is, and if it's not good enough for you then leave alone and let those who enjoy it do exactly that with respect and acceptance.

Shirley.

Yeah, but RB says it's as good as the Chump.

[Hoop Blah]

It's all about adjusted expectations.

I watch low level non-league football and enjoy it immensely.

I watch my son's U16 team and enjoy it immensely.

Both teams play what I consider to be good football. For their level.

But I have no expectation of it competing with what you see in the Premier League, Championship et al.

It is what it is - you get used to it, expectations naturally realign and you enjoy it for what it is. Sport is not all about the elite / highest level.

Royal Blue obviously cares deeply about the women's game (tbh I've always assumed he has a daughter involved in the set up, such is his passion) and fair play. I can watch it and see qualities in the skill and commitment that I enjoy.

Dismissing the quality of women's football as crap is pretty ignorant - best just accept it for what it is, and if it's not good enough for you then leave alone and let those who enjoy it do exactly that with respect and acceptance.

Shirley.

I agree on the sentiment RR but relatively speaking, and judging on the highlights, I'd put the standard on a par with something along the lines of the top divisions of local park football or the Hellenic/CCL leagues.

I wouldn't belittle it as these women are amongst the best in the country within their chosen sport but RB is trying to make out the standard is significantly better than it really is and being quite disparaging about those who say otherwise.

[Royal Rother]

Oh absolutely, but RB is in a perpetual state of apoplectic rage over his soapbox subjects as we know from thousands of posts regarding Satan John Madejski over the years.

He doesn't do calm and reasonable...

[maffff]

I'm kinda looking forward to the WWC. Be nice to see Kirby on their biggest stage, and the americans enthusiasm is kinda infectious, especially with the whole #SheBelieves campaign.

I won't follow it religiously, but might try to watch a couple of matches, if there's nothing else on.

[tmesis]

Be nice to see Kirby on their biggest stage, and the americans enthusiasm is kinda infectious

It's in Canada though, so it depends how they'll take to it.

[Brosef Stalin]

It's all about adjusted expectations.

I watch low level non-league football and enjoy it immensely.

I watch my son's U16 team and enjoy it immensely.

Both teams play what I consider to be good football. For their level.

But I have no expectation of it competing with what you see in the Premier League, Championship et al.

It is what it is - you get used to it, expectations naturally realign and you enjoy it for what it is. Sport is not all about the elite / highest level.

Royal Blue obviously cares deeply about the women's game (tbh I've always assumed he has a daughter involved in the set up, such is his passion) and fair play. I can watch it and see qualities in the skill and commitment that I enjoy.

Dismissing the quality of women's football as crap is pretty ignorant - best just accept it for what it is, and if it's not good enough for you then leave alone and let those who enjoy it do exactly that with respect and acceptance.

Shirley.

I agree on the sentiment RR but relatively speaking, and judging on the highlights, I'd put the standard on a par with something along the lines of the top divisions of local park football or the Hellenic/CCL leagues.

I wouldn't belittle it as these women are amongst the best in the country within their chosen sport but RB is trying to make out the standard is significantly better than it really is and being quite disparaging about those who say otherwise.

^^^this

[biff]

Itll be good cos its football on terrestrial telly. Itll be bad cos theyre bad and should feel bad.

[Norfolk Royal]

How Fran is inspired by tragic loss of mum. Go girl, show them what you can do.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... d-Cup.html

[blueroyals]

The crowds they play in front of in their national league are miniscule too aren't they? Yet BBC - at their most self-insistent PC worst - still try and peddle 'news' from the women's game as lead stories on their various outlets. They play in front of Maidenhead Utd-esque crowds, yet I cannot recall full national BBC coverage of MUFC's new managerial appointment last month. All very well giving minority sports some coverage but the BBC have their own beligerent agenda at play here.

This. I'm not surprised, that's the BBC for you.

[maffff]

Be nice to see Kirby on their biggest stage, and the americans enthusiasm is kinda infectious

It's in Canada though, so it depends how they'll take to it.

Yeah, but I tend to have a soft spot for the yanks national team...

[PeterReadingborn59]

The crowds they play in front of in their national league are miniscule too aren't they? Yet BBC - at their most self-insistent PC worst - still try and peddle 'news' from the women's game as lead stories on their various outlets. They play in front of Maidenhead Utd-esque crowds, yet I cannot recall full national BBC coverage of MUFC's new managerial appointment last month. All very well giving minority sports some coverage but the BBC have their own beligerent agenda at play here.

The BBC do the same with Scottish football, if you exclude Celtic and Rangers the attendances at Scottish matches are similar to the Conference League. But the Scottish issue is another subject altogether. Wonder how many the BBC took to provide coverage?

[Silver Fox]

Similar in that they're both numbers?

[Forbury Lion]

At least women's football adheres to the same rules as the men's, unlike tennis where they play 2/5ths less sets than the men. I wonder if this is to help get the womens game over and done with so that there is more time for the men to play?

[sandman]

The crowds they play in front of in their national league are miniscule too aren't they? Yet BBC - at their most self-insistent PC worst - still try and peddle 'news' from the women's game as lead stories on their various outlets. They play in front of Maidenhead Utd-esque crowds, yet I cannot recall full national BBC coverage of MUFC's new managerial appointment last month. All very well giving minority sports some coverage but the BBC have their own beligerent agenda at play here.

Add to that ITV who in their report on the new sponsorship for the Women's FA Cup celebrated the younger generation of female players being influenced by some real "Role Models" tomorrow. Presumably these real role models include the Goalkeeper who punched another player in the back of the head and the player who told a Spanish opponent to "f[u]ck off back to Spain". But they don't mention that because it's only the male footballers who behave like tw@ts and the women are little angels who would never dream of doing such things and abide by fair play.

Sorry Floyd, forgot your new twist to the gimmick only singled out the BBC for PC rhetoric.