Fran Kirby

[Norfolk Royal]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33125160

This is good about Fran. Click on the video interview at the bottom of the piece. Great credit to everyone concerned in this.

[Platypuss]

Very encouraging from Kirby, should have scored well before she did though.
Agree with comments on Aluko - real lack of composure and vision. Duggan much the same.
Greenwood and Carney were behind the majority of the good stuff second half. Bardsley wasn't convincing at all in goal.

[From Despair To Where?]

Aluko was the bright young thing of women's football ten years ago but to my mind has never justified the hype, too blinkered and too much running down blind alleys.

I think it is easy for us to big Fran up because she is Reading but on the evidence of last night, she is very much the real deal. Her technique and reading of the game was streets ahead of everyone (with the possible exception of Karen Carney) and i wonder if staying at Reading and training and playing with men every day has had an impact on that

It's probably helped but she was displaying that sort of talent and ability a couple of seasons ago before she went full time and started training with the men.

Undoubtedly so and fair play to you for calling it a couple of years ago. I appreciate that she has very strong emotional ties to the club and a move away was never really on the cards but I would imagine that, even
at academy level, she will be used to training with players who play at a higher pace which would do more for her development than playing
for a fully full time women's team.

[Kitsondinho]

Very encouraging from Kirby, should have scored well before she did though.
Agree with comments on Aluko - real lack of composure and vision. Duggan much the same.
Greenwood and Carney were behind the majority of the good stuff second half. Bardsley wasn't convincing at all in goal.

Duggan is your classic enigma of a striker....looks absolute quality one week and awful the next. If she could become more consistent, England would be a formidable force, rather than a really good one. As for Bardsley, she seems to go to pieces in major tournaments (Euro2013 and the 2012 Olympics being two cases in point). I would have to say, I'm not sure how she has hung on to her starting place for so long, especially in light of her previous tournament efforts!! Starting her and Fran being benched against France would be my two questions over England's selections so far.

[ZacNaloen]

In the build up they said Fran was sick in days leading up to the France game

[eddiegrundy]

In his commentary on BBC3 Jonathan Pearce said that Fran played in the second strata of Women's football. He might have added that she plays for Reading but he didn't, which really ought to earn him an entry in the "media don't like us thread". Also "strata" is plural and incorrect usage in this case. He should have said "stratum", or why not just use "tier"?

[sandman]

He also called her a man "England have a man over at the far post"

[KC Royal]

In his commentary on BBC3 Jonathan Pearce said that Fran played in the second strata of Women's football. He might have added that she plays for Reading but he didn't, which really ought to earn him an entry in the "media don't like us thread". Also "strata" is plural and incorrect usage in this case. He should have said "stratum", or why not just use "tier"?

Tbf he mentioned that she had 11 goals in 5 games for Reading when she came on against France.

This is a question really for Royal Blue, if Reading go up this season, which hopefully they will, have thought all season that Fran should be playing at a higher level next year, are there any other players capable of going full-time? It may not be so easy for Fran to be training with the u21s in 5-10 years time (assuming she's still at Reading then). It would be nice to see other players going full-time so she's not on her own.

[Hampshire Royal]

Also, Fran had better nail varnish than most of the men at Reading.

[Man Friday]

Sorry to say this but I was surprised at the poor standard of play. I'd been led to believe that women's football was a far higher standard than this. It felt somewhere between top division Sunday morning pub football and lower league semi-pro. Don't think I'll be watching much more.

[Platypuss]

Until the proper stuff starts again it'll have to do.

[Kitsondinho]

How anyone can moan on here about the quality of football on show at the Women's World Cup, after the league season we've just endured.....

[Platypuss]

Watching Reading play badly >>>>>>>>>>>>>> any women's football, ever.

[urz13]

Agreed on the poor quality.
I've watched 4 games of the WWC, each time with an open mind, hoping to be impressed. Whilst it was great to see Kirby scoring and doing well yesterday the general quality of football throughout the tournament has been awful, and not enjoyable to watch so I won't be watching any more. Even the German and USA teams were very sloppy and unimpressive, unfortunately.

[Royal Rother]

The first half was very poor but the 2nd half much better from England.

Some of what I've seen has been pretty frustrating but I find it quite interesting to see the elements that are missing from the women's game.

Composure, vision and awareness of space are the key. So many passes are cut out because the player in possession seems unaware of where the opposition are. Kirby seemed stronger in all 3 of those facets than anyone else on the pitch last night.

But overall it's better than it was 10 years ago and obviously it's important that progress continues to be made.

[Winston Smith]

Watching Reading play badly >>>>>>>>>>>>>> any women's football, ever.

this. good to hear them do well and all, but its like trying to hype up under 16's football or something. goalkeepers struggle to kick it to the half way line ffs.

[Silver Fox]

In his commentary on BBC3 Jonathan Pearce said that Fran played in the second strata of Women's football. He might have added that she plays for Reading but he didn't, which really ought to earn him an entry in the "media don't like us thread". Also "strata" is plural and incorrect usage in this case. He should have said "stratum", or why not just use "tier"?

Is it because he's an idiot? At least he's not acting like he's mates with the players like he does normally

'greed with Platy btw, it' since to see Fran do well but I'm not rushing to watch WSL games next season

[Man Friday]

How anyone can moan on here about the quality of football on show at the Women's World Cup, after the league season we've just endured.....

Like it!

[RoyalBlue]

Watching Reading play badly >>>>>>>>>>>>>> any women's football, ever.

this. good to hear them do well and all, but its like trying to hype up under 16's football or something. goalkeepers struggle to kick it to the half way line ffs.

You clearly haven't watched much women's football then, and must have had your eyes shut through most of the dog crap that the men served up last season. You really ought to try to overcome your caveman prejudice and go and watch the Reading Women's team some time. Absolute crap to claim that keepers struggle to kick the ball to the halfway line. That is the case at the lower levels but not at WPL and WSL.

Agreed on the poor quality.
I've watched 4 games of the WWC, each time with an open mind, hoping to be impressed. Whilst it was great to see Kirby scoring and doing well yesterday the general quality of football throughout the tournament has been awful, and not enjoyable to watch so I won't be watching any more. Even the German and USA teams were very sloppy and unimpressive, unfortunately.

Agreed, the quality hasn't been great in a lot of the games and I've been disappointed by it. However, I pin a lot of that on the absolute shyte 3G/4G pitches - another thing we have to thank that Barsteward Blatter for.

In the build up they said Fran was sick in days leading up to the France game

She had a stomach bug and I'd heard that she wasn't even in the squad so was surprised to see her standing on the touchline waiting to come on (I was late back from work so missed the build up and team announcements).

In his commentary on BBC3 Jonathan Pearce said that Fran played in the second strata of Women's football. He might have added that she plays for Reading but he didn't, which really ought to earn him an entry in the "media don't like us thread". Also "strata" is plural and incorrect usage in this case. He should have said "stratum", or why not just use "tier"?

Tbf he mentioned that she had 11 goals in 5 games for Reading when she came on against France.

This is a question really for Royal Blue, if Reading go up this season, which hopefully they will, have thought all season that Fran should be playing at a higher level next year, are there any other players capable of going full-time? It may not be so easy for Fran to be training with the u21s in 5-10 years time (assuming she's still at Reading then). It would be nice to see other players going full-time so she's not on her own.

The team have been playing really well , even without Fran, largely due to some excellent signings over the past couple of seasons and some more home grown talent.

I've always rated Lois Roche in midfield very highly (even from her Watford days prior to joining Reading) - great touch & control, superb vision & range of passes, and a good shot too (including from deadball situations). She really makes the rest of the team tick - think Darren Caskey in his best season for us.

Grace Maloney now plays for Ireland and is a very good keeper, having rightfully regained her number 1 slot when Kelly Chambers took over as manager again.

Emma Follis is a very pacey striker and great finisher who has been banging in the goals in Fran's absence and now has 7 from 9 games.

Molly Bartrip and Ellie Wilson both play for England U19s.

So the answer is yes! (apologies to others I may have overlooked).

If The Royals Women go up, I would like to see them sign Alicia Robinson from Villa. I saw her play in the US and she was Villa's star player, scoring a cracking goal, last season when they played Reading at Farnborough.

[Winston Smith]

Absolute crap to claim that keepers struggle to kick the ball to the halfway line. That is the case at the lower levels but not at WPL and WSL

the Mexican keeper failed numerous times last night to kick it to the half way line