Holmes_and_Watson

Match

With he title edit and your further edit, the next one will be reasons to be cheerful part 3 🙂

We Don't need Another Tella, as sung by well known Saints fan, Tina Turner. We don't need another Tella We need to know the way to goal All we want is life above The relegation zone 🙂

A trend that will have to change to twice in [insert time period based on optimism] at some point. Why not this season? 🙂 sorry, what... Young players to settle in... hopeless form for closing period of last season... No goals in that there team...sorry...my wifi must be on the blink... can't read your posts...🙂

Article on women playing for England in the early '70s. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-62384197

Evil

Conte will have no answer to RalphBall v2.0. Battling 1-0 away win. If I can't be optimistic on the first game of the season, then when? 🙂

"I feel physically sick when I talk about the trial and what happened," said Mrs Vardy. I imagine that with therapy and support for her PTSD she'll somehow manage to milk it for all it's worth in articles, books, TV series and films. 🙄

Tough for us to pick a rival around us in the table. When RalphBall works we're towards the top end. When it doesn't, we're towards the bottom. Nearly everyone gets a shot at being around us in the table. 🙂

Let's hope our association with them doesn't result in us "helping with enquiries" like Leicester and Rangers. 🙂

Glad that no-one need ever know that he paid for kits. Oh...

Olympic

Pyramid

Jewel

Funereal black is not a good look for anyone with a bit of hope for the season ahead. The date in the black, gives it a headstone feel. Having "we march on" under it, just makes me think of shambling zombie movies. Mess. 🙂

I know we were a bit invisible on the pitch at the end of the season, but I didn't think it would be reflected in the badge. 🙂

You know it would breakdown into an unco-ordinated mess, with most of them trying to take the conga sideways and back, as Ralph's automatisms have taught them.🙂 More ponytails and varnish would be fine, though.

Some random merits from this tournament... - Tackling. Challenges can be strong, but fair. The ref is not going to give every player falling down under a tackle a free kick. Remember that Jack Stephens challenge on Fernandes that led to our goal? Remember the mewling about it? Wouldn't happen here. - Fake Injuries. There's a bit of faking to gain an advantage, but it's not on the same planet. Generally, if the player is down, it's because they're hurt. There are instances of players still playing for fouls, but they're taking a chance when they do. And if they feel hard done by... - Dissent. Basically none of it. Saw a little bit of it creeping into the latter stages, but generally it's not on. Even that little bit only goes so far, before the yellow card comes out. No endless mewling. No surrounding the ref at every.single.decision. No constant hold up to usher players away after decisions. You could see the players wanting to complain, but thinking better of it. - Throw ins. I didn't see too many delays as a team waited to take a throw in, only to hand it to their team mate. Again, a little more in later stages. - Ball in Play. All of the above leads to the ball remaining in play longer and with fewer stoppages. I feel lke I've watched a full game of football between two competitive teams. The I wonder why I don't feel that way when watching other matches... In answer to the topic header - health (physical and mental) - equality - more football to enjoy - community Personally:- - The big stadium matches have looked great. But I also really like the atmosphere in the smaller grounds with stands often that bit closer to the pitch. - The difference in physicality presents tactical differences, which I'm really enjoying watching. Not to mention that there are very modern tactics being employed with players who are only getting better year on year, and that's been really interesting to watch too. - Linked to the random points above, but I enjoy the competiveness. Less faking injury, no dissent, strong challenges, more ball in play lends itself to more action. - Despite some seemingly one sided scorelines, in nearly every match at this tournament, both sides had chances to shape the game at various stages. That's possibly something that should be enjoyed now, before some countries just get too far ahead. - Probably like a lot of folk, the growth in football for women means I have relatives getting involved, and that's pretty easy to connect with them over.

Poor kid. They need to be giving him awkward, unlikely chances like he got here. 🙂

Poster

Whew! That was a great watch. So proud of the squad (and all the players before them) for working so hard together and getting their reward. As expected it was a bruising, physical encounter. But what it lacked in the flair of some of the other matches, it more than made up for in tension. Like the other matches, strong challenges are allowed. Germany seem to be good at knowing just where that line is, getting in a lot of boderline challenges, and a few over that line throughout the match (Oberdorf being a main culprit). England ended up with two early yellow cards, which had me worried (especially as Stanway stayed on after a couple of other fouls). Germany started to look the more likely before the break and in a strong spell at the start of the second half. England kept at it, without really being able to release a well shackled Mead and without the clear run into space that Hemp often gets. They kept Germany's chances to a minimum, didn't over-commit going forward and trusted that they would get their opportunities. Very impressed with Toone's goal. under pressure forom defender and onrushing keeper, she got enough lift to get it over and in. And it was a game that needed that level of composure and skill to get a breakthough. I was thinking that England might be able to hang on. Popp getting injured in the warm up was a big blow for Germany, but both Magull and Dallmann had been had looked dangerous in the tournament. With Dallmann on the bench, Magull looked the most likely and it was past Earps before she could parry it away. As the game went on and entered extra time, I thought Germany's experience in finals and the energy levels they'd showed in previous games would pay off. But all credit to England who had shown lots of stamina throughout the tournament too. Hemp, in particular, didn't stop all game. The game certainly stretched, as players tired. But,a s much as that might have suited Germany, it did allow Walsh some space to pass. It might have been a scrappy goal, but Kelly had made a difference as a sub in previous games. Jill Scott and Greenwood also played important roles in the win. Scott might be the veteran in the squad, but her positioning and little touches and niggles kept England on the front foot. Greenwood is a very able repalcement for Daly in the same way that Russo comes on to offer soemthing different to White. It was just an amazing feeling to think that England were finally the ones who could be going on to win a final. Very composed game management in the final 7/8 mins of the game. England kept it in the corners when they could. The commentators mentioned it was the first England final win in 56 years. But it's been about a lot more than that. It's been about the hard, difficult progression of football for women in Britain and hopefully a further platform for it's ongoing development, investment and success.

Tower

That view saves me a post...oh, wait...🙂

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Oh great, another thread peppered with puns.