I'm surprised ...
 

that none of you football fans seem to be interested in the Women's World Cup ... the games are drawing record crowds over here. And the English girls play Norway tonite in Ottawa. Their first knockout round game. I'll be watching the game and cheering the lasses on. (If, by some chance, they should meet Canada ... well, I'll be wearing the Maple Leaf:D) I really hope they do well. They can't do any worse than that bunch of stumblebums who represented England in the last World Cup.

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Himself has been watching and he has been shouting at the TV.....now I know nothing about football, but my impression is that he has found it interesting, exciting and this has surprised me because I thought he would be very critical of women's football.

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Not even remotely interested mate.

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Now, I thought that was what himself would say.

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England win:alright: Not something one heard often at the last world cup:rolleyes: Great game too.

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And a great winning goal!

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Hubby gave up on the England men's team years ago.
We now wear the green and gold.
Our girls beat giants Brazil, and are now in the quarter final.

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Watched the game ... great entertainment ... great win.:alright: Canada, Australia and England all thru to the quarter finals.:theband: But now Canada and England meet in Vancouver. Time to put on the Maple Leaf.

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Cashy, don't be a chauvinist, that's what happens when you have forgotten how real football should be played. :D

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The ladies football was on in the background in Read con last week and I started to watch a bit.
I was surprised to see they played a decent game with some amount of skill.
I don't know what I was expecting, probably a bunch of cissies prancing about (like the men) but they were pretty good.

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When did you last see an English team that played with some amount of skill? :rolleyes: At least against real opposition. In Canada, our top football team is the women. Men, real men, lace up their skates, grab a stick, and hit the ice. One thing you can say about the women's game: it ain't all about money, and who can hand out the biggest bribes.

On Saturday, I will be cheering for Canada. But, whichever team wins is going to be my team for the rest of the tournament.:D And my third choice: Australia.:alright: Come on the Socceroos:D

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In Canada its not surprising the top team is the lasses, They have always been pretty crap at football the fellas yon.:D

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Get back to me when you guys dominate your national sport, like we dominate ours.:D When was the last time England beat Germany 16-0?

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Looks like the Vancouver game is sold out ... There will be 50,000 at the game ... and it promises to be a loud crowd.

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Eric, our girls team are called the Matildas, the men are the socceroos.

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I know this is going to sound contentious....especially from someone who dislikes football as much as I do....but, men are never going to acclaim a women's football tournament.
It wouldn't matter if all the players had the footballing skills of Pele....or some of the other greats in football.....it would never be acceptable to them.
Men will always see the women as 'playing at it' because they see football as a male game.
Though goodness knows there are some real Jessie's playing professional football at the moment.

Someone once said that women have to be twice as good as men to be thought of as half as good. This is spectacularly true when it comes to football.

Now I will wait for the red stuff to land.

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Not at all Margaret, personally i think women boxers are totally unacceptable, which is probably why it puts me off watching womens football.

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Well, you are spot on there.....women boxing is abhorrent.
But boxing and football are totally different.
Himself has watched some of the women's football and he seemed to think it was worth watching......his feet were going.....which is what happens in matches he is engrossed in.

Personally I am not a fan of any sport.

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I know they are totally different, its the mentality of these people though to me. those who organise and run.

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I'm not a sports fan either but I don't see boxing as a 'sport'.
It's the only 'sport' where the whole intention is to hurt your opponent, the more the better.
Women boxing- awful.
Women playing football- well they don't fall down in agony as often as the 'men' do so maybe they're tougher?

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Maybe they play fairer Gordon.....don't do the dives with the intention of seeking an advantage over the opposition.
They certainly seem less histrionic than many professional football players.....perhaps it is because there is much less money involved.

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"Matildas" .... Cool; I like that.:D

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Never thought of it quite like that. Over here women's hockey is not only widely accepted; it's also popular. I don't see why it should be any different for football :confused: And someone mentioned boxing::D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aeoFvtM8OQ

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The time's they are a changin', buds. In fact they have changed. Boxing is tame. Think "Ronda Rousey.":D And in male-dominated NASCAR: Danica Patrick. Whatever: there are a bunch of English girls over here, playing their hearts out to win a world championship trophy for England. I personally can't see anything wrong with getting behind the Lionesses and cheering them on, which is something I will be doing if they beat Canada in Vancouver.

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The times have changed Eric, dont mean i have to like it.;)

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Yes Cashy, it is just that we (the oldies) are nowhere near as adaptable to change as we would like to think...well, I know that I'm definitely not.

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But Margaret, as oldies, we have little choice, as the saying goes, Time and Tide wait for no man. I have friends who would not use ATMs when they first came out, but they do now. I never thought i would have a computer, or have to drive a car, i was in my 50s when i passed my test, but as you know a car is a necessity over here. We have to adapt to change.

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ive watched bits of it ... and what ive seen has been pretty good ..

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We certainly have choice Irene, whilst we have to adapt to certain stuff like it or not, we sure dont have to like doing it, unless were androids or summat.

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I choose what I adapt to......and drag my feet on those that I don't want to adapt to.
I won't use the self service tills in the supermarkets.
WH Smith has installed one and there were no staff serving so I dumped my £15 woth of purchases and bought them elsewhere...once you lose a customer it is very hard to get them to come back.
This isn't to say that I don't have the nous to use those tills.....I do.....I am not technophobic. I just want to be served by someone who can answer any queries that I might have.
Why can't the staff see that these self serve tills will eventually do them out of a job?(I suppose that like us they are forced on them...but if it were me I would continue to serve the customer and let the other stuff go hang)

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Like you, Margaret, we (him and me) won't use the self-serve area of the Supermarkets. We are quite capable of doing so of course but choose not to on principle. The Supermarket giants make enough profit without reducing staff numbers - which is what the self-serve is all about, says cynical me. Also when we spend our money with them we certainly (and rightly) expect good personalised service.

As for cutting down on staff, our local Supermarket had no Express lanes open on a busy Saturday morning - and so his nibs had a long wait to be served with only a few items. Wasn't happy, sent in a complaint, and got a $20 gift voucher with an apology!!!!!

Sorry, I've wandered off-thread, as usual.

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Back on thread. The Matildas became the first senior Australian soccer team to win a game in the knockout stages of a World Cup. Whatever happens next, this is quite some achievement. NOW they will be getting the accolades and the media coverage they so richly deserve. Go girls!!!!!

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...and of course best wishes to the English team. Goes without saying. I might have been gone from England for many years but I'm still an Englishwoman at heart.

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Here's an interesting piece for you Mr C, you old curmugeon. ;)


The Dick, Kerr Ladies' FC

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No problemo ... In India, there are hundreds of thousands of folks sitting by a phone, just waiting for your call;)

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And watching the games is much more fun than reading about what Angel di Maria plans to do, or how much money Raheem Stirling will be making, or how many more of FIFA's top brass have been indicted.:rolleyes:

And for Canada: Switzerland was the first European team they have ever beaten in this competition; and it's the first time they made it out of the group stage. And for those English fans who don't take us Canucks seriously unless we are wearing skates and carrying big sticks, Canada's last game before the competition began was a 1-0 victory against England in a friendly.:D

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they are not sitting in the local branch of WHSmith.......which is where I was doing my gift buyig.......and when they get on the phone to me and tell me that their name is William Smith....I tell them that my name is Mahatma Gandhi!
They get short shrift too if I haven't rung them.

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Invariably when I use a self-service, something goes wrong, and one of the staff has to come along with a swipe card to reset the screen.

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Thing is if yeh do use em, the machine cant tell if yer old enough to purchase wine, so yeh have to wait until someone is free to sort it out, faster? I dont think so.:rolleyes:

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You're right. It'd be quicker going to one of the Express check-outs. Funny thing is, the other week I was in Tesco Great Harwood, and the girl serving me was under 18, so she had to ask her supervisor for permission to serve me alcohol!

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Germany V France and China V U.S.A. Friday then on Saturday Australia V Japan and England V Canada. Looks like a couple of busy days eh Eric. I fancy Germany V China, maybe that,s just a wish, for one semi final and Australia V doesn't matter in the other semi. I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised at the standard of play, the ladies have come a long way since the last time I watched a game.
If the U.S. don,t win the cup wait for the complaints on the pitches.

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Regarding women’s sporting achievements in most sports, whether team or individual, it is very annoying to listen to the condescending attitude of the (usually male) sports commentators. Some of the comments and the way they are delivered make me want to spew. It’s almost like ‘imagine women being able to do that’ attitude.

Also, the inequality of the pay system between women and their male counterparts is very unfair. I know the Matildas (the Australian women’s team) get a pittance when compared to the Socceroos (the Australian men’s team). Apparently this might be about to change – time will tell.

In the sporting arena so many participants (male and female) find it hard to get assistance on the way up and struggle to survive, the powers-that-be don’t seem to care, but once they achieve success, WOW! then everyone wants to get in on the act – they are feted as being ‘ours’.

OK, now I'll get off my soapbox.

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Shouldn't the Australian women's team be the Sheilas?

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I think it probably comes from the old song 'Waltzing Matilda'......probably the term Sheila to mean a female, came much later....But I am happy to be educated if this is not so.

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Well, tomorrow's the big day for Canada and England. There will be 55,000 at B.C. Place ... 54,999 of them cheering for Canada:D It could make it tough for the English girls; on the other hand, it might just inspire them. Whatever; let's hope for a good game.

Seems like the Germans are the team to beat. That's ok. The only time the Germans have beaten Canada at Germany's national sport was at Dieppe in 1942, and that was only because Canada's English manager came up with a lousy strategy.;)

Just crossed my mind: before the game starts the band will play both of Canada's National Anthems.:theband:

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Just 10 mins to kick off and a "cool" 30deg in the stadium, going to be a scorcher, hope for a great game and may the best team win and let's hope the ref doesn't influence the result as she did in the Germany game.

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Japan 1 Australia 0
Not this time Matildas, but you have made Australia proud.

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And Canada lost to England. But the girls did great. And the competition helped bring attention to women's soccer.

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Tough luck Eric, but in a sense we are still in it.
Japan is pretty good. But lets hope the Lionesses devour them.

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Well done the girls.
Let's hope the men follow suite.
I'm very impressed with the lass's, they play proper football and it's not a joke anymore.
My condolences to Eric.

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Sure, a victory would have been great; but we ain't like the Yanks for whom anything but first place is a defeat. The girls and the competition organizers put on a first class show. There's no shame in losing a hard-fought game to a good team. Hope to see England play in Van next weekend.:alright:

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Spoken like a true sport enthusiast Eric.
It was a good game closely fought and somebody had to win.
There's no gloating from me mate.

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A great game from both teams, pity somebody had to loose, Canada certainly gave England as much as they could handle, on chances they could have won but it's goals that count. I think I fancy England against Japan but it's going to be tough.

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Blatter shows his true colours by not attending the Womens World Cup final.

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Probably because they are not wearing tight shorts.



Soccer chief's plan to boost women's game? Hotpants | UK news | The Guardian

Re: I'm surprised ...
 

The England ladies team have done their country proud - such a shame to go out of the competition in that way, the poor lass who scored the o.g. must be devastated bless her

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They have indeed...and it has raised the profile of the womens game and has shown how football should really be played.....honourably, honestly and fairly.

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That poor lass who hit the OG must be absolutely devastated. I just hope the team supports her.
They proved a point though, they are not just a bunch of prancing cissies but a good well organised team. Better luck next time.

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I don't think anyone suggested they were a bunch of prancing cissies Gremlin, everyone said how well the ladies game has improved, they played well and were desperately unlucky to lose like they did. Good luck to them against Germany on Saturday.

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I think he's talking about the Premier League and all the other major men's leagues.

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Correct.

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Gee thanks Eric.??

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Yr welcome;)

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Well done to the ladies, beating Germany & winning the bronze medal - we have an England team who can take penalties �� Congratulations to them well deserved

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Agree, excellent game, both teams played hard, could have gone either way. A bit harsh on the penalty but what a great shot, the ref was a bit scarey but all's well in the end.
The ladies played great the whole tournament and deserved to go home with a medal, made us proud. Oh yes and well done Canada, a great show, well organized and not bad weather either!! Nearly forgot, there's another game tomorrow.

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Well watched me first ever womens football match last night, Glad they won, but dont know what all the fuss is about.

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At least you watched it Cashy, big step from your post on the first page of this thread when you said you weren't remotely interested :) - who knows, by the time the ladies compete in their next tournament you might be right there in the crowd waving your union jack & wearing your Fara Williams t.shirt :D

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To be honest,only watched cos missus had gone to bed boiled, n sat nights telly is nowt to write home about.:D but thought they fought very hard fer the win, Germany to me were far more dangerous when they did go forward.;)