Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The Bronze Age: WSL 2020-21

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    The Bronze Age: WSL 2020-21

    OK, first off, apologies if there's already an English women's football thread - I only looked back over 3 pages of the most recent Football thread titles to check. If there is, then this one can drift into oblivion.

    And cards on the table - I'm a total novice fan of women's football, my only previous interest being in the most recent FIFA Women's World Cup (which was superb I thought), never club football, and I'm starting as of today to follow the club side. Apart from the recent breaking out of the women's game from obscurity in the English media (e.g. getting a good portion of the total time on BBC Football Focus today I noticed), the timing of my sudden interest is due to my 9 year old having recently joined a local club and played her first fixture for their U10 side this morning (which was an utter joy to watch). It struck me that if we are going to complement her playing experience with a bit more football telly watching, then for obvious reasons it's better that she watch the women's game in priority to the men's. She sounds interested, so I think the BBC Women's Football Show is likely to become regular family viewing (probably on Mondays from a recording as it's broadcast way after her bedtime). From long family tradition on her mother's side, my daughter is a Chelsea fan, so the absence of Leeds from the WSL shouldn't be an issue for us.

    Anyway, enough about me + family already. This looks like a great time to start following the WSL, what with Lucy Bronze having just joined Man City from Lyon, and loads of other world class signings from abroad around the league, including probably Alex Morgan to Spurs, at least until Christmas (COVID permitting etc.) One week into the new season already.

    I might have to support Chelsea women, just to be on the same page as my wife and daughter.

    Who else on here will be watching?

    #2
    Who else on here will be watching?

    Those of us who were on last season's thread, at a guess. I hadn't heard about Morgan. That is a bit of a coup, even if it is only a short-term off-season loan. Rose Lavelle to Man City is still the biggest move of the summer though. Morgan is in her mid-30s now, Lavelle in her late 20s and should be coming into her prime.

    The idea that a dribble of the Men's Premiership money would filter across and that trickle would be enough to turn the WSL into a financially dominant league is starting to look more and more real.

    The big question for Chelsea for the new season is will the real Sam Kerr please stand up. Her confidence looked utterly shot during the Community Shield. She has only scored one goal for Chelsea so far, despite arriving back at the start of January. As sad as it is surprising that she is seriously struggling to adapt. Emma Hayes will surely persist with Kerr, given the money Chelsea have invested in bringing her across. Even if, in the short term, other strikers would likely do a better job for the team!

    Comment


      #3
      Kerr scored last week didn't she? Make that two to her name, then.

      Comment


        #4
        The influx of US players has caused NBC to buy the rights, which is a positive development for those of us in the US

        Comment


          #5
          I see that two thirds of the WSL clubs (8 out of 12) are based in just 3 cities (one of which I wouldn't have guessed).

          Comment


            #6
            Quite a few Aussies now plying their trade in the WSL so I'll be a lot more interested than previously.

            Sam Kerr's already been mentioned and I think she's great having seen her score loads of goals for Perth Glory over the years. Chloe Logarzo and Ella Mastrantonio are at Bristol City, Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley are at Arsenal, Hayley Raso's at Everton, Alanna Kennedy's at Spurs and Mackenzie Arnold and Emily van Egmond are with West Ham.

            I'm just watching the 2nd half of the Chelsea- Bristol City game and wondering if Chelsea will hit ten. Arsenal scored 9 yesterday and it's not great when the difference between the rich and the poor is so massive.

            Comment


              #7
              Another goal for Sam Kerr, albeit not one rating highly on the hernancrespometer, being the 9th in a 9-0 win

              Comment


                #8
                Jackie Groenen is possibly the only person capable of thawing my 100% loathing of Manchester United.

                I'm also really excited about seeing how Rose Lavelle gets on.

                Comment


                  #9
                  It is because players like Groenen are now at Man United, Lavelle at City, etc. that the big scorelines have crept back in. Spin back four years ago to 2016 and the biggest wins of the season were 6-0 at home and 5-0 away. Comprehensive, but not out-of-control mismatches. Donny Belles finished bottom that year with just three points from their 16 games, but only conceded 48 goals or 3 per game (which I'm sure was painful enough at the time). Back then there was a clear financial gap, but it's grown massively in the few years since as the big Men's Premiership clubs have realised their chump change can buy an awful lot in the Women's game. Where would Sam Kerr's salary put her against Chelsea's male players, for example? So sides like Bristol City get spanked 11-1 (last seasons biggest win, recorded by Arsenal; Miedema scored six and set up another four, and then was substituted with the score at 10).

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Sam Kerr will be fine. Top quality player. I suspect she has taken time to settle in as she was never overly keen on switching from Women's A-league/NWSL to Europe, for a range of family and personal reasons. That was before COVID came along and made such separations even worse (as did some family issues).

                    In terms of money compared to male players, I would expect her to be on over Aus$500,000 a year, or she would have been better off staying as a marquee in the A-League alone, never mind the US part of her year and the Nike post player fees. So probably earns in a year what some premiership players would earn in a month - around the aus$750,000 mark.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Just watched last weekend's TWFS. Too easy for Chelsea. Arsenal proved more with their own 9 goals I think.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Mark Beard leaves West Ham. Seems on the face of it to be more amicable than the typical 'mutual consent' departure, but I guess we'll have to wait for the next series of the BBC documentary to find out.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          And Karen Hills and Juan Amoros are out at Tottenham

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                            And Karen Hills and Juan Amoros are out at Tottenham
                            ...being replaced by a former Arsenal coach.

                            Comment

                            Working...
                            X