I admit I probably should have published this blog before the match report and that was the plan before the game, but if you read through the main points in the match report you will understand I just had to write that first! In this blog I just want to give a brief word for women's football.
"Women can't play football, they belong in the kitchen!" is phrase used far too often when hearing women's football is on T.V, but something amazing happened this summer in the Olympics for Team GB when a women's side who struggle to bring in crowds in excess of 5,000 managed a (post-war) record attendance for a British women's football game when they beat Brazil 1-0.
You think that changed the perception on women's football? In an ideal world yes, but unfortunately not. Maybe participation has risen and that's something I wouldn't know but I was shocked when kick off approached at the Underhill stadium today between Barnet and Aston Villa ladies and a mere 52 fans came to watch what proved to be an incredible match (See last post for match report)
I couldn't fit in everything i wanted to say in the match report as the game had everything, but I wanted to actually give a word on the standard of football.
Tackles were flying in and i saw no prima-donna rolling around trying to get the opposition player booked. Some last ditch challenges from both defences; some slick passing through the midfield; and some great runs made by the forwards showed class all over the pitch. Now I'm not trying to say that this team can rival the Men's Barnet side (what with Edgar Davids tearing up the Underhill turf just days before the women step onto it) but it's a good enough standard to attract more than a few dozen people.
There's just no advertisement for the game. Go on to a big club website and a minute section on the ladies team is very hard to find let alone finding out Barnet have a ladies side. At the local bar I asked 5 locals if they knew the ladies team were playing... they all answered with no with two saying they didn't even know they had a ladies team!
Now I know it was Super Sunday and after a Saturday of watching their local team they're going to want to sit in the pub with a pint and watch the games, but even when I said the game was only £3 entry(and FREE for season ticket holders) they still refused. But this is something I see easily solvable.
A simple advertisement in the men's programme would not go a miss, maybe the local putting up signs of fixture lists for the women's team. Who knows because from what I've experienced there is nothing to help them out other than the few weeks of fame Britain's women football got at the Olympics.
Moan and groan over but I would definitely recommend finding out if any Ladies games are playing near you, plenty play in London, its cheap as chips so plenty of money for a half-time pint and full-time celebrations.
The FA Women's Super League is on in the summer months which gives you a great year of football, but for now here are links for the respective leagues:
Women's Premier League National Division - http://fulltime.thefa.com/ListPublicFixture.do?divisionseason=570707413&league=872938
Women's Premier League North Division - http://fulltime.thefa.com/ListPublicFixture.do?divisionseason=356824605&league=872938
Womens Premier League South Division - http://fulltime.thefa.com/ListPublicFixture.do?divisionseason=576717736&league=872938
There are too much leagues to advertise but please do check them out
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Temperatures reach boiling point for Barnet
Barnet Ladies 0 - 2 Aston Villa Ladies
Barnet Ladies hosted Aston Villa at Underhill today and what was a tame first half soon erupted into a explosive affair that boiled over and saw some unsightly scenes for the home crowd.
A goal from Dani Petrovic and a penalty from Katie Wilkinson was enough to give Aston Villa the three points and push even closer to the promotion places in the FA Women's Premier League National Division.
But the win for Aston Villa was cast in the shadow of the last 15 minutes when a huge fight broke out after Barnet captain Danielle Murphy reacted badly to a challenge on her and although it wasn't much shock that Danielle Murphy was shown a straight red, there was some confusion over why Gemma Rudman was shown a straight red as well. As for Aston Villa the fact that only one of their players walked away with a yellow card proved a little unjustified.
That set the tempo for the final 10 minutes and Mark Sennett, the referee, was obviously struggling to control it and after what seemed a routine tactical block from Abbie Prosser was deemed more cynical by Sennett and pulled out a second yellow much to the bemusement of everyone.
The game started off a little tame with Barnet opting to change sides and start playing downhill, an advantage that is unusual to see on a League Two standard pitch. But Barnet were taking advantage of the slope and saw most of the possession in the first half.
Mark Sennett had a love affair with his whistle far too often in the first half opting to blow up on the softest of tackles, which started to grate on both sets of players, but none more so than the Barnet captain Danielle Murphy and eventually she saw yellow on 38 minutes after one too many moans.
"You three are killing the game!" ranted the Aston Villa coach just before half-time and that summed up the half with neither sides able to get any momentum going to really trouble either keeper, but Barnet were definitely the happier team going into the break.
But now Aston Villa were playing downhill and were taking full advantage of the slope in their favour with a few darting runs into the box by the impressive Emma Follis and Kelly Clarke.
On the 55th minute Aston Villa got their breakthrough finally when Dani Petrovic rose highest at the back post after a great delivery into the box from Folis to put the visitors ahead and 1-0 up.
Three minutes later it was the Follis and Clarke combination again that troubled Barnets defence when Aston Villa's number 11 managed to run with the ball past Jess Trimnell and find space and spotted the run of Follis with a beautiful low cross only for Alex Keown to get back just in time to stop a certain goal, something the Barnet left-back did all game.
Unfortunately the desperate defending from Barnet proved to be their catalyst on the 64th minute as Leanne Reidy brought down Clarke in the box and the referee had no choice to award a penalty, which was sublimely finished by, Aston Villa's number 9, Katie Wilkinson.
Barnet did have a few sniffs at goal with substitutes Chontele Lawrence and Holly Sandow impressing but were not clinical enough when they got the chance.
The game turned hostile on the 70th minute when a 50/50 challenge between Alex Keown of Barnet and Katie Wilkinson left Keown far worse off with screams that silenced the stands and players on the pitch. Tears could be heard from the left-back as she knew it was very bad and after five minutes of treatment on the field the stretcher was called and her right calf was bandaged up suggesting either an Achilles injury that will hopefully end up looking worse than it was.
Soon after that the game turned into a tough battling contest and eventually the challenges got out of hand with a tackle on Danielle Murphy stirring up a huge coming together which ended up with Danielle Murphy and Gemma Rudman being sent off, and Aston Villa being let off with a solitary yellow card.
As the game drew to a close Abbie Prosser was shown a very harsh second yellow card and even though Barnet were down to just 7 outfield players Aston Villa couldn't add to the lead and the referee decided against adding much time on probably for the best interest of the game.
Aston Villa did deserve the three points on the day as they were much more clinical infront of goal and made better use of the ball in the final third. Barnet however will have a week to get their heads back together and prepare for a tough test against Manchester City without potentially four first team starters.
Barnet Ladies hosted Aston Villa at Underhill today and what was a tame first half soon erupted into a explosive affair that boiled over and saw some unsightly scenes for the home crowd.
A goal from Dani Petrovic and a penalty from Katie Wilkinson was enough to give Aston Villa the three points and push even closer to the promotion places in the FA Women's Premier League National Division.
But the win for Aston Villa was cast in the shadow of the last 15 minutes when a huge fight broke out after Barnet captain Danielle Murphy reacted badly to a challenge on her and although it wasn't much shock that Danielle Murphy was shown a straight red, there was some confusion over why Gemma Rudman was shown a straight red as well. As for Aston Villa the fact that only one of their players walked away with a yellow card proved a little unjustified.
That set the tempo for the final 10 minutes and Mark Sennett, the referee, was obviously struggling to control it and after what seemed a routine tactical block from Abbie Prosser was deemed more cynical by Sennett and pulled out a second yellow much to the bemusement of everyone.
The game started off a little tame with Barnet opting to change sides and start playing downhill, an advantage that is unusual to see on a League Two standard pitch. But Barnet were taking advantage of the slope and saw most of the possession in the first half.
Mark Sennett had a love affair with his whistle far too often in the first half opting to blow up on the softest of tackles, which started to grate on both sets of players, but none more so than the Barnet captain Danielle Murphy and eventually she saw yellow on 38 minutes after one too many moans.
"You three are killing the game!" ranted the Aston Villa coach just before half-time and that summed up the half with neither sides able to get any momentum going to really trouble either keeper, but Barnet were definitely the happier team going into the break.
But now Aston Villa were playing downhill and were taking full advantage of the slope in their favour with a few darting runs into the box by the impressive Emma Follis and Kelly Clarke.
On the 55th minute Aston Villa got their breakthrough finally when Dani Petrovic rose highest at the back post after a great delivery into the box from Folis to put the visitors ahead and 1-0 up.
Three minutes later it was the Follis and Clarke combination again that troubled Barnets defence when Aston Villa's number 11 managed to run with the ball past Jess Trimnell and find space and spotted the run of Follis with a beautiful low cross only for Alex Keown to get back just in time to stop a certain goal, something the Barnet left-back did all game.
Unfortunately the desperate defending from Barnet proved to be their catalyst on the 64th minute as Leanne Reidy brought down Clarke in the box and the referee had no choice to award a penalty, which was sublimely finished by, Aston Villa's number 9, Katie Wilkinson.
Barnet did have a few sniffs at goal with substitutes Chontele Lawrence and Holly Sandow impressing but were not clinical enough when they got the chance.
The game turned hostile on the 70th minute when a 50/50 challenge between Alex Keown of Barnet and Katie Wilkinson left Keown far worse off with screams that silenced the stands and players on the pitch. Tears could be heard from the left-back as she knew it was very bad and after five minutes of treatment on the field the stretcher was called and her right calf was bandaged up suggesting either an Achilles injury that will hopefully end up looking worse than it was.
Soon after that the game turned into a tough battling contest and eventually the challenges got out of hand with a tackle on Danielle Murphy stirring up a huge coming together which ended up with Danielle Murphy and Gemma Rudman being sent off, and Aston Villa being let off with a solitary yellow card.
As the game drew to a close Abbie Prosser was shown a very harsh second yellow card and even though Barnet were down to just 7 outfield players Aston Villa couldn't add to the lead and the referee decided against adding much time on probably for the best interest of the game.
Aston Villa did deserve the three points on the day as they were much more clinical infront of goal and made better use of the ball in the final third. Barnet however will have a week to get their heads back together and prepare for a tough test against Manchester City without potentially four first team starters.
Friday, 13 January 2012
Martin O’Neill Resurrects the Sleeping Black Cats
Martin O’Neill was given the position of resurrecting Sunderland’s season after Steve Bruce’s to some extent shock sacking. After seven games and 16 points out of a possible 21 he is well on his way to doing just that. Steve Bruce led Sunderland to 10th in the League last
year, their highest position for over 10 years, but Sunderland had failed to
build on that for the 2011/2012 season.
A mass overhaul in the summer caused a mix of excitement and confusion for the club’s fans and the latter turned into anger after the new-look side only won two games in the first 14 league games and led to the owners looking for a way out of their demise before it was too late.
In stepped Martin O’Neill, a man who had been out of the game for 16 months and had always been a manager well respected across the country and was once touted for the England job. His first task was to assemble his new team and bring his philosophy of beautiful football back to Sunderland. And with a battle of the bottom match against Blackburn, where better to win over your fans with a hard-fought 2-1 win with an injury time winner. He has managed to utilise squad players that were under-performing, the likes of Bendtner, Sessegnon and his two most surprising breakthroughs being young James McLean and Dong-Won Ji, and has managed to get the best out of them so far, something O’Neill is renowned for doing at all of his past clubs.
Six games later and he has got Sunderland up in 10th place and seemingly unstoppable. These points haven’t been so called easy games either with a win against table toppers Manchester City the stand-out result. But why was Martin O’Neill the man that was going to take Sunderland to the next level?
Martin O’Neill first led Wycombe Wanderers to gaining Football League status, the first time in the club’s history and then kept climbing the leagues to Division two. A spell at Leicester City saw him win the League cup twice which meant they were granted a place in the UEFA Cup each time. He then went on to manage his favourite boyhood club Celtic where, in his first season, he led them to win the domestic treble, the first time the club had done so since 1969.
His achievements at the club he loved kept on coming winning the League title three times, three Scottish Cups, and a League Cup. His last club being Aston Villa in which he led them to three consecutive 6th place finishes in the Premier League before his departure in August 2010. His club record is outstanding and is exactly what Sunderland fans were looking for after a flurry of managers that hadn’t fulfilled fan potential in the past 10 years.
What Sunderland were looking for after the sacking of Steve Bruce was a man that can take the next step for the Football club, a man that can push for European places and get them to stay there. Martin O’Neill ticks all the right boxes and after a magnificent start to his career at Sunderland, which has led him to be named Manager of the Month for December; he is looking at a miraculous recovery for a club that was sitting in the relegation zone for the first half
of the season. Football is known as a game of two halves and after a diabolical first-half Sunderland will be hoping their fast start to the second half will continue and not fade out into full-time.
year, their highest position for over 10 years, but Sunderland had failed to
build on that for the 2011/2012 season.
A mass overhaul in the summer caused a mix of excitement and confusion for the club’s fans and the latter turned into anger after the new-look side only won two games in the first 14 league games and led to the owners looking for a way out of their demise before it was too late.
In stepped Martin O’Neill, a man who had been out of the game for 16 months and had always been a manager well respected across the country and was once touted for the England job. His first task was to assemble his new team and bring his philosophy of beautiful football back to Sunderland. And with a battle of the bottom match against Blackburn, where better to win over your fans with a hard-fought 2-1 win with an injury time winner. He has managed to utilise squad players that were under-performing, the likes of Bendtner, Sessegnon and his two most surprising breakthroughs being young James McLean and Dong-Won Ji, and has managed to get the best out of them so far, something O’Neill is renowned for doing at all of his past clubs.
Six games later and he has got Sunderland up in 10th place and seemingly unstoppable. These points haven’t been so called easy games either with a win against table toppers Manchester City the stand-out result. But why was Martin O’Neill the man that was going to take Sunderland to the next level?
Martin O’Neill first led Wycombe Wanderers to gaining Football League status, the first time in the club’s history and then kept climbing the leagues to Division two. A spell at Leicester City saw him win the League cup twice which meant they were granted a place in the UEFA Cup each time. He then went on to manage his favourite boyhood club Celtic where, in his first season, he led them to win the domestic treble, the first time the club had done so since 1969.
His achievements at the club he loved kept on coming winning the League title three times, three Scottish Cups, and a League Cup. His last club being Aston Villa in which he led them to three consecutive 6th place finishes in the Premier League before his departure in August 2010. His club record is outstanding and is exactly what Sunderland fans were looking for after a flurry of managers that hadn’t fulfilled fan potential in the past 10 years.
What Sunderland were looking for after the sacking of Steve Bruce was a man that can take the next step for the Football club, a man that can push for European places and get them to stay there. Martin O’Neill ticks all the right boxes and after a magnificent start to his career at Sunderland, which has led him to be named Manager of the Month for December; he is looking at a miraculous recovery for a club that was sitting in the relegation zone for the first half
of the season. Football is known as a game of two halves and after a diabolical first-half Sunderland will be hoping their fast start to the second half will continue and not fade out into full-time.
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Cheers Footballers Across The Nation For A Great Year Of Football
2011 has been the year of scandals throughout football, especially in England, that has changed the meaning of "The Beautiful Game". Football now seems to get more publicity off the field than it does on it, but is that because the football has got worse in England? Far from it.
This past year footballers have done all their talking on the field. Footballers that have come under tremendous criticism, managers as well, have all tried to concentrate on the positives of football. In England the press seem very eager to portray a negative view on the footballer of today, and some stories that do come out are very controversial, but are they really stories FOOTBALL FANS want to hear? Not a chance in hell. Football fans are only interested in whatever happens on Saturday at 3 o'clock, or whenever else football is on. The news they are only interested in is if their team won, drew or lost, or if there were any upsets throughout the leagues. And this year has seen plenty of them
The big results that shocked the country this year get their time in the papers, but if you asked a person on the street what do you remember hearing about more: The Ryan Giggs super-injunction or the 6-1 thrashing Manchester City gave their Manchester counter-parts? Nine out of ten people would say the super-injunction. This year, including the 6-1 Manchester derby, has seen some amazing football results and moments up and down the country that has shocked the nations fans. Arsenal 4-0 up against Newcastle and then a miraculous come-back saw it end 4-4; THAT over-head kick by Rooney; Huddersfield's record breaking 43 match unbeaten run... and many many more that I'm sure will be saved at the back of your memories for years to come.
Another big part of the Premier League this past year has been the sheer skill of some of the players up and down the league. Manchester City are now a team you just love to watch, the intricate footwork of magic man David Silva, the strikers instinct of Sergio Aguero and last but not least the man that keeps on giving, literally, Mario Balotelli. A man that can produce a piece of brilliance one minute, and not put on a bib the next has put a smile on every football fans face this year and we look forward to many more of it.
So the press can publish their stories of scandals about footballers off the field, football fans are not interested in them. They know what they want, and the footballers know exactly how to give the fans what they want and this year they have surpassed all expectations. We have one more week left of this year that could add to what has actually been a great year in English football, despite European disappointments. But with the attention off of European football in 2011 has made the Premier League a joy to watch with all teams putting on a spectacular for their fans every time they turn up.
Football is never played on a white sheet of paper, it is played on lush green fields and this year footballers have ripped up the turf and provided football fans with a fantastic and memorable year. Bring on the next one
This past year footballers have done all their talking on the field. Footballers that have come under tremendous criticism, managers as well, have all tried to concentrate on the positives of football. In England the press seem very eager to portray a negative view on the footballer of today, and some stories that do come out are very controversial, but are they really stories FOOTBALL FANS want to hear? Not a chance in hell. Football fans are only interested in whatever happens on Saturday at 3 o'clock, or whenever else football is on. The news they are only interested in is if their team won, drew or lost, or if there were any upsets throughout the leagues. And this year has seen plenty of them
The big results that shocked the country this year get their time in the papers, but if you asked a person on the street what do you remember hearing about more: The Ryan Giggs super-injunction or the 6-1 thrashing Manchester City gave their Manchester counter-parts? Nine out of ten people would say the super-injunction. This year, including the 6-1 Manchester derby, has seen some amazing football results and moments up and down the country that has shocked the nations fans. Arsenal 4-0 up against Newcastle and then a miraculous come-back saw it end 4-4; THAT over-head kick by Rooney; Huddersfield's record breaking 43 match unbeaten run... and many many more that I'm sure will be saved at the back of your memories for years to come.
Another big part of the Premier League this past year has been the sheer skill of some of the players up and down the league. Manchester City are now a team you just love to watch, the intricate footwork of magic man David Silva, the strikers instinct of Sergio Aguero and last but not least the man that keeps on giving, literally, Mario Balotelli. A man that can produce a piece of brilliance one minute, and not put on a bib the next has put a smile on every football fans face this year and we look forward to many more of it.
So the press can publish their stories of scandals about footballers off the field, football fans are not interested in them. They know what they want, and the footballers know exactly how to give the fans what they want and this year they have surpassed all expectations. We have one more week left of this year that could add to what has actually been a great year in English football, despite European disappointments. But with the attention off of European football in 2011 has made the Premier League a joy to watch with all teams putting on a spectacular for their fans every time they turn up.
Football is never played on a white sheet of paper, it is played on lush green fields and this year footballers have ripped up the turf and provided football fans with a fantastic and memorable year. Bring on the next one
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Football is JUST a game...
To fan's football is much more important than a game, to which I agree. But it seems a football club's hierarchy have taken that view in a different light and ruined football for good, and it is something I think should have been addressed along long time ago.
This week we heard the news about Mike Ashley changing one of football's most historic ground names, St James' Park, to the much more fierce and threatening feel: Sports Direct Arena. Football in the 21st century seems to be embraced by money. It's not new news, it has been here for a while now, but that is the reason I want to address. Why has it become so important in football, and why has it been so important for so long?
"Football back in my day..." is a quote we always hear from people that witnessed football before the invention of the Premier League. What will we be saying 50/60 years down the line? "Back in my day £30 million wasn't a lot of money"? It's just getting ridiculous with the latest development of Mike Ashley tarnishing the history of St James' Park with in what seems such a simple step to the 'Sports Direct Arena'. This need and apparent desire for owners to do this to our national stadiums is absurd and I for one want to make a stand.
I'm not saying that it is easy for vasts amount of money to stop being pumped into football, but there has to be a fine line to where it ends, doesn't it? Simple things like cutting down football players ego's now by cutting wage bills to reasonable wage packets is a massive must! Football players have too much of an ego nowadays that it's not the club that matters that they move to, it's all about the wage bill on offer? Samuel Eto'o I am talking about you. Transfers: surely there can be a cut on price of players, players haven't got extremely better in under 40 years that a young Kenny Dalglish was bought for £440,00 and nowadays clubs can buy players over 100 times that amount! Simple things like that will not only cut the owners debt in clubs but also make teams equal and not about individuals.
I'm a Liverpool fan, i don't really hide that well, so obviously I'm renowned to talk about the history of Anfield and my view on moving stadiums, but it's not just these stories. We've seen stadiums like Wigan's change from JJB stadium to the DW stadium, why, because Dave Whelan matters more than Wigan Athletic apparently. Stadiums like the KC stadium for Hull and the Reebok Stadium for Bolton may have a bit of history with that name but fans before these 'major' sponsorship deals must have thought why?
There is absolutely NO need for stadiums names being tarnished because owners think they can make extra cash from sponsorship deals. Fans are the biggest investment football teams have and they are only pushing them away with these type of shenanigans. Mike Ashley has to be the biggest culprit here. His club are on the best run for over 50 years, fans are finally enjoying football at this historical club, everything seems rosy for him as the owner once again and then in true Mike Ashley fashion he manages to face a huge backlash from fans that could ultimately end in fans to busy chanting about the stadium name to actually concentrate on what matters. Football.
Because that is what football is at the end of the day. Just Football.
This week we heard the news about Mike Ashley changing one of football's most historic ground names, St James' Park, to the much more fierce and threatening feel: Sports Direct Arena. Football in the 21st century seems to be embraced by money. It's not new news, it has been here for a while now, but that is the reason I want to address. Why has it become so important in football, and why has it been so important for so long?
"Football back in my day..." is a quote we always hear from people that witnessed football before the invention of the Premier League. What will we be saying 50/60 years down the line? "Back in my day £30 million wasn't a lot of money"? It's just getting ridiculous with the latest development of Mike Ashley tarnishing the history of St James' Park with in what seems such a simple step to the 'Sports Direct Arena'. This need and apparent desire for owners to do this to our national stadiums is absurd and I for one want to make a stand.
I'm not saying that it is easy for vasts amount of money to stop being pumped into football, but there has to be a fine line to where it ends, doesn't it? Simple things like cutting down football players ego's now by cutting wage bills to reasonable wage packets is a massive must! Football players have too much of an ego nowadays that it's not the club that matters that they move to, it's all about the wage bill on offer? Samuel Eto'o I am talking about you. Transfers: surely there can be a cut on price of players, players haven't got extremely better in under 40 years that a young Kenny Dalglish was bought for £440,00 and nowadays clubs can buy players over 100 times that amount! Simple things like that will not only cut the owners debt in clubs but also make teams equal and not about individuals.
I'm a Liverpool fan, i don't really hide that well, so obviously I'm renowned to talk about the history of Anfield and my view on moving stadiums, but it's not just these stories. We've seen stadiums like Wigan's change from JJB stadium to the DW stadium, why, because Dave Whelan matters more than Wigan Athletic apparently. Stadiums like the KC stadium for Hull and the Reebok Stadium for Bolton may have a bit of history with that name but fans before these 'major' sponsorship deals must have thought why?
There is absolutely NO need for stadiums names being tarnished because owners think they can make extra cash from sponsorship deals. Fans are the biggest investment football teams have and they are only pushing them away with these type of shenanigans. Mike Ashley has to be the biggest culprit here. His club are on the best run for over 50 years, fans are finally enjoying football at this historical club, everything seems rosy for him as the owner once again and then in true Mike Ashley fashion he manages to face a huge backlash from fans that could ultimately end in fans to busy chanting about the stadium name to actually concentrate on what matters. Football.
Because that is what football is at the end of the day. Just Football.
Saturday, 22 October 2011
Put your handbags away ladies, these women know how to play ball
World champions Russia were not going to be an easy test for the Great Britain team who are still building a team for the Olympics. This match however seemed out of their reach and Russia came out on top 24-16, but that isn’t to say Great Britain were a push over.
Great Britain started the scoring off after Sarah Hargreaves had made two magnificent saves, something that was repeated throughout the whole game. Kathryn Fudge was able to squeeze through a tight gap to get the game up and running around 3 minutes in. After this though Great Britain were struggling to cope with Russia’s quick counter attacks where they would catch the GB defence off guard and eventually took a 4-1 lead. Then Lyn Byl came into play and was able to launch herself into the box to throw a devastating double either side of another Russia goal making it 3-5.
Great Britain were still struggling to get any pace to their attack with a repetitive sequence of passes going from left wing to centre to right wing and back and forth without any penetration, but when the big Russian, Anna Sen, was sent to the bench for 2 minutes for a foul on Byl, Great Britain were able to unleash a flow of attacks where they were able to battle it back to 5-6. When Anna Sen came back into play Russia looked a constant threat again eventually taking a lead of 8-5, but it could have been a lot worse if it weren’t for that woman between the sticks, Sarah Hargreaves. Countless saves including a remarkable reflex save that denied Russia. Sarah Hargeaves was stopping Russia run away with the game and her saves managed to install some belief into the players and they were battling back to make it 7-8, somehow still holding onto the World champions after a third of the game.
The last 10 minutes of the first half however proved to be too much for the hosts and by the interval were pegged back 10-14. The first half showed promising signs though with Kathryn Fudge, Lyn Byl, the captain Lynn McCafferty and of course Sarah Hargreaves all impressing for the home side. But it was Russia’s devastating speed in which they would break, as soon as Great Britain would score they would be back on them straight away not letting them ease up and by the end of the half you could see it was tiring the GB girls out and let their good first 20 minute form slip, but a quick-fire double from Holly Lam-Moores just before the break proved promising signs for the second half.
Unfortunately the promising signs were a distant memory 7 minutes in as Russia had built a 7 point lead making it 17-10. Kathryn Fudge was having a frustrating spell where the Russian between the sticks equalled Sarah’s heroics in goal saving 3 shots from Kathryn Fudge inside 10 minutes. But back to her heroics, Sarah was brave in taking a hard whack in the face after a hard shot, but showing her grit and determination to continue her fine form she got up and just second’s later Russia were awarded a penalty and she saved it sending the fans into raptures. The trio of Emiliia Turei, Anna Sen and Liudmila Bodnieva were a constant threat throughout with the latter two players towering over all the Great Britain players at 180-185cm and Emiliia Turei a tricky customer to handle.
After 50 minutes had gone Russia were in full control taking full advantage of a tiring Great Britain side that had put up a great fight, but they were playing the World champions. And they were proving their credentials when they increased their lead to 22-13 and without the master class in goal by Sarah Hargreaves it could have easily turned into an embarrassing afternoon. The strength in the Russian side was finally showing when Captain Lynn McCafferty was bundled over by Anna Sen and despite getting back up she had to go off and that was her game finished and with that injury almost ended Great Britain’s chances when the score was 24-15 to Russia with 5 minutes to go. Just like the first half Great Britain were able to snatch a late goal with a sweet move but the game finished 16-24 to the reigning World Champions, but for a team that has only been formed for 5 years it was not bad going at all.
I hadn’t known much about Handball as a sport as it is not a relatively big sport in England like it is in Germany, Denmark and Russia respectively but after watching the fast-paced action today and determination shown by the Great Britain side, the ever-growing fan base of the sport in the UK gained one extra fan. What I liked most about the after-match was the fact you could see the girls were pleased with the performance, and so they should be. The London 2012 Olympics is just what Great British Handball needs to launch the sport to new heights of popularity and for people who may be thinking they lost out getting handball tickets at the Olympics, I for one am jealous.
Great Britain started the scoring off after Sarah Hargreaves had made two magnificent saves, something that was repeated throughout the whole game. Kathryn Fudge was able to squeeze through a tight gap to get the game up and running around 3 minutes in. After this though Great Britain were struggling to cope with Russia’s quick counter attacks where they would catch the GB defence off guard and eventually took a 4-1 lead. Then Lyn Byl came into play and was able to launch herself into the box to throw a devastating double either side of another Russia goal making it 3-5.
Great Britain were still struggling to get any pace to their attack with a repetitive sequence of passes going from left wing to centre to right wing and back and forth without any penetration, but when the big Russian, Anna Sen, was sent to the bench for 2 minutes for a foul on Byl, Great Britain were able to unleash a flow of attacks where they were able to battle it back to 5-6. When Anna Sen came back into play Russia looked a constant threat again eventually taking a lead of 8-5, but it could have been a lot worse if it weren’t for that woman between the sticks, Sarah Hargreaves. Countless saves including a remarkable reflex save that denied Russia. Sarah Hargeaves was stopping Russia run away with the game and her saves managed to install some belief into the players and they were battling back to make it 7-8, somehow still holding onto the World champions after a third of the game.
The last 10 minutes of the first half however proved to be too much for the hosts and by the interval were pegged back 10-14. The first half showed promising signs though with Kathryn Fudge, Lyn Byl, the captain Lynn McCafferty and of course Sarah Hargreaves all impressing for the home side. But it was Russia’s devastating speed in which they would break, as soon as Great Britain would score they would be back on them straight away not letting them ease up and by the end of the half you could see it was tiring the GB girls out and let their good first 20 minute form slip, but a quick-fire double from Holly Lam-Moores just before the break proved promising signs for the second half.
Unfortunately the promising signs were a distant memory 7 minutes in as Russia had built a 7 point lead making it 17-10. Kathryn Fudge was having a frustrating spell where the Russian between the sticks equalled Sarah’s heroics in goal saving 3 shots from Kathryn Fudge inside 10 minutes. But back to her heroics, Sarah was brave in taking a hard whack in the face after a hard shot, but showing her grit and determination to continue her fine form she got up and just second’s later Russia were awarded a penalty and she saved it sending the fans into raptures. The trio of Emiliia Turei, Anna Sen and Liudmila Bodnieva were a constant threat throughout with the latter two players towering over all the Great Britain players at 180-185cm and Emiliia Turei a tricky customer to handle.
After 50 minutes had gone Russia were in full control taking full advantage of a tiring Great Britain side that had put up a great fight, but they were playing the World champions. And they were proving their credentials when they increased their lead to 22-13 and without the master class in goal by Sarah Hargreaves it could have easily turned into an embarrassing afternoon. The strength in the Russian side was finally showing when Captain Lynn McCafferty was bundled over by Anna Sen and despite getting back up she had to go off and that was her game finished and with that injury almost ended Great Britain’s chances when the score was 24-15 to Russia with 5 minutes to go. Just like the first half Great Britain were able to snatch a late goal with a sweet move but the game finished 16-24 to the reigning World Champions, but for a team that has only been formed for 5 years it was not bad going at all.
I hadn’t known much about Handball as a sport as it is not a relatively big sport in England like it is in Germany, Denmark and Russia respectively but after watching the fast-paced action today and determination shown by the Great Britain side, the ever-growing fan base of the sport in the UK gained one extra fan. What I liked most about the after-match was the fact you could see the girls were pleased with the performance, and so they should be. The London 2012 Olympics is just what Great British Handball needs to launch the sport to new heights of popularity and for people who may be thinking they lost out getting handball tickets at the Olympics, I for one am jealous.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
North London has seen a change in the top side... will Manchester soon follow suit?
The North London derby two weeks ago was the first time Tottenham were the real favourites to win the derby, and they did not disappoint winning 2-1. But is this Sunday the first time Manchester City really look like being favourites to beat the countries top side?
Manchester United and Manchester City have ruled the first few months of the season, with City just edging it and being top of the pile... for now. But Manchester United have played Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool and have only dropped two points recently against Liverpool whereas Manchester City have only played Tottenham out of the top sides so far, where they did win 5-1.
So this Sunday is City's first real test of title credentials for this year, although it comes pretty early in the season you could claim it as a title decider in the mindset of each Manchester club. Neither has taken Europe by storm this year with City only gaining their first win out of three thanks to a stoppage time winner against Villareal this week, and Manchester United also gaining their first win this week against Galati with Rooney scoring two penalties to decide it. So Europe hasn't seen the threat of Manchester yet, but the Premier League definitely has.
Manchester City have managed 27 league goals this year so far in just 8 games and not to far behind them United have scored 25, 14 more than Newcastle and Liverpool who sit 4th and 5th respectively. Its not just the forwards in both sides that have impressed, the back line of each team have only conceded six goals each this term so far, matched only by Newcastle.
There have been massive improvements in the Manchester City camp, despite the Tevez saga. Sergio Aguero has been a breathe of fresh air not just to Manchester City, but to the Premier League, and we also starting to see a much happier and much more passionate Roberto Mancini, something fans all over the country are liking... despite Manchester United of course. Most will say they don't like it because they will say 'United are the better side...' but City fans will argue United don't like it because they are getting scared of their noisy neighbours.
We will have to wait until Sunday to see whether Manchester City will be able to silence the 'noisy neighbours' tag or Manchester United will be showing they are a hard horse to topple, all we know is this derby is getting more and more exciting each year and this weekend will be the next big one.
Manchester United and Manchester City have ruled the first few months of the season, with City just edging it and being top of the pile... for now. But Manchester United have played Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool and have only dropped two points recently against Liverpool whereas Manchester City have only played Tottenham out of the top sides so far, where they did win 5-1.
So this Sunday is City's first real test of title credentials for this year, although it comes pretty early in the season you could claim it as a title decider in the mindset of each Manchester club. Neither has taken Europe by storm this year with City only gaining their first win out of three thanks to a stoppage time winner against Villareal this week, and Manchester United also gaining their first win this week against Galati with Rooney scoring two penalties to decide it. So Europe hasn't seen the threat of Manchester yet, but the Premier League definitely has.
Manchester City have managed 27 league goals this year so far in just 8 games and not to far behind them United have scored 25, 14 more than Newcastle and Liverpool who sit 4th and 5th respectively. Its not just the forwards in both sides that have impressed, the back line of each team have only conceded six goals each this term so far, matched only by Newcastle.
There have been massive improvements in the Manchester City camp, despite the Tevez saga. Sergio Aguero has been a breathe of fresh air not just to Manchester City, but to the Premier League, and we also starting to see a much happier and much more passionate Roberto Mancini, something fans all over the country are liking... despite Manchester United of course. Most will say they don't like it because they will say 'United are the better side...' but City fans will argue United don't like it because they are getting scared of their noisy neighbours.
We will have to wait until Sunday to see whether Manchester City will be able to silence the 'noisy neighbours' tag or Manchester United will be showing they are a hard horse to topple, all we know is this derby is getting more and more exciting each year and this weekend will be the next big one.
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