The Lionesses.

[ramAnag]

First of...well done to the England Women’s football team. Great achievement and well deserved.

Beyond that...I’m a bit puzzled.
I have no political agenda on this at all...no ‘political correctness’ and certainly no s exism...but the ‘end of 56 years of hurt’?
Really? Firstly in ‘66 ‘we’ won the World Cup, and last night was most certainly not the World Cup, secondly there’s a massive gulf in class between the men’s and the women’s game (and probably always will be) and thirdly...the undoubted achievements of the women’s game has little to do with the achievements, or otherwise, of the men’s team.

So a great achievement and a decent game but let’s keep some sense of perspective...I suspect there isn’t a single member of the Lionesses who would make it into a lower L2 side at best and the standard we saw last night reflected that.

Thoughts?

[SithHappens]

It was fantastic to watch and a great achievement, but even my wife said its not the same though is it.

Its not, if it had been the mens team when they made the final, or the world cup, it would be different, id have had a big gathering, been watching games in pubs and so on, to be fair i didnt watch a full game until the semi, when the world cup is on ill be planning where i watch who with etc etc and if we make the final it would be a big gathering watching it.

Its not our first since 66, its our first at all, its a different set of competitions.

Still brilliant though to see, just the buzz wont last as long.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Cant say I watched it, cant even say I knew the tournament was on until someone mentioned it a week or so ago.

To compare the success (as positive as it is) to the men's game is simply lame brained, but it gives Joe Public a chance to celebrate something. But to compare the achievements would be like comparing the Golden State Warriors to the Manchester Thunder

IN FACT THIS THREAD SHOULD BE PREFACED O/T AND SHOULD NOT BE GRANTED STICKY STATUS!

[ramAnag]

Cant say I watched it, cant even say I knew the tournament was on until someone mentioned it a week or so ago.

To compare the success (as positive as it is) to the men's game is simply lame brained, but it gives Joe Public a chance to celebrate something. But to compare the achievements would be like comparing the Golden State Warriors to the Manchester Thunder

IN FACT THIS THREAD SHOULD BE PREFACED O/T AND SHOULD NOT BE GRANTED STICKY STATUS!

Tbh I only watched after the (men’s) cricket had become a lost cause...so about the last 15 minutes and extra time.

Couldn’t care less whether it is ‘granted sticky status’ or not, but it shouldn’t be ‘prefaced OT’ because it is about football.

[swaledale]

Cant say I watched it, cant even say I knew the tournament was on until someone mentioned it a week or so ago.

To compare the success (as positive as it is) to the men's game is simply lame brained, but it gives Joe Public a chance to celebrate something. But to compare the achievements would be like comparing the Golden State Warriors to the Manchester Thunder

IN FACT THIS THREAD SHOULD BE PREFACED O/T AND SHOULD NOT BE GRANTED STICKY STATUS!

Why? Its about football and therefore is on topic as last time I looked it is a football forum. Not sure why your being a pedant, other than thats your nature!!

[Geoff Parkstone]

I thought non DCFC threads all needed to be given OT status? And is it football? Anyway it was more in jest. I quit watching the cricket when 5th wicket fell, but decided to go weed the garden rather than watch the Lionesses, who, interesting to note, have been accused of being racist by having selected an all white starting XI. So I was being accidentally woke by not watching the game, I suspect: There's a first time for everything

[Ramshank72]

I like going against the grain (a chef once told me to do so!):
Why the complaint? Why shouldn't they take the plaudits? How is it any different from the mens team progressing through a competition and only playing the best team in the final, having played many "weaker" teams in the group / knockout stages.

We often hear about football being the working mans game; well the working women just achieved something special.
I found the football more entertaining, and the players more relatable than I do watching the prima-donna multi-millionaire petals that represent the male game.

[ramAnag]

I like going against the grain (a chef once told me to do so!):
Why the complaint? Why shouldn't they take the plaudits? How is it any different from the mens team progressing through a competition and only playing the best team in the final, having played many "weaker" teams in the group / knockout stages.

We often hear about football being the working mans game; well the working women just achieved something special.
I found the football more entertaining, and the players more relatable than I do watching the prima-donna multi-millionaire petals that represent the male game.

Not sure anyone’s complained, Ramshank. I certainly didn’t mean it to come across that way.
Just interested that, on what is (essentially) a football forum, no one had mentioned the Lionesses’ undoubted achievement and wondered what we all, as football fans, thought about the standard.
For me it’s a bit like comparing L2 with the Premier League...the game, as a contest, may be fantastic but the standard is vastly inferior and, a bit like England’s women beating the Aussies at cricket, I can’t get as excited as I would if it was in the real Ashes.

[GUNTERYY36]

Likening PL with L2 is an excellent example of comparing the merits of the same sport, so the comparison further underlines the similarity of women's football to men's football.

Women's footballers have every right to celebrate and compare their achievement to that of their male counterparts. Male football fans such as those posting on here are guilty of making a category error in suggesting their version of football is in some way better or superior. Women would be the first to admit they will never be able to compete with men in terms of physical strength but there are enough similarities to make the two versions comparable. Lawn tennis and table tennis is one such example. There are enough similarities to make each of them enjoyable to watch. For example, returning the ball over a net involving sharp reflexes, precision, power.

Many male football fans didn't see any of the tournament including the final itself, yet feel qualified to give an opinion purely because they're males, or most likely are reluctant to say they enjoy women's football because they're too macho for that. Perhaps they are closet admirers of the game, who knows. At any rate, Spain and France gave high quality entertainment involving intricate one touch football that many fans of male football clubs will rarely see. The ghosts of penalty shoot out pain have finally been lain to rest. Football's finally come home.

[MadAmster]

Well, it is the first Senior FA representative to win a major international tournament since 1966 so it should count.

It's not the same as the men's game, I agree. IMO you can't really compare the two any more than you could compare Flo Jo to Linford Christie or top swimmers.... the women's game, in its infancy is still fair, proper sport. Respect for the opponents and the officials which the men don't have. Remember Oxford last weekend? Less cynical fouls. I refuse to call them professional fouls as deliberately breaking the rules, the code if you like, is anything but professional. Far less rolling about in death throes because someone looked at them too hard. there's a video online where two women players collide. One falls down and it's obvious she has dislocated her kneecap. No rolling about in agony as would happen if a male player had his ear flicked he'd be writhing in pain, holding his face (that did happen). She balled her fist, gave the kneecap 3 or 4 mighty sideswipes and it clicked back into place. She stood up and ran after the ball. THAT is how to play the game.