World Cup Time for pre-qualifying in the Women's game?

[SteMerritt]

Scores like this don't do anyone any good...

 

[Sarge]

agree @SteMerritt .... similar could be said for the men's game (Internationals) too?

 

[ZeroTheHero]

I posted a similar sentiment about the qualifying in the men's version of the competition the other day - but it's even worse in the women's game. Just tonight there have been scores of 20-0, 11-0, 8-0, 7-0 etc. I know that some countries have a much more developed women's game than others, but I am not sure how it helps the growth of women's football in Latvia to be thumped by 20 goals in a game or to concede 46 in 5 games.

 

[holdsteady]

They won’t get any better from playing this far above themselves, it’s alright trying to improve the game around the world but you don’t throw a boxer in with Tyson Fury on his debut, pre qualifying would allow them to get experience without the hammerings while they build up the game/player pool in there country.

 

[MC Yellow]

86% possession and 64 shots to nil.

Does nothing for the credibility of the game.

 

[Osei Yaw]

Shame that Latvia women don't have a female equivalent of Kristaps Grebis to inspire them.

 

[Oxford57]

Having watched it I thought that it was just a bit painful to be honest, the poor goalkeeper looked like 12 , gulf is too great for the good of the game ,

 

[dickwalton1964]

Women’s football is absolutely rubbish and the most unwatchable sport imaginable. I watched 15 minutes of it about 5 years ago and that was enough for me, haven’t watched a minute since and have no interest in it. The standard is atrocious and that was an international match I watched quarter of an hour of. In my opinion it’s local pub league football at best and anyone of Oxfordshire’s semi professional sides would rack up double figures, without reply, against any women‘s side you care to mention.

20-0 is just ridiculous and for SSN to donate time and reporting of this is an absolute joke. This is the sort of ‘result’ you get in the school playground during lunch hour and Sky should wash their hands of this comedy until the standard sufficiently improves. I see an 11-0 also flash up on SSN.

 

[unification]

agree @SteMerritt .... similar could be said for the men's game (Internationals) too?

There was a thread suggesting the very same not long ago on here, Sarge. I’d be all for it as other Confederations wheedle out the weaker nations early on. There’s nothing learned from batterings and it’s a wasted journey to and from these places.

The Nations League allows for similar level nations to play each other and either progress or slip back a level with the promotion and relegation systems in place. More of those and fewer qualifiers would make for a better international calendar.

 

[holdsteady]

86% possession and 64 shots to nil.

Does nothing for the credibility of the game.

Around a shot every 90 seconds and a goal every 4 and a half minutes with one team having nearly all of the ball can’t really be dressed up as elite sport, you will always get miss matches but no real pleasure in watching lambs to the slaughter, it’s actually a bit painful.

 

[Manorlounger]

Mrs Lounger and I thoroughly enjoyed the game. The standard of football played by England was good and the score was as a result of the players not sitting back and being satisfied at 2 or 3 nil. Granted, Latvia are not one of the leading exponents of the game and England will face far stiffer opposition as the competition develops.
To those blinkered opinions of the women's game, shame on you. Over 10,000 were at the game, played at Doncaster's Keepmoat stadium.

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

Mrs Lounger and I thoroughly enjoyed the game. The standard of football played by England was good and the score was as a result of the players not sitting back and being satisfied at 2 or 3 nil. Granted, Latvia are not one of the leading exponents of the game and England will face far stiffer opposition as the competition develops.
To those blinkered opinions of the women's game, shame on you. Over 10,000 were at the game, played at Doncaster's Keepmoat stadium.

You enjoyed watching a 20-0 win? I couldn’t watch England beat San Marino 10-0, it’s just embarrassing after a while and you feel sorry for them. 20-0 is a ridiculous score

 

[BeechRoadBokelberg]

Reminded me of when OUFC ladies knocked out Launton in a cup game a few yrs ago - think it finished 32-0.

Completely pointless exercise!

 

[werthersoriginal]

I’ll always remember Paul Cook signing to his players to go easy on us in that 7-0 win. I guess the England players wanted to go for a record or something but it doesn’t feel right.

 

[Marked Ox]

I’ll always remember Paul Cook signing to his players to go easy on us in that 7-0 win. I guess the England players wanted to go for a record or something but it doesn’t feel right.

England have been told to become ruthless by the new manager. She is trying to install an attitude/new culture so that they are more ruthless in close games against very good teams. They are only at the start of the process.

 

[dickwalton1964]

I’ll always remember Paul Cook signing to his players to go easy on us in that 7-0 win. I guess the England players wanted to go for a record or something but it doesn’t feel right.

Were you there that night ? Wigan were relentless and in absolutely no way did they ease up. The keeper was having a great game and shots were shaving the woodwork right up until the 90th minute. 7-0’s happen from time to time, 20-0’s don’t. It’s like a cricket team getting bowled out for 0, might happen in the playground at infant school but no place for such extremities at any sort of professional level.

 

[holdsteady]

Mrs Lounger and I thoroughly enjoyed the game. The standard of football played by England was good and the score was as a result of the players not sitting back and being satisfied at 2 or 3 nil. Granted, Latvia are not one of the leading exponents of the game and England will face far stiffer opposition as the competition develops.
To those blinkered opinions of the women's game, shame on you. Over 10,000 were at the game, played at Doncaster's Keepmoat stadium.

Shame on people for not wanting to watch pointless one sided beat downs? What’s blinkered about not seeing the point of games where the hammering is a foregone conclusion before kick off? The manager herself has questioned the validity of the games.

 

[boogaloo]

Results like this are not good for the game. I remember about 20 years ago Australia thrashing American Samoa 31-0 in a World Cup qualifier. After that, they introduced Pre-qualifying rounds.

Agree that they should also do the same for the men's tournament too.

 

[unification]

Results like this are not good for the game. I remember about 20 years ago Australia thrashing American Samoa 31-0 in a World Cup qualifier. After that, they introduced Pre-qualifying rounds.

Agree that they should also do the same for the men's tournament too.

There's no pre-qualifying rounds for OFC (barring one match to ensure the numbers are right). but Australia left the OFC to join the AFC for the reason you give. They'd used to have to batter all the other micronations in their confederation and then end up in a final tricky tie against someone like Uruguay or Costa Rica. They thought it better to chance their arm in the consistently tougher AFC qualifying instead (Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Iran etc). It's helped them out no end. They've made it to the finals every time since that switch although Qatar 2022 is still TBC.

Other Confederations have pre-qualifying though. AFC have whittled their 46 teams down to a possible 12 who could qualify and CONCACAF have turned 34 into eight. A lot depends on the number of qualifying berths for a WC for each confederation and the number of teams you have entering. UEFA has 13 spots for its teams at the upcoming WC and has 55 nations going for them. There has to be a better way to qualify than watching England beat Andorra and San Marino four times in the qualifiers.

 

[Osei Yaw]

I don't buy this feel sorry for them malarky. If I was an amateur/semi-pro footballer for San Marino, Gibraltar or the like, I would absolutely love to be playing against the big dogs in qualifying.

'Sorry boss I can't come to work on Tuesday or Wednesday next week as I've got Germany away so need to get to the Olympiastadion and back.'

So what if you lose 10-0? Not many bus drivers can say they played in those types of stadium.