O Neill

The setup at Kingston Park is pretty much the standard setup for your average SWPL level match. It's general admission, take a seat anywhere you like, or feel free to stand behind the barriers around the pitch etc. The average attendance at a league fixture is around 150. Yes, it's really that low, and that's not a paid 150 either. For a 'special event' at one of the men's stadiums, then teams can draw anywhere between 2,000 and 6,000. To answer the question better. There has never been need for segregation at any women's fixture in the past. The problem with the Old Firm is that ultra groups have been known to turn out at youth fixtures, and are now seeing the women's fixtures as a new place to gather. It could become interesting next season if Newcastle make it into the WSL2 and Sunderland fail to get promoted. Do you think those fixtures on the calendar will start to draw the attention of more people who have yet to attend a women's match? Certainly going to be something that both clubs will need to consider how they manage if that scenario is on the table next season. I should also highlight that the Edinburgh derby between Hibs and Hearts women has been made into a big stadium fixture for the last few years. Ultras groups have been welcomed along to home and away fixtures to help the atmosphere, and there have been no issues at any of the matches I've photographed. It has been great to have those supporters along, and they haven't damaged the family friendly atmosphere. The clubs have simply opened the stand behind one of the goals and allowed them to have that area to themselves.

Rangers had intended to set things up as they have done for previous big stadium games, where they just opened the one stand along the pitch, with no hard segregation in place. It's generally a family friendly atmosphere at women's games, and having one stand open means having to put less staff on. They also didn't want to fork out for additional police and stewarding. Information reached both clubs and the police late in the week that the Green Brigade had purchased around 800 tickets. With The Union Bears up in Perth on Sunday afternoon, there was unlikely to be much in the way of actual trouble, but I suspect Rangers decided that the easiest way to ensure that, was to cancel all the away tickets. Depending on who you speak to, it's either Celtic's fault for selling their allocation to known 'risk supporters' or Rangers are to blame for not putting on additional security measures. The league itself completely ignored the situation, and were still pushing ticket sales on the morning of the game. The whole situation just didn't look good for women's football up here at all.

I'm envious, as the bullshit went into overdrive up here at the weekend with the Old Firm. I don't want to clog the thread up with the nonsense, but basically, Rangers cancelled all the Celtic tickets for their Old Firm derby at Ibrox on the day before the match. An embarrassing situation, followed by all the usual finger pointing and expert opinions from supporters of both side, most of whom will never have attended a women's match. While the game is gathering momentum in England, the evidence is that it has already peaked in Scotland and is now starting to decline.

This is something that was a long term problem in Scotland, where a lot of grounds would have one stand, but the camera position would be set up to take advantage of the height that the stand offers. After enough shouting about it for years, most places have now put in a scaffolding based platform to film from on the opposite side. It makes a huge visual difference to the presentation of the game. Just watched the highlights from the weekend there, and I can't see how on Earth, the first Forest goal has been given. The player who scores is absolutely miles offside when the play is played. I can understand there may be some confusion because the ball has come back to her off the post, but when the other player hits the shot, not only is the girl who scores the rebound beyond the ball and last defender, she looks like she's beyond the keeper as well. Very poor officiating, it looks like.

Unfortunately, for the girls, it's something that absolutely has to be done. It's a real tough call for the manager to make too, as you can become unpopular very quickly, as there's still plenty of sentiment in the women's game. But, there are plenty of instances of players who look incredible at a lower level, then when they go up a tier, it doesn't happen for them. Up North, we had a striker that hit 13 goals in 10 games for a mid-table second division team. Looked like the complete package. She scored two goals in 43 appearances in the top division. Have seen similar with plenty of midfielders, who dominate matches, go up a league and just can't match the competitive nature of the league every week. Looks like another big game this weekend, Forest having switched away from their usual venue of Grange Park to take advantage of the men's international break and play at the City Ground instead. The 3-0 win over them a few weeks ago in the cup should give confidence, but I expect it'll be a challenging fixture and one where a win would strengthen the promotion push significantly.

I've no idea what the going rate at international level is to be honest. I won't be long though until it is eclipsed by salaries on offer at tier 2 and ambitious clubs further down the divisions. I would think logically that the Canada job is going to become less attractive over time. Their Olympic win was an undoubted highlight, but are they going to go on to win a World Cup? It feels unlikely now, with so many more nations starting to improve.

Still with Canada isn't she? I'd reckon that Fran Alonso, currently at Celtic women, would be a strong possibility. It's been suggested he's keen for new challenges, and has been hinted that he's not happy with his current contract at Celtic. Has won the Scottish Cup twice and the league cup since coming up here. The only thing he hasn't won is the league, but they are the front-runners this season. Previously was the first team assistant to Ronald Koeman at Everton and worked with Pochettino at Southampton as well. After that he managed in the Women's Championship with Lewes for a bit. What would make him a particularly attractive choice, is that he seems to be able to rebuild a team almost every year, given the challenging circumstances he operates under with a very limited budget at Celtic. He appears to have very good connections in the women's game that allow him to bring in very good players on loan from Spanish clubs. He's also shown himself to be very good at getting the most out of what is a fairly average squad. It's probably about the right fit for both parties as well. The infrastructure NUFC have put into place is already a step up from what Celtic have done over the last few years. I'd suspect the financial package NUFC will offer to a manager will be bigger than anything up here, while he'll be backed to build a squad. It feels like a right person, at the right time type of gig if NUFC find themselves looking for someone with a strong CV.

A handful of the current squad have played up here in the Scottish Women's Premier League for the top couple of sides during the times that they were here. The standard of the top teams here is in line with the bottom half of the Women's Championship in England, however the steady improvement in the standard down South is quickly changing that. Having only seen NUFC once last season, and in a pre-season friendly against Hibs, I'd say looking at the squad that it's not far off being at the Championship level and should be in with a shout of attaining that this season. I would guess with the changes being made that the wider club will be pushing to get into the WSL within the next 3-5 years, possibly even sooner. A lot of chat right now about the WSL expanding again to anywhere between 16-20 teams, so now is a good time to make a move if your aim is to be there. I suspect if the team doesn't get promoted this season, then there will be a swift change of management. Furthermore, I also suspect that I know who they might try to bring in should that be the case. Whatever happens, the changes that the club have made recently in terms of full time contracts, playing at Kingston Park etc have laid down very good foundations for future growth. Despite being a division below Sunderland and Durham, it's hard not to think that NUFC women won't become the elite women's club in the North-East within a couple of years.

Quite possibly, and most certainly at lower levels. However, it's an unpopular opinion, and you aren't allowed to express it in public. I've photographed the women's game for over a decade, and there are times when I've had to hold my hands up and accept something as just being part of the game. It can be frustrating to watch if you aren't used to it. An example from a friendly match between two top tier teams in Scotland on Sunday: The home side scored three goals in the second half, all of them came directly from wayward crosses that sailed over the head of the keeper and into the net. I've come to just write that off as the sort of goal you see in women's football, but it's hard not to think there is an argument for slightly smaller goals. There is another side to that coin. The availability of facilities. The cast majority of pitches across the UK are marked out for 11-a-side football. The goals in public parks are primarily full size goals. A typical 9-a-side (16ft x 7ft) goal would probably be a better fit, particularly at the level I photograph. But finding proportionate pitches would be impossible. It's proving difficult for even clubs like Celtic and Hibernian to find any sort of suitable venue for their women's team. Some clubs are forced into using multisports facilities, while others are playing an hour away from where their traditional fanbase resides. It really is a case of making the best of the limited options available, while tempering your expectations in return.

It will be a huge step forward if they do take over the WSL. Right now the WSL is the only fully professional league in Europe. With Premier League backing there's the potential for bigger tv deals, increased sponsorship and more prize money etc. It wouldn't surprise me if they push to go from 12 teams to 16 within the next few years with a view to adding more clubs affiliated with PL teams. They clearly have an eye on capitalising on both the success and interest of the World Cup and the massive brand names already built in the Premier League. There's a lot of work to do though to really make changes. The average WSL crowd is still less than 1,000 and that's not going to change overnight. I'd imagine that will be a key area they look to target. There also needs to be involvement from FIFA with regards to contracts. Players on year long contracts being able to move from club to club without compensation will kill the game at grass roots level. The money simply must filter down and not be kept among the top few teams. There's also a lot of centralised contact issues like with the USA where players won't be picked for the national team if they play outwith their own domestic league. It could be complicated but even the suggestion of talks right now hints at a promising future where the best talent will end up coming here to play.

I did consider this. A lot of the group games will be pretty painful viewing unfortunately but there is a necessity for the smaller teams to get exposure in their own countries to try to at least help grow the game. I'm fully understanding though that it can both be punishing to watch and that Thailand losing 13 goals to USA probably doesn't do anything for the profile of the game over there. It is however a double edged sword. Scotland losing 2-1 to England wad unthinkable to me even a few weeks back. I suspected we were looking at 5-0. But that result has undoubtedly given the game a massive boost up here with it being televised and Scotland looking very competitive in the second half. Smaller pitches and goals are a great idea theoretically but the problem becomes putting that into practice. Step away from the World Cup or even the WSL and where do you find the facilities? Once you go to non professional and down to grass routes then most teams are sharing facilities with lower league men's teams etc. Because there really is no money then it becomes a case of using what's available and for most clubs it's pitched marked up for 11-a-side with standard sized goals.

People need to realign their expectations a little when watching. It's obviously very easy to compare to men's football but it's never going to have that level of physicality or athleticism. One thing to bare in mind is that this is a 24 team tournament which in itself is ambitious as a number of nations who have qualified don't have their own professional club league and plenty of players are amateurs. Even in the Scotland squad there are 7 or 8 players playing in the Scottish league who are all part time players. The game is growing globally and in my opinion it probably is being forced out a bit too soon. But huge strides in quality are being made world wide and those are evident between this world cup and the last one in Canada. The crowds won't be particularly big across the tournament. That's simply a case of women's football having little identity on a global scale. In France they have Lyon and PSG so in those regions I'd expect the local turnout to be higher than in say Nice, Rennes or Le Havre etc There are relatively few star names and fewer still who have a profile that stretches beyond the viewer who has interest in the game already. Marta may be the only one. It also hasn't helped that Ada Hegerburg has chosen not to play given her status in the European game with Lyon. Again though the profile will improve over time. Particularly as the WSL grows. As for the quality of matches. They are slower, there are horrible mistakes, there has been poor goalkeeping. Can't deny any of it. But many people who don't seem to want to encourage the game to grow and improve are desperate to highlight every failing on social media while ignoring the positives. There have been some great saves to go along with the howlers. Some fantastic bits of individual skill as well. It's definitely not a product for everyone. If you've given it a go and you aren't enjoying it then fair enough. At least you've taken the time to look. I view it much like women's tennis. It's not the same as watching Federer vs Nadal. It won't have the same variety, physicality or big serving as any men's match will. But there's a product there which is different and demands it's own space to grow. The more people who stop to have a look, the better, as it's the only way the game will grow and hopefully that will encourage more girls to get involved leading to more opportunities for them in future and in turn improve the standard of the game. Nice to see a thread on this even if it's not quite ticking the box for everyone.

Prefer it if they focussed on Colombia to be honest. You'll have to hope you don't play Russia. A bit of the vlad assisted refereeing will see you home.

That's logical mathematics though. At this club such dealing would give us £5M to spend on a striker.

I'd sell him tomorrow for £10m or whatever on the assumption that Rafa got that money and wages to replace him immediately. Who you going to get for £10M man? In this market, you won't get a better player than Shelvey for that price. rafa got merino for less than £10m, i'm not saying he could do it again but i think shelvey is basically a passenger most of the time and i'd rather see someone else playing who rafa scouted and trusts as that player would suit the system better In theory I agree with everything you said above. But in real life you know that fat Ashley will take over 50% in his own pocket and Rafa would be able to use at most 5m in the transfer marked and half of the salary Shelvey is on. Most likely we will get another Joselu, just in midfield.. I hope Shelvey stays, if we do sell then I want a replacement before he leaves like Chelsea has done with Kennedy. Oh absolutely aye, think I started with the proviso that Rafa get all money and wages from any sale otherwise no point I agree. Wouldn't want the proviso of anything. At this club they'll tell you what you want to hear then completely disregard it. Sign the replacement before we let anyone go please. But that's a pipe dream given how we operate.

More telling we play it far too slowly and have absolutely no penetration when they're set. Pretty much what I've been thinking having only watched twenty minutes. Too many players look too keen to opt for a simple backwards or sideways pass even when there are options available ahead of them. Appreciate that nobody wants to give the ball away and it can get frustrating to see it being turned over but surely it's worth risking more to get space for players like Aarons to run at defenders. No point holding the ball until they get eight or nine shirts back.

"The club will start it's search for a new manager in earnest as soon as possible." Nah you will just be waiting a long time we don't like communicating with fans. There won't be a statement. You aren't fans and haven't been for a long time. You are customers and as long as you keep buying there is no need for the club to feel it has to communicate with you.

The UK rights battle is up for grabs this year and it sounds like Sky are paying double per season for the Football League so that will only massively increase too! I think the next deal will be insane and will lead to the end of easy access premier league football you could potentially have Sky, BT, Virgin, Google, Amazon and Facebook with one package each it will cost an absolute fortune for the average punter to watch games, illegal streams will be the only way to go and these big broadcasters will lose a fortune which will lead to clubs getting into serious financial trouble building teams based on money they wont receive. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case. The ATP Tennis just went to Amazon in what is essentially their first significant sports TV rights package outside of the US. That splits tennis primarily across four stations (BBC, Eurosport, BT Sport & Amazon). I believe similar has just happened with cricket in that BT have grabbed all Australian home tests including the Ashes away from Sky. There's absolutely no reason to believe that the same isn't going to happen with football in the near future. Sky are clearly look for that not to happen by offloading other sports to free up money to bid as much as they can but I can see a time coming where the paying customer at home gets very little for their money.

At this point why do people think Ashley will spend to secure Premier League football? Past mistakes have shown he won't spend to secure his investment which leaves two conclusions. Either he doesn't care or refuses to learn from his mistakes. Same outcome regardless really.

I actually think Everton are in the position right now where they've bought and need to offload. Sure they've got the Lukaku money but bringing in Rooney on what is no doubt silly money means they need to shift Barkley but I can imagine Spurs etc are looking at what he wants wage wise and saying no. Similar with McCarthy who I believe they want £25M for. None of the bottom half will touch that and I suspect that's why they can't go get Sigurdsson now in case they are left with him.

Very good article which I feel sums up a situation I've been expecting for a few seasons. Finally we are approaching that transfer market stand-off where wages at clubs have gotten so silly that clubs can't get rid of the deadwood because the players are refusing to take pay cuts in order to play football. If I was a Riviere or a Haidara and getting silly money here then I can't say I would be keen to abandon that to go elsewhere. Certainly not given the form and fitness record of those two. They may as well run down their contracts, take their money and then take their chances of someone picking them up on the free when their contract expires. We aren't the only club in this situation though. Majority of the lower half of the Premier League are in the same boat and nobody is rushing out to splash the money to strengthen their squad. It has a knock-on effect up the league as well with the bigger clubs unable to shift players they don't want simply because the other clubs can't afford them. In previous years someone would always gamble on players leaving Arsenal, Man Um Chelsea etc but there is going to come a time, and it may be this season, where clubs simply won't be able to because they can't shift their own deadwood to make room for them.

They would be as well to let Barcelona have their money so they can reshape their squad. The bloke clearly has his heart set on playing in the Mickey Mouse league for stupid money so let him get on with it.

If they relate to France then we didn't do any dealings with French clubs this year. They can't impose a points deduction for anything we did 2 years ago, can they?! From what I've read the investigation is into individuals with respect to tax payments, not the club. Everyone is guessing at this stage but my guess would be that they are looking at the accounts of Lee Charnley but to do so they need supporting documentation from the club in order to confirm suspicions about irregularities with his tax payments. I would find it highly unlikely that the club would be held accountable for what Lee Charnley is declaring as his income. I'm sure the details won't be long in arriving.

The changes have been terrible to be honesty, the centre halfs still look shaky. Diame has looked awful and totally ineffective. Atsu has done nothing but replace Gouff so no change there and Murphy has not held the ball up well at all and done absolutely nothing to give them a game at the back. Diame looks awful almost every time he appears on the park. You can count his contributions this year on one hand. I'm still convinced that the central defensive pairing is reliant on Ciaran Clark. Lascelles has been lavished with a lot of praise but he strikes me as the new Steven Taylor. There is ability but at the cost of a mistake per match. It won't get punished as often in this league, or it hasn't until recently.

It has been stale but somewhat expected. The manager clearly anticipated it when he asked for the reinforcements that the board were unwilling to give him.