women’s football
The Scots have made a strong start to their Group Four campaign, winning 7-2 in the Faeroes and 7-0 in the first home match, against Bosnia.
I was presenting the Sportsound coverage of that latter encounter, and I have to admit that as I travelled to Motherwell that night, I really had no idea what to expect.
It had been a few years since I had last seen the Scottish women in action, and to be honest I had not been impressed. There was some nice enough tippy-tappy play, but there was a distinct lack of physicality, there was no real pace to the game, and it had left me with little desire to see them again.
What I saw at Fir Park last month was entirely different.
From the start, the Scots utterly dominated their (admittedly not very good) opponents. There was energy and drive, there certainly was a more physical approach, and there was skill, plenty of it.
Coach Anna Signeul had clearly identified a weakness in the Bosnian defence, and how the players exploited it. Some of the link-up down the Scottish left was breathtaking, Hayley Lauder and Kim Little combining with the lightning-fast Lisa Evans to create chance after chance.
Signeul had spoken beforehand about how the team had worked hard in training on switching play and using pace and accurate delivery to get in behind the Bosnian defence; that hard work certainly paid off and helped to set up Scotland for what looks like being a serious challenge to qualify for the 2015 Finals in Canada.
The Swede has been in charge for eight years now, and as well as coaching the national team, has a remit to help develop the women’s game in general. If last month is anything to go by, her endeavours are beginning to bear fruit.
Glasgow City dominate the club scene in this country, and provide half a dozen of the squad, but a number of the girls are plying their trade further afield, and that has got to have aided their development. Lauder and Jane Ross are in Sweden, the classy Kim Little at Arsenal, Jenny Beattie left the Gunners to join Montpellier in the south of France, and Evans is with the highly successful German side Potsdam.
Their progression benefits Signeul’s side, but must also act as a real spur to the younger Scottish players coming through.
Earlier this year the girls beat both Italy and Holland, and drew 4-4 with England. They had only narrowly missed out on making the Euro 2013 Finals, losing two late extra-time goals in the play-off with Spain.
Reaching the World Cup Finals would be a huge achievement, and it will be tough with Sweden, ranked number five in the world, clear group favourites. It will be a massive injection for the sport if they make it.
One other thing that became evident in that Bosnia tie is that the women’s game is a far more honest one than that which we have become accustomed to in the men’s. There were no histrionics or theatrics, there was no diving, there was no hanging off opponents at every free-kick and corner.
It was a breath of fresh air.
I know there will be plenty cynics out there – my BBC colleague Tam Cowan among them – but if you haven’t already watched the girls, give it a go. You might, like me, be pleasantly surprised.
I know there will be plenty cynics out there – my BBC colleague Tam Cowan among them – but if you haven’t already watched the girls, give it a go. You might, like me, be pleasantly surprised.
I know there will be plenty cynics out there – my BBC colleague Tam Cowan among them – but if you haven’t already watched the girls, give it a go. You might, like me, be pleasantly surprised.
