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Canada v. Australia (R)


Gordon

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Watching FIFA matchtracker. At 81 mins, its Canada 2, Aus 1. Looks like Aus is down to ten girls with a red card at 69 mins. Two early goals by Timko (14, 19 mins) put Canada up, but Australia looks to have settled and climbed back into it with an early second half goal.

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Man, the FIFA web-page reports crack me up. Can't they hire true Anglophones? Anyhow, here is the match report:

FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship

Timko swoops to sink Oz (1:2)

Canadian Brittany Timko scored both goals in the defeat of Australia to register three points in Group A.

(ACTION IMAGES)

Lee Mills

(FIFA.com) 10 Nov 2004

Two goals in the first 20 minutes from sensational striker Brittany Timko saw Canada past a surprisingly lethargic Australia in the day's second FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship Thailand 2004 match from the Rajamangala Stadium in steamy Bangkok.

Football and fireworks on explosive opening day

In this feature

Kelly lifts Brazil over Italy (1:2)

Germans devour bland Thai (0:6)

Sluggish China hold off Nigeria (1:0)

Play of the Day (1) "Timko was true class"

Far from sapped by the outrageous tropical heat in the Southeast Asian kingdom, the North Americans started quickly and in spirited mood.

A swift move up the left side nearly saw the Canada 2002 hosts and finalists open the scoring in the 10th minute. Tanya Dennis' inch-perfect cross was met in a blare by senior team standout Timko, but the striker's header could only slip just wide of Alison Logue's back post.

Despite the slight disappointment of the miss, her foraging efforts paid dividends just seconds later when she took advantage of some massive confusion in the Aussie box to tap home simple-as-you-like from 12 yards (0-1, 14').

Australian Julia Bazi and Canadian Aysha Jamania fight for the ball at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok.

(ACTION IMAGES)

Lee Mills

And it wasn't long before she roared through again to grab her second of the night and put the Canucks well on their way to deserved victory. Contemptuously brushing off the Aussie rearguard, the university student raced in to side-foot perfectly past the keeper and double the lead (0-2, 19').

Predictably resourceful, the Aussies stormed back up the pitch in search of a foothold. But the Canadian defence was looking supremely confident thanks to the relief of an early two-goal edge.

The hard-luck Australians' woes were nearly exacerbated further when Canada's Josee Belanger - a terror down the left flank - slammed her close-range effort off the post in minute 27. With farcical marking at the back, the Oceania side were living dangerously. But they we able to make it to the half without suffering any further damage.

Reinvigorated by the halftime team talk, the trailing Australians gathered themselves back up and cut the lead in half when Collette McCallum snuck in at the far post and fired into the roof of the net (1-2, 49'). And despite a few shouts for a foul, referee Alexandra Ihringova saw nothing wrong and it was suddenly game-on for the revived side.

Heartbreakingly though, the battling Aussies' spirit was crushed in the 69th minute when goalkeeper Logue was sent off for handling the ball outside of the box. Denying Timko her hat trick, the ref had no choice but to brandish a straight red. And having used all of his subs, coach Adrian Santrac was forced to deputise midfield substitute Kylie Ledbrook between the posts. And to her credit, the field player dove well to deny the resulting free kick.

Fighting hard right up to the end, the gritty Aussies nearly drew level just six minutes from time. 17-year-old sensation Sally Shipard hammered a free kick from 20 yards that had the sprightly Stacey Van Boxmeer diving low and well to turn it round the corner.

In the end the scoreline stood, sending Canada to joint-top of Group A. Next up, they will take on wounded hosts Thailand in three-day's time while Australia look to rebound against powerful 6-0 winners Germany.

Canada coach Ian Bridge was pleased with the result. "Though we were nervous, it being our first match and all, we did fairly well," he said. "We could have used one more goal to make sure, but in the end two were good enough."

Oz boss Adrian Santrac, unsurprisingly, was not as excited. "We were very nervous and came out quite flat," he said. "We lacked personality in the first, but in the second we came out and showed some good spirit. Now, in the games to come, we will have to play with more self-belief.

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FIFA site calls Timko's performance "true class" as she makes FIFA's "play of the day". Pity the coaches didn't see fit to play her in our Olympic qualifying disaster.

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quote:Originally posted by Ed

FIFA site calls Timko's performance "true class" as she makes FIFA's "play of the day". Pity the coaches didn't see fit to play her in our Olympic qualifying disaster.

hey, I thought Timko was nursing an injury during qualifying. (yes, it was a disaster. I'm not convinced of Pellerud at all.)

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quote:Originally posted by Ed

FIFA site calls Timko's performance "true class" as she makes FIFA's "play of the day". Pity the coaches didn't see fit to play her in our Olympic qualifying disaster.

Very true. We never found out what was the reason she was benched. Kind of expected result against Australia. Bridge was wise putting Timko up front. Had he gone with Jamani or Robinson it would have been a disaster. I was happy to see the famous Sidney Leroux for the first time, however I was disappointed as I did not see any showing of her alledged speed. Hope Zurrer will be able to play against Germany. That will be a toughy game.

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I am so disgusted at the way our women have been FORCED to play. It is not football. It goes against everything I believe in. It is kick and run at it's most basic. The Australians looked like players. Individually, I believe we have the more talented players who are very capable of knocking the ball around, making space, taking space, and yes that includes in our own end. We have players in beautiful positions to exploit the other team, and we ignore this to launch the ball and basically lose possession the majority of the time. I cannot believe we have resorted to this to gain results. I'd rather lose and play properly than to resort to such an ugly style.

These same players go back to their regular clubs and return to football as we have come to expect, and they look great. Then we see this!

Very disappointing.

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quote:Originally posted by Grecko

I am so disgusted at the way our women have been FORCED to play. It is not football. It goes against everything I believe in. It is kick and run at it's most basic. The Australians looked like players. Individually, I believe we have the more talented players who are very capable of knocking the ball around, making space, taking space, and yes that includes in our own end. We have players in beautiful positions to exploit the other team, and we ignore this to launch the ball and basically lose possession the majority of the time. I cannot believe we have resorted to this to gain results. I'd rather lose and play properly than to resort to such an ugly style.

These same players go back to their regular clubs and return to football as we have come to expect, and they look great. Then we see this!

Very disappointing.

I have to agree. That was an extremly ugly soccer match to watch. Every time one of our defenders got the ball at their feet they automatically hoofed the ball up field. They didn't even entertain

the idea of passing off to a wide open midfielder. If this is the type of system Ian Bridge has told them to play, this will be a short tournment for us. Brazil, US, Germany and the like will eat us alive.

My only hope is that this is 1st game gitters, and they can settle down and play more of a posession oriented game. They did not look as good yesterday as they did during the qualification tourny. And after a 2 month training camp together this should not be the case.

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The only way this team will be successful with this system is if Timko is able to exploit the defense and run them down like she did yesterday against Australia. Incidentally, this system has been implemented by Pellerud and Ian Bridge is his assistant on the Senior squad and therefore, I'm certain, has been expected to adhere to this philosophy for this team.

When teams resort to this type of football, their opposition will destroy them if their defenders can read the play, which is easy, control the ball, and quickly distribute it. If they do not do this, players such as Timko will run the ball down, control it, and initiate something in the final third.

Canada does have excellent defenders so they can absorb pressure for sustained periods after they keep losing possession. However, like you stated Rodway, against the US and Germany this can only last so long.

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A good Aussie report passed on by CAFAN, far superior to the stuff from FIFA and CSA.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thu 11 November 2004

QANTAS YOUNG MATILDAS DEFEATED IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER

The Australian U19 Women's Soccer Team (the Qantas Young Matildas) kicked off their FIFA U19 Women's World Championship campaign in Bangkok with a dramatic 2-1 loss to highly-rated Canada in the early hours of this morning (Australian time).

Despite the sending-off of goalkeeper Alison Logue leaving them a player short with twenty minutes remaining, the Australians, wearing black armbands in memory of soccer legend Johnny Warren, never gave up their search for the equaliser against the 2002 U19 World Championship finalists.

But it was the quickfire pair of goals to Canada's seasoned senior international Brittany Timko within the space of five minutes during the first half which in the end proved too great a hurdle to overcome. The lead, which could have been greater, was just reward for a dominant and impressive display by the team which defeated the mighty US in this year's CONCACAF U19 Qualifiers. Yet the Qantas Young Matildas hit back with a Collette McCallum goal early after the break, and put in a much more solid performance for the second half.

It was a scrappy start to the clash by both teams in the oppressive heat and humidity, the temperature still around 33 degrees Celsius for the 7.45pm kickoff. Canada soon settled and started to cause problems for the Australian defence with their strength in possession and great movement off the ball, Timko involved in every attack. The first shot of the game, in the 9th minute, saw Timko shoot high with a long range strike on the run, before two minutes later, she headed just wide from 12 metres out.

Canadian captain Kara Lang came close with a freekick, and soon after came another escape for Australia when the goalkeeper came outside the box but her attempted clearance ricocheted off the leg of Timko and luckily went wide.

Canada scored the inevitable first goal in the 14th minute. Timko's shot from the right edge of the 18-yard box was well saved by Logue, but with the loose ball still at her feet, Timko had the presence of mind to round the goalkeeper before calmly placing her chip over the defenders into the top left corner of goal. The lead was doubled in the 19th minute, Timko this time with a fantastic first-time strike on the edge of the 18-yard which curled into the roof of the net.

Leena Khamis had a rare chance for Australia a minute later when the Canadian keeper hit her own defender with an attempted clearance, the ball deflecting into the path of the unmarked striker but her drive from the edge of the 18-yard box flew just wide. Canada's Josee Belanger then found the ball at her feet after a defensive error, but was unable to stretch the lead, her first-time drive thumping against the post from eight metres. The Australians then showed a little more composure late in the half and were able to get in sight of goal but without any clear chances.

Three changes were made at half-time, midfielders Kylie Ledbrook and Leah Blayney plus defender Julia Bazi brought on to try and turn things around for Australians. The team came out with decidedly more confidence and were able to keep possession and push into attack, with the goal four minutes in providing a further boost. Some neat footwork by Selin Kuralay on the right by-line wrongfooted her marker and the striker cut the ball back for Ledbrook. The substitute miscued her first-time shot, but the ball went across the face of goal, nicely into the path of McCallum whose left foot drive flew into the roof of the net.

Canada were still able to get forward but posed much less of a threat in the second stanza, having lost their fluency on the ball and potency in attack.

The send-off occurred during a quieter period of the contest, but with the Australians only one goal behind and very much back in the game. A long ball forward saw Canadian Aysha Jamani and defender Bazi in pursuit, but keeper Logue rushed outside the area and slid in for the ball but was ajudged to have used her hand in the process and was promptly shown the red card by referee Alexandra Ihringova in the 69th minute. Having already made all their permitted substitutions, Australia was unable to bring on another keeper, and midfielder Ledbrook donned the gloves.

Her immediate job was to face the resultant freekick, and Lang's goalbound strike was confidently palmed away with a diving save at the near post by the makeshift keeper and pounced on with Jamani and Jodi-Ann Robinson bearing down on her. Another Lang freekick soon after flew high, as did McCallum's at the other end in the 81st minute.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the spirited Qantas Young Matildas continued to play some good football, and the hardworking Kuralay came close to snatching an equaliser in the 84th minute. Stepping up for a direct freekick 35 metres out, Kuralay drilled a fantastic bending strike which was heading for the bottom right corner of goal but for a solid save by the keeper.

Australian Head Coach Adrian Santrac was pleased with the team's fightback but disappointed with the poor first half which put them behind.

"It was a very, very nervous start, the players were very apprehensive in the first half," said Santrac. "I don't recall a game when so many of the players were off their game at the one time. No real personality came through and most played below themselves."

"But we regrouped at half-time, and realising what Canada were about, brightened up and began to play. We made some changes to try and stimulate some of our activity and we started to play some good football. The send-off obviously broke some of our momentum, but we still pushed and almost came away with something, but in the end, at this level, you can't concede two goals and expect to come back - it makes it decidedly difficult."

"Even with the ten players, we still dominated the second half and were pressing hard. We tried to retain possession, tried to penetrate as we wanted, but still it's very difficult with the additional attacking player lost. But our players are walking away knowing more of what it's about and a lot more confidence of what we can achieve."

The Australians remain in Bangkok for their second match against Germany on Saturday night at the Supachalasai Stadium.

In the earlier Group A match at Rajamangala Stadium, European big guns Germany outclassed the diminuitive hosts Thailand for a 6-0 victory to claim the early lead in the group. The Germans smacked all six goals in during the first half, and still controlled proceedings after the break despite taking their foot off the pedal in the heat.

In Group B action in Chiang Mai, China took the three points with a 1-0 win against Nigeria, and favourites Brazil emerged 2-1 victors over Italy. A rather lacklustre Chinese side broke the deadlock in the 77th minute to edge out a spirited Nigeria. Brazil came through with a late winner by Kelly, the South Americans stars finding it hard to break through a crowded Italian defence. Italy had equalised midway through the second half to cancel out Brazil's early lead from an own goal.

http://www.matildas.org.au/

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quote:Originally posted by Rodway

I have to agree. That was an extremly ugly soccer match to watch. Every time one of our defenders got the ball at their feet they automatically hoofed the ball up field. They didn't even entertain

the idea of passing off to a wide open midfielder. If this is the type of system Ian Bridge has told them to play, this will be a short tournment for us. Brazil, US, Germany and the like will eat us alive.

My only hope is that this is 1st game gitters, and they can settle down and play more of a posession oriented game. They did not look as good yesterday as they did during the qualification tourny. And after a 2 month training camp together this should not be the case.

When I read that we have fans that would rather take a loss over a victory I'm disgusted.

You're suggesting you would like to explain to our girls that they don't deserve to have won beacause you dislike the tatics.

This is not a figure skating contest.

The only result that counts is the final score.

WINNING is the only important item on the agenda.

Are you suggesting that Brigde should have been blasted for using a tatic that produced the two early goals.

The Australian coach lost this battle.

The Canadian team showed a lot of composure while nursing the lead which by the way could have been larger.

What Canadains want are victories.

That is the only way a coach can stay in business.

I can never expect a team to feel good about themselves when they lose, but can always keep their attention after a win.

The Americans won the passing contest at CONCACAF but lost the tournament. I'll be satisfied should Canada keep producing as they have been over the last 6 months.

I will never choose a loss over a victory at a World Championship.

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quote:Originally posted by Rodway

I have to agree. That was an extremly ugly soccer match to watch. Every time one of our defenders got the ball at their feet they automatically hoofed the ball up field. They didn't even entertain

the idea of passing off to a wide open midfielder. If this is the type of system Ian Bridge has told them to play, this will be a short tournment for us. Brazil, US, Germany and the like will eat us alive.

My only hope is that this is 1st game gitters, and they can settle down and play more of a posession oriented game. They did not look as good yesterday as they did during the qualification tourny. And after a 2 month training camp together this should not be the case.

Way too negative. Canada beat Brazil and took the USA to golden goal with exactly this sytle in 2002. Actually the USA did eat everyone alive except Canada and it was Canada not the USA who had more quality scoring chances in the gold medal match.

I'll grant you that booting the ball at every opportunity is not good soccer and chasing the other team around isn't a smart idea, especially in 30+ weather. Ian expects considerably more possession from his 2004 team, so they'll have to review where it went wrong in this game and make some adjustments. So be it.

Ed asked why Timko was benched in Oly qualifying. She was suffering from extreme burn-out and basically unfit to play. Forcing a player to compete under those conditions is a really bad idea. The coaches made the right call.

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quote:Originally posted by mtlfan

When I read that we have fans that would rather take a loss over a victory I'm disgusted.

You're suggesting you would like to explain to our girls that they don't deserve to have won beacause you dislike the tatics.

First of all the win is always most important when it comes to a World championship of any kind. And full credit to all the girls, they followed the game plan they were given and came away with the 3 points. I have no beef with them what so ever, they did a great job.

The problem I have is all the great talent and individual skill that this team has and it seems is just being ignored. Great players like Lang, Dennis, Jamani, Cicchini, Gayle, etc... are being told not to use their skill, just play the system. Which in this case is hoof n' chase and handicaps your mids and defenders by not allowing them to be creative.

That being said, at this point in the tournament everything is going exactly according to plan. One game 3 points! I'm just worried about the future when we play stronger teams, we will have to play much better. As I stated previously there were clearly nerves involved during the 1st match, as most of these girl are playing in the biggest tournament of their lives. This could well be the reason the game looked so sloppy.

I fully think this team is capable of mixing more possession along with using their dump and chase tactics. If they can, they can make a real run at winning this championship. It certainly worked when we won the qualification tourney over the US.

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Yes, we won the game, which is great, but the real issue is that we will not win many more games in the future if we do not learn to play a more complex, more complete game of football. The world is catching up to us very quickly. The Hail Mary Long Ball approach is something that teams can adjust to very easily, and can exploit very easily too. Costa Rica and Mexico will pass us soon--at the women's level--because they know how to defend against the long ball and take advantage of our lack of midfield support. brazil is already ahead of us, and the Europeans are developing so damned quickly. Spain and Italy will rip past us soon. And, all of this is no fault of our players. If Bridge and Pellerud do not change course soon, we will become what Norway is quickly becoming--a pioneer in the sport, but one using out-of-date, narrow tactics.

I love our team and want the best for them, but we need to wake up fast.

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Interesting that the CSA today posted some positive comments from the FIFA Technical Study Group for the tournament, about Timko. It would be interesting to read all their reports , especially about the style of Canada's play!

I note that one of the members is a Swedish coach called Pia Sundhage, who is being touted for the vacant Norwegian coach's position. She is an outspoken critic of the longball style, and many of those in Norway want her to come in to make wholesale changes, including some of the Norwegian WNT members who have gone public with their views. If the Norway association really want her, I expect they could get her, because they are crawling with cash.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=1957

Women's Under-19 Team

Thursday, November 11, 2004

Play of the Day (1): "Timko was true class"

FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG) gave a resounding nod to sensational Canadian striker Brittany Timko on the first day of action from Thailand 2004. The speedy, powerful midfielder-turned-striker grabbed both in her side's 2-1 Group A win over lacklustre Australia.

Tatjana Haenni (SUI): "consistently dangerous"

"Timko was the only one on the field who took control and really asserted herself on the game. She was always calm and assured, but consistently dangerous. In the senior national team she plays more in the middle, now she moved up to a true striker's role and did very, very well. She had two decent chances and put them in without hesitation. Even when she wasn't scoring she was always dangerous and always moving. Her two strikes were clinical and calm, and killed off the game."

Pia Sundhage (SWE): "she was always a threat"

"Her two goals in five minutes won the game for Canada. With her speed and penetrating runs, she was always a threat. Fast, powerful and good in the air throughout the first half, she was always causing problems. Though she was a little more average in the second half, she was true class in the first and earned three points for Canada."

What is the TSG?

When does a deflected shot become an own goal? At what point does a good pass become an assist? Such questions are meat and drink to the TSG, or Technical Study Group, a prestigious phalanx of some of soccer's top technicians. Their mission: to dissect the most effective tactical plans and latest advances in the game in order to transmit them to the world.

Members of the TSG in Thailand:

Bangkok: Tatjana Haenni (SUI), Pia Sundhage (SWE)

Chiang Mai: Lauren Gregg (USA)

Phuket: Vera Pauw (NED)

Source: (FIFA.com) 10 Nov 2004

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quote:Originally posted by The Beaver

Yes, we won the game, which is great, but the real issue is that we will not win many more games in the future if we do not learn to play a more complex, more complete game of football. The world is catching up to us very quickly. The Hail Mary Long Ball approach is something that teams can adjust to very easily, and can exploit very easily too. Costa Rica and Mexico will pass us soon--at the women's level--because they know how to defend against the long ball and take advantage of our lack of midfield support. brazil is already ahead of us, and the Europeans are developing so damned quickly. Spain and Italy will rip past us soon. And, all of this is no fault of our players. If Bridge and Pellerud do not change course soon, we will become what Norway is quickly becoming--a pioneer in the sport, but one using out-of-date, narrow tactics.

I love our team and want the best for them, but we need to wake up fast.

More complete yes, more possession yes, but abandoning the long ball because 'look what happened to Norway' smacks of bad science. How about 'look what happened to China' maybe that proves the possession style is out of date, narrow tactics. How about 'look what happened to Denmark' they just beat the crap out of the USA with long balls.

The fact that Canadian women have come as far as they have - a non-soccer country with a relatively small population, small budget, cold climate and in such a short time is bloody amazing. We've beat powerhouses like Brazil, the USA and China using a simple style with none of the sophistication displayed by any of them. We need to get better to stay competitive but that holds true for all nations. We're not the exception. I can understand people being worried because its been a lot of fun winning for a change and we all want to keep on winning. And the loss to Mexico was a big blow to our fragile grip on soccer respectibility. More than enough ammunition for the doom-and-gloomers who seem to have no trouble dooming and glooming even when we win.

Personally, I'd be more than satisfied if Pellerud and Bridge were working towards a vision where Canada played much like Denmark did against the USA. I suspect they are because the U19 team showed stretches of that in CONCACAF qualifying - more composure in the back, better possession and playmaking, more individual flair etc. The game against Australia was a bit disappointing because the team played more like the 2002 version. From Ian's comments, I don't think that's what he intended.

None of us has a crystal ball, maybe we'll keep moving up the ranks and maybe not. If we don't it will be much more about the effort we put into development than anything else. On the plus side, our young players are doing exceptionally well in the NCAA's, playing different styles and picking up valuable experience - and we have more on the way.

Next year will be very important for our senior team. I can see the distinct possibility that a number of seniors like Hooper, Neil and Boyd (and maybe more) won't be back. Add to that the relative inactivity at the senior level in 2004 and Canada has a lot of work to do, just to get back to where it was in 2002/2003.

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I'm not being critical of you, CAFAN, I respect your view. However, I don't think, with respect, the use of a label like "doom-and-gloomers" honours the spirit of open discourse that are critical of Pellerud-school style of play (other than a few here that hate women's soccer). I know that you post on GoBigRed where there is generally a non-critical booster style of discussion (and where any intelligent discourse is in danger of being treated like a personal attack for no reason), but here we like to openly discuss various tactics, strategy, and player selection. We are not teeny-boppers here talking about Justin Timberlake and Brittny Spears and other "favs". I like checking in on GoBigRed because of the enthusiasm, so I'm sorry to sound critical, but on this site critical analysis is not treated as treason. I agree that several of us here sometimes go overboard and being immature on being critical of each other, and we are not perfect, but there is a differnet style here where one's own opinion is at least encouraged.

I don't think, for instance, there has been the strident criticism of Pellerud/Bridge as there has been for the men's coaches, and no one has accused critics of Yallop (or of Holger in the past) of being doom-and-gloom. The posters here who have taken an interest in women's soccer have not been doom-and-gloom at all, they have given credit often to Pellrud (certain player positional movement during the WWC for instance)and Bridge (for widening the style of play in Ottawa for instance), and we have been very supportive of all the women players in a way that is pretty amazing when you consider how much we dissect the men's players.

How can you characterize Beaver, of all posters, for being doom-and-gloom and non-supportive? Beaver is the first to admit when he is wrong, and his suggestions are always respectful, and he is always trying to be positive. Questioning the tactics of a coach is no where near being non-supportive of the team and players. It shows we care (Gosh, I think I'm going to cry!!!!!).

Keep posting, but please consider being open to different points of view. Cheers.

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Beaches, are you babysitting again? Haven't we been through this before? You must know by now that I call it the way I see it. I have no idea who Beaver is or what Beaver is like personally and that's not the point. Beaver's message was doom and gloom. He wasn't the only one, I just picked his post as an example. It was real doom-fest in here.

You and I define an open and frank discussion very differently. You preface yours with "I'm not trying to be critical" or "I don't think with respect" and then you go ahead and say what's on your mind. I just say what's on my mind and leave out the first part. When you cut through the smoke, we're really not that different. C'ept you always get so personal about everything and you're so PC. That part gives me the willies - like fingernails screeching on a chalkboard. :)

p.s. With all due respect.

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The long ball game looked pretty effective against Australia who clearly could not deal with it. It could easily have been 4-0 in the first half.

Question for CAFAN, if Timko was so clearly 'unfit to play', I would hardly praise the coaching staff for nailing her butt to the bench, but rather question why was she called to the team in the first place??

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quote:Originally posted by Ed

The long ball game looked pretty effective against Australia who clearly could not deal with it. It could easily have been 4-0 in the first half.

Question for CAFAN, if Timko was so clearly 'unfit to play', I would hardly praise the coaching staff for nailing her butt to the bench, but rather question why was she called to the team in the first place??

I can't answer that. I know what was wrong with her but I don't know when the coaching staff became aware she had a serious problem. She played a lifeless 83 minutes against Panama and I suspect after that game it was clear she couldn't continue.

So, there's a lot going on behind the scenes that we don't know about. Sometimes we assume the worst, but the coaches usually have good reasons for making the decisions they do. Not always, but usually.

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quote: don't think, for instance, there has been the strident criticism of Pellerud/Bridge as there has been for the men's coaches, and no one has accused critics of Yallop (or of Holger in the past) of being doom-and-gloom.

Well, there is an obvious reason for that - Pellerud & Bridge have delivered superior results in a very short time frame versus the numerous disappointments on the men's side.

If it weren't for the success of the women's teams, it is very unlikely that I would still be alive and still be a follower of Canada's teams - too many stabs to the heart since 86.

The women's fan base is also not as mature as it is in the men's game - so, style issues are beyond their scope.

Otherwise, it is way too early to climb all over Pellerud for the longball style of play. For a country like Canada without a strong football heritage - where hockeyisms seem to dominate the women's game at the grassroots level - you got let things evolve slowly.

Hey, the men's team took till 2000 to start playing a possession game. And I do see gradual changes occuring - this u19 team is not simply stacked with redwoods - but you do have the likes of Maranda, Jamani, Leroux etc...

If they lose, don't crap about their style. Countries like Germany and Brazil have an inherent advantage over us - they were just late in taking the game seriously. In contrast, this is new ground for Canada. But so far, they get an B+ for their results and bringing new specators to the game.

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