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Karen Carney and Birmingham relaxed before WSL title climax Karen Carney and Birmingham relaxed before WSL title climax
(35 minutes later)
Karen Carney remembers the old times fondly, but also knows things had to change. In 2006-07, her first season at Arsenal Ladies, Vic Akers’ record-breaking team won the Premier League by 14 points. Played 22, won 22. They would take the quadruple that season, a feat that included Uefa Cup honours. On the continent, at least, they had been run close. Karen Carney remembers the old times fondly but also knows things had to change. In 2006-07, her first season at Arsenal Ladies, Vic Akers’ record-breaking team won the Premier League by 14 points. Played 22, won 22. They would take the quadruple that season, a feat that included Uefa Cup honours. On the continent at least, they had been run close.
Now Carney, who has been capped 99 times by England and seems to have been around for longer than her 27 years, is preparing for a season climax that underlines the changes in women’s football. Her Birmingham City side sit second in the Super League, two points behind Chelsea with a game to play. If Birmingham, who host Notts County on Sunday, win and Chelsea slip up at Manchester City they stand to win their first title. That honour will fall to Chelsea if they take three points, but champions Liverpool can steal in if they beat Bristol Academy by a couple and the top two lose. In this mutable order, Arsenal are nowhere to be seen. Now Carney, who has been capped 99 times by England and seems to have been around for longer than her 27 years, is preparing for a season climax that underlines the changes in women’s football. Her Birmingham City side sit second in the Super League, two points behind Chelsea with a game to play. If Birmingham, who host Notts County on Sunday, win and Chelsea slip up at Manchester City, they stand to win their first title. That honour will fall to Chelsea if they take three points, but champions Liverpool can steal in if they beat Bristol Academy by a couple and the top two lose. In this mutable order, Arsenal are nowhere to be seen.
Any league would beg for a final day with three realistic winners and Carney accepts things have come a long way. “It is definitely more competitive,” she says. “Arsenal assembled the best players in the league and deserve credit for that but now everyone is spread out very evenly. These days you notice that when teams don’t show up they get beaten. You have to be on it all the time, which I don’t think was the case in the past. At Arsenal, if I wasn’t on my game then I knew Kelly Smith could win it for us, or Lianne Sanderson, players like that. You can’t think like that now.”Any league would beg for a final day with three realistic winners and Carney accepts things have come a long way. “It is definitely more competitive,” she says. “Arsenal assembled the best players in the league and deserve credit for that but now everyone is spread out very evenly. These days you notice that when teams don’t show up they get beaten. You have to be on it all the time, which I don’t think was the case in the past. At Arsenal, if I wasn’t on my game then I knew Kelly Smith could win it for us, or Lianne Sanderson, players like that. You can’t think like that now.”
Ten points separate first from seventh in an eight-team league (Everton, once the country’s second power, have four and are long since relegated – further evidence of the new dynamic). It is comfortably the tightest-packed competition since the WSL began in 2011, and long before to boot. There has been controversy: Doncaster Rovers Belles were eased into the new second tier, seemingly to accommodate Manchester City, while Notts County are what became of a hitherto competitive Lincoln side. With these moves has come a professionalism that some argue is, however it was born, long overdue. Carney explains that Birmingham, runners-up in 2011 and 2012, are competing without the resources available to many of their rivals.Ten points separate first from seventh in an eight-team league (Everton, once the country’s second power, have four and are long since relegated – further evidence of the new dynamic). It is comfortably the tightest-packed competition since the WSL began in 2011, and long before to boot. There has been controversy: Doncaster Rovers Belles were eased into the new second tier, seemingly to accommodate Manchester City, while Notts County are what became of a hitherto competitive Lincoln side. With these moves has come a professionalism that some argue is, however it was born, long overdue. Carney explains that Birmingham, runners-up in 2011 and 2012, are competing without the resources available to many of their rivals.
“It’s really difficult for us,” she says. “I’m the only player with a central England contract and the rest of the girls work. We train from 8 to 10 at night, two or three times a week, because that’s when people can get in. With the resources we have we’ve done brilliantly this year. We don’t have all the fancy training pitches and the things other clubs have, but part of me loves that because I don’t think you can be spoon fed in life. When it comes down to it we’ve got a pitch to play on this Sunday and that’s what counts. “It’s really difficult for us,” she says. “I’m the only player with a central England contract and the rest of the girls work. We train from 8 to 10 at night, two or three times a week, because that’s when people can get in. With the resources we have we’ve done brilliantly this year. We don’t have all the fancy training pitches and the things other clubs have, but part of me loves that because I don’t think you can be spoonfed in life. When it comes down to it we’ve got a pitch to play on this Sunday and that’s what counts.
“The club is looking to develop and push on though, so these are exciting times. I sometimes look around and think: ‘If we had just a little bit more, how good could we be?.’” “The club is looking to develop and push on, though, so these are exciting times. I sometimes look around and think: ‘If we had just a little bit more, how good could we be?’”
Carney’s double at Manchester City last Sunday was one in the eye for the newcomers but, more importantly, allowed the title race its luxurious finale. Her second, the winner, came with four minutes to play. The winger captains the side for which she made her debut in her first spell at 14 (“I’ve done a lot of things well but there is a lot I’d have done differently,” she says of wearing the armband), and is keen that her experience should be a relaxant for her team-mates on Sunday. Carney’s double at Manchester City last Sunday was one in the eye for the newcomers but, more importantly, allowed the title race its luxurious finale. Her second, the winner, came with four minutes to play. The winger captains the side for whom she made her debut in her first spell at 14 (“I’ve done a lot of things well but there is a lot I’d have done differently,” she says of wearing the armband), and is keen that her experience should be a relaxant for her team-mates on Sunday.
“We’ve got a lot of youngsters in the squad and we just want them to enjoy themselves, express themselves,” she says. “There’s no pressure on us and there never has been. All the pressure is on Chelsea because it is effectively theirs to lose – they have one hand on the trophy. Manchester City won’t be pushovers for them, we saw that last week. Whatever happens, it’s not going to be disappointing for us because we know we’ve given everything.”“We’ve got a lot of youngsters in the squad and we just want them to enjoy themselves, express themselves,” she says. “There’s no pressure on us and there never has been. All the pressure is on Chelsea because it is effectively theirs to lose – they have one hand on the trophy. Manchester City won’t be pushovers for them, we saw that last week. Whatever happens, it’s not going to be disappointing for us because we know we’ve given everything.”