Emma Interview
Irish eyes are always smiling in the Arsenal Ladies camp - And none more so than those of Emma Byrne , whose composed and classy performances between the posts have won admirers since she moved across the water almost a decade compatriots Ciara Grant and Yvonne Tracy in forming a crucial part of Vic Akers side - And we caught up with her to discuss a strange season , the sometimes maligned role of the women's goalkeeper and a very notable recent success for a team wearing green....
Uefa and League Cup defeats , 50 consecutive wins in the league - it's been a funny old season , Emma
It has , it's bee tough really because of the international claendar - the World Cup and so forth. And then of course we were knocked out of the Uefa Cup , which put us on a massive downer. Although we've been flying high in the league , we obviously lost the League Cup Final to
Everton as well so in summary you can say that the season's been a rollercoaster . Perhaps that defeat will have given us a bit of a jolt , just reminding us that things aren't always going to come easily.
In a funny way , might that Everton defeat have been a positive thing ? A competitive women's game can only help everyone.
I think we did look at it that way straight after the game - you have to take the positives. The fact that
Everton beat us might get people paying more attention to the game , making it more interesting and stirring up general support. People haven't made their minds up yet about women's football - they're interested but they haven't become fully converted , and perhaps it doesn't help when they're looking at the matches and seeing
Arsenal Ladies beat teams 4-0 or 5-0 every week. So we're all for being involved in hard games.
The forthcoming FA Cup Final against Leeds should be a good showcase - in front of another big City Ground crowd.
The crowds do seem to be growing - the FA have done a really good job promoting the game. Unfortunately we don't have
Everton again in the FA Cup because Leeds beat them in the semi-finals - it would have been a really good chance for us to get a little bit of revenge back for the League Cup result and would have generated a lot of interest. Bu we know it'll be a good , tough game against Leeds - we beat them by a few in the final two years ago but they've improved and hopefully will give us a real test this time , provided we still win !
As a goalkeeper , how difficult is it to stay focused when the team are dominating matches comprehensively ? The opposition will usually get a chance at some point .
I used to really struggle when I first came over , I'd switch off all the time ! But now I'm used to the way things are - I just keep myself focused and watch the whole game. I also make sure I'm constantly involved - I play a lot with the ball at my feet and am effectively like a sweeper at times , and the girls pass it back to me whenever they can !
What do you think of the way female goalkeepers are perceived ? The World Cup saw few high profile errors - is it a problem position beneath the top few teams ?
I think in general it was a bad tournament for keepers. I'm not going to deny that goalkeeper is perhaps the weakest position in a women's team unless you've got a top level keeper there , like England's Rachel Brown. Generally the standard needs to improve , but you have to relate this to the training they received when they were kids - coaches haven't always been available for goalkeepers and it's often still the same at the top level.
I've been lucky - from not having a goalkeeping coach in the Irish national team for years we now have one of the best there is , it makes a massive difference. And it's the same here , I go to Alex Welsh's sessions on a Saturday , and Mart Poom has been taking me on Tuesday and Thursday. I'm fortunate because I'm not sure any keeper in the country gets the standard of coaching I get. It is a neglected area , and the FA need to look at that - they need to make sure the kids are coached well when they're younger , and the clubs also need to be proactive in helping their keepers.
Ireland sit third in their euro 2009 group - is there still a chance of qualifying ?
If you'd asked me before we played Italy away in February I'd said we had a great chance - we went 1-0 up but then had a player sent off , then I concussed , and we conceded four goals in a mad seven minute spell. But our teams improving dramatically - it's great to be part of it. The average age , taking myself and Ciara out , is just 24 which is really young for an international team.
And you played for Ireland in a 1-0 win against Arsenal recently ?
We were so amazed at that - it's like facing a top international side , of course. There was a bit of banter but we didn't give them too much stick because on another day it could have been very different ! We have a really good Irish community here at
Arsenal - myself , Ciara and Yvonne all stick together and there are a couple of others who are interested in coming over too.
Could you give fans a quick back-story of your career ?
I started out in Ireland and was scouted when playing in Denmark in an U-19 tournament. I went over there to play for Fortuna Hjorring for about six months when I was about 19 , but then wanted to come home. They asked me to come back , so I tried again for two months but decided it wasn't for me. ABout a year later the opportunity came up with
Arsenal - Ciara was here already. I came over for a trial and the rest is history.
Finally Emma , your boyfriend Marcus Bignot plays for Millwall as a right-back , and used to manage Birmingham City Ladies....
Yes , he doesn't manage anymore and is concentrating on playing , but he's still really interested in women's football - he's an avid fan of
Arsenal Ladies. He's such an enthusiastic person , always keen to find out more about the women's game. He's got his own career of course - I train about half an hour away from the New Den on a Saturday so I go down to watch I can.
