Often Partisan

Karen Carney leaves Blues Ladies

It was confirmed today that Blues Ladies captain Karen Carney is to leave the club for Chelsea at the expiry of her contract. The 28-year-old forward made her debut for the club at 14 and has enjoyed two spells with Birmingham City Ladies so far in her career.

While it’s a massive disappointment and a blow to the team that such an inspirational figure is leaving I think it’s testament to her character that she does so with such good will from the club. Inducted into the Hall of Fame at St Andrew’s last year, Carney has been a talismanic force within the Blues Ladies setup and her creativity will be missed in the coming season.

Her departure isn’t really unexpected. At 28, the peak years of Carney’s career are now and in truth, it’s in her best interests to maximise her potential while she can. The landscape of Ladies’ football has changed irrevocably with the money pumped into the Manchester City and Arsenal teams and it’s forcing everyone else to spend more to catch up. Blues are very much the poor relations of the top flight – not helped by the money problems the men’s side has faced – and it’s inevitable that their best talent is going to be picked off.

However, that doesn’t mean all is lost. Blues Ladies have long had one of the best production lines for young players and it seems set to continue with Chloe Peplow and Charlie Wellings coming more into the team along with players like Coral-Jade Haines and Mel Lawley making the step up as more established players. While Carney’s departure is going to make a large hole in the team it means there is one more space for the next starlet to step up.

It’s true that there are shadows hanging over the club – Peter Pannu owns a company which owns the club’s “golden share” in the WSL (if not an office, telephone line or a bank account) and that complicates matters somewhat. It’s worth confirming that he has no day to day involvement whatsoever, takes no money out of the club at all – but his continued presence with respect to the “golden share” complicates anyone else putting money in.

I hope you’ll join me in wishing Karen – a true committed Blues fan – all the very best for the future.

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14 Responses to “Karen Carney leaves Blues Ladies”

  • Dave Mann says:

    Devastated she’s leaving as she’s one of our own but Chelsea is a great chance for her to win more trophies .. Met her and she’s a wonderful lady .. All the best Karen and your always be a bluenose. Kro

  • StaffsBlue says:

    A very sad day. To be fair, she was the face of BCLFC, the star. But, like TF, she’s given us sterling service over a number of years, so you can’t begrudge the girl bettering herself whilst she still can. Good luck KC, best wishes in your new team (except when you play us.)

  • oldburyblue says:

    I don’t blame Karen for one second as she is a professional footballer and must make the most of her short career but I find it sad that the Women’s Game is following the Men’s Game in that success can be bought rather than earned.

  • Tony E says:

    I wish KC every success at her new club, she will undoubtedly be missed as she is a very good player and that is why Chelsea want her. I hope this move provides her with the financial security she deserves.

  • I find it totally disgraceful with the amount of millionaires in brum ,some of them women , allow blues ladies to keep selling their stars off without somebody putting their hands in their pockets and taking over control of the ladies team , how can any team keep selling their star players off and think it will not effect the rest of the teams players ,

  • chris says:

    Shouldn’t E&Y be also trying to protect BCLFC as i think BCFC do help with income or is that incorrect?
    Pannu may hold the Golden WSL ticket but does that mean he owns BCLFC 100%?
    Carney leaving may signal a few more being poached before the new season, meaning the club will again be relegation favourites.

  • kford bluenose says:

    Sad news for the ladies team but in reality do we really care, women’s football is s**t, and before anyone starts by saying have you ever been to any games, yes I have, including several England internationals around the country. Tried it….don’t like it, but good luck KC.

  • BlackCountryBlue says:

    Personally think it is a positive thing for us as a club to have a successful ladies team associated with us, however I fear the ladies game is starting to mirror the men’s – top few with mega-backers dominating.

  • ADie Dee says:

    I and my family have been following the Birmingham City Ladies since the first season of the FA WSL. (We did miss the first home game.) We have really enjoyed watching the football (until Manchester City bought their way into the league). But even after that we have enjoyed the real blood and guts, as well as some real good skill shown by the players.

    Those who think the product it (your choice of expletive), really need to understand that Women’s football was banned for many years in this country by the FA, and it is only this generation of players that get comparable coaching as boys do. The level of competition is not as strong as the long standing men’s but that is not the fault of the ladies!

    The top division of the FA WSL is pretty strong, Div 2 is probably equivalent to a drop of three or more divisions and the leagues below that are much, much weaker. But work is being done to improve that.

    All I want for Christmas is a proper owner of both the Blues men and women team to come in and take the clubs to the top of their respective trees! (I know that there are many barriers to this happening).

  • Jazzzy786 says:

    Seems like the same is going to happen to the women’s game as the mens with money spoiling it and the early pioneers of the women’s game like Birmingham Ladies getting overtaken by mega rich Man City’s and Chelseas.

  • Bluey says:

    Women`s footy is heading the same as the mens` game. Money is starting to pervade the sport and the rich will get richer whilst clubs like Blues will be feeding on scraps.Sad really.


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