Jump to content

Chelsea Women Thread


 Share

Recommended Posts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chelsea handed Women's Super League title on points-per-game basis

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jun/05/chelsea-handed-womens-super-league-title-on-points-per-game-basis

Aston Villa promoted to WSL, Liverpool are relegated << weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
No extra money available to support clubs, says FA

3000.jpg?width=700&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6d8b58e1758f0b4b65ceb994f42f9ccf

Liverpool have been relegated from the Women’s Super League and Chelsea awarded the title ahead of Manchester City after the Football Association board voted to determine the tables based on points per game. 

The FA, which promoted Aston Villa, said the new season was due to start on the weekend of 5-6 September and there were no plans to provide additional financial support to clubs during the pandemic. The Italian FA is releasing €700,000 (£623,000) for Serie A Femminile teams and the French FA has announced €6m of support for the Division 1 Féminine and €5,000 for each club in the second tier. 

“The FA puts £7m a year in to the WSL and Championship, and despite the fact we’re going through significant cuts – it’s well-documented, some £300m of cuts – the FA has ring-fenced that funding to protect that investment going forward,” said Kelly Simmons, the FA’s director of the women’s professional game. She added that the FA would not push Premier League clubs to offer financial support, as the top four Bundesliga clubs have in Germany. 

“We’re going to work through the costs and we’ll talk to the football stakeholders and the government to make sure we’re ready. Of course we’re never going to turn down any support and offers of help but I’m really mindful that the clubs in the Premier League, as well as the EFL, are helping fund and deliver women’s professional football and I think we shouldn’t forget that. Although it might not go in a package for women’s football, the clubs are investing significantly in clubs, stadium and training facilities.”

snip

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 09/06/2020 at 7:08 AM, Mana said:

Emma Hayes will probably never gets the sack until maybe two years of bad performance.

But when she walks or even gets sacked, she will always - forever a CFCW legend. She is one of the very few female coaches in England to win titles.

She deserves a statue later on.

Nah England are gonna knick her from us

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, bigbluewillie said:

Nah England are gonna knick her from us

Eventually probably but Emma was offered the job previously and turned it down. She has also made it clear that she is not interested in replacing Phil Neville when he leaves at the end of next season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bethany England: ‘Emma Hayes was very, very hard on me. And she still is.’

https://theathletic.com/1862007/2020/06/10/bethany-england-interview-chelsea/

england-chelsea-scaled-e1591714370170-1024x681.jpg

Bethany England will never forget the moment in August 2017 when she thought her Chelsea career was over. Emma Hayes pulled her aside for a private chat during the club’s pre-season tour to Austria and told her that she would be leaving for Liverpool on loan. “I just broke down,” she tells The Athletic. “I thought that was going to be the end of my Chelsea run, and it took a lot for me to get out of that headspace that I wasn’t good enough, that I’d failed in a sense.”

When the conversation was over, Hayes — out of England’s earshot — sidled up to a Chelsea staff member who was visibly shocked by the decision. “Don’t worry,” she told them. “You can already start writing the story when she’s back.”

That story has proven more remarkable than perhaps even Hayes imagined. England has scored 57 goals since the start of the 2017-18 season, building on the momentum gained during her Liverpool stint to establish herself as the primary attacking threat in a star-studded Chelsea team, and one of the most feared strikers in the Women’s Super League.

As well as scoring 14 goals from 15 appearances in the competition this season — a tally that ties her with Arsenal star Vivianne Miedema at the top of the scoring charts — she has provided the two most memorable moments of Chelsea’s campaign: a 25-yard screamer with her left foot to beat Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in September, and the 92nd-minute goal that broke Arsenal’s hearts in the Continental Cup final in February.

The FA’s decision on Friday to award Chelsea the WSL title on a points-per-game basis means another one of her long-range strikes, in a 3-3 draw away to rivals Manchester City, was technically the goal that clinched the title. “I’ll take that!” she says with a laugh. “I would have said Maren Mjelde’s goal against City (at home), though, because we won that game.”

Chelsea Man City

Hayes takes particular pride in England’s spectacular rise because her path to the top has been so arduous. “It’s probably the biggest impact that anyone’s had on me,” England says of her manager. “I’m sure Emma won’t mind me saying this because we’ve had many discussions about it — she was very, very hard on me when I was at Chelsea (before the loan), and she still is. She still pushes me.

“I was coming into this adult world of football at Chelsea, with a lot of demands. Being so hard on me and sending me on loan helped me grow up quickly and learn to value myself more. I know she’s not shy in saying she was hard on me for a reason, and she still is. Even this season she’s pulled me into the office when she’s felt like she needed to speak to me, and she knows I’ll always give everything.

“She helped me grow up a lot, how I react to situations and not let my emotions overcome my abilities. At the start of my Chelsea career, I probably saw it as a huge negative, but as time has gone on it’s turned into a positive. I needed to grow up a little and realise I was being pushed for the right reasons, and not the wrong ones.”

England never lacked talent or determination. If she had, she never would have made it to Chelsea in the first place. The start of her career at Doncaster Belles had to be balanced with two jobs, in a fish and chip shop in Barnsley town centre and at Marks and Spencer, as well as college commitments. Sleep often fell by the wayside as she strove to keep her football dream alive alongside her academic goal of studying for a law degree, all while trying to earn enough money to make ends meet.

Scoring 14 goals to help fire Doncaster Belles back up to the top tier in 2015 raised her profile but England was already on Chelsea’s radar thanks to Paul Green, who left Doncaster to become Hayes’ assistant in 2013. “I’ve known Paul a very long time, coming up to 10 years now,” she says. “He made it easier to settle and he’s always been in my corner.

“I ended up going to Chelsea on the strength of Paul knowing me as a person and as a player. Even when I went on loan, he always made me feel it was only a short-term thing, and I just needed a little bit more time to get where I needed to be. Thankfully it all worked out and fell into place. I’ve got a good relationship with Paul and it’s been nice to have him on this journey with me at Chelsea.”

But joining Chelsea also meant competing with experienced internationals like Fran Kirby, Ramona Bachmann and Eni Aluko. Hayes struggled to find the right minutes for England’s development, and she was even deployed at left wing-back during the club’s victorious Spring Series campaign in 2017. “I wouldn’t say I hated playing wing-back, but it was a lot of work,” she admits.

A loan was the best option for all parties, even if England didn’t see it that way at the time. “I don’t think anyone else who has gone on loan from Chelsea has come back,” she says. “I’m the only one. I had to tell myself, ‘I’m going to show them what I’m capable of’, and thankfully Liverpool allowed me to show that.

“I was in regular contact with Paul throughout the season and he was happy with the way I was performing. It was always nice knowing they wanted me to come back in the end.”

England, Liverpool

England’s determination to prove her worth to Chelsea was relentless. She asked Liverpool staff to put on extra training sessions for her and finished the 2017-18 WSL season as the club’s top scorer with 14 goals in 20 appearances in all competitions. Above all, it was a mental breakthrough, achieved with the regular help of a psychologist named, somewhat ironically, Dr Everton Brown.

“It sounds weird saying Everton because I was at Liverpool, but that was his name,” England says. “But when I started seeing him, he started to help me find that confidence within myself.

“I saw him again just before I came back down to Chelsea to discuss a few worries I had, and whenever I need him he’s always there to chat to on the phone, or I can go up to see him. He was a massive part of my mentality shift that helped me, alongside the support from my agent and my family.

“I’ve always had the ability, and that’s one of the reasons why Chelsea took me on board in the first place. They knew what I was capable of — it was just a case of, ‘How do we get that out of her?’ The way they got it out of me was loaning me out to get game time and figure out my self-worth somewhere else.

“I’ve always been someone who is very hard on themselves, very critical, a bit of a perfectionist. The best thing I could have learned was to let things go a little easier, and give myself a break when certain things aren’t going how I’d expect them to go. If there was one thing holding me back, it was my mentality towards things at the start. I’ve been able to get on top of that, and part of that is growing up as well.”

England scored 22 goals in her first season back at Chelsea to finish as the club’s top scorer. She had 21 to her name when the COVID-19 pandemic brought a premature end to this campaign, and her confidence is such that when Hayes succeeded in bringing Australian superstar striker Sam Kerr to the club in November, she regarded the high-profile newcomer as a potential strike partner rather than a threat to her place.

“If you had been speaking to the Beth of a few years ago, before the loan, she would have crumbled,” England says. “Now I’m at a stage where I don’t need to fear someone coming in. It’s just another challenge: ‘OK, you’re the best striker in the world and you’re coming in, but you’re at Chelsea now and let’s see what you can do’.

“I loved playing with Sam from the minute she joined the team. She’s such a lovely girl and we’ve got a great partnership on the pitch. I love it and I’m sure it’s going to be a big thing going forward in the Champions League. Sam hasn’t had too much game time after joining halfway through and then the pandemic cutting things short, but I’m excited to see where it’ll go next season.”

Chelsea, Kerr, England

Hayes is far from satisfied with all that Chelsea have achieved so far, and next season — when Germany international Melanie Leupolz will bolster the squad and Kirby should be available again after a long illness — presents even greater possibilities. There could be a chance to complete a treble if this season’s FA Cup is rolled over, as well as trying to re-assert WSL dominance over City and Arsenal and take another shot at the Champions League, the holy grail for everyone at the club.

England, having emerged stronger from Hayes’ tough love, will be central to Chelsea’s hopes of finally taking down French giants Lyon. “I’d like to think that next year is going to be the year we do it, and fingers crossed because I believe in this team a lot,” she says. “We’re going from strength to strength with the players Emma is bringing in, so teams are going to fear us. I’m just excited about where it’s going to go.”

The tattoo on England’s left thigh, partially visible below her shorts on the pitch, reads: “Life’s a gamble so enjoy the game.” The days of self-doubt are behind her and now, at 26, her status as one of the best strikers in the world is undisputed. “I probably am a late bloomer compared to most people, and I just needed that little bit more time,” she says. “Finally I’ve got the opportunity and I’ve proven what I’m capable of.

“It’s just important to keep that momentum going and keep working on weaknesses that I can improve. I’m just excited for what next season will bring. I’ll be setting my goals to be even better.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Sam Kerr and Chelsea Women receive FA WSL trophy

https://www.myfootball.com.au/news/sam-kerr-and-chelsea-women-receive-fa-wsl-trophy

Sam Kerr and Chelsea Women receive FA WSL trophy | Matildas

Sam Kerr has added a second piece of silverware after Chelsea FC were officially presented with the FA Women’s Super League trophy. 

“I want to win trophies.  Yeah, that’s definitely my main goal.  I don’t really care which trophy it is; I just want to win one. ” 

That was Sam Kerr’s stated aim when the Westfield Matildas captain signed for Chelsea Women last November. 

Almost two months to the day since the Football Association awarded Chelsea the FA Women's Super League title, the team were finally presented with the trophy and their medals. 

For Chelsea it means the Blues are on track for the domestic treble after winning the FA Women’s Continental League Cup in February. 

Continental Cup

The FA Women’s Cup remains the only trophy left to complete the 2019/20 season trophy cabinet. 

Chelsea are scheduled to meet Everton in the quarter finals next month. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • 0 members are here!

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

talk chelse forums

We get it, advertisements are annoying!
Talk Chelsea relies on revenue to pay for hosting and upgrades. While we try to keep adverts as unobtrusive as possible, we need to run ad's to make sure we can stay online because over the years costs have become very high.

Could you please allow adverts on this website and help us by switching your ad blocker off.

KTBFFH
Thank You