Chelsea Women Thread

[NikkiCFC 7,607]

Now Boehly needs to step up and try to bring the legend Jill Ellis.

[milka 3,308]

Ted Lasso  slowly and gloriously destroying everything Roman built  making us a mid table club and years to wander.

Edited November 4, 2023 by milka

[Fulham Broadway 16,428]

 Hayes close to being named US women's manager - offered her megabucks apparently

[OhForAGreavsie 5,776]

On 04/11/2023 at 16:11, NikkiCFC said:

Now Boehly needs to step up and try to bring the legend Jill Ellis.

Ellis was really unpopular with the players when she managed the USA team. I wonder if her time as a top level manager is done.

[ZAPHOD2319 3,914]

It is sad to see her go. I wish she was staying at Chelsea. Really happy she coming to the USWNT. I hope she is well equipped to deal with all the corruption that is in both the USWNT and the USMNT. Our federation is horrid.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,776]

Really interesting press conference from Emma today. Not said directly of course but it seems clear that the stories of difficulties in her contract negotiations with Chelsea are true, and that this played some part in her decision to go. There was also a slight slip in one reply which suggests that at least one of her staff will be leaving with her. Since there is already a claim circulating that defensive coach Denise Reddy, a Yank, will be going with Emma, that rumour only get stronger now.

[Vesper 27,389]

Emma Hayes’ journey from Chelsea to the USWNT: Everything you need to know

https://theathletic.com/5040364/2023/11/08/emma-hayes-uswnt-wsl-coach-podcast/

On Saturday, Chelsea announced that manager Emma Hayes will step down at the end of the season after 11 years at the club.

Hayes’ reign, during which Chelsea have won six Women’s Super League (WSL) titles, five FA Cups and two League Cups, will end so she can pursue a “new opportunity outside of the WSL and club football”.

The same day, The Athletic broke the news that sources briefed on the hiring process — speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect their positions — had confirmed Hayes would be taking over the management of the U.S. women’s national team (USWNT).

GO DEEPER

USWNT to hire Chelsea's Emma Hayes as coach

The Athletic’s Charlotte Harpur, Meg Linehan and Adam Crafton spoke with Sophie Penney about the appointment on the dedicated women’s football podcast Full Time Europe.

Listen in full to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or read the edited conversation below…

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Sophie Penney: Instant reactions?

Charlotte Harpur: Shocked initially but also sad. Hayes is a fascinating person to talk to and the WSL will be poorer without her.

Meg Linehan: Her name had been coming up but the timing was surprising.

Adam Crafton: Impressed. This is arguably the plum job in women’s soccer, so to have an English coach taking that job, (I feel) a big sense of pride. The USWNT had a poor World Cup. Everyone’s looking at them thinking, “How are you going to respond to this?” And they’ve gone out and taken the very top of the market. Fair enough!

Penney: With Hayes set to replace Vlatko Andonovski — who left in August after the team’s earliest World Cup exit — can you give us some background on her management style?

Harpur: Hayes was born in Camden, north London. She’s a grounded person, very close to her family and her two sisters. She learned European studies, Spanish and sociology, so she’s quite a worldly person as well. She did a master’s (a postgraduate degree) in intelligence and international affairs and once applied for MI5, the UK’s counter-intelligence and security agency.

She started in the U.S. in 2001 and became manager of the semi-pro side Long Island Lady Riders, who were part of the USL W League, and then she became head coach at Iona College in 2003. Hayes came back to the UK in 2006; she was an assistant at Arsenal and was part of the coaching team that won the Champions League under Vic Akers in 2007.

Hayes returned to the U.S. in 2008 and managed Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) side Chicago Red Stars with her Chelsea assistant Denise Reddy — that relationship is key. After Hayes was fired from the Chicago Red Stars in 2010, she worked for the family business: a currency exchange.

 

GO DEEPER

The USWNT are hiring a serial winner in Emma Hayes - a coach with unfinished business in the U.S.

Hayes joined Chelsea in 2012. Eleven years and 13 major trophies later, she’s won the WSL title for the last four years.

When you think of Chelsea, you think of Hayes as part of the club’s identity. On the pitch, standards are high; she’s tough on her players. She’s a winner and tactically astute, and is known for getting the best out of her players.

Hayes is very clever and savvy with the media and has a good relationship with them. When she wants a message (put) out, Hayes will make sure she has a line for you. When had aeroplane cancellations in Lyon, Hayes was the first one to say, “Come on the team flight, we’ll get you back on on the private plane.”

After the 2022 FA Cup final, I was walking down Wembley Way at about 10pm and Hayes was outside with her son Harry and said, “Come into the after party, get your wristband on.” That’s Hayes.

Penney: Can you explain why this move is such a big deal?

Crafton: It’s a huge deal internationally. We may see U.S. Soccer agree to equal pay for the women’s coach role. For the USWNT coach to be on the same as the USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter — this would be a really landmark moment in sport.

It will create very interesting conversations. England manager Sarina Wiegman might look at Gareth Southgate and think, “Well, if the U.S. are leading the way on this, shouldn’t our country be doing that as well?” It has the potential to create a significant precedent, especially when you’re looking at pushing $2million (£1.63m) a year, which is a significant commitment.

Penney: What more can you tell us about how the deal was done?

Crafton: This process has been ongoing since the World Cup. The U.S. have looked at various candidates but they managed to keep Hayes a secret regarding the extent of the conversations they’d had with her.

Equal pay, if it transpires, will probably be debated over the next few weeks. But U.S. Soccer wouldn’t have wanted to do it just for the sake of it being a landmark statement. It had to be the right candidate for them to justify that since you’re more than tripling the previous coach’s salary.

And what is U.S. Soccer’s plan if more money is going into Hayes’ salary? Is there still going to be sufficient funding for academy coaching of women’s teams and facilities?

Meg Linehan: There is an expectation from players that their coach should be paid market value. Why is the USWNT coach making one-third of what the USMNT coach is considering the results of the two teams? It’s a natural extension of the conversation that we’ve had for a couple of decades around equal pay in the U.S.

GO DEEPER

USWNT's Morgan lauds women's soccer pay progress

Harpur: The timing of it was a shock to Chelsea staff and players. Most of them found out in the dressing room an hour after the Aston Villa game on Saturday — which Chelsea won 6-0. Then the club statement was released.

Crafton: Chelsea were under the impression this was going to get out and it’s hugely destabilising to have someone as embedded as Hayes leaving. They felt that their relationship with Hayes was sufficiently strong that they could get ahead of that story. I am speculating but I can’t imagine U.S. Soccer would have been thrilled; the Chelsea statement signposts where she’s going given it said the job was outside of club football.

It doesn’t appear that the thrust of the deal is completely over the line and U.S. Soccer probably would have wanted to ‘own that moment’ more.

Linehan: You can imagine U.S. Soccer would have wanted a big announcement, but how do you maximise that when Hayes is still a coach at another club? So you’re going to have to do it in two stages by saying: “We’ve got her. We’ll see you again in May/June 2024.”

Penney: How is this being seen from the U.S. side? 

Linehan Generally, it is seen as ‘landing a big fish’. You have to have a certain personality to want to do this job, knowing what the expectations are and who the big characters are.

It’s going to be a very different moment in time compared to 2019 (when Andonovski took over from two-time World Cup-winning manager Jill Ellis). It’s more tense, the Olympics are coming up. Hayes’ background in the U.S. is helpful, but there is a sense of having an outsider coming in to figure out how you fix things…

Crafton: There is some uncertainty over the next six or seven months leading up to the Olympics. Chelsea want Hayes exclusively focused on the rest of their season, trying to win the Champions League and a fifth consecutive WSL title. But the intention is for Hayes to be there for the Olympics in some capacity — it remains to be seen whether that is as head coach. Could it be she sits in the stands observing the first few games?

Linehan: There’s also a potential risk of frustration with players who will want to see an immediate turnaround from the World Cup and make a statement at the Olympics, even if it’s not as important. The timing of this implies that the bigger project is the World Cup in 2027. That is a valid decision for the USSF (U.S. Soccer Federation) to make but that doesn’t mean that the players want that.

Penney: What does Hayes need to fix with the USWNT?

Linehan: The USWNT — and the USMNT, actually — don’t necessarily have a recognisable style of play. Hayes is known as someone who will just figure out what each game needs and that is the opposite of what the mission is: to figure out what a U.S. team looks like consistently.

GO DEEPER

Emma Hayes' flexibility could bring much-needed fresh start to USWNT: Analysis

The talent is there so you can probably survive the first few games pretty easily. The talent is also going to align with Hayes’ usual standards as a coach. The bigger question is how does Hayes reshape this team in her image? Because from everything that I know about Hayes, it does take a little bit of time for her to eventually get her vision onto the field.

The other challenge is that, at a club, you’re with those players every day. That’s not going to happen with the national team.

So how do you get Hayes’ vision into this team with 2027 in mind? Task number one is immediately post-Olympics. I don’t know whether Hayes can influence the 18-player roster for the Olympics. I don’t think Hayes can if she’s potentially at Chelsea until the Champions League final (on May 25).

The next task is to come in and do your talent assessment and figure out who’s doing what leading into 2027.

Harpur: The difference between managing at club and national level is huge. That’s part of why Hayes wanted to leave — that 24/7  lifestyle has taken its toll on her, especially having a young son and wanting more family time.

But she’s got to be able to communicate this vision to a team that she doesn’t know in a very short space of time. This is pure speculation, but the fact that she recruited (USWNT internationals) Mia Fishel and Catarina Macario to Chelsea is beneficial…

Linehan: I hear she doesn’t want to be on the field every day but you’re still going to be in a room working all day. This is still a full-time job and they expect a full-time commitment.

Watching Ellis or Andonovski, they were constantly on the road. Andonovski was constantly going to NWSL games or going abroad to scout players, to maintain communication and connection with players, to watch their progress. I don’t see that part of the job changing.

Crafton: I’ve spent a bit of time with Hayes. The last thing I would expect from her is that she would see this as easing up. She would be taking this immensely seriously.

Like anyone going from club to international football, Hayes might find the loss of control difficult. At Chelsea, she has so much credit, deference and power in the bank, even to the extent that when former owner Roman Abramovich — before he sold the club — initially tried to move ownership to some of the trustees at the Chelsea Foundation, Hayes was one of these people.

For a few weeks, Hayes was one of about four or five people who looked like she might end up accidentally owning the club. That was the extent of the respect that she’d built up at Chelsea.

 

GO DEEPER

This Is Me: Emma Hayes

Hayes also has such an input over each player’s routines, physically and nutritionally. You can’t really do that as a national team coach in the same way. You have to defer to the clubs and that can often lead to tensions between club and country. It’s a big change.

Around the style of play, the reality now is that international football is more pragmatic. You can aspire to a style of play but when do you have the time to introduce so many patterns? Matt Crocker (USSF sporting director) seems to want this U.S. identity — a style of play that you can pass on from one coach to another. I’m not sure Hayes is that person.

Linehan: There has been a cultural shift in the USWNT over the past five years. When Ellis was head coach, you knew the starting XI and the three substitutes every single game, without fail. Part of Andonovski’s downfall was shifting away from that culture, which had to happen. You can’t run a national team like that any more.

But that is still some of the mindset that the USWNT is shedding while also saying we’d like a recognisable style of play.

Penney: Who are Chelsea looking at to replace Hayes?

Harpur: From my understanding, they haven’t started the process — nobody’s been approached. Chelsea haven’t had to do that for 11 years, and the talent pool is shallow because they want to recruit the best.

But who is an available club manager? Names have been mentioned but, at this stage, it’s only speculation: San Diego Wave manager Casey Stoney; Laura Harvey of OL Reign; Mark Parsons, who managed the Netherlands and was recently at Washington Spirit. He was the former academy director at Chelsea.

But Chelsea have time; they won’t be pressured into making an appointment and that’s quite unusual. The pressure is to get it right.

My understanding is that Hayes will stay until the end of the season. There’s no doubt that she will want to go out on a high, especially with a Champions League title.

Penney: The contracts of Sam Kerr, Fran Kirby, Ann-Katrin Berger and Maren Mjelde are up at the end of the season. How do you convince players like that to stay, with Hayes leaving?

Harpur: Hayes is such an influential part of recruiting players. Just look at Fishel, Macario and Hannah Hampton — they would have been persuaded and impressed by the powerhouse that is Hayes. It poses doubts in those players’ minds; no one likes uncertainty.

At the moment, they don’t know who their manager will be next year.

Edited November 12, 2023 by Vesper

[Vesper 27,389]

What next for Chelsea after Emma Hayes?

https://theathletic.com/5043991/2023/11/09/Chelsea-emma-hayes-future/

“We’ve got to kill the unicorn,” says Emma Hayes, in her audiobook of that name. “All leaders make poor decisions at some point in their careers because they are human. None of us have a crystal ball. Perhaps it’s best not to believe the hype.”

The problem is the hype around Hayes, manager of the Chelsea women’s team, is justifiable considering she has won six Women’s Super League (WSL) titles and five FA Cups in her 11 years with the London club. The very identity of the side she oversees is inextricably linked to Hayes.

The 47-year-old, however, does not believe a leader should be seen as a “magical creature able to solve any problem”.

But what happens when such a figurehead leaves? And, in this case, the assistant, too — as is expected to be the case with Denise Reddy.

The timing of the news of Hayes’ impending departure came as a shock and there is an unfamiliar feeling of uncertainty among the Chelsea women’s team. There is no ready-made plan in place and the club are yet to start their recruitment process.

They are in no rush to do so, with the season not ending for another six months. But no one knows what the next chapter looks like.

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So what now for Chelsea?

Chelsea say Hayes will leave at the end of this season, not before. Whether she will work with the USWNT during international windows between now and next May is yet to be determined. Chelsea, however, will want Hayes’ full focus for the remainder of their 2023-24 campaign.

The players were told the news straight after a dominant 6-0 away win against Aston Villa on Saturday. Sadness was the overriding feeling, especially given many of them owe their career progression to Hayes. Her departure may incentivise them to win as much silverware as possible and have one last crack at winning that elusive Champions League title. No doubt it adds more pressure and emotions will crank up a notch but the team may thrive off that.

On the flip side, players’ performances may dip.

Sir Alex Ferguson, a source of inspiration for Hayes, regretted telling his Manchester United players he was going to retire at the end of the 2001-02 season a year in advance, and ended up staying in the job until the summer of 2013.

“When the team thought I would be leaving, they slackened off,” Ferguson wrote in his autobiography. “A constant tactic of mine was always to have my players on the edge…the must-win approach. I took my eye off the ball, thinking too far ahead, and wondering who would replace me. It’s human nature, in those circumstances, to relax a bit, and to say, ‘I’m not going to be here next year’.”

GO DEEPER

This Is Me: Emma Hayes

Caution should be taken when replacing somebody who has been at the helm for so long.

“Organisations outlive leaders as long as the right framework is in place,” says Hayes. Chelsea, after all, had a 100 per cent win record when their manager was absent for six weeks following an emergency hysterectomy in October last year. Paul Green, Chelsea’s general manager who shares an office with Hayes, took on media duties during that time, while Reddy led the coaching side.

“None of this is an accident,” Hayes said upon her return. “It’s been developed by us all over a long period… the environment can take care of itself.”

But with Reddy, who has been Hayes’ friend for more than 20 years, also expected to leave, Chelsea need a new manager and a new No 2.

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Who could come in?

Chelsea haven’t yet approached anyone and there is not an official list of candidates. But, given their stature, the talent pool they will be fishing in is relatively shallow.

The new manager will need to have excellent people-management skills, be capable of handling big characters, rotating a large squad, having difficult conversations and making tough decisions. Hayes mastered all that and got the best out of individuals. This is not a first-time role for an inexperienced manager.

GO DEEPER

Full Time: The big questions around Emma Hayes heading to USWNT

Casey Stoney, head coach of NWSL side San Diego Wave and that league’s coach of the year for the 2022 season, is a logical candidate. A former Chelsea player who joined them at age 12 and took on the role of their player-manager on an interim basis in 2009, the 41-year-old managed the newly formed Manchester United women’s team from 2018-21.

The 130-cap England international has experience in the WSL, executes game plans well and has a similar straight-talking attitude to Hayes. The question is whether Stoney would want to return to England and take the Chelsea job, given her partner Megan and their three children have only just joined her in California.

Elsewhere in the NWSL, Laura Harvey of Seattle-based OL Reign is another possibility. She started her managerial career in England with Birmingham City and won the WSL with Arsenal in 2011 and 2012. The 43-year-old has also coached England youth teams.

A three-time NWSL coach of the year, Harvey has plied her trade in the U.S. at club and international level. She was assistant to USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski in 2021 and has managed the Americans’ under-20 and under-23 teams. In July, she extended her contract with OL Reign — who could be crowned NWSL champions this weekend — until 2025, so, as with Stoney, the question is whether she wants to move back to the UK.

GO DEEPER

Laura Harvey on the importance of authenticity, balance and trust

Former Barcelona manager Lluis Cortes, 37, is not in a job at the moment after he decided against renewing his contract with the Ukraine women’s national team when it expired in August. Cortes had led Barcelona to their first Champions League title in 2020-21 but that summer decided to step down after two and a half years in charge. “I don’t feel I have the energy to keep leading this team,” he said in a club statement.

Recruiting from within the WSL looks unlikely.

Arsenal took a left-field approach by hiring, at the time, a relatively unknown Jonas Eidevall from Swedish club Rosengard as Joe Montemurro’s replacement in the summer of 2021.

The club will do their due diligence and remain equally open-minded. There is not one candidate who jumps out straight away and rushed appointments are rarely good ones.

Chelsea may want to hire a new manager at the start of 2024, so they can have a handover period while Hayes is still at the club, but it is unclear if she will be part of the recruitment process.

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What else will change?

For Chelsea players, it will be a period of uncertainty.

Their two biggest stars, Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby, as well as Ann-Katrin Berger and Maren Mjelde, are out of contract next summer. They may not sign new deals now Hayes is leaving. Alternatively, they may be reassured when the new manager is confirmed. Equally, Chelsea may not want to offer new contracts until Hayes’ successor comes in and decides who they want and don’t want.

It will also affect the team’s future recruitment.

For a long time, their scouting has been based on signing Hayes’ type of player. Chelsea are known to be masters of succession planning and scout players one year, 18 months, or even two years ahead of time, but a new manager may want to introduce a new tactical style.

Prospective players, whether they liked Hayes as a person or not, knew what they were getting. Most often, the manager was a big selling point for Chelsea and players joined the club because of her.

It will be very hard to replace a manager who continued to push players while also being the mother hen.

Whether it was showing motivational clips from leading U.S. college basketball coach Kara Lawson, having the squad wear Arsenal shirts in training to help them mentally with overcoming their London rivals in 2012, getting photographers to pick up on the body language of her team or giving the players greeting cards with handwritten individual motivational messages inside before a big cup final, Hayes kept things fresh.

“As a leader, you develop a distance while remaining close enough to smell their fears and sense their problems,” Hayes says in her audiobook.

Whoever comes in next has some big shoes to fill.

[Vesper 27,389]

Chelsea’s Mia Fishel on Emma Hayes’ USWNT hire, NIL deals and building a brand

https://theathletic.com/5046474/2023/11/09/mia-fishel-emma-hayes-uswnt-Chelsea/

London seems to suit Mia Fishel. That much is apparent when she talks about adapting to moving to Chelsea after two seasons at Tigres. She name-checks Nando’s instantly – “I was eating there consistently when I first got here,” she said – and  she’s been eyeing all the restaurants around Borough Market in central London, especially cuisines that are harder to find in Mexico or the US. She’s not afraid to try new things, whether it’s food or her career.

Fishel has taken an unusual path for a young American player, opting to join Tigres in Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil instead of the Orlando Pride after the NWSL side drafted her ahead of the 2022 NWSL season. She then leveraged her 38 goals in 48 appearances in Mexico into a move to WSL powerhouse Chelsea this summer, where she’s already scored on her debut; a textbook header in the box against Tottenham.

Fishel has also just broken through with the U.S. national team, having scored a goal in just her second cap in October in her hometown of San Diego. It feels like everything is coming up Fish at the moment, especially when you consider her future international career could also benefit from landing at Chelsea under manager Emma Hayes, who is nearing an official agreement to take over the U.S. women’s national team when her season is over in 2024.

While Fishel couldn’t speak with any certainty about the deal, she did give Hayes a glowing recommendation in a wide-ranging chat with The Athletic.

“If she’s national team coach, I mean, that’s amazing,” said Fishel. “She really knows how to manage players. And I’m lucky to have her. And if she’s national coach, I mean, she’s gonna do amazing things. She’s already doing amazing things here at Chelsea. She’s created a legacy here and I think that if anything, it’s just more responsibility for me, because she knows how I am, the player that I am.

“She was the main reason why I came to Chelsea, was to develop the mentality of winning. We’ve had conversations even before I got here about how she sees me, how I can fit into the team, and we have a lot of similarities kind of off the field.”

One of those similarities, according to Fishel, is that she and Hayes are both single-minded when in pursuit of something.

“We will do anything to get there,” Fishel said. “Before I got to Chelsea we had a long conversation just about who we are as people. And I think my journey can kind of relate to her, in a way, of doing what you think is best for yourself and getting to that dream, to that goal.”

That drive for success, that willingness to put herself out there, is also helping Fishel join a new generation of brand-savvy young athletes. Fishel is still only 22, but she’s already laying the foundation for a long and prosperous career off the field. Women’s soccer historically hasn’t been lucrative, especially for any player that isn’t a Sam Kerr- or Alex Morgan-level star. But Fishel hasn’t let that deter her.

The NCAA’s acceptance of NIL (name, image and likeness) deals in the last year of Fishel’s college career at UCLA was the start of the journey.

“When I grew up, I didn’t really have a role model. I couldn’t grasp onto something that was tangible,” she said. But NIL got her thinking about how to reach more people, how to build connections. At UCLA she forged a partnership with skincare brand Art of Sport and created her own merchandise via her brand, Big Fishel Energy. That’s expanded into her pro career, with Fishel ready to drop t-shirts and snapbacks with her personal logo of a crown perched atop stylized M.F. initials.

It’s the kind of work that could have only happened after so many years of development of the women’s game, and the advent of social media allowing athletes to connect directly and instantaneously with fans. She eventually started an LLC and assembled a team, which now includes her agent and her father, who acts as her manager.

“It was a lot of trial and error because I didn’t have a mock-up of how this was gonna run,” Fishel said. “I just told my team, this is what I want to do. And they’ve been helping me navigate through that process.”

At times, she said she’s had to learn to be patient. When she wants something, she wants it done right away, but when it comes to things like production time or contracts, the timeline can run a lot longer. As an example, Fishel cites a children’s book that has been in the works since January, which is about confidence, empowerment, and taking control of your own destiny.

“It’s kind of annoying that I had this whole plan. You know, I have all these ideas but to actually continue to follow through and to make sure that it comes to fruition is like, the important thing is just patience, and I’m still learning that,” she said.

Putting out the advice that she wished she’d had when she was younger could gain even more significance as ever-younger players sign professional contracts in the United States. Multiple NWSL teams have signed young teenagers, the latest being Kansas City’s signing of 15-year-old Alex Pfeiffer. Even an ambitious young player isn’t going to come into the world automatically aware of things like how to find an agent or how to negotiate a contract, and Fishel said that trying to be that brand-conscious business person isn’t for everyone.

“There is a lot of pros and cons about making certain decisions,” she said. She gets a lot of demands on her time and that can be hard to balance at 22, let alone at 15. “In the end, it has to come from you. It has to come from your heart, not what other people are doing, or fast-tracking your dreams and goals.”

Fishel hopes that in the NIL era where more and more players are learning early on how to leverage their on-field success into off-field deals, more stakeholders will realize that women’s soccer is big and getting bigger. She adds a caveat about how building a business can pull too much of your focus off of soccer if you’re not careful, common sense balances out the headiness of success and attention.

“I would say to be clear on who you are,” Fishel said. “You know, I’m still figuring out who I am. But I think that if you have a good sense of yourself and the direction to go, it makes things so much easier because it’s clear on what I want other people to see from me.”

[Vesper 27,389]

Emma Hayes: Whether it’s Chelsea or USWNT, she won’t be afraid to say what she thinks

https://theathletic.com/5052603/2023/11/10/emma-hayes-Chelsea-uswnt-manager/

“It’s busy today isn’t it?” said Emma Hayes with a wry smile as she walked into the media room at Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, on the outskirts of south west London.

Many had mused on how Hayes would manage her first public appearance since the announcement of her departure. It could have been an awkward exchange. Last Saturday, Chelsea had released a statement — which Hayes had not seen before publication —  saying their manager would leave at the end of the season to pursue an opportunity outside of the Women’s Super League (WSL) and club football. But U.S. Soccer, strongly expected to be her new employer as reported by The Athletic, are yet to make her United States women’s national team (USWNT) appointment official. When asked, Hayes would not comment on her next role.

“You could read that statement and think I would be going off to be a pilot,” she said, tongue in cheek.

In what could have been one of her most difficult Chelsea press conferences to date, Hayes was… well, Emma Hayes: down-to-earth, personable and straight talking.

“I haven’t died,” she said. “I haven’t gone anywhere. I’m here, doing this job. My full focus and attention is on what I do for Chelsea… This is football, these things happen.”

It is evident Hayes is sad to leave the club. She spoke emotively about her son, late father, family and team members while also masterfully navigating tough questions under pressure. Perhaps, in parts, she even relished the challenge. The USWNT job may bring even more scrutiny but the way in which she conducted herself on Friday only reinforces why hiring her would be a savvy pick for the U.S.

Despite the life changing career change she is embarking on, she was still advocating for change in English women’s club football. Over the course of her press conference, she addressed a host of issues. She said doubling the women’s FA Cup prize money was still not enough, that the powers that be need to “get on with the next (WSL) broadcasting deal” and, most pertinently, conditions for those with children working in the industry need to be better.

“I’m not afraid to do the tough things even though sometimes I’m the one who takes the battering from it,” she said. “I’m alright with that because if I see schools of girls up and down the country… whether that’s getting more prize money or better facilities — I still think there’s a way to go — but I’ve played my part.”

The women’s game in England is losing its most ardent fighter for change and will be poorer as a result.

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Hayes clearly explained her reasons for wanting to leave the club.

“The biggest factors are my son, leaving at the top and giving the club enough time to be able to transition without there being too much disruption,” she said.

Eleven years managing Chelsea, a job that required a four-hour return journey six days a week, has been a lifestyle that has taken its toll on a person who, in her words, “has dedicated as much as (she) possibly could to Chelsea”. That’s not to say Hayes thinks her next stint will be a walk in the park, far from it. After all, she will be taking over after the USWNT’s worst finish in a World Cup and ahead of an Olympics with plenty of pressure for the four-time gold medalists in a time of transition. But she wants the best for her family, a little bit more flexibility and “something different, more than anything else”.

“We have lives,” she said. “This is not a selfish decision, this is a selfless decision. This is about putting first some other things in my life. I’m ready for that.”

Ultimately, Hayes knows her value and that is liberating. She is taking the next step to fulfil a childhood dream of managing a national team.

Hayes has been a custodian not only of the wider game but also of her club. Her selflessness is shown through her commitment to the team until the end of the season, her involvement in the recruitment of her successor and insistence on crediting her staff and players.

“My goal is to make sure I leave this dressing room in the best possible place,” she said.

Hayes will be involved in the discussions about the selection of Chelsea’s next manager and recognises it is not about hiring a like-for-like replacement, highlighting yet again her self awareness.

“That’s usually the wrong thing to do,” she says. “It’s about identifying what the needs are for the players and the club. Collectively, we will do that together.

“I’m putting the team and the club first. I want to give our football club the right preparation time so they’re ready to continue after me.

“I’m equally excited for the girls; they get a new coach, new ideas, new reference point, a new challenge. They (will have) had 12 years of listening to my orders, some of them will be like, ‘thank God’.

“I’m a custodian, that’s all I am. I was here to guard this badge in the best way I possibly could and I hope more than anything else that I can put someone in a positive position. I’ve done everything I can for this club.”

---

Even when asked about reports that her contract was not being prioritised by the club, Hayes refused to be drawn in, adamant to maintain her professionalism.

“I believe in private conversations,” she said. “Of course I’m disappointed to hear things being said in the press. I want to make sure I maintain my own professionalism in everything I do.”

Although she has “no reason to believe” that the club would not have her backing as they had done under the previous owners, when asked if they tried hard to keep her, alluding to reports Chelsea were prepared to quadruple her salary, she said: “I don’t know. I think you should ask them.”

Hayes certainly knows her own value, of that there is no doubt. In the knowledge she is in front of the cameras, the face of the team, she struck the perfect balance of using her voice without putting herself at the centre of every story, even though this week really was all about her. She didn’t need to. Her expected move to the U.S. speaks for itself.

“When people say to me: ‘What’s your greatest memory, was it this cup, was it that?’. No, it’s the people I work with. Whether that’s (general manager) Paul Green, (assistant coach) Stuart Searle, people that have been with us at the beginning, to the players at any step of the way.

“My departure isn’t the end for Chelsea, it’s only the beginning.”

For Hayes and the USWNT, the very same is true.

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,428]

Robbed last night again

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes says her side were "robbed" of victory by "embarrassing" refereeing in their 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the Women's Champions League.

The Blues dominated their Group D opener but were undone by two controversial decisions - a late penalty call against them and a last-gasp winner ruled out for offside.

There is no video assistant referee in the Women's Champions League group stage, unlike the men's competition.

"I can't remember the last time we were in a game like that when two humongous decisions like that have gone against us," said Hayes. "That is a lot tonight."

In the 77th minute, shortly after Sam Kerr had given Chelsea a 2-1 lead, Real Madrid forward Athenea del Castillo was caught by Jessie Fleming and went down in the penalty area.

A spot-kick was awarded by Danish referee Frida Klarlund but replays showed the foul had actually occurred outside the box, with Del Castillo's momentum and a slick surface meaning the World Cup winner skidded into the area.

After conceding the late leveller Chelsea pushed for an injury-time winner and thought they had taken all three points when defender Millie Bright curled in a brilliant cross for Niamh Charles, who volleyed home from close range.

But seconds after the ball hit the back of the net the assistant referee's flag was raised and the goal was ruled out for offside.

Frustratingly again for the visitors, replays showed the call was wrong - Charles had timed her run perfectly and was comfortably onside.

Winning goal at least 10 feet on side.....

 

 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,776]

I won't be going to Stamford Bridge today so my ticket for the the Chelsea women vs Liverpool women game is available. I am essentially offering the ticket for free but only on condition that it is actually used. I will ask anyone requesting the ticket to send me £10 via PayPal but, if you later send me a photo of the game taken from my seat, I will refund the tenner.  I paid £21.25 for it but, as a one-off general sale ticket, it would cost £25.

It is an e-ticket for the Matthew Harding lower. If anyone is interested just let me know. I will give priority to anyone who has never attended a CFCW game previously.

[ZAPHOD2319 3,914]

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,428]

1-0 up v PSG 

lauren James nice ball in for Kerr

[Fulham Broadway 16,428]

Kerr with a hat trick

the third the cheekiest lob you'll ever see 😄

[Vesper 27,389]

6 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Kerr with a hat trick

the third the cheekiest lob you'll ever see 😄

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,428]

James another stunning goal for England - on a hat trick

[Vesper 27,389]

Arse crushed us, what an all-round shit day for both the lads and the women