January Round-Up

Martin Reagan who passed away on Boxing Day at the age of 92, was a brickie, Britain’s youngest tank commander in the Second World War, a pro footballer at clubs including Middlesbrough, Norwich and Swindon, a prize-winning sprinter in races, a coach and inspiration to numerous folk in youth football around the York area for many years and a well-respected, polite and hugely liked family man. Oh and he managed England’s women team from 1979 for 11 years. He didn’t think he’d get the job after his initial interview with the WFA (Women’s Football Association) because he told them he wasn’t a ‘yes man’ but he went on to lead the team through many international matches and competitions (including the European Championship double header final in 1984) and gave debuts to many of the English game’s greats like Hope Powell, Debbie Bampton, Marieanne Spacey and Kerry Davis (who attended his funeral, along with other ex players and administrators Pat Gregory and Linda Whitehead).

I only met Rachel Heyhoe Flint once, many years ago, and remember her warmth and resolve. It may seem strange that we in the women’s football world were saddened by her passing at 77, on 18th January but as well as being an England hockey player (GK), a fine golfer and all round sportswoman, she was also a force of nature (always done with manners and good humour) when it came to breaking down barriers for women’s acceptance in sport. You may know she was the first woman elected to the full committee of the MCC but Baroness Heyhoe Flint was also a big football fan. She was appointed as a director of Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1997 (later becomg Vice-President) at a time when women weren’t regularly seen or even allowed into football boardrooms (even on match days). She also supported and helped the status of the Wolves Women’s team for many years too, as documented by Jenny Wilkes in her blog here.

I’ve made little secret of the fact that one of the main reasons I agreed to take up the role at this here women’s footie magazine in the late 1990s was because I saw Kelly Smith play. That simple. I saw her in a game at Oldham, against Norway, and every time she got the ball their world champion midfielders/defenders backed off and backed off. They didn’t know what to do or how to play her. It was like watching a man play. That isn’t meant to sound offensive or critical of any of the other fine players on the field but she gave me new belief about the sport, a new confidence, I still remember the feeling. In fact, whenever we’ve watched her in the U.S., at World Cups, Euros, or dazzling in cup finals, you’ll have likely had that same reaction. Sometimes it’s like watching school kids trying to get the ball off the older kid – and that’s on the international stage! Of course, it had to come to an end some time and after being kicked to pieces on countless occasions, coming back from so many set backs, inspiring thousands (if not millions) on both sides of the Atlantic, she is to take up a coaching role at Arsenal.  Her passion for winning and for the game itself, make this next step in her career an exciting one too. And though shy and humble, the cheekiness and humour as well as knowledge and self-assuredness is coming out in her media work too. There was a huge outpouring of positivity towards Kelly across all mediums and rightly so. Still, I’m glad I have my ticket to see her farewell All-Star game at Borehamwood on 19th Feb. I wouldn’t miss it for the world, and if you can possibly get there, you shouldn’t either. Buy one here.

And so to Anna’s farewell. Although she isn’t going yet, she wanted the players to know so they would not be distracted further down the line as preparations for Euro 2017 intensified, if the news got out. Everything is focussed on her players embracing the opportunity as best they can. This is historic and as the longest serving coach heading to the Euros, Anna Signeul knows it. She and her payers have given everything, had their hearts broken by the cruellest of blows, picked themselves up and gone again. More than once. The campaigning for better support, a better structure for development, the encouragement of younger players, the relationship with the older players, always protecting them but asking for more from them and those around the team, and always friendly, thoughtful, open and honest. The journey is not over yet but when she leaves Scotland in the summer, she can be proud in knowing that she did not let her players, staff or herself down. Finland have got themselves a good one. It’s crucial that the SFA find the right person to continue the good work and take the players’ knowledge and performance to the next level.

There was certainly also huge excitement at some of the big arrivals to the WSL. Dunn?! O’Reilly? Wow. They followed on the back of Ramona Bachmann and Maren Mjelde joining Chelsea too. It looks set to be an intriguing and potentially explosive Spring Series. Reading have been busy and WSL2 clubs haven’t been sitting still either (more on that next week!). You can tell we were taken by surpirse by some of the transfers by looking at our 2017 Calendar, ha ha, as other big movers were Mel Lawley from Birmingham to Man City and recently Kirsty Linnett to Notts, Ellen White in the other direction from Notts to Blues, Emma Byrne to Brighton and Beth Mead from Sunderland to Arsenal. As Anna Green, Rachel Furness and Brooke Chaplen headed to Reading, the latter two from Sunderland too. Ahh yes, Sunderland…

The announcement (in a shock and abrupt statement) a couple of Thursday evenings ago, that the club were set to immediately abandon the ‘full-time’ model for something more akin to a ‘semi-pro’ set-up was met with understandably negative reactions. The players, who had turned up for their first training session of 2017, were devastated and it appears that yet another generation of talent will be forced to leave the NE to achieve their potential. It of course asked many more questions about the state of the game too, the imbalance of resources and competitiveness at the very top, is sustainability possible and is the ongoing reliance on the men’s game dangerous to stable growth? I wrote a long, downbeat, ranty blog about it shortly after, (and I don’t know the answers either) so I’ll say no more on the matter here. But in summation, it was again, mainly sad.

Except it’s not all doom and gloom (for example, @WoSoZone launched their website which is COOL!), yes even at Sunderland, where they still have a very healthy budget (they just need to bring some players in to replace the outgoing faces, of which there will be one or two more in the coming days – oh look, there goes Brooke) they are aiming for a positive next few months. February is bound to be better, all round isn’t it? There’s classic cup action to kick it off with next Sunday, then the WSL2 Spring Series commences the week after. We’ll preview some of that later this week. By which time I’ll cheer up, promise!