messi11 Posted September 25, 2022 Share Posted September 25, 2022 (edited) Doing a good job. Carla Ward in for now. Edited September 25, 2022 by messi11 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted September 26, 2022 Share Posted September 26, 2022 Didn't realise we took her off the gift that keeps on giving! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonIsAPlaceOnEarth Posted September 26, 2022 Share Posted September 26, 2022 Carla Ward’s claret and blue army! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobsons Choice Posted September 26, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted September 26, 2022 Apropos of absolutely nothing, looking at her Wikipedia page, it looks like her Dad is a bit of an.......interesting character. Qanon supporter by all accounts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciggiesnbeer Posted September 26, 2022 Share Posted September 26, 2022 (edited) 4 hours ago, HKP90 said: Apropos of absolutely nothing, looking at her Wikipedia page, it looks like her Dad is a bit of an.......interesting character. Qanon supporter by all accounts. Every family has a nutter in it, usually a deluded old man. I dont blame Carla. My father in law is out of his mind on Trumpism and wants to live in a Christian Caliphate where unbelievers and women have no rights. Oh and he thinks his gay son is going to hell. We havent spoken to him in 6 years Its best just to ostracise em. Back on topic, i am really impressed with our winning start. Good job Carla Ward! Edited September 26, 2022 by ciggiesnbeer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skarroki Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 I think the team look transformed now we have Daly in the side. I'm sure the other additions have helped too. But she is amazing, her tackling is great, pressing from the front, drops in deep, good passing. Really good player, can't wait to see more of her in the next match. I thought the right side of defence played well as well and Hampton looks solid in goal. Some stray passes and bad positioning but that can be ironed out I'm sure. We looked much better than Leicester which was nice to see, definitely moved into the next bracket of WSL teams now, I don't think there's any danger of being around the relegation candidates 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted September 28, 2022 Share Posted September 28, 2022 On 27/09/2022 at 09:35, skarroki said: I think the team look transformed now we have Daly in the side. I'm sure the other additions have helped too. But she is amazing, her tackling is great, pressing from the front, drops in deep, good passing. Really good player, can't wait to see more of her in the next match. I thought the right side of defence played well as well and Hampton looks solid in goal. Some stray passes and bad positioning but that can be ironed out I'm sure. We looked much better than Leicester which was nice to see, definitely moved into the next bracket of WSL teams now, I don't think there's any danger of being around the relegation candidates No, Its not the players, its the manager, working her magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a m ole Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 13 hours ago, TRO said: No, Its not the players, its the manager, working her magic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshVilla Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 Put her in charge of the men's team as well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulberto21 Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 14 hours ago, TRO said: No, Its not the players, its the manager, working her magic. More likely Carla Ward is using the players correctly. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skarroki Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 I definitely think this team have a clear identity and way of playing. Whoever is in charge of recruitment should be praised because they've been spot on bringing in players that slot into the side and transform it. Pushing Lehmann out wide and away from the goal has been a good move too imo. Not enough goals in her at the moment but I'm sure she's working on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 On 29/09/2022 at 14:14, Sulberto21 said: More likely Carla Ward is using the players correctly. and not that they are just better quality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messi11 Posted September 30, 2022 Author Share Posted September 30, 2022 Been a big fan of Carla Ward ever since her Sporting Plaza de Argel days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody1000 Posted September 30, 2022 Share Posted September 30, 2022 4 minutes ago, messi11 said: Been a big fan of Carla Ward ever since her Sporting Plaza de Argel days I’ve been a fan since her Bristol Rovers days… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messi11 Posted September 30, 2022 Author Share Posted September 30, 2022 57 minutes ago, Woody1000 said: I’ve been a fan since her Bristol Rovers days… Impressive knowledge of the woman's game 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messi11 Posted October 1, 2022 Author Share Posted October 1, 2022 Give her a new contract! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted October 16, 2023 Share Posted October 16, 2023 Carla Ward took Sheffield United from the fourth tier to the Championship, she also took them to their highest ever finish in the football pyramid, second place in the Championship, she did all this in early to mid thirties. Then at small heath she performed a miracle, their problems were well documented, they only had ten players when she joined, during the season at times they could only name one sub, their players issued a joint statement complaining about the conditions they had to work in, the gym they were given to workout in was a portacabin, there was also a complaint about lack of medical support, so good was the job she did in keeping them up that she was nominated for manager of the year, and that summer was being linked with Man Uted and Arsenal, I remember at the time their fans calling for her to be appointed With us in her first season she took us to a nineth place finish with twenty-one points, at the start of the season the aim was still to avoid relegation, we achieved that comfortably finishing ten points above small heath who finished last, that season from January onwards our style of football improved dramatically, we suddenly became one of the best possession based teams in the division, our only problem was we couldn't score, another thing to remember about that season is that our best players were the likes of Mayling, Pacheco, and Hannah Hampton, Lehmann was the best attacker we had available, Corsie, Patten, and Jill Scott arriving in January helped us to play better football, but our squad was still weak, so was a good season consolidating our place in the WSL and laying the foundations for better season next time. Carla's second season we finish fifth, with thirty-seven points, our highest ever finish, we score forty-seven goals, more than triple the amount of goals we'd scored in each of the previous two seasons, we were widely regarded as one of the best attacking teams and one of the most entertaining, and yes we also attacked when we played the 'top four', as the scorelines in those games bear out, for good or bad, pretty much every game we played with an ultra attacking team, 443, and our fullbacks were playing virtually as wingbacks, only one of the three midfielders was defensively minded, the other two, Dali and Nobbs both very attack minded, Staniforth and the two central defenders the only real defensively minded players, and even then Staniforth isn't an out and out DM, we haven't been able to play so attack minded this season because of injuries and illness; we also got as far as we've ever got in the FA Cup, and were unlucky in the semi-final, Ward was nominated for manager of the month numerous times, and won it on two or three occassions too, at the end of the season she nominated as manager of the season. She's done an incredible job, as I said if she was to leave us for some reason, she would be linked to the top jobs in the country and England job if that became available, we're lucky that she's our manager, she's one of the most highly rated in women's football, and i've listened to her talk in detail on podcasts, she very clued up on the tactical side of the game, Emma Hayes is often hailed for her ability to talk about that side of things, well listening to Ward she sounds similar, took me by surprise as I thought she was a different kind of manager, maybe because of the way she comes across in short interview, but she's very much a student of the tactical side of things. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skarroki Posted October 16, 2023 Share Posted October 16, 2023 @useless do you think Carla will stay long term? I can't see us getting rid of her even if results aren't going well because I don't think there's anyone better out there and this feels long-term what we're building, she's partly the face of it all I feel like. I read recently that we have one of the smallest budgets in the WSL? Is this true and has the club given a reason why they're not investing properly in the team? It's a fear I have since hearing it that Carla will think she's gone above and beyond what's acheivable at the club if they're not going to increase funding to align with the increase in stature, good cup runs and high league position finishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted October 16, 2023 Share Posted October 16, 2023 She recently signed a new contract until the 2024/25 season, with the option of an extra year, so I think should be around for a while. I'm not sure if that thing about having the smallest budget is true, I can't find any evidence or actual mention of it, and considering we've just signed two lionesses in Lucy parker and Ebony Salmon, Parker turned down Man City to join us, Netherland's first choice goalkeeper who was seen as a big coup, Kirsty Hanson who was one of the best attackers in the WSL last season, plus Leon who has good pedigree, then I'd say it's almost certainly untrue, that said compared to the top four it probably is limited 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skarroki Posted October 16, 2023 Share Posted October 16, 2023 Feels like we're the equivalent of Forest in the late 80's, outside the top 2, great team but still miles off investment wise from matching those top teams, top manager too. The teams below have ambitions and will start to test us and make every week a difficult game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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