The only way you would’ve known Emma Hayes had become the manager of Chelsea’s women’s team in August 2012 was had you spotted the short statement published on the club website.
There was no press conference, for journalists to get to know a young coach who had made great strides in the States — the youngest female coach ever in W-League history and a coach of the year award during a two-year spell at Long Island Lady Riders in the early 2000s — but was little-known in England.
There was no television interview with the club’s media team, to be clipped up into digestible, shareable morsels on social media. Indeed, her first media interview was some days later with a writer for the match-day program, for a piece in the programme for a men’s game.
Women’s football was, of course, back then a completely different world to what it is today, even in 2012. Hayes was initially employed on a part-time contract, the squad were not fully professional, the Women’s Super League had only existed two years prior to Hayes’s arrival and Chelsea had never won its predecessor.
But the situation back then was perhaps helpful. It allowed Hayes to continue growing as a coach in relative obscurity, allowed her some space as she developed into one of football’s great managers. And what an impact she’s had. Five-time Women’s Super League winners and four-time FA Cup champions point to Chelsea’s domestic dominance under her stewardship.
This season, after reaching the FA Cup final following victory against Aston Villa on Sunday, Chelsea remain on for an extraordinary treble, currently second in the league and among the last four in the Champions League.
As Todd Boehly, the Chelsea co-owner who appears intent on playing quarterback in the running of the club, attempts to sort out the mess he has made of the men’s team during almost a year since taking over at the club, he could do worse than turn to the hugely successful and vastly-talented manager of his club’s women’s team for advice.
Hayes shared lunch with Boehly last year and the American billionaire should be making it a priority to chew her ear off about what should be done structurally and strategically on the men’s side.
She is, after all, precisely what Boehly wants to find for his men’s team. When Boehly handed “innovator” Graham Potter an unexpectedly long five-year contract he spoke of helping the former Brighton coach fulfill his potential in the months and years ahead. It was clearly a long-term project.
Ever since the years of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger clubs have pursued the ideal of a dynasty manager. Manchester City are getting there with Pep Guardiola, but Hayes is there already: 13 trophies in 10 years, and showing no sign of slowing down.
And not only is the 46-year-old an exceptional football coach, motivator and tactician, on her way to the top she immersed herself in every facet of how a football club is run.
On top of her many managerial roles, at Arsenal she was assistant manager and academy director. In Chicago she was a director of operations, working on the nuts and bolts. In New York she was a technical director.
It was at Chicago Red Stars where she selected a forward from the University of Portland in the 2009 draft called Megan Rapinoe, who would become one of women’s football’s greatest players, so she clearly has an eye for talent.
The season is pretty much over for Chelsea’s men’s team should they — as expected — fail to overturn a two-goal deficit in their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
And Boehly is fast running out of time to set things right if they have any hope of competing for trophies next season, following a failed managerial experiment and an approach to transfers that is equal parts exuberant, chaotic and confusing.
Hayes has got to be worth another spot of lunch, at the very least a call.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/yMbZdcl
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