Hello! Hello!

Hello! Hello! Welcome to Devils Play - a new podcast about everything Manchester United Women hosted by James & Stevie. In our debut episode we review the first half of a disappointing season, express our undying love for Ella Toone, try not to talk about She Who Shall Not Be Named, feel conflicted about Marc Skinner and Mary Earps, worry a bit about Newcastle and wonder why people call Geyse Jay-Z. Come on United!

Transcript

James 0:15

Hello and welcome to Devil's Play, a podcast about Manchester United women with me, James. And me,

Stevie 0:21

Stevie. Hi Stevie.

James 0:24

So, we spend most of our time talking about football, and more specifically Man United. But whereas every men's match is dissected by national print and broadcast media, and chewed over in hundreds of podcasts argued about on fan channels, the women get talked about a lot less. Even though they're a lot better. Except in our house. So, we thought we'd buy a microphone and turn it on while we were expressing our undying Loughreda tune and trying to decide what we actually think about Mark Skinner and fretting about Mary Earp's leaving for Arsenal and raging about the inability of commentators to get the names of players right or even identify the correct player. And we thought maybe because we want to listen to people talking about the games, some people out there might enjoy listening to us talking about the games. So maybe we should record ourselves talking about the games and stick it online and see what happens. So that is what Devil's Plate is going to be, us just talking about Man United Women like we do anyway, incessantly in the kitchen.

Stevie 1:26

Except for some reason we're in the hallway.

James 1:29

Yes, pedantic, but we are in the very, very small hallway because it is the quietest place in the flat to record.

Stevie 1:38

So we should say we're married and we live in a one bedroom flat in Bermondsey, South

James 1:42

London. Well we are currently in the hallway. We are just up the road from Millwall for those who navigate the UK by football stadiums.

Stevie 1:49

Well you do that, but who

James 1:51

else does that? I think loads of people do that. Do we? Yeah. Okay. I don't. You don't? No. Oh, and yes, well done to the sleuths who have already deduced we are not from Manchester. Well done, you. Please send all your snide remarks about United fans not being from Manchester to P. O. Box. Fuck off. Uh, what else do we need to say?

Stevie 2:11

Why don't you tell us? That's how you became a Man United fan. Oh,

James 2:14

really? That's one of my favourite stories. Okay, great. Uh, so, I've supported Man United men all my life, or at least since I can remember. Which was the 1985 Cup Final, when I was five. A goal! White side! That's incredible! I Grew up in Folkestone, in Kent. My dad is a United fan, hence. And he took me to games until I could go on my own, and as soon as I could, I bought a season ticket at Old Trafford, which meant a 550 mile round trip to every home game. And I went home, and away, and Europe for years. I was behind the goal on the 26th of May 1999, but I didn't see Ollie's winner because I was still wildly celebrating Sheriam's equalizer underneath several other people. But then in my twenties, I sort of just stopped going, for a number of reasons really. I was skint. I was trying to build a career in London that meant Blackburn Away on a Tuesday was a little difficult. and the atmosphere I grew up with was really diminished. Old Trafford had lost a bit of magic. And you?

Stevie 3:22

I grew up in Plymouth, and was and still am a Plymouth Argyle fan. I played football, lucky to play football at primary school and secondary school. Um, I did a refereeing course and eventually I was one of the first. Four girls to get picked for Plymouth Argyle School of Excellence. Um, and then I moved schools, to a school where they more traditionally played hockey. And I didn't like that, so, it got a bit more difficult to keep up with fitness and football. And, you know, I was a 17 year old that would rather do other things. Didn't play sport at that time. You could have been a professional. No, I was never that good actually. No, I was never that good and I didn't have the work ethic. So no, I could never have

James 4:06

been a professional sorry about that.

Stevie 4:08

Man United though, I don't think I ever thought I'd be a Man United fan. And then I met you and at the beginning of our relationship it was much easier when Man United won games, because you were happy. And if they lost games, he was sad. And that was weird. That's a weird thing. Which I now understand much more after becoming Man United fan. It was during COVID actually that I didn't have anything to really get excited about. So when football was coming back, I thought, you know what? I'm going to invest in this. I'm going to figure out why he loves it. I'm going to figure out why he loves this team. And now look at me. I'm diehard. Man United till I die. Cut me open and I bleed red. Well, yeah. Um, so that's how I became a Man United fan and then I was like, well, I'm not going to be a Man United fan of just the men when there's a women's team. So I started taking a keen interest in the women and made you do the same.

James 5:04

Yeah, my love of the women's team comes from you. You started watching them and supporting them before I did. It took me a while to catch up.

Stevie 5:13

And now you have caught up and realise. that it is better for your life because there are more wins and women are better.

James 5:22

Uh, they are considerably better at football, that is true. But yeah, it's not just because of the results from the pitch. I think the availability and affordability of tickets for the women's game, has meant that I've started going to games again. We go to games together and I've rediscovered that love of watching United live home and away that I had 20 years ago.

Stevie 5:41

And unfortunately, we can't

James 5:43

get to every game. We cannot get to every game on account of Leigh Sports Village, where Manchester United women inexplicably play their home games, being an almighty pain in the arse to get to, even if you live in Leigh, and certainly if you live in Manchester, and ruinously so if you live in Bermondsey, South London, so no, we don't get to every game, but we get to plenty, and when we're not there in person, we are watching on TV.

Stevie 6:08

And although we speak confidently about football, we should say we're not

James 6:12

experts. We are not experts. This is definitely not one of those core, athletic, Tifo style podcasts where we astutely analyse the case for and against inverted fullbacks. I'm against. I am against two. This is about fandom. This is about passion for Man United women. This is about love for Ella Toon. This is about the experience of going to the games or watching at home as fans. We are not experts. We're not from Manchester. We don't go to every game, but we're United. So, this is Devil's Play. We're starting this in the middle of the season, so before we look forward, let's rewind a bit. Last year, United Women came second in the WSL, narrowly missing out to Chelsea. Um, we can talk about why that was, the two points dropped to Everton being the most painful, but really, if we're honest, the six points Chelsea took off us were decisive. Terrible injustice at Kings Meadow. But anyway, what were your hopes and expectations coming into this season? I just really wanted

Stevie 7:17

us to grow from last season. I just wanted us to Be competing with Chelsea because that's what the WSL is now. It's, those teams that can compete with Chelsea, and knock them off the top spot. But, okay.

James 7:33

There was a bit of upheaval, wasn't there, in terms of players out and in. We lost two of our superstars in Nanabatje and, uh, what's the other one called? I've forgotten her

Stevie 7:42

name. Haha. Alessia Russo? Who? Yeah, still not over it. Yes, we did lose those players and I think we all knew that that was going to happen on a definitely Russo, maybe not so definitely, although it happened and, you were very sad.

James 8:00

I can't remember being as, uh, gutted by a player leaving Man United at any other point in the kind of 30, Five years that I've supported the team, in the men's team, we've lost Ronaldo to Real Madrid, Beckham to Real Madrid, and they, players have left slightly before their time, like Yapstan, but I can't remember a player. Walking out the club going, I'm leaving because I want to win trophies and that feeling quite as Painful as when she who shall no longer be named left the club and I think particularly because She gave it a big one for years about being a massive band united fan and look here's me as a child in a man united Shirt, so to walk out the door going I'm leaving to go and win trophies was yeah, it was pretty gutting But as you can tell I'm completely over it

Stevie 8:49

It's all good. It's

James 8:51

all completely fine. Yeah, I'm fine. Done. I'm really fine. Good luck,

Stevie 8:55

Nessie.

James 8:56

Who? Yeah. Uh, Anna. Let's move on to Anna because that was much more to be expected and she's left for Barcelona and that's fine, although Also, that's where

Stevie 9:05

she should be. I mean

James 9:06

Yes. She's the best right back in the world. She's the best right back in the world. But that was always going to cause us some problems and, you know, what other players to leave? Martha Thomas, who has done spectacularly well at Spurs, uh, and Grace Clinton on loan, of course, doing brilliantly at Spurs. Um, uh, Barisa, which was a bit of a surprise, but I was gutted about that one.

Stevie 9:27

Actually, that was, that was the one that I thought I always thought when. Where Arisa played that, she gave us a bit of class, a bit of stability in the midfield, something extra, and I could never understand why she wasn't played more, and then she left and I felt pretty sad about that one.

James 9:43

Yeah, that was a strange one, but I suppose it made more sense when Irena Guerrero came in in the opposite direction, not that we've seen. much of her at all because she's been injured. Other incomings at the season, uh, Jace, who is inexplicably called Jay Z by almost everybody else, but, we are assiduous at learning the correct pronunciation of, players names. Well, let's say we've got it right. Well, let's say we've got it right. I mean, that's certainly closer to being right than Jay Z. But I, I, I sort of figured out right that, it's like Toonie. Like, her name is Jace, and people call her Jacey, and then it becomes Jay Z, like the rapper. You just don't justify it to yourself. I'm trying to, I'm wondering why everyone calls her Jay Z. So you can watch Football. You can continue to watch football without being frustrated. I can continue to watch football without screaming at commentators for getting the players names wrong. That's not the worst crime in, misnaming players and fans. But Jason came in, a player of considerable reputation from Barcelona, a Brazilian centre forward, ostensibly to replace, she who shall not be named but, a very different player. Also Melvi Malar on, uh, loan from Lyon, another player with a considerable reputation but best line of all, perhaps. The last one. Gabby George.

Stevie 10:56

Brilliant. Brilliant.

James 10:58

Proper red. Proper red from Wythenshawe. Yeah. She loves to fight. Born to play in red and white. Um, yeah. So Gabby George came in and played the first couple of games. And looked

Stevie 11:11

great, and looked like she gave us a real threat, played with intent, and it, yeah.

James 11:18

I mean, I love Hannah Brundell, but if I was pushed in, over the summer, I'd have said left back was an area of the pitch in which we could improve, and Gabby George looked like she improved us in that position considerably, indeed. two and a half games that she played. We'll come back to, to Gabby. But yeah, we, do you think we were stronger? Before? Before, into this, going into the season with those, with the outgoings and the incoming, do you think we were stronger?

Stevie 11:51

think we were stronger? Yes. I think what we lost with Batye was massive. I mean, that was really where. the creativity came from in the wide areas. And, I think what Russo gives a team we haven't replaced. We don't have someone that can hold up the play like she did. We don't have someone that runs after defenders and presses like she did. Obviously we have, different feelings about Alessia Russo but she is the best number nine in this country I would say.

James 12:26

We should never talk about her again. Okay,

Stevie 12:29

whatever it was we lost we haven't replaced. I agree. So I think yes we were stronger there. I think that we have also lost a bit of Depth from our squad. By losing players like Martha Thomas, Torres Dottier. I know we've brought players in but I, I, I thought they always gave us something else. And, we're yet to see Guerrero. We don't know what that depth is yet. So, you know, we haven't talked about Hinata. We haven't talked

James 12:59

about Hinata. That was a great signing. That felt really exciting. That

Stevie 13:02

was, that is a really exciting signing. And I think we are yet to see the best. She's obviously injured at the moment, but I'm excited about that, if he gets it

James 13:10

right. That felt like a worldy signing, didn't it? Off the back of the World Cup, top scorer in the World Cup and a really exciting player sort of breaking from midfield and scoring goals. We probably haven't seen the best of her, but I wonder whether we also haven't played to her strengths, particularly yet this season. So we started the season away at. Aston Villa at Villa Park. And it was a thriller. It was a classic United last minute winner. Yeah, we

Stevie 13:40

looked a little bit lost during that game. Although I thought that Garthia started brilliantly. Had a great game, didn't she? She looked like a different player.

James 13:49

She looked like she'd emerged to become a key component of the team. She looked like she'd

Stevie 13:54

just been running all summer. Yeah,

James 13:56

she did. She did look like a different player, yeah. It's

Stevie 13:59

amazing. But obviously we went 1 0 down and then we got it back to 2 1 with a classic Rachel Williams. Rachel

James 14:07

Williams, Queen of Clutch. Queen of Clutch. It was a great way to start the season because, you know, there's nothing better than a last minute winner. And people were hotly tipping Villa to be the side that would break out of the kind of mid table of the WSL and threaten the top four. So it hasn't worked out like that at all. If anything, Villa are really struggling. But, at the time, on the first game of the season, that felt like a real win. Next up was Arsenal at home, which still feels a little painful. If there's nothing better than scoring a last minute winner to win a game, there's nothing worse than conceding a last minute winner at home to Arsenal. Yeah,

Stevie 14:48

although I think, We were fortunate to play Arsenal at that time. Their season's gone in a different direction and ours has been a bit stunted. I don't think that we necessarily played brilliantly, but, neither did Arsenal, so that's where we were at.

James 15:06

We probably should have killed them, at that point in the season, yeah. a few days later we played our first ever. Champions League game at home to PSG, which was hugely exciting. United have been trying to break into that top three and therefore qualify for Europe, since the team's formation in 2018. So it was a huge achievement to get there. And I thought that at home, it was a pretty decent, pretty credible draw. Yeah, I

Stevie 15:34

agree. I think it was. I think, we needed to just have hope, didn't we? We just, and we gave ourselves that. Worked hard, and got the draw.

James 15:43

And, went to Paris, a week later, full of hope and expectation. And we all know.

Stevie 15:50

It's the hope that

James 15:50

kills you. It's the hope that kills you. Every time. I went to Paris and, the weather forecast was glorious and I had visions of strolling around Paris in the sunshine with a book, drinking cold beer. But it pissed it down the entire time and, we lost 3 1 so it was pretty

Stevie 16:10

miserable. It was a pretty dodgy refereeing decision in there as well.

James 16:15

It was an appalling refereeing decision. At some point we will do a whole episode on Bad referees. Bad referees. So that's an episode on player name pronunciation and one on bad referees we've got coming up. What a thriller. Oh my god. But yes, Paris was so disappointing. We just didn't really turn up. And

Stevie 16:37

at that point Tini hadn't really turned up in season either, had she? It was really after that game I thought that she started to look a little bit more like her old self. Yeah. Which is a shame because she had a chance, big chance to score in that game.

James 16:50

Just before half time, which really would have made, uh, it feels like it would have made a difference. We came out the second half and we had a really good ten minutes when Nelson scored. But, we were overawed, PSG fans were superb behind the goal, the ultras, really amazing atmosphere, the likes of which we don't see in the UK in women's football, United fans, good showing, but we were kind of under some netting in a corner, a long, long way away from the pitch, it was very hard to generate any atmosphere and the whole thing felt a little bit sort of damp. Just like you. Just like me. I was indeed damp and empty. Um, in between those two PSG games, we played Leicester at home and that feels like, a critical match for all the wrong reasons. Yeah,

Stevie 17:41

definitely. We started really well that game, although we just couldn't get the ball in the back of the net. And then the injury happened, Gabby George went down with what we now know as an ACL injury. And, the game lost its momentum. It was a horrible thing to see, and I don't think that's good for players when they see that, especially because we know how, devastating it can be to do your ACL. You can tell straight away that she knew. And then we let them score. Didn't put our chances away, let them score. Thankfully we got an equaliser, but we couldn't kill the game again. And that feels a little bit like the story of our season, so far.

James 18:23

And, you know, you can't blame external things for performances on the pitch, but I agree, I thought Gabby going off in such obvious distress, was a really devastating blow to the entire team, and Contributed in some way to that result, but, but Also derailing the season just at that moment. Such a shame to lose as she looked just so brilliant. And it's just so devastating for her personally that having secured her dream move to United and played so brilliantly that, that we lost to. So scene. There'd been a number of other injuries to affect, affect the score. Scored Emma Watson, injured on. International Duty for Scotland just a couple of weeks after signing from Rangers. Young player. That looks really exciting. Jess Simpson, he was online at Bristol City and obviously laterally. Hi. wHich is not an a CO is it's, it's not, no. But she has a surgery. It's a, yeah, it was, I can't remember exactly what the injury was, but she's out for. And of course, the first look we got at Guerrero was the other night in Malta. Yeah, she did play

Stevie 19:28

against, Everton in the Conti Cup. She had an assist. Did she? In a key to parity, yeah. But she came on as a sub, and I think got injured in that game, and then We haven't seen her since. I think that's, that's it. That's all she's got. That's all the playing time

James 19:40

she's had. So injuries have affected things, but, probably, not to the extent that we can blame the malaise of the season on injuries alone. After PSG, things looked up a bit. We beat Everton. 5 0 in the league, away, which was, a really decent performance. That's it, brilliant. Goals, goals, goals, goals, goals. We looked really good. I love goals. And we followed that up with a really disappointing draw. Same,

Stevie 20:10

same as the last game, really. We just had so many chances, we just didn't put away. It was wasteful, mad. And then they scored. That's what always happens. Don't put your chances away. They're decent teams, you know. They're going to come at you. And if they get a chance and put it away, then

James 20:27

We so could have won that in the last, couldn't we? That was another main, you know, another sort of Rachel Williams clutch equaliser that, It should have been a winner. It could easily have turned into a win. But really disappointing. And, you know, the WSL is so tight and competitive, if you lose points to Leicester and Brighton, in quick succession. You put yourself in trouble. But we bounced back to beat Everton again, 7 0 on the Conte Cup. Can we play you every week? Uh, and then we played West Ham at the Leeds Sports Village. Which we were at and it felt like a brilliant performance and probably the most complete performance of our season. It looked like

Stevie 21:08

things had finally clicked into place with all the players that were on the pitch. figured out their system, they all knew what each other were thinking. They were seeing passes and they were executing them and we had a lovely old day, didn't we?

James 21:21

It was glorious. It felt like we'd worked out how to incorporate Renato into the team. Into the team. She looked brilliant.

Stevie 21:29

And she, what she does is she makes other players better. Because she moves the ball so quickly. Toonie can be in space and not be closed down by a defender and get the ball off Hinata straight away. Whereas if you don't give it to her straight away someone's figured it out, you know. People watch other team play all the time. what her tricks are. Hinata seemed to make her better. That was Toonie's best. Team was outstanding that day. That was the day

James 21:52

that I thought, she's back. she was outstanding. As you say, vertical passing, just phenomenal. I also thought Jade Riviere was brilliant that day. That was the day when I thought, Oh, Jade Batier. We're going to be fine. Yeah. So, we went into the following week, we were back in Manchester, for City at Old Trafford. Full of hope and expectation. It was a massive, massive game. So much excitement around it. We were really looking forward to it. Full English and Bloody Marys in the pub at Euston Station. A few tinnies on the train, Metro out to Old Trafford and then in. Classic Mancunian Mizzle. A lot of Manchester Day that one, wasn't it? Uh, things started to seem a bit wrong. Firstly, Lou Macari's Chippy was closed. Which was devastating because on a personal level, chips and gravy from Lou Macari's Chippy is an essential part of our Old Trafford matchday experience, and we've been looking forward to Lou Mackay's Chips and Gravy all week. But, acute personal disappointment aside, it was perhaps indicative that despite a record breaking crowd at Old Trafford, the Women's Manchester Derby is still not considered important enough to open the Chippy for. And the, the Trafford pub wasn't open either, it just sort of felt a bit sad and half open around Old Trafford. the Bishop Blaze, where they had massively limited capacity by having all the tables out and trying to serve food, as if it wasn't a match day. And, you know, these might feel like quite minor quibbles, but they do feel sadly representative of the way women's football is treated differently to men's football. Like, did all those Local businesses surrounding Old Trafford not know the game was on, or did they know it was on and decide that 43, 000 people watching a women's match weren't worth opening for or catering for? Yeah, they knew it was on. Yeah, it's just felt a bit disappointing, wasn't it? Oh, the build up was so good. I mean, credit to the club. The club, the club did a good job for once. The club did such a good job. Social media

Stevie 23:52

felt really good. I mean, you've just got to look at the attendance.

James 23:56

43, 000 tickets. Absolutely amazing. It's incredible. But it was, yeah, it was a weird day. It just felt like it hadn't quite worked it all out in terms of hosting a big match at Old Trafford. But anyway, we got into the Bishop's Blaze and, we bought two pints of Guinness for 6. 64, which when you live in London is so cheap. I always think they've forgotten to charge me for one of them. And we were there with our pints of Guinness in the Bishop's Blaze. When the team news dropped, and your reaction was What the

Stevie 24:25

fuck? What the fuck? Yeah, I had a weird moment of kind of looking through the team, trying to count how many attackers we had on, in the line up, and then at the dawning realisation that we had no right back. Dropped.

James 24:39

So weird, having watched West Ham and really picked Hinata and Jade as two of the star players of the side, and looking like we'd found a formation that really worked. Skinner, who historically has not been known for shuffling his pack, He's got his faves. Still, to me, inexplicable reason he decided to shuffle the pack ahead of our biggest game in, well, certainly this season. It's not just

Stevie 25:03

shuffle the pack, it's shuffle the formation, which is what I just didn't understand at all. what are you trying to achieve with this formation? And are you not changing the formation but putting an attacker as the right back or the left back? Like, what are you doing? Leah Goulton as left back. Leah Goulton as left back. And Hannah Blundell left back as right back.

James 25:23

What? It was so weird. It was so weird and so confusing and, it was one of those moments, in the Bishop's Blaze where you look at the team news, you go, what the fuck, and then you look up and you see an entire pack full of people going, what the fuck, what the fuck. Yeah. So it all goes quiet and there's like five minutes where everyone's like, what, what, what's he doing? What's he doing? Yeah. Is this stupid or is it genius? Could be genius. Turns out it wasn't. Um, so we were sitting in, 209 above the tunnel. Great place to be. But it was not the atmosphere we wanted never quite got going.

Stevie 25:59

No it didn't because they came out. The match started and they Came us. Like, I don't know how else to say it. they really started strongly. They were really good. They were good. Yeah. It was, I can't, I can't remember really. It was something like six shots in the first. 10

James 26:16

minutes or something like that. Yeah, they came out absolutely firing and disappointingly, we couldn't match their energy or intensity, just like they wanted it a bit more, which is, you know, which is super disappointing. But, um, somehow we won ourselves a penalty. Yes. And went 1 0 up and we really should have gone. Tune it up, one of those super annoying WSL, refereeing no VAR controversies. Did not cross the line. It did not cross the line. It did not cross the line. It did not cross the

Stevie 26:42

line. And I don't know how we can be conclusive about it.

James 26:45

By saying it did not cross the line. Definitively. Definitive. There we go. Yeah. That's, that's it sorted. So we should have gone tune it up, because it did not cross the line. But we didn't. And, City equalised, Through to a R. O. A. R. D. then, from the kick off, an absolute

Stevie 27:04

Disaster. I don't even know what to say about it, I don't really want to talk

James 27:08

about it. Shall we not? Let's not talk about it. The second half of Mark Skinner I think worked out that he'd sort of royally fucked up and changed it all back and brought Jade on, and we reverted to tight but we couldn't handle

Stevie 27:19

Didn't say that she only had 45 minutes

James 27:21

in her, she had a knock. She did, there was some kind of knock. Why not make that the first 45 minutes? I mean, that would make sense. Right?

Stevie 27:29

Figure it out. Be on top. Be winning. And then if she needs to go off, put Mayer at right

James 27:34

back. Totally. it was a terrible time to suddenly decide to be the Tinkerman or, try and play pep roulette when you're Mark Skinner and not pep. anyway. And they're not it was a bad day. It was a bad it's the hope that kills you. We were full of hope and it was a bad day. We were full of hope and it coming away from the game, we were sort of talking about it, what was worrying was that we were out thought and out fought. It And on the back of PSG away, and sitting at home in front of 43, 000 at Old Trafford, we started to think, can we handle the big occasion? Is this a problem?

Stevie 28:05

Yeah, I mean, maybe, and probably. two players that, um, you know, I don't know. I don't know. I I don't know. I don't I don't know. played in the World Cup, for players that didn't, because those are the biggest of occasions and, so it felt a bit odd that he did that. there have been moments in the history of Manchester United women where they have played to the big occasion and done brilliantly. Usually they do Trafford, so that's a shame, and the support was just Amazing, the amount of people that are supporting Man United. I mean, the City end was embarrassing.

James 28:35

City have no

Stevie 28:37

fans. It was crazy. I was shocked because I thought that the women's team had more fans than the men's team.

James 28:43

But clearly not. I mean, I've never seen an away end at Old Trafford that empty, ever. It was embarrassing. Yeah, it was embarrassing. So at least we're not City fans. We might have lost that game. Yeah. We might be worried that our team cannot handle the big occasion.

Stevie 28:57

I was a bit worried about the we couldn't handle their press as well, that was the main thing. It's like, we'd been playing around with the ball, we were just not accurate enough with it, and then we'd get done.

James 29:06

Yeah, we tend to be quite press resistant as a back four, but we were not that day, and blame Mark Skinner. Yeah. But there were some big positives. I thought the club for once, we criticised the club relentlessly, but for once, the club. got behind the women's team brilliantly. The marketing around the game was fantastic. The amount of coverage the club gave the team and the game was huge. And you know, this team has only been going since 2018, I think because it's Man United, because it's, of the history of the men's team. We expect a lot, but this is still quite a new team and it's still sort of finding its place. Alongside WSL teams have been going for a lot longer, so some positives, but coming away from that game, you couldn't help thinking That's the title gone

Stevie 29:51

Unfortunately in the WSL. That's how it works Gotta win games You can't drop points Because because other teams are not going to do that.

James 29:59

By that point we'd dropped points to Arsenal, we'd dropped points to Leicester, we'd dropped points to Brighton, now we'd lost to City. So, yeah, it was pretty bleak. But we bounced back, we beat Liverpool away in the Conti Cup. We beat Bristol City, unconvincingly, at Ashton Gate, but a lot of credit to Bristol City that day. we were there, we really enjoyed a day out in Bristol. And I thought Bristol City played pretty well, pretty resilient. They did,

Stevie 30:23

and

James 30:24

they knew how to stop us. They did, and we got the job done. Then we played Spurs away at, Leyton Orient, which was a glorious Sunday evening. It was

Stevie 30:34

a glorious Sunday evening. Although I did think in that game that we didn't start particularly well. First half was a bit shit. It was. We weren't at it. Uh, and then, Hannah Vandell scores a crot. Are we going to call it a crot?

James 30:46

I mean it wasn't, it was a cross. It was a cross that went

Stevie 30:48

in and out, without a touch on it. then it turned into a bit of a rout, which was amazing. And, I love goals, so four nil's perfect for me, right? Teeny's

James 30:56

chip, exquisite. And Hayley Ladd, what a

Stevie 31:01

girl. I mean, just stroll towards that ball, that's my favourite thing about it. She literally didn't even run. She just walked, put her foot through it. Put the side of her foot through it. Lovely.

James 31:10

Hayley Land, who lost her place in the team at the beginning of the season, has been exceptional, I think, in the second half of the season. She looked fantastic in that game. She looked brilliant in that game. Yeah. Then we beat Leicester 3 1 in the Conte Cup and we'd sort of, well, I'd sort of started to forget about Man City and our position in the league and sort of thought, hey, we're doing alright, you know. Um, the only thing we had to do before the winter break was thrash. Liverpool at home, last year in that game we won 6 0, so it should not have been a problem and after a few minutes, three, three minutes, Tooney puts his head and we are cruising.

Stevie 31:50

And then a few minutes later, Melveen misses an open goal, so that's fun, and then,

James 31:56

what happens? It's the hope that kills you. It's the hope that kills you. Absolute gut punch. You'll hear that a lot on this

Stevie 32:01

podcast. Yes. It's our favourite phrase. Yeah. The Man

James 32:05

United fans. It's the hope that regularly and relentlessly kills you. It was an absolute gut punch, wasn't it? I mean, losing 2 1 to Liverpool was a killer. it's a killer. killer in the league in terms of dropping those three points, but, especially painful because it's Liverpool and we should not be losing to Liverpool. No. So we enter the halfway point or almost halfway point, the mid season break, at least, of the WSL, feeling a little deflated. A bit sad. Because losing to City and Liverpool. Is sad making. So, Let's do a quick, Mid season check in. You're marks out of ten for Manchester United in the first half of the season. Six. Generous. Yeah, it is generous. I'm going five. Okay. Work to be done. Yeah. Who is your player of the season so far? Ellatoon.

Stevie 33:01

Because she's the best

James 33:02

player in the team. Because she's the best player in the world. And we laugh at her team. She,

Stevie 33:07

the first couple of games she didn't look her best, but After, Brighton, when she scored that worldie, And then on to West Ham, she's just looked like she's back to her best. And no one works harder than Toomey. And, when she's playing like that, you just get so much out of her. I can never understand at the moment why Mark's going to take her off because he takes off that work rate.

James 33:25

taking Teenie off against Liverpool was Another extraordinary decision. But anyway, um, Tini obviously is, my hero and so absolutely my favorite player of all time. And who do you think the player of the season is? Well, I would give an honorable mention to Jade Riviere, who I think has stepped up magnificently into a gap that I thought was going to be unfillable after Honest left. She looks fantastic and

Stevie 33:49

she really runs. She, she works very hard. She's

James 33:52

got pace, she's got skill. She's good defender. She, she tackles back, with the tenacity of Aaron Wan Bissaka, albeit without the extendable legs. Um, but she's, yeah, she's a fantastic player and I'm, I'm excited about what is your, highlight of the season so far?

Stevie 34:09

my highlight of the season is that West

James 34:12

Ham game. Yeah. I'm going to go, Stevie's Little Chip against Spurs. Yeah, I loved it. I did love that. Yeah. I mean, I might go the, like, the 60 seconds after Nolson scored in, um, Paris. Yeah. Thinking that we might, we might get back into this, but I don't know if I've mentioned it, but it's the hope that kills you. Biggest disappointment? Biggest

Stevie 34:33

disappointment? Um, Gabby George's injury? Yeah, I mean, definitely. Is

James 34:38

that one?

Stevie 34:38

Yeah, definitely. I mean, the City game

James 34:40

obviously is Yeah, and going out of the Champions League was really gutting. goal? Chip. I'm going to Tuni at Brighton. Okay. We were there and, I felt absolutely ecstatic when that goal hit the back of the net. It's one of those, feelings that you only get when you're there and you see an extraordinary goal being scored by an extraordinary player at a really critical moment in the match. It's just that kind of leap out of your seat with excitement moment that, yeah, that was a, that was a magic, magic moment. Um, where do you stand on

Stevie 35:20

Mark Skinner? I can't, I don't know, I can't figure him out. I think maybe, that the club is outgrowing him. and so he's holding us back a little bit, I don't think he can make the big decisions. I don't think he can, you know, drop Katie Sellum, if Katie Sellum deserves to be dropped. I don't think he can do that. so I would say it's time for him to move on. But, that won't happen.

James 35:40

It's tough, isn't it? am not as overtly anti Mark Skinner as much of the fanbase is. But I also feel like we are not moving forward at the rate that Manchester United requires and that is a massive ask. It's a club that, destroys individuals in pursuit of, ambitious results but, we've got to be better and we haven't been. I mean,

Stevie 36:05

you can't deny we had a great season last season, you know, and we don't get there without him. We needed progression and we haven't

James 36:10

got it at all. Did we overachieve last year and therefore we're actually, we're actually finding our level? I don't

36:16

know.

Stevie 36:16

It's possible but, at a club like Manchester United you can't

James 36:20

go backwards. So, something has to happen. Honourable mention for Mary Earps, who won the Golden Glove at the World Cup, uh, has won Sports Personality of the Year, Magnificent, has been named in the FIFA FIFA Toonie, incidentally, quite rightly, world class at a Toon. She, I suppose, I shouldn't be hesitant about picking up Mary Epps, but, I'm still She is still a United player. She is still a United player. So, for now, let's just say We love Mary Epps. We love Mary Epps. And what, what a great ambassador. She's for the game. Yeah, the best goalkeeper in the world plays for our football club currently and she is magnificent

Stevie 37:03

She's magnificent as

37:04

a

James 37:04

goalkeeper. She's magnificent as a goalkeeper and a human so well done Mary Earp's first half season Thanks for being great. Please stay please stay, please Please stay So to wind this first episode of devil's play We should talk briefly about the restart because we've done the winter break now and a couple of days ago we played PSV in Malta in a friendly at the end of our warm weather winter training camp and there were some positives. Yeah, I

Stevie 37:38

thought so. I mean Guerrero being back on the pitch is a positive. She looks good. She looked like she could unlock. With some three passing. We had some youngsters, saw some youngsters, Macy Davies, left back, Holly Dearing, midfield, Olivia Francis up top. And the second half, which I was most excited about the youngsters, Phoebe Chadwick, looked fantastic on the right back, didn't she? Absolutely brilliant. And Lucy Newell also at the centre back, you really

James 38:03

liked her. Lucy Newell looked so composed at the centre back, fantastic. Touch. She looks like a real ball playing, progressive centre back and so much composure. I mean they were pressing PSV and she just looked way beyond her years in terms of experience. But I agree Phoebe Chabot was also super excited down the right. Pace and Didn't look scared. No, no. Brilliant. Really going for it. So, yes, that was exciting and, Toonie was magnificent. Yeah, she

Stevie 38:35

was brilliant. And she got elbowed in the face and got a black eye for her troubles. Well,

James 38:39

she got twatted by a swinging forearm that would have been given a straight red card in the WSL, probably followed by a formal conviction for TBA. Yeah, yeah. And it left Toonie with two black eyes. But before that unfortunate incident, there was a backflick to Narlson which that was Out of this world. And then minutes later, she played this kind of scoop pass. Scoop pass, yeah. Scoop pass. Which I can only compare to Eric Cantona for its vision and beauty. Although it didn't actually reach its intended target. No it did! I think it did. I don't know that it did, but it was, it was a glorious, it was a glorious idea anyway. And then a moment later, she hit this pass from, from the sort of 10 in the middle of the park out to Nikita Paris that was absolutely perfect in its vision and execution and, we do, probably talk about Elatune too much, but she deserves all the plaudits after that game. She was Head and shoulders, the best player on the pitch. It

Stevie 39:40

was poor. It was a poor game, in general. and, she looked out of place.

James 39:44

She did. She was so good. It was a poor game, quite a lot because the grass was far too long. Oh yeah, awful. at the Tony Pezzina Stadium, which of course, You've been to. I've been to. Of course you have. You love a football stadium. I do love a football stadium. I am extremely. geeky about football stadiums. Tony Bazzina Stadium, incidentally, is the home of Hibernians, FC, who play an important part in the history of Manchester United because they welcomed United in the European Cup in September 1967. They lost the first, or United won the first, like four nil at Old Trafford and then went to Malta to play Hibernians or be in a different stadium. In Xera for the second leg, uh, and drew nil nil. Wow. Hibernians FC, Immolta held best law, Charlton and the rest to a nil nil draw. But of course, uh, that is the year that United went on to win the European Cup. So, Tony Pizzina Stadium in a weird, circuitous way. plays an important part in the United history and, ever since that game, against Hibernians in 67 there's been a massive United support in Malta, um, also heard some, uh, some real United fans in that crash. Oh yeah, they were there. We heard ya. We heard ya. We heard ya. Um, what a year away that would have been. Amazing, brilliant. Why didn't we do that? I know. That was a miss. Next year, if we're going back to You've got to work, you've got to work. Oh yeah, you've got to work, yeah. But, um, next year, if we go to Malta for winter training Sack off work! We should go. Absolutely. Um, finally, we should quickly talk about our next game, which is Newcastle United in the FA Cup. I know Almost nothing about Newcastle United apart from the fact that they are the only professional team in the third tier and that they are enormously ambitious and, they are currently top of the

Stevie 41:43

Haven't lost a game for a very long time.

James 41:45

They have played 11 1 10, drawn 1 and lost none. Yeah. And their goal difference is plus 37. Great. And they beat Halifax last weekend 7 0. So, I feel quite nervous about this game.

Stevie 41:58

I know, it's weird that you're so nervous about it. I think we'll be fine. I really hope you're

James 42:02

right. Yeah. I feel like it's absolutely gigantic banana skin, but you say we're going to be fine. Hey, I trust you. Cool. so that will do for now. That is me, James and my brilliant wife, Stevie talking about Man United Women like we always do. But this time, weirdly, in our hallway with a microphone, we bought off Amazon and with. Some trepidation. We will now upload it to the internet and see if anyone listens to it. And if by any miraculous chance you are listening to it, then you must have searched for Man United Women podcasts, like we have done many times. And so we hope very much that finding this is not a crushing disappointment. If it is, you can tell us to stop doing it. via our socials. You can also, of course, tell us to keep doing it, if you like it. The latter would be better received than the former, but we have very low expectations. But hey, if you like it, please subscribe, so you'll get the next episode, which will be ASAP after Newcastle, and please rate and review. Apparently these things make a big difference, or so we're told at the end of every podcast we listen to. And, you know, we just want to fit in. Thanks for listening. Thanks, everyone. Come on, United. Come on, United.

43:16

If ever they're playing in your town, You must get to that football ground, Take a lesson, come to see Football taught by Matt Busby and Manchester Manchester United A bunch of bouncing Busby babes They deserve to be knighted