Tottenham Hotspur Women just fell short of the 9-0 WSL scoreline record that Chelsea hold on to still as Rehanne Skinner's side bounced back from the Man City disappointment to record a whopping 8-0 win against now manager-less Brighton and Hove Albion.
Hope Powell decided it was time to step down after five years in charge of the Seagulls following the home humiliation and the outpour of support aimed at the former Lionesses boss has been added upon by Skinner who hopes to see her managerial compatriot back in the women's game in some form, 'sooner rather than later.'
“Hope is a fantastic person and a fantastic coach," she started in her press conference on Thursday afternoon. “She mentored me through the early stages of my career when I was involved with England at youth age groups. She has offered so much to the game and has contributed so much too. I’m certain she will be back in the game in some way shape or form.
“It’s unfortunate with the circumstances in and around where she ended up with Brighton. Ultimately, it’s not about one result but she will bring so much to the game in whatever avenue she chooses to go into next. Whenever that is, everyone will welcome her back into the game with open arms, picking her brains for the knowledge and experience she brings, so I hope she is back in the game sooner rather than later.”
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Skinner worked with the national set-up early in her career and she reflected on what she learnt from Powell during those early primitive days which have allowed her to forge a path to becoming the Tottenham manager.
She continued: “I think one of the biggest things for me was how to work in an elite environment and how to manage certain situations which helped to evolve the game in the right way in order to get people on board with what you are trying to do.
“I think the standards she set are incredibly high in order to maximise the time in that setting in particular when you don’t have a lot of it. Efficiency as a coach, the standards you need to set, the way you pull players to being at the highest level they can and support that, she would constantly challenge why you were thinking what you were thinking.
“You need that as a coach to challenge your thinking, so for me at that age, it was priceless and sometimes challenging too, but you need that to evolve. There are loads of things but those stick in my mind constantly.”
One other topic that dominated the press conference was star player Ash Neville, who reacted positively to yet another England snub by Sarina Wiegman who had explained her decision earlier this week.
Skinner when asked about the player in question truly believes that the important people in the England set-up will eventually 'pay attention' if the 29-year-old keeps on maintaining this high level for the Lilywhites throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
“Ash is a phenomenal person and it is a testament to the type of person she is that she puts a tweet out like yesterday in association to the England squad." the Tottenham boss pointed out. “I think she is really loyal and really dedicated to the team. She is focused on doing what she needs to do in a club environment week in, week out and whatever evolves from that, evolves from that.
“She is really grateful for all the support that fans are giving across the game from other clubs. That is a testament to how fantastic she is playing and the person she is. Everyone can see how humble she is. She will keep doing what she is doing and at some point, people have got to pay attention to that.”
Everton come into this clash, sat on the same points as Spurs but in one position (sixth) lower currently in the WSL table. Skinner recognised the abundance of change in Merseyside as a contributing factor as to why the Toffees have endured a mixed start under Brian Sorensen.
The 42-year-old concluded: "We played them pre-season and they have evolved since then. They have got positive attacking threats and an experienced backline. It will be a challenging game.”
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