KATHRYN BATTE: It’s reaching hammer time for Rehanne Skinner and Co… there’s still no cohesion, still no clear playing style and with just two league wins ALL YEAR, something is clearly wrong at West Ham

• 2023 has proven to be a disastrous 12 months for West Ham’s women’s team 
• They have picked up just two league wins and are staring relegation in the face 
• West Ham can WIN the League Cup… don’t get hung up on rotation. Sod it! Go all out at Anfield – It’s All Kicking Off 

A few days ago one of my colleagues asked me to guess how many Women’s Super League games West Ham had won in 2023. I knew it was not many. I assumed maybe around five or six. My low expectations were not low enough.

West Ham have won just two league games this year. Two. One came under previous manager Paul Konchesky, the other under current boss Rehanne Skinner.

That they ended 2023 with a 98th-minute equaliser against Leicester, which lifted them off the foot of the table, is at least a sign of some encouragement. But there really has been little to cheer about for the past 12 months.

I watched the Hammers get beaten 3-0 away to Arsenal a few weeks ago. It was not the worst performance I have ever seen – they hit the post twice and, on another day, could have taken a point. 

But everything was disjointed. I did not feel like I was looking at a team, but rather a collection of individuals.

Pressure is intensifying on Rehanne Skinner with West Ham remaining devoid of any cohesion

In their last match of 2023 they fell behind against Leicester, requiring a a 98th-minute equaliser against the Foxes to ensure they lifted themselves off the foot of the WSL table

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Some of them are very talented in their own right. 

Riko Ueki, the Japan international, would probably get in most WSL teams outside of the top four. Viviane Asseyi has over 60 caps for France and joined from Bayern Munich last summer. Lisa Evans, Hawa Cissoko and Risa Shimizu are all internationals and experienced players. But there does not seem to be any cohesion or an obvious playing style.

Konchesky made the decision to leave as manager at the end of last season after a run of one win in 12 games. There was clearly something wrong then and there is clearly something wrong now.

Skinner replaced Konchesky in the summer. She was sacked by Tottenham in March after nine straight league defeats and, across both clubs, has taken just five points from the last 57 available.

At Spurs, Skinner had perhaps lost her way. It can happen. She had probably overachieved in her first full season. She had made her team hard to beat and had a striker in Rachel Williams who was experienced and could score vital goals.

They finished fifth — their best-ever final position in the WSL. The following year, Spurs tried to advance by bringing in new players and adapting their playing style to be more attacking. It did not work and, in truth, Skinner should probably have been sacked earlier.

The situation at West Ham is different. Skinner did not have enough time for a full pre-season. She was not afforded a large budget and, as a result, has a threadbare squad that is nowhere near deep enough. Against Arsenal, they did not have a back-up goalkeeper on the bench due to injuries and the average age of their substitutes was just 22 years and 177 days.

Paul Konchesky left as West Ham manager just a year into the role, and Skinner replaced him

Konchesky (right) won one of West Ham’s two league games throughout the entirety of 2023

Skinner can be afforded more sympathy for the situation she finds herself in here. 

The problems stem from above. Since Jack Sullivan left his role as managing director in 2021 the club has gone backwards.

Many balked at how someone so young could be appointed to such an important job but what Sullivan may have lacked in experience, he made up for in passion and determination. 

It was clear in the two BBC Three series Britain’s Youngest Football Boss that he cared. 

The women’s team played a couple of games at the London Stadium and in 2019 they made the FA Cup final. Last season, West Ham were the only team in the WSL not to play a single game at their men’s ground, despite it being in the league’s recommendations.

They are the only club that do not yet have any plans to play one there this season, either. Manchester City are the only other club who have not played a fixture at their main stadium but it was announced earlier in the year that they will host United there in March.

The decision to hire Rick Passmoor as her assistant coach was one of the good decisions the club has made in recent months but Skinner needs to be backed in the January transfer window. Failure to do so could cost the Hammers their place in the WSL. 

Only relegation could make 2024 worse than 2023.

Only relegation out of the Women’s Super League could make 2024 more miserable than 2023

SEASON OF JEERS FOR UNITED BOSS

There were boos for Manchester United boss Marc Skinner after his side were beaten 2-1 at home by Liverpool. Some also chanted ‘Skinner out’ at full time.

The manager splits opinion among United fans but there is a growing contingent who do not believe he is the right man to take the club forward. 

Last season was their best ever since the club re-formed their women’s team in 2018. They finished second and made an FA Cup final, which Skinner deserves credit for. 

The summer was difficult with significant outgoings and a flurry of late incomings. The team needs more depth in defence, especially at full-back. 

There are some Manchester United fans that don’t think Marc Skinner is the right manager

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify

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But there is a feeling that this United team is, currently, underperforming. 

Is Skinner getting the best out of these players? A lot of fans are not convinced. 

United have dropped points in five of their 10 games this season. They are seven points behind leaders Chelsea and a title challenge is already starting to look out of reach. 

January will be a crucial month for Skinner, but whether he will be able to bring in the players he needs remains to be seen.

ALL EYES ON HARVEY

Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed that OL Reign boss Laura Harvey was in the directors’ box at Chelsea for their Champions League fixture with Hacken last week. 

Harvey is one of a number of possible candidates to replace Emma Hayes when she leaves for the United States in the summer. 

Harvey was, however, also at the Emirates to watch the Blues lose against her former club Arsenal so may just be doing the rounds of stadiums while the US soccer league is on a break. She was joined in the directors box by Angel City president Julie Uhrman. 

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