00:00 [music] Welcome back to the Women's Super League
00:05 Show with myself, Susanna Seeley, and Scotsman and National World writer, Graeme Fork. Today,
00:10 we will be looking at the FA Cup action that took place last week, the upcoming WSL fixtures
00:16 taking place this weekend. The biggest news from recent times is Serena Vigman has signed
00:22 a new contract which is now in place until at least 2027. Graeme, this is covering the
00:30 next Euros tournament. Obviously, we've spoken about her so much on this show and pledged
00:36 our eternal gratitude to her. What does this mean for the Lionesses that they've got her
00:45 until 2027? Graeme Fork I think it's huge. For people listening,
00:50 this is completely fresh. We got it half an hour ago. I had one of those normal Tuesday
00:55 mornings where I had my coffee. I feel like I look a little bit rough today. Fair enough,
00:59 maybe I do. I'm looking at myself and thinking, "Oh, sleepy." Then 9/22 pops in my inbox on
01:05 the FA. Serena signed a new contract and it was like, "Oh, hang on a minute. Right, okay.
01:09 Let me just process it and write about it." I think it's great news. I don't think she's
01:17 ever been unhappy. I've been in press conferences where she's been asked about a new contract
01:21 and she's just so professional with it. She's like, "I'm concentrating on the game or the
01:24 next tournament or whatever it may be. We'll discuss that when it comes to it. You'll get
01:28 the news when it comes." She's always struck me as someone who really enjoys the job with
01:33 the Lionesses. I really enjoy her at the job a lot because I think in the context of history,
01:43 she's the most successful England women's manager of all time. I also think what people
01:48 will realize with Beegman when she's gone in terms of managing another international
01:54 club or another club, I don't think people will realize quite what we had until that
01:59 point. She just absolutely oozes class. If you're talking about people with just sheer
02:05 class, she's right at the top of my list. I think when you have people who are tactically
02:11 as astute as she is, as classy as she is in press conferences, as intelligent as she is,
02:18 which England player doesn't want to leave their guts out there for her every single
02:23 time? I think they do. We've discussed England when they've lost a World Cup final. We've
02:28 discussed England when they've won semifinals. We've discussed England when they've just
02:31 got past Scotland. We've discussed England when they've absolutely thrashed Scotland
02:35 or been a bit under par or the best team in the world. Every single time, I've never thought
02:39 it's been an effort thing. You can see that's coming from Serena just demands the best.
02:43 That's because she is the best. Awarded again, the best award once more. No shock, absolutely
02:50 no surprise at that. I just think it's great news to be honest. I think if she could stay
02:55 here until she's 125, I'd be comfortable with it. I think she's the best in the business.
03:01 I don't think there's anyone better than her for the job at the moment. It's great news
03:04 because that means England have got a massive chance in the next two tournaments. Whenever
03:08 you have Serena, you've got a chance at winning a tournament.
03:11 Well, so obviously you mentioned the awards that she won and we should note as well, again,
03:16 this is something that I do feel that it comes up every week, but once again, huge congratulations
03:22 to Mary Earps who won another award for goalkeeping. No surprises, I don't think, but it's still
03:28 amazing to see. So with Serena, you often get a point with managers where a stalemate
03:37 comes and you're not really sure where to go. What is next for this squad? Like what
03:42 is she now working towards? She's got a Euro, she got a World Cup final. Obviously the contract
03:47 doesn't quite include the next World Cup. Hopefully it's extended to that, but what
03:52 is that?
03:53 No, no, it does cover it. Like we got confirmation that it does cover the 2027 World Cup as well.
03:58 The way it was written indicated that it might not, but it does. We double checked on that.
04:05 I think it's up to that World Cup. We had to double check on that as well. So just do
04:09 a lay for years, everyone. Don't worry. She's also there.
04:11 Sorry guys.
04:12 No, no, no, it's fine. It's the way it was written. We also asked the question. But I
04:16 think with England, like we have such a luxury of good players at the moment. Do I think
04:21 we're as good as Spain? No, I don't. I really don't. I think the World Cup final sort of
04:28 showed the sort of gap in quality at the moment between the two of them, but it's very minimal.
04:35 For me, outside of that, England are, even when we're not on top form, the second best
04:42 side in the world. I know some people might disagree with that, but I think we are. I
04:47 think it's not just about the quality we have as well. I think, you know, you look at the
04:53 Holland game and like Twitter, like the Netherlands game, sorry, the Twitter was full of people
04:57 where they were like, oh no, like England, you know, maybe this is hit the Malay with
05:02 Serena. Like, you know, it's not been great the past few weeks. And then we came out in
05:06 the second half and banged in three goals and then like absolutely destroyed Scotland
05:11 and they're both really difficult games. And that's mindset. That's not only a skill thing.
05:18 You need a mindset to pull back a 2-0, being 2-0 down at half time and quality helps that,
05:25 but mindset to get back into it also helps. So I think Serena will probably know she's
05:30 behind or England are behind Spain at the moment. I mean, Bournemouth, Patea, I could
05:35 name whoever you want, really, that's in that squad. There's loads of them and they've got
05:40 good young up and coming players, the best up and coming young players coming through
05:44 at the moment as well in terms of Salma. I think she will see them as a target and something
05:50 to hit. I think England are maybe for the past couple of years have been like a target
05:56 on our back because we've been seen as the best in Europe because we won the Euros and
06:00 being seen as potentially the best in the world because we got World Cup final without
06:03 playing that well throughout the tournament. Spain, I think are that target at the minute.
06:09 They've got a target on the back because I think people know they probably deserve to
06:12 win that World Cup and they were probably the best side. They've got the best players
06:15 in the world currently, but we're not that far behind. So I think she'll probably, I
06:19 don't think she feels pressure, but she'll probably quite enjoy being able to build a
06:23 team to match what people class as the best in the world. And that is our target. That
06:27 has to be that. Spain are going to be in the Euros. Spain are going to be in the World
06:30 Cup barring an absolute disaster, which is just not going to happen. Look, I put my house
06:34 on Spain and England being there with both. And I think her target will be like, can I
06:39 build a squad and start in 11 that can get beyond them if we meet them like we did in
06:44 the Euros. And I think she can, like, you know, we discuss our big players such as really
06:51 bright, for example, Mary Earps is a big name, big player, Alessio Russo's developed into
06:56 that. But I think what she will probably see as her biggest task, the Euros we had Jill
07:04 Scott able to be brought on, Ellen White was able to be brought on, Fran Kirby was fully
07:09 fit and able to play all the time. Jill Scott's retired, Ellen White's retired. Fran Kirby
07:15 has had, you know, issues with fitness. I really hope she gets over them and she appears
07:21 to be with, you know, recent times, but I think her next job and her main sort of blueprint
07:28 for the next squads will be finding kind of what you had in the Euros where she could
07:34 take off Ellen White and bring on Alessio Russo, take off Fran Kirby and bring on Ella
07:38 Toone and bring on Chloe Kelly. She's probably looking at that next generation that can come
07:43 on for Chloe Kelly, that can come on for Lauren Hemp and come on for Ella Toone. And I think
07:48 she'll get it. Like, you know, you've only got to look through England's younger generation
07:52 that's coming through. For me, I've spoke about it numerous times. I think Maile Tissier's
07:56 in England, international to come for seasons and seasons, but there's loads more. And I
08:01 think she'll see it as that, but I think she can do it. I'm always confident with her,
08:06 to be honest.
08:07 Who do you, who are some of those players that you think might be, obviously Maile Tissier
08:12 for defence, but sort of looking at those midfield, like striking positions?
08:15 Yeah, I mean, I think there's a number of positions for me. Grace Clinton's a real big
08:20 talent. I think getting regular game time with Bristol City last season, you think,
08:26 you know, what's she going to be like in the WSL on a regular basis? And she's just been
08:29 absolutely classless, Spurs, and she's in the squad. I think that's massive. I think
08:33 when you're looking at the striking positions, she's not been in recently, but Katie Robinson's
08:38 been in and around. She was in the World Cup squad. She's not mentioned much, but she is
08:43 a talent. Like she is really good. She's another option that you can have off the bench. Ebony
08:47 Salmon, you know, on a day, really, really good striker. But for me, the big one, if
08:52 you want me to pinpoint someone would be, to be honest, Grace Clinton and Maile Tissier,
08:57 which Manchester United fans are probably delighted that I've just said, but it's factual.
09:02 It's factual. It's based in fact.
09:05 Well we were speaking about Spain earlier and we won't have time to completely cover
09:09 it, but let us mention there is a new transfer rumour buzzing around and we talked about
09:15 her last week. Elie Roback has now been linked with Barcelona reportedly. Yeah. Don't know
09:21 about you. That is, well, you told me just before we started recording and I made sort
09:26 of quite an odd face that you then reacted to as well. What on earth is that?
09:33 I think we'll probably need the second half of the show to totally go into it, but yeah,
09:37 it was Maria Ticas that posted it, who is like, she knows everything about Barca. She's
09:41 a really good journalist, really nice woman as well. She said that they were looking at
09:47 her, she's reported it, so there'll be substance in it. I don't know. Elie's a good goalkeeper.
09:54 She is. She's maybe not been at the height of her game recently and she'll want to get
09:57 back in the England squad, but Barcelona are the best team in the world. It's not that
10:01 I'm criticising Elie Roback. It's like, I don't know. I can't imagine. I just can't
10:06 see it. But I think, yeah. So one of the things we were saying last week is because she does
10:12 want to get back into that England squad, the main thing she should be looking for according
10:17 to our lonely minds is game time. And you can't imagine that she's going to get that
10:23 if she's not getting that at Man City, she's hardly likely to be getting it at Barcelona.
10:29 Which you know, we've got Srinivu until 2027. She's going to be wanting to play in that
10:34 squad and it's not seeming likely if she's competing up against with some of the best
10:38 in the world. But as you say, definitely something that we will continue discussing post-break
10:43 where we will also take a look at the FA Cup and upcoming WSL fixtures this weekend.
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