The Friday Ramble: 2027 is the magic number
2027 contracts, Switzerland, DAZN, Sam Mewis and SK Brann come up in this week's Friday Ramble
I had great sympathy for my men’s football colleagues when Jürgen Klopp dropped his bombshell this morning - nothing worse than a big announcement out of the blue!
No such bombshells in the women’s game for now, in fact the opposite, as managers around the world seem to be settling for where they are, with 2027 the magic number, and a key topic of this week’s Friday Ramble!
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2027
It’s not unusual of course at international level for head coaches to sign contracts until the end of the next ‘cycle’, which right now is viewed as the 2027 World Cup (We still don’t know where this will be, but that’s another story).
The dominos started stacking up when US Soccer announced Emma Hayes as its next head coach on a contract to that familiar number we have seen a lot since - 2027.
Then, after being named FIFA Best Coach yet again, the FA announced Sarina Wiegman had extended her contract as England head coach until 2027.
Yesterday, Canada announced Bev Priestman had also extended her contract until 2027. Seeing a pattern?
But the new twist was at club level, where Casey Stoney - who had been strongly linked with the Chelsea job - also committed to a new deal until - yes, you guessed it - 2027.
Stoney will no doubt be a name at the top of the lists of both US Soccer and the FA should Hayes and Wiegman decide to move on after the World Cup in the nation(s) yet to be decided, and while we only have to wait another three and a half years to see how it plays out, there’s potentially an intriguing game of manager musical chairs awaiting us.
Switzerland have made a bold call
Speaking of new head coaches, it went somewhat under the radar among the Hayes, Wiegman, Stoney, Priestman et al news, but Switzerland’s hire of Pia Sundhage is no less intriguing.
Sundhage did a lot of good work in South America helping to redevelop the game in Brazil, a sleeping giant of the sport, and all looked reasonably well heading into the World Cup, until they crashed out of the tournament at the group stage despite an eye-catching opening game win against Panama.
That led to Sundhage leaving her role, but the former USA head coach has now taken over the helm in Switzerland, a nation who needs some kind of a boost ahead of Euro 2025.
Perhaps that’s harsh, given they did get out of their World Cup group and showed some signs of promise, but they feel a little…stuck in the middle right now. Always comfortably making major tournaments, but never doing a great deal once they’re there.
On home soil though, things will be expected of them, and they do have some exciting young talent coming through the ranks, such as Ella Touon, Seraina Piubel, Riola Xhemaili and new AS Roma signing Alayah Pilgrim.
A good tournament would give a domestic game lagging behind other nations a boost too, and they’re clearly hoping Sundhage’s experience can help both on and off the pitch ahead of their moment in the sun in 2025.
DAZN’s good but bad news
You know when something looks great on the surface, but scratch beneath that and it shows a wider issue?
Well, DAZN did just that last week. When the company took over the rights to the UWCL a couple of years ago, they made a promise to make all games free for the first two seasons of its deal to build an audience, but were clear and open after that much of its content would be paywalled.
Last week, DAZN went back on that and will continue to show games for free, but still plans to charge in the future, claiming it still wants and needs to build a more sustainable audience before charging for its content.
For fans who want to follow their sport or those who want to get into it, and the many who understandably at these times can’t afford the subscription, it’s good news, but does open up wider, more complex debates about the growth of the game and people being unwilling to suddenly pay for something they’re used to having for free.
There’s also a Catch 22 situation in that many believe DAZN’s current production isn’t worth paying for, and DAZN will no doubt bite back and suggest that if people pay they can therefore put more funding into its production, which right now may not be feasible given the huge loss they will be taking in showing the tournament for free.
One to keep an eye on as the seasons progress.
Mewis is a huge loss to the game
I was really sad to see Sam Mewis retire, even if it somewhat felt like it was coming given how long she’s been out of the game with her persistent knee issues.
Seeing anyone retire is sad, particularly of this stature, but there’s a celebratory element when someone goes on their terms, which Mewis wasn’t able to.
I think when someone retires it’s also the chance you get to reflect on what someone achieved in the game. Within the USA teams that won back-to-back World Cups, such was the level of stardom it felt like some players went under the radar, and I always felt Mewis was one of those.
She was rarely talked about in end of year awards, but I think any of her teams were worse off without her, but she was also one of those players who you didn’t realise just how good she was until you watched her live, which I was fortunate to do several times when she came to Manchester City.
I still remember a game at the CFA against Arsenal where she ran the show, they couldn’t deal with her. Arsenal had top class players in midfield and Mewis bullied them, very much living up to her ‘Tower of Power’ nickname.
A World champion, several NWSL titles, and even picking up an FA Cup during her short spell in England. The game will miss her greatly.
SK Brann continue to fly
A cheerier note to end on, because what a story SK Brann continues to be.
Norway’s domestic league is not ranked as one of the best in Europe, as Tottenham Hotspur head coach Robert Vilahamn lamented when discussing the ability - or lack of it - to gain visas for players from the country, but SK Brann are helping put the Toppserien on the map.
Not just qualifying for the Champions League, but now into the quarter-finals with a game to spare. Yes, their group could have been worse, bar Lyon, but they’ve done what was needed.
I’ve kept a close eye on them since Englishman Martin Ho went over there. I’ve known Martin for nearly a decade and behind the scenes he’s always been one of the respected coaches, but assistants rarely get the credit. Between being assistant at Everton and Manchester United and a youth team coach at Liverpool, Ho has always been in the shadows, but SK Brann came along just at the time he was looking to step into a job a No.1.
What a job he’s doing, especially when you consider SK Brann are out of season right now, with the domestic league finishing late last year. To keep up that level of competitiveness is not easy when not playing competitive games, and while they will likely face Chelsea, Barcelona or PSG in March, it’s a reward for the work Ho has put in since joining.
Answering your Questions
ML - Do you expect any more movement in this month’s transfer window (apart from Chelsea bringing in Ramirez and losing Fleming)?
Oh I’m sure we will. Between various things and being a full-time writer now by and large I don’t have as much time to think about transfers as with Substack it’s not a huge part of what I do.
It’s a big window for many clubs though and there’s a few managers publicly suggesting they’d like to do more business, so I’m sure it will be a busy few days coming up.
Adam Bateman - Will this weekend’s Bristol v West Ham game be the defining game in who stays up and who goes down? Or will there be another side that will be dragged in?
I think it’s hard in January to say anything is ‘defining’, but it’s certainly a huge game - and a nice pre-match twist with Lisa Evans swapping West Ham for Bristol City!
Rehanne Skinner will be hoping this is the first opportunity to show the importance of her recruitment this month and I do fear it will be a tough road back for Bristol City if they lose, but it will only take one or two results to swing things open again.
If the hosts get a win, game on! I don’t think anyone else is in massive danger yet, though I was surprised when looking at the table to see Leicester City 10th given it feels on the whole they’ve had a progressive season. It just goes to show how tough this league is now.
Any other business
If you pick up the latest FourFourTwo you’ll find a piece from me on Hashtag United’s future plans for its women’s team, and I’ll be in the next World Soccer Magazine next month writing about Red Bull Leipzig and their plans for the future of their own women’s team!
We also completed the latest Top 100 Female Footballers of the Year project at The Guardian earlier this month, with Aitana Bonmati taking the spoils, unsurprisingly.
The list gets scrutinsed, rightly so, every year, but as the project leader I’ve always said I do it as a 100 to recognise those players who don’t get nominated for the Ballon d’Or’s, FIFA Best awards etc, but getting messages like this pre-publication is also a timely reminder of the wider impact of what we do can have, and put a smile on my face…
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