Rehanne Skinner interview: ‘West Ham are too good to go down – our focus is the top half of the WSL’ | OneFootball

Present in Rehanne Skinner, like in any football manager, is a keenness to improve her side — but there is also a clear sense of realism about how long it may take to instil everything she wants to at West Ham.

In a managerial career spanning 18 years, the 44-year-old has managed the likes of Leicester, three different England age groups, had a brief stint as Phil Neville’s Lionesses assistant coach, and most recently coached Tottenham.

Skinner waited for the right opportunity after her sacking by Spurs last March, and in July she was offered it, becoming West Ham’s first female manager of the Women’s Super League era.

“For me, it’s always been about managing at the highest level of the game, and to make sure that wherever I go, I leave it in a better place than I found it”, Skinner tells Standard Sport.

“I think we have a responsibility in women’s football to grow the game. Since I joined in the summer, we’ve been working really hard to create a new playing philosophy and culture.

“On our women’s football board, Karren Brady, Tara Warren and Nicola Keye have been so key to try and drive the team forwards. We knew it was a journey.”

A year of transition in terms of personnel and style of play, this, for West Ham, has been a difficult season. The Hammers finished eighth last term and sixth the season before that. Now, though, they are propped up by only Bristol City near the bottom of the WSL table.

Fortunately for them, Bristol City have won just once all season and remain favourites to fill the one relegation spot. West Ham are by no means free of peril, but Skinner is confident her side are too good to go down and that this season is an anomaly.

“We’re not going to be in danger of relegation”, she insists. “The squad’s quality is evident — we just need to trust the process.

“We want our women’s team to be right up there competing. Ultimately, we want to make sure we’re never involved in the bottom half of the table again.”

The Hammers host WSL leaders Chelsea at the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Sunday. The visit of Emma Hayes’s relentless quadruple-chasers could extend West Ham’s winless run to four matches, but their most recent victory was last month’s stunning 2-1 win over Arsenal, and Skinner’s mindset is clear: improve the football and results will follow.

“We have to learn to perform in a way that’s going to give us success and longevity within that,” she explains. “It does take time. You’re always chipping away at that and trying to provide the best possible role clarity.

“The players took it on board very well and were so open to learning. It has just been a case of key moments in games when we’ve been a little bit indecisive. It’s been small margins that have not given us as many results as our performances have warranted. We have to get over the line.

“You’re always thinking, ‘Could we have done that differently? How could I have got that message across a bit better?’, and ‘Did we get that right as a coaching staff?’. That happens 24/7 for managers.”

In January, West Ham went big in the transfer market, signing 33-year-old United States international Kristie Mewis, Canadian defender Shelina Zadorsky on loan from Spurs, who Skinner had worked with while manager there, and Katrina Gorry, who has played 107 times for Australia.

“Since the start of the new year, we’ve brought more leadership and experience into the team,” she adds. “Those experienced players have had such a big impact in how we operate. The squad needs more depth and we want to keep increasing the quality, but nothing happens overnight in football.

“The top four are away from the majority of the rest of the league, and we want to bridge that gap. That’s going to take a couple of transfer windows.”