Page 3 - Women's Soccer Scene Issue No.13 2021-22

WSL managers leave jobs

Birmingham City have made a change of Head Coach with Scott Booth being replaced by
Darren Carter on an interim basis.
Booth was appointed to the role during the summer following a highly successful spell
in charge of Glasgow City but things have not gone smoothly at the Blues and they currently
sit second from bottom of the table having picked up only one point.
His final game in charge was a 4-0 defeat to West Ham Utd in the Continental Cup last
Wednesday.
The club issued the following statement:
“Birmingham City can confirm that Scott Booth has been relieved of his duties as
Women’s Head Coach.
This follows last night’s defeat to West Ham United in the FA Women’s Continental
Tyres League Cup but is a decision that has not been taken lightly by the Football Club.
Booth arrived in the Second City armed with one of the game’s strongest CVs and
spent the close season overseeing a wide-ranging recruitment process, with highly prized
players being brought to St. Andrew’s alongside the implementation of his renowned
coaching practices in preparation for the Barclays FA Women’s Super League Campaign.
However, in light of recent results, the Club has concluded that now is the appropriate
time for a change of personnel to ensure the team keeps moving forward in a manner
aligned with Blues’ ambitions.
The Club wishes to place on record its thanks to Scott and wishes him every success in
his future endeavours.
General Manager, Sarah Westwood said: “This decision was not an easy one but has
been made in the best interests of the Football Club.
“I know how determined Scott was to succeed but, unfortunately, results have fallen
short of our expectations.
“With 15 games remaining, we feel now is the right time to make a change to give
ourselves the best possible chance of climbing the table.
“Scott joined the Club at a difficult time and was tasked with building a squad capable
of competing in the BFAWSL. We are grateful to Scott for assembling a group of players
who we believe are good enough to start picking up points.
“The challenge now is to ensure that we identify the right person to lead Birmingham
City Women and get the best out of our players.”
Assistant Head Coach, Tony Elliott, will assume the duties of leading the team in
Sunday’s meeting with Chelsea as the Club undertakes the exercise of appointing Booth’s
successor.”
After the Chelsea match, it was announced by the club that Darren Carter, a former
Birmingham City player, would take charge of the club as Interim Head Coach, having
previously been First Team Coach at West Bromwich Albion in the FA Women’s National
League.
This week, Leicester City became the second Barclays FA WSL club to make a change
of manager with the news that Jonathan Morgan has departed the club. Morgan has been
involved with the club for twelve years and led the club from the Midland Division in what
was then the Premier League to winning the FA Women’s Championship last season.
Assistant manager Michael Makoni and First Team Coach, Holly Morgan - Jonathan’s sister
- also depart the club.
Head of Women’s Football Development Emile Heskey will oversee First Team training
in preparation for the team’s fixture against Manchester United in the Continental Cup on
Sunday 5th December, while the Club undertakes the process of appointing a new manager.
Issue no. 13 - 25 November 2021 womenssoccerscene@mail.com