Impetus’ Ellie Ramsauer was in Brighton and Hove Albion’s media conference with interim head coach Amy Merricks as the club prepare to overcome last weekend’s 8-0 defeat to Spurs and Hope Powell’s subsequent departure (6/11/22).
Above: Amy Merricks leading training for Brighton this week. Photo: Brighton & Hove Albion Women.
Brighton and Hove Albion look ahead to a trip to West Ham United today following the recent departure of manager Hope Powell after last Sunday’s 8-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
Amy Merricks, who will lead the team for the foreseeable future, led this week’s media conference, and was reluctant to reflect on Hope Powell’s departure and the circumstances, stated that she wanted instead to “focus on [the] right here, right now and the game coming up.”
Merricks did, however, reflect on Powell’s “incredible legacy” and was keen to put on record her appreciation for the former Lionesses’ head coach personally, saying that Powell was “terrific with me as an individual and I’ve learned so much from her.” Further, the interim head coach added that she hopes “we can continue to really drive that diversity and inequality aspect that she’s led on.”
In terms of the players’ reaction to Powell’s departure, Merricks stated that
“We know that Sunday’s performance (against Tottenham) was miles away from where we need to be, the players recognise that, and it’s time to stand up and be counted for this weekend; there has been some real intent in training. The team are clear on what we’re going after which is a real professional performance.”
Amy Merricks, Brighton & Hove Albion interim head coach
When asked whether she had thoughts about taking on the managerial role full-time Merricks stated that her “focus is really on the next three days, getting the team in the best place for a good performance and a professional performance at the weekend.”
In terms of the challenge that West Ham pose on Sunday, Merricks stated that “every game in this competition is a real challenge” so the team are “approaching this game no different to any other” which means the team have to “do the work properly, with intent and be really focused on making sure we cover every corner we can to ensure that we get the performance that we want.”
Merricks stated that, like Tottenham last Sunday, it’ll “be a tough challenge” and that they “are known to be a physical team […] so we need to be on it from the start and that’s what we’ll aim to do”.
In terms of the players’ reaction to Sunday’s huge reversal against Spurs last Sunday, Merricks stated that she thinks “they’re focused, they’re ready to put on a display that the fans [and] the club can all be proud of.”
Unfortunately for Brighton, Kayleigh Green remains a doubt for this Sunday after taking a knock early on in last Sunday’s game against Tottenham. Merricks provided an update on Green saying “she’s okay, she’s recovering [and] just going through the process of trying to get her back so she feels sharp and fresh at the moment.”
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