Carla Ward interview: Aston Villa coach on high work ethic, big-name signings and her daughter’s love for club | Football News

Such is the inflexible nature of life as a football manager, even the Women’s Super League ‘Winter Break’ doesn’t give Aston Villa head coach Carla Ward, not someone who claims to work hard, any money.

While he freely admits the league’s month-long breather provides his players with mental and physical rest, Ward’s hard and fast approach to working “no day limits” has even seen him rush into some pre-party transfer deals.

“I won’t say which players, but at 17.00 on Christmas Eve I was on the phone trying to convince people to come in the transfer window in the summer. What we can do, we will see when the window opens. It doesn’t matter what day it is , this job is 365 days a year,” Ward said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports.

“I really can’t work. I’m usually 24/7, although my team is good, I constantly want more and struggle to kill. Although I have an incredible three-year-old daughter who takes care of me. entertaining and we have Christmas good.

“I know I have to learn to switch off because I’m constantly thinking about the next thing, how we can improve, that will come in – that’s probably my downside.”

Ward’s full commitment to his tenure at Villa, coupled with the club’s strategy for planning the next transfer window, has allowed supporters to see the results of his work with the arrival of a number of star players in the last two windows.

When Rachel Daly was a big name came last September for an undisclosed fee, fresh from winning the European Championship with the Lionesses, the red carpet of the welcome mat was rolled out this month with two other English internationals in Jordan Nobbs and Lucy Staniforth so. two of the standout transfers of this January window so far.

Daly, in his preferred attacking role, has scored at will since his move from the Houston Dash and is joint-top of the charts with Manchester City’s Bunny Shaw, both of whom have scored in nine of their 10 league games and face each other this weekend when Villa travel to the City team in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off, live in Sky.

Nobbs and Staniforth, meanwhile, made their Villa debuts last Saturday in a 2-1 home win over Tottenham in their first game since the winter break, with the latter only completing a move from Manchester United five days earlier and just weeks after their Christmas wedding she is for Laura Wilson’s partner, where Nobbs was one of her bridesmaids.

“At half-time, I actually said to the group, two players have come into a team that is very set and the way they have chosen shows their quality and shows their experience,” said Ward.

“They are two great characters, they drive the standard, they walk around the building with a smile that is very important.”

Nobbs has made no secret of his desire to return to England and add to his 69 international caps after making the heartbreaking decision to leave his beloved Arsenal to play regular football at Villa after a long-term injury ruled him out. The Euros end of the summer and a place in England’s 2019 World Cup squad.

Staniforth, was part of the Lionesses’ last World Cup squad, but has not featured since, although the 30-year-old midfielder also has ambitions to force his way back into the limelight ahead of this summer’s Finals in Australia and New Zealand.

Villa provided Jill Scott with a place to put herself back in the shop window and the opportunity to secure a place in Sarina Wiegman’s Euros squad when she joined the club last January and Ward believes it is only a matter of time before England scouts take a look. through Nobbs and Staniforth again, with the Arnold Clark Cup on the horizon in mid-February.

“Both of them put on a performance [against Spurs] that will make people stand up and realize that these two players are great,” Ward said.

“He’s a very good WSL player, and there will definitely be people watching, in terms of the upcoming camp. Hopefully, because I like him, he has an outstanding debut.”

It’s clear that Ward’s warm nature and ability to allow players to freely express themselves on and off the field has harnessed the welcoming culture. After arriving at the club, Nobbs said he had asked Daly and Scott about Villa and had been told “it’s a great place”.

The word of poetry that often comes up in this interview is ‘smile’. What does it say about players who play with a ‘smile on their face’ or put a ‘smile on the fans’ face’ with the caliber of players that come through the door. It’s a brilliant philosophy that has seen Villa, currently in seventh place, chasing a WSL top-five finish this season, only to secure promotion to the top flight in the Covid-affected 2019/20 campaign.

“I’m very proud of the people,” Ward said. “I pride myself on providing a fun environment for people to work in because I believe that if you can make people play with a smile, you usually get an extra percent from them.

“The most important thing is to keep creating togetherness and a culture where everyone wants to keep each other.”

It is a stark contrast to the challenges he faced in his previous managerial role at Birmingham in 2020/21, where he worked on a shoestring budget, with a limited squad and players who complained to the club board about a lack of support.

The FA launched an investigation after the players’ complaints that include players earning less than the minimum wage, delays in treatment for injured players, lack of access to the training-ground gym and changing rooms, and travel arrangements for away schedules.

Despite the odds, Ward helped them escape relegation before handing in their resignation.

“I will always be grateful to Birmingham,” she said. “It taught me so much.

“It gave me the opportunity to live in the WSL when some would argue that I was not ready. You find a way, you sink or swim, you face challenges, you have to find a solution. And in Birmingham at that time, ” really helped me develop as a coach , as a manager, as a leader and that is very important.

“Niki [Villa] it’s very different, you’ve got every single department in the football club pulling together, no matter where you are in the football club. No matter where you are in the club, everyone wants to talk about women and there is a huge focus on women. It’s definitely a different place and, we grow together.”

‘Taylor has taken more stick than she deserves’

That development will be tested again when Villa face a Man City side that has been successful after a busy summer transfer window – despite the departure of a number of high-profile players, including Lucy Bronze and Caroline Weir. .

City are unbeaten in their last 12 and on the fringes of the top three as they look to make a final title bid with Ward’s manager, Gareth Taylor, yet to be given the accolades they deserve.

“I’m not surprised by Man City’s form. Gareth Taylor is a fantastic coach and a great manager. He probably took less stick than he deserved last year.

“They have a full international squad, they have a lot of quality and it will be an exciting game.”

The reverse fixture at Villa Park in September produced a seven-goal thriller with Villa letting go of a two-goal lead to recover from 3-2 down, with Daly scoring the winner.

A win on Saturday would see Villa close the gap on City to four points and boost fans’ expectations this season.

One cheery supporter hits home in the form of Ward’s daughter, Hartley.

“He loves it, he knows all the Aston Villa songs and tells everyone who’s playing and who’s going to score,” the 39-year-old said.

“He’s a big fan of the players so he talks a lot about them. He’s got a few shirts, his first shirt was Jill Scott’s 100th match at the Keepmoat, Jill gave him the shirt and I think pretty soon he’ll be asking for Rachel Daly’s shirt!”

But Ward is not going to sit on his laurels and is not ready to be satisfied with what he has built so far.

“When I came in, I said I wanted us to be a fun team to watch, but most importantly a fun team to play in. I think we gave that to the fans.

“It’s important that we continue to play the way we want to for the future. We’ll make mistakes along the way, but that’s part of the journey.”

Watch Man City vs Aston Villa live on Sky Sports Football on Saturday at 10.30am, kick-off at 11.30am