close
close
news

Women’s Super League 2024-25 Preview No. 12: West Ham | Women’s Super League 2024-25 Preview

Photo of Vaseline VaselineSeptember 20, 2024
0 1 minute read
Women’s Super League 2024-25 Preview No. 12: West Ham | Women’s Super League 2024-25 Preview

The predicted position of the writers of The Guardian: 11th (NB: this is not necessarily Suzanne Wrack’s prediction, but the average of our writers’ tips)

Position last season: 11th

The plan

The outlook? Not great. West Ham have lost a host of experienced WSL players and failed to recruit players of the same calibre. That’s not to say there’s no talent in the squad, but have they done enough to keep pace with teams around them, with the lowest budgets in the league? The signs aren’t good. Last season, Rehanne Skinner’s side finished 11th, nine points clear of relegated Bristol City. “The most important thing for us is that we have to grow and build on last year,” Skinner said. “It’s a journey and it takes a while. Last year there were a lot of foundations we had to lay, a lot of things we had to do behind the scenes. Expanding the squad is still a priority – every transfer window is important. We have to keep working on that year after year, period after period.”

Promoted Crystal Palace are likely to pose a bigger challenge than Bristol City, with a Premier League parent club able to invest a little more. West Ham will depend on Skinner getting the best out of himself and assembling a team that has seen a significant change of guard. “We’re a team where everyone understands what it means to work hard,” Skinner said. “That’s the community. From start to finish in games – you have the odd ups and downs – you can’t question the effort, the attitude and the intention of the team. We want to be that hard-working, resilient team that never gives up, even when things aren’t going our way. I have no doubts about that.”