Tractor Girls Talk: Joe Sheehan departs Ipswich Town Women

0:08Ross Halls:Hello everybody, it's me Roscoe and welcome to the latest episode of the Kings of Anglia Tractor Girls Talk podcast, a show where we cover all things Itchwich Town Women. Happy New Year to you all and we have an emergency breaking news podcast. I'm here with good old Tom Cann as standard. Tom, let's start with the nice and icies. How are you? Happy new year to yourself hope you had a good festive period and you uh thank you very much it's been it's been nice to have a little while off um i worked christmas day but nothing really happened um and then i came back to work the start of this week so it's been a very nice time off very um good to just relax not have to worry about anything um and yeah come back um refreshed and then obviously this news drops and sort of throws everything up in the air.

1:00But yeah, how was your Christmas and New Year's?

1:04Ross Halls:No, it wasn't too bad, my friend. For Christmas, I'm all for the food and to be merry. All the other bits and bobs, I just can get in the bin, to be honest. But yeah, we've got some breaking news to talk about. So we're trying to sort of not get to that just yet, but we're going to have to do it. And that is Joe Sheehan has departed his role as Itchristown Woman's manager. News that I was not expecting. And yeah, it's very shocking, really, and disappointing. And I want to get your instant reaction, Tom, because you straight away messaged me and going, what? What's going on here? And it is shocking news.

1:46Ross Halls:He's obviously been in charge for nearly seven years. When you think of Itchristown Woman, you think of three different things, potentially. You think of Natasha Thomas, the legendary striker, all-time appearance maker. Soja Peska, the star player. Maria Boswell, the captain. But also Joe Sheehan, the Chistown women's manager. Yeah, your instant reaction on this, my friend. Shots, I think it was the first. As you said, I've messaged you pretty much as soon as I saw it. I didn't even read the article that had been put out about it. I think I saw it on Instagram that, you know, he'd left and yeah, very shocked.

2:28I think it was just because things, you know, maybe haven't been going as well as they could this season. So I think it was the fact that it had been, what, two weeks, two, three weeks since their last game. And then all of a sudden it comes out in the, you know, the week before they get back into things. um i just wasn't expecting it um it's uh yeah it's really sad shocking news but um yeah it's i just sort of threw me for a threw me for six that because i was just obviously doing my normal job looked at instagram saw it and then thought okay well that's happened yeah you think

3:12Ross Halls:oh this must be an ai thing it must be yeah you know just someone making something up but um but No, it is true. And I've got a statement here from Towns Chairman Mark Ashton, and he said, I'd like to thank Joe for the passion and commitment he has shown during his time in charge of Town Women, which has included a team moving to professional status, as well as two promotions under his leadership. We're currently in discussions with Joe regarding a new role, which will hopefully see him remain in the club, utilising his vast experience in developing young players. We look to continue the growth of the club's women's programme, both in the short and long term, bringing with our desire to retain our status in WSL2 during the 11 games of the season under the interim leadership of David Wright.

3:54Ross Halls:So, yeah, we're going to discuss everything that this will bring up because it is big news. And let's start with the current situation, Tom, in terms of the league position. This is obviously the first time the club have been at WSL2 level under the Itrustown umbrella. and yeah I'm sure Joe will admit that it's not gone as well as we're all hoping you know we're currently bottom of the table just one win in those 11 games so far five points adrift only five points in total yeah it's probably not where we want to be but at the end of the day we've got a squad that is still learning you know there's you know most of the players have never experienced this level before.

4:41Ross Halls:And yeah, it was always going to be tough. We've got a lowest budget in the league. We've probably got less staff than a lot of the other clubs. I remember seeing some of the clubs who have come to Colchester and going, they've got like 700 ,000 staff members. While Joe has grown a little bit, but it's still very, you know, less than other WSL2 clubs. But yeah, Tom, obviously the position isn't great where we're at, But, yeah, this season's always going to be a learning season. Yeah, definitely. I think that, you know, being bottom is obviously not what Joe wanted. I remember him saying before the start of the season, you know, he wants to be up there, he wants to be challenging.

5:26And that just, obviously, that hasn't happened. It won't happen. You know, they're now in a relegation fight. Obviously, favourites for relegation being 70 points off safety and, you know, as you said, having the smallest budget in the league and not having as big a squad or staff at the club. And it's their first season at the level. They weren't, you know, I think it would be, look at Nottingham Forest and what they've done. They have a lot more money. They've gone out and spent it. and they're doing all right. I think that's what would have been the hope for Ipswich. It hasn't worked out that way.

6:10They find themselves bottom, and it's not a good position that they want to be in, but they've got players that I think their average age is something like 21, 22. It's really difficult to be able to compete, maintain levels that they want. with a squad that young, you know, staff that haven't worked at the level before. Players, the majority of them hadn't played at the level before. It was always going to be tough. You know, I don't know if they wanted to wait and see how long they could go. But, yeah, it's been a tough season. And they got, what is it, half a season now? because they've got 11 games to sort of stay in it and see if they can stay up.

7:07But they're really going to need to put in performances in order to do that.

7:11Ross Halls:Yeah, I'm just shocked with the timing really because David Wright is now the interim manager. He's obviously a promising young coach. Obviously a bit older than Joe but David Wright obviously has been in the academy for a while now. He's been with the under-21s, the under-18s. He's been assisting Joe the last few weeks at games. He'll obviously be in charge with Lauren Phillips, who's been obviously Joe Sheehan's assistant. And, you know, the coaching staff, that's already there. But I just think the timing is just interesting because we're now in the second half of the season. I don't know what will change, really, because we've still got the same squad.

7:53Ross Halls:I think players have got to take into account a little bit of responsibility. I think some players once again a lot of them experiencing new things for the first time but there's some players who have been brought in who as we said on previous podcasts haven't maybe stepped up to what we're expecting them to be because they've got experience this level but yeah that's the thing with when managers get sacked or they leave sometimes you've got to think of the players as well and yeah I'm sure a lot of players are devastated because there's some players who don't know anything different. You know, like Maria Boswell, the captain, I think has been coached by Joe since he was like 14, you know, playing with the Essex RTC.

8:34Ross Halls:So that will be a big change, you know, in the dressing room. And then I don't know if Dave Wright really changed much on the style of play. We'll find out. But yeah, are you surprised by that decision? Just, you know, halfway through a season, they could have just said, okay, Joe, do what you can do for this season. and then they could have had a chat in the summer and go, OK, it hasn't worked out. But then it's like sort of the Kieran McKenna sort of situation where he obviously took Itchristown. I know it's men's football, a little bit different, but he obviously took Itchristown to the Premier League.

9:07Ross Halls:We didn't survive. And he's been given a chance in the Championship. And once again, we've had a bit of an up-and-down season in the Championship. But they've made the decision to do it now. Yeah, how are you feeling about it all? I think the timing is the most shocking part I think if they were going to do it and they had a feeling that they might do it after the December games against Durham and Sunderland do it I thought that they'd have done it after, pretty soon after Sunderland rather than wait until until the, what, 6th of January, four or five days before they're back in action against, you know, the best team in the league, no less, and then decide to do it.

10:03That, you know, the first part of Shocking, the second part, yeah, I'd have thought that they could have just said, you know, we'll see, let's see how the season goes. all these players they know how you play, you've got a very clear game plan, game style we'll stick with it, see what happens and then talk in the summer because relegation just means that they'll be favourites for promotion next season chance to build on what they've got this season such as what the men's team have got, they've got relegated and kept a lot of the players that were in the Premier League with them and now Jack Clark, Jamie Philistine, shiny.

10:47See what could have happened with those players if relegation was confirmed that stayed at Ipswich Town Women and saw what they could have done. It's, I think the timing has just come a little bit out of shock. David Wright hasn't managed the team. Obviously he's been part of the coaching staff for the last couple of weeks. We don't obviously know how involved he's been or what he's sort of been doing with the players, but he's coming in and has to try and save, you know, a ship that is sinking, unfortunately, with players that have never played under him. He's never managed solely, you know, the team.

11:35Obviously, he's still got the staff, and Lauren Phillips has obviously worked with the team for the last year and a half. but he's got to come in and try and do something different that they're not doing and I'm not 100 % sure what that could be in order to try and save them.

11:58Ross Halls:Yeah, I'm still in shock really and I will admit, I'm sure Joe will be honest and say there's maybe some decisions this season, He may have not done right, maybe in game situations. You know, you spoke to him after games and he's, you know, he's very honest with his interviews. And, you know, you know, there's, he's been getting some criticism. You know, some fans out there have said certain things, but then it's such a learning experience. We're playing against teams who have got former England internationals and players who have got so much experience this level. But the thing when we played Newcastle United, they're Jordan Stobbs Jordan Stobbs?

12:36Ross Halls:Jordan Nobbs and Debbie Stokes who yeah who've played for England multiple times so yeah it's yeah but I'm just speculating here but yeah David Wright you know was being assistant the last few weeks I'm sure the club may have had this in their mind that or maybe they're looking to make a decision you know before they obviously announced it but yeah obviously a big part of the state Tom was we're currently in discussion with Joe regarding a new role and yeah I'm sure they would like to you know keep him at the club because he's you know he knows he's got so much knowledge and so much experience I can't see that happening to be honest you know I'm sure discussions are being made right now what do you think about that what's next really Tom because yeah it's a strange situation you sort of you're telling someone you're going but we want to keep you i think it's always when i've seen that in different statements before with other clubs a bit different you know managements in the goal we want to keep you though but it's like well i don't know it's it's interesting and it's yeah i'm sorry it's a bit complicated really yeah um yeah it is complicated i think it's it is strange to say we don't want you to do the role that you're currently doing and have been doing for the last nearly seven years and actually been doing really well in and making the Ipswich Town women's team what it is now but we still want to keep you around to do what you have been doing but not in the position that you were doing it in developing young players because he's clearly shown that he's brilliant 90 % of the Ypswich squad now Joe Sheehan has brought through the youth ranks and have gone on to be WSL 2 players so it is surprising I wouldn't I don't know whether he would like to stay you know obviously that's up to them obviously don't know what's going on with the discussions and things.

14:52But I think if someone had asked me to, you know, told me to leave, what I was doing and have done so well for so many years and then said, we still want to keep you around, though, I'd have gone, really? But I'd stay if it was in the current role that I have been doing.

15:11Ross Halls:Yeah, it's interesting. We'll find out, I'm sure, a bit more in the future. But, yeah, my gut says, yeah, I can't see him remaining in the club. But, you know, I want to sort of look back at Joe's spell, Tom, because it has been an incredible ride. I've known Joe longer than he has been Itchristown manager. He got appointed in February 2019. But before that, he was doing a great job with the under-21s, which was, I think, an FA actually sort of programme that was connected to the club on the Itchristown under-21s. But I don't think it was like officially Itchristown at that point. It was like on the FA programme.

15:48Ross Halls:that was in I think 2018 or 2017 so I met Jo then that was when we had Ralph Pruden in charge of the Richard Town women's team who that were obviously fourth tier and then Carla Dickerson I think her name was sorry Carla I've got your last name she took over at Ralph and then unfortunately it just didn't work out of her and then Jo was obviously around you know with the under 21 sit up and then he got appointed in February. I just remember just literally just so many great memories with Joe. I remember actually going up to Manchester to see the under-21s when they played at Carrington. And Olly Gona Solskjaer was watching because I think his daughter was on the bench for the under-21s.

16:31Ross Halls:But I just remember going up there and I remember just seeing this amazing facility. But yeah, obviously when Joe got appointed, me and Kieran Stanley, the former media manager, was just buzzing because we just knew Joe as a character and as a coach. And yeah, it's been one hell of a journey since 2019. He's managed, I think he must have managed nearly 200 games. I don't know. I'll have to find that stat out somewhere. But yeah, he's obviously guided the club to the third tier. Obviously, that had to be an application process, which because of COVID had to ruin all that success. And so we didn't have that proper celebration of the celebration of third tier.

17:08Ross Halls:we had to like sort of do that like, oh yeah, we got promoted, what application? But we have done so well on the pitch prior, but COVID ruined it. I think it was like two seasons got curtailed because of obviously, you know, what was going on in the world. But, you know, last season, Tom, was incredible, you know, getting promoted from the third tier. I know that took us a little while to get promoted to the second tier, but last year was incredible. What's your sort of memories of Joe, Tom? Because, you know, you spoke to him many times before and after games. he's such a lovely bloke as well.

17:42Ross Halls:He's not just a good manager. He's a lovely bloke, you know, a family man. I've loved sort of meeting his family. You know, he's got a wonderful fiancé. He's getting married in the summer. He's got a lovely daughter. He's got the same birthday as me as well. So good birthday. Good day of birth. But he's also, he's, you know, mum and dad, Bill and Carol, who go to every game, which, you know, we always bump into them, don't we, Tom? And they always come over and they speak to us. But yeah, Joe Sheehan, Tom, you know, what a man and what a manager. Yeah, that pretty much perfectly sums him up. You know, he's when I started two and a half seasons ago, he made it very easy.

18:25You know, you could have some people that were difficult to talk to. I do it in my day job and I'm sure that there are a number of people and managers out there that aren't very good at talking. But he's brilliant at it. He's very open. He's honest about his thoughts. I mean, you just need to look at the impact that he's had on players, fans, staff around him and media, wider media. Connor Bennett loves him to bits at the BBC and did get a bit annoying having to wait for 20 minutes while they were having their chats about roast dinners after games previously. But that just shows how much of a good guy Joe is and how much time he has for people that come and give the women's team coverage and share what's going on there.

19:27He's done a brilliant, brilliant job. As I said earlier, Ipswich Town women, I don't think, would be anywhere near where they are if it wasn't for him. Obviously, he has had the new ownership come in to put a little bit behind the women's team and got in Rachel with managing it all. But they wouldn't be there. The players probably wouldn't be anywhere near the level that they are currently playing at if it wasn't for him. And his commitment to the team, you saw how much it meant to him. I remember after MK Don's last season, when it was pretty much all but confirmed, they had one game left and there was no way that they weren't going to get promoted after that.

20:14And he was just loving all the celebrations. He was hugging everyone he could see and, you know, don't embarrass him, but a couple of tears, I know, I noticed come from his face and, you know, the trophy lift at the end of last season. You can see how much it meant to him then. He's very passionate about the club and about the team. And, yeah, he's led it brilliantly to the point where they are a professional football club now. Every, you know, they're second tier of English football, English women's football. They've got international players, you know, players that will probably thank Joe for, you know, the rest of their careers for where they are at this moment in time and where they'll go on to be.

21:08They'll probably look back and think, you know, Joe was probably one of the main reasons they are where they are. so yeah it's really sad he's going to leave such a legacy behind with everything that he's done at the club to make women's football more popular for Ipswich fans I've seen fans on social media yesterday react to it and pretty much all saying the exact same thing of how much time he gives to them as well at the end of games he'll go and do what the players do, take pictures autographs yeah I've obviously not known him for as long as you you could probably share more about what he's like as a bloke but yeah, all my experiences with him has been brilliant

21:58Ross Halls:Yeah, and you made a perfect reference, legacy he is left, he's going to leave such a legacy behind because you know, he leaves the club in a better place than he found it because, yeah, as you say, the club weren't professional. They were training, you know, maybe twice a week. They didn't really have a kit, to be honest. And, yeah, now they're, you know, they're full-time professional players. Now this is their full-time job. You know, it's not the same, as you say, the men's team, but it's still, you know, a lot of them now, they don't need to worry about working. They're now professional footballers.

22:32Ross Halls:And, yeah, I just, the hours he has spent, the commitment he's put in, once again, those sort of things you don't hear about because you don't really want to publicize that because you know at the end that it's my job you're the manager but there's so many hours he's committed to this football club um I think he's even become a fan of the football club as well as as you know I remember him just going to games just as a fan you know going you know in a stadium I know he's done a lot of town tv stuff because I think he likes he's a good talker you know we've seen he's been on the podcast many times um i actually remember when we had the office at portman road um he went to you know we went there he came there a few times because we've had obviously historic fa cut runs um when we played man city for the first time he came to the office and we're just chatting about that and we're just like going bloody hell we're playing man city this is when we're a fourth tier team as well and we're like we're playing man city what is going on and i think you know we're obviously on tv and everything i know he went on look east and all that jazz and it was incredible going up there.

23:35Ross Halls:Obviously, we won't talk about the result because it wasn't great, but that was just incredible. I was very fortunate in those early days. I'd travel with the team and we were staying in hotels and stuff and just got great memories with good old Kieran Stanley just in the bar, just chatting. He's just got such a great football mind and um yeah it's gonna be weird you know i was saying this yesterday to somebody like when you write pieces you know you go joe she inside it's just gonna feel weird like even yourself when you now you know speak to someone after the game it's just will we feel weird but yeah he's um he's left he's gonna leave such a legacy and um yeah like the thing we've played at port on road twice um you know the crowds have just got bigger and bigger obviously a lot of that is the players.

24:23Ross Halls:You know, they play really good football because of Joe. And that's the thing as well. The style of play has been incredible. He's brought through so many players and that's what he's always been about with the club. That was his DNA, his homegrown players. You know, I think, you know, as you mentioned, 90 % of the team is homegrown. And yeah, a lot of them, I'm sure, are going to be a bit lost. Just like us. That like, as I said, Maria Boswell, Luce O 'Brien, Sophia Peskitt, Kyra Robertson. Leah Mitchell, Megan Waring, Paige Peake, you can name most of the whole squad. It's only Natasha Thomas, who's known different, because she was here before Joe came in and before all this.

25:08Ross Halls:But yeah, it's incredible. And yeah, let us know in the comments down below, your thoughts, your feelings on this. It's going to take a while, I think. We've got a game this Sunday against the league leaders, Cholton, and it will still feel weird. looking at a dugout and not seeing Joe. Once again, he was famous for having a hat. He would always wear a baseball hat. I think originally it was an Itchwich Town hat. And I think he didn't change it for a long, long time. It was fading a little bit. Obviously, when we've gone to Umbro, he's got that iconic Umbro one. But yeah, I think he's touched a lot of lives.

25:46Ross Halls:And he's changed a lot of lives as well on and off the pitch. yeah obviously the ownership coming in and Mark Ashton and co you know putting a bit more money into the club has helped that but I think from where we were you know in the fourth tier just sort of like you know bubbling along not really doing much to now a WSL2 team yep I know we're struggling we're bottom of the table and yeah as I said earlier in the chat I'm sure Joe will put his hand up and say yeah there's some decisions maybe we've made this season on the pitch off the pitch. Maybe I could have done a bit differently. But you just never know.

26:24Ross Halls:And he's not been given the chance, really, Tom, has he, to sort of finish the job until the summer. And then, yeah, the club could have gone, OK, we've not done what we wanted to do. But yeah, what's your final words, my friend? I've got a bit of a monologue here. I think I've got a bit of a bias thing with Joe because I've known him for so long. You know, I've known him before he was manager, as I said. And yeah, still, sort of in shock really but yeah I'll sort of let you take over for a moment Yeah it will be really different going to Colchester on Sunday and not seeing him in the dugout not seeing his little run up the stairs to go and sit high up so that he can get a better view of everything he's known to do that sit in the press box occasionally he came and sat behind behind us at St Mary's Stadium for the first game of the season.

27:22I thought he'd got yellow carded or red carded when I didn't notice. But no, he was just doing his normal running up the stairs, having a better look, going back down. It will be different. It will be strange not talking to him after the game and having someone else instead. And I'm sure it will be really strange for the players. I'm sure it's a question that we'll pose to them is what has it been like this past week without him how different is it because it will feel really really odd for all of them going into work and not having a figure that you've had there for so many years leading team talks leading you know dressing rooms it will feel strange for everybody.

28:14I'm sure Sunday will be extremely weird for the fans, for media, for players. Yeah, it will just I think you'll notice that he's not there going forward.

28:31Ross Halls:Yeah, definitely. Good thing with Joe though, he's not going to be short on offers. He's got a big future ahead of him. He's still very young as a coach really um and yeah i'm looking forward to seeing what's next for joe and look at his options and stuff so we'll find out what's next for joe sheehan um but yeah it's just gonna be weird you know not calling the town manager the gaffer that is what is in my phone you know joe sheehan gaffer um because yeah that's what i you know called him for so long i remember he used to call me ross media that was that was my you know my handle on social media he just goes oh ross media um so yeah great memories and yeah, we'll see what's next for the club as well.