November 17 – Manchester United women’s boss Marc Skinner cut a frustrated figure after his side’s 3–0 loss to Manchester City in the Women’s Super League, and not just because his side had been outclassed.
In the Manchester derby, where the blue half were ruthless, Skinner found himself at the centre of a new age problem – managers wanting the spotlight, until the spotlight gets in the way.
In a bid to keep up with a fast-moving broadcast/content world, the WSL has rolled out mid-game manager interviews this season. Coaches love talking about growing the game, but on Saturday, the interview dropped with the timing of a lead balloon. Skinner was preparing for his in-game interview when Rebecca Knaak struck for City.
“There was even a moment today where I’m on the headset and we’re not using it. I’m listening to commentary and the goal goes in and I can’t do anything,” he said. One second he’s wired into the broadcast team, the next he’s watching City celebrate with no way to reach his players.
“We have to refine the processes, the timings of it. I was doing an in-game and I ended up not having to do it because I had it on for a minute and I’m listening to Browny [Rachel Brown-Finnis] commentate on the corner and the goal and I’m like I can’t communicate to my team.”
“They’re going to look at the strategy behind that and how that works better, which I understand, and I appreciate and accept. But it just didn’t work. I want to engage fans as much as possible but we need to look at realistically how it works,” he added.
With content increasingly becoming king, expect in-game interviews to increase from once a season to every game as broadcasters demand more for their buck.
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