Emma Hayes final chelsea press conference after WSL title win
Old trafford, Manchester, UK
Old trafford, Manchester, UK
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00:00 Gave us a big boost, just had to manage that in training yesterday.
00:03 She was sensational.
00:05 She was absolutely sensational the first half, but the whole team were.
00:09 I'm so tired.
00:23 I mean it.
00:25 I'm exhausted from 12 years, not just
00:29 90 minutes of football.
00:30 I don't know anyone does it for that length of time.
00:35 I don't know how I've done it for 12 years, but
00:37 I think, listen, I'm always so grateful for the players and what they've done
00:46 for me and the club.
00:49 I'm so relieved it's over.
00:52 Yeah.
00:56 How does it feel today?
00:59 I know you always want to put the team first.
01:00 Yeah, I do.
01:01 But they wanted to put you front and centre today.
01:03 So how did that feel?
01:04 Cringy.
01:05 You know, Kat can tell she's the American in the group because she's not
01:10 afraid of that.
01:11 I'm British.
01:13 So I want to be like, listen,
01:16 if I wasn't a football manager,
01:21 or I had to do a press conference every three days, I'm that person in the
01:25 social group that's like, sits in the corner.
01:28 I'm not someone who is front and centre in my life.
01:31 I don't live like that.
01:33 So I find some of this job really, really hard because
01:36 I just want a quiet life and that's what I'm most looking forward to
01:42 is being out of the British media.
01:48 Being out of the British media, having a different life and being in a
01:54 situation where I only have to do this and games every six, eight weeks.
01:59 I'd say it's taken its toll on me rather than changed me.
02:05 I categorically cannot carry on.
02:09 So I am absolutely leaving at the right time.
02:13 I don't have another drop to give it, whether it's whatever it is.
02:18 There's so much of the job, not just this, it's dealing with people.
02:24 And when you deal with people, I have such high standards for myself that
02:28 maintaining that I think has become impossible.
02:30 I can't keep up with the demands from players on a daily basis in terms of
02:36 their emotional needs, in terms of everything.
02:39 And I found that to be gruelling this year, to be honest with you.
02:44 And I hope that the club really support the new manager to get player care
02:49 and a little bit more performance psychology just because I really
02:53 believe in the well-being, even though I can't take care of it in the same way.
02:56 So I made my suggestions to the supporting directors and I know they'll take it on.
03:01 It was lovely to have them here today and the owners.
03:04 [inaudible]
03:15 I mean, it's not tiring thinking about going to an Olympics, is it?
03:19 It's different, different energy.
03:22 It all, you know, if we reinvigorated and re-energized with something else.
03:28 Sometimes people think you need a rest, sometimes you just need a change.
03:31 So Monday, I have to speak to a handful of players and staff,
03:36 as I have been doing in the background anyway.
03:39 Tuesday, I want a leadership call with US leadership and Wednesday,
03:46 I fly to New York and press is Thursday in Denver, Friday to meet with the staff
03:50 and get prepared for the team to arrive on Monday.
03:54 And listen, they deserve my full attention and they will get that from me.
04:00 And those preparations have been put in place in the background.
04:04 So, yeah, I'm having one night tonight and Harry's birthday party tomorrow.
04:12 That's all I need.
04:13 I'll be ready to go Monday morning.
04:15 Thank you.
04:17 Final one.
04:18 Congratulations.
04:19 I know you said you're not interested in the Betley Towers this season, but I'm a fan of Kirby.
04:24 Oh, that one, I am.
04:25 Yeah, I'm not a fan of Kirby.
04:26 I don't think it's anything.
04:28 I think Fran's really, really struggled with a diminishing role in the team
04:33 and I think that's to be fair.
04:34 I think it's so important.
04:38 Sometimes we can have a lot of emotions about always the here and now,
04:43 but when I look at Fran Kirby, I just think of her tenure at the club and think,
04:49 icon, legend, top world scorer.
04:52 Everybody in this environment wanted her to score today.
04:58 I think it was emotional for her too, in different ways.
05:02 But for her to have that moment with the fans, and by the way, the fans are absolutely amazing.
05:08 Like, they were even better than they were midweek.
05:10 I absolutely love the fans today.
05:11 I'm so happy for Fran and I want her to look at a moment like that
05:18 and remember all she's achieved at Chelsea and that signing off at Chelsea
05:22 has been a huge success for her.
05:26 Look at the trophy, she's won and she is someone I absolutely wish the best in her future.
05:31 Every day is a difficult decision.
05:45 I had to leave three players out of the squad.
05:46 Imagine what that was like this morning,
05:49 to have to tell those three people they're not in the squad,
05:51 let alone not in the team.
05:53 I won't miss that every three days.
05:55 That's probably the hardest part of the job.
05:57 In fact, it is the hardest part of the job, telling people they're not in the squad
06:01 because people automatically associate value with playing.
06:08 So if they're not playing, they don't think they're contributing.
06:11 And that's really tough on players.
06:14 So, however, in years to come, no one looks at the team sheet.
06:19 No one looks at who's in the squad of 20.
06:22 Everyone says you were part of that team at Chelsea.
06:25 And that's what I try to remind players,
06:28 even though that's hard when they have individual situations.
06:31 I think Myra, listen, Aggie's a young player.
06:34 She's the future of Chelsea, but she's still got a lot to learn.
06:38 Myra, we'd be without Sam, Kurt, Myra, me, official,
06:43 LJ, the back end of the season.
06:45 We've had some big injuries this year, really bright.
06:48 Trust you me, losing the volume of leadership we have at the back and up top,
06:54 I think did take its toll, plus the transitioning of new players,
06:59 young players and the diminishing role of some of the senior players.
07:05 But that's why for me this is the best title, because we're not stupid.
07:10 We know we weren't at our best, but for us to win a title, wow.
07:15 Like, I'm sorry, I don't think you guys realise how hard it is to win and win and win and win.
07:21 Some of these teams don't change their teams or they're in the peak of their eras
07:27 and they play a game a week.
07:29 We don't.
07:30 We've played significantly more games if you look over the last five years
07:34 and I think it took its toll as well, plus Olympics, plus World Cup,
07:38 plus Euros in terms of our senior players.
07:41 But I almost can't believe we've won the title.
07:44 Can't believe it.
07:46 You've obviously won a lot in your 12 years, but can you just talk about what makes this year and this title as unique?
07:56 Two games to go in the title.
07:58 We've got a 19-year-old on the right-hand wing in Micah Germano and Aggies 20.
08:04 No-one talks about that enough.
08:08 It's not Sam Kerr.
08:09 I respect that City have lost Bunnieshaw.
08:12 Look what we lost this year.
08:14 And when you watch Millie Bright's performance today,
08:17 she's had to play the last three games and we all know she hasn't been 100%.
08:21 But what a leader.
08:22 What a leader.
08:23 And we've missed Millie for large chunks of the season.
08:27 But I also think credit goes, I thought today was,
08:31 I picked a team that could handle the,
08:33 that had the emotional maturity to handle today.
08:36 That's why I put Mucevic in.
08:40 27 years of age, played a third choice, sometimes second, rarely been the first.
08:46 She's one of the most amazing humans I've ever coached because she is someone who's been sat in the background,
08:54 even when she hasn't been, you know, felt she could impact the team in a way,
08:58 to come in the last three games and keep three clean sheets.
09:01 I think that's what epitomises Chelsea.
09:03 You've just lost, for me, Liverpool away for a very long time ago now.
09:09 I've been in City's position.
09:13 I can't say forgive me, but if we'd have been in City's position,
09:20 had they lost to Liverpool, in the years gone by, we definitely won that next game.
09:27 So forgive me for thinking that City should have won the title.
09:32 I'm not doubting that.
09:35 I think the loss of Buny Shaw was significant.
09:37 I think Man City have had a tremendous season.
09:40 They really have.
09:42 They pushed us all the way.
09:44 But if you leave that door open for a team like Chelsea,
09:49 I think the minute that door was left open was the minute everybody knew that we would walk through it.
09:56 Katie?
09:57 Emma, congratulations.
10:00 You said after the game against Bristol City that there were a lot of moments in this job that were probably not as enjoyable.
10:05 Yeah, loads. You ain't got long.
10:08 You probably go along with the group, but at the end of the day, that was probably as comfortable and as emphatic as any of you could have hoped for.
10:15 Were there any moments on the side when you had a couple of minutes or a couple of seconds to think,
10:19 'Oh, I wish that this game would last forever' or 'This is the last time' or any moments like that on the side?
10:24 Not one moment.
10:26 However, I did spend time in the second half looking at all the Sir Alex folks and Stan,
10:35 the 27 years, the volume of trophies, the quotes around the stadium, the history around this stadium.
10:44 I'm a little bit ADHD, so I definitely took that in a little bit.
10:47 And I missed my drink with Sir Alex because I was celebrating too much.
10:51 He was waiting for me and I'm absolutely gutted.
10:54 But he just rung me before I came in here, so I'm sorry, Sir Alex.
10:58 I was really looking forward to that glass of red.
11:02 You said before about how your dad told you when you were a teenager or early twenties to be the one that goes out and saves the game.
11:09 There are probably a lot of things about the scale of the group that you haven't foreseen,
11:14 like you maybe didn't foresee the impact of the press or the scale of where it was.
11:17 But when you look at your contribution to the game now, whether that's through Chelsea or is the game as a whole,
11:23 how do you reflect on that?
11:26 I think I don't really know because I don't I'm not someone I'm really like genuine.
11:40 Even when I come in these places, I'm a genuine person.
11:43 So I don't work to do something for any anything other than the right reasons.
11:51 And I just wanted to create role models that I never had.
11:59 I just wanted to create a profession that wasn't possible.
12:04 I get asked that question all the time. You know, would you have been a professional?
12:07 How could I have even dreamt about that as 10 when there was no visibility on television?
12:14 Maybe Marianne's basic on Channel 4.
12:17 There was only four channels when I was a kid. Maybe a little bit of that.
12:21 Then the first big moment was my dad ringing me from the Atlanta games saying,
12:27 you got to come here girl. This is where you got to come.
12:30 And him going to watch the 96th generation, the 99th generation.
12:34 And he showed me role models, but they happened to be the US Women's National Team.
12:41 I just wanted, whether it's my niece Isabella or the scores of kids that are outside,
12:48 screaming for a Millie Brite or a Fran Kirby autograph to like,
12:52 have what I didn't have, a Panini sticker album that I never had.
12:58 Or, I definitely, Harry don't like them. I love them.
13:01 I still stick all the stickers in. I just wanted that.
13:06 And I think this is really important. Like I thought about how I sign off today.
13:12 And it's, there's only one thing for me. We've all been told, we've all been told no.
13:19 We've all been told it can't be done. We've all been told the boys come first.
13:24 We've all been told it's a men's game. You know, the crack we have to put up with,
13:31 year after year, as is honestly, is I think, has definitely taken its toll on me this year.
13:40 I've been fed up with most of it, to be honest with you.
13:43 But to think that, I don't know how many were here today,
13:46 there's a final game at Old Trafford. There's a sellout at Wembley.
13:52 There's England winning the Euros in, you know, the first English team to do that.
13:57 There is Arsenal selling stadium out after stadium, year after year.
14:02 I'm sorry, game after game. And then, you know, what they're going to say.
14:06 I think women's football will explode. It's already exploding,
14:10 but it's going to really explode in the next few years. And that was all that I wanted.
14:15 And just last one from me, because obviously you talk a lot about the emotional part of your decision.
14:19 Yeah. In terms of seeing something and watching something and imagining something
14:24 that 90% of the people coming to Arsenal thought would happen.
14:27 How do you even see this decision in your head?
14:31 I just always go back to Bruce Buck. And when he said to me, maybe after my first year,
14:38 well, even that was the first time I'd asked him for money.
14:41 And he said, Emma, I want to change the pub conversation.
14:45 I'd like to change it from like it always being about Arsenal.
14:50 And I was like, yes, this is brilliant, but you're going to have to invest in it.
14:57 And it takes Bruce Bucks, it really does, or whomever they are in each and every club,
15:04 to believe in someone or something. And then what happens is competition.
15:09 Chelsea get a little bit, then we have to create an infrastructure that brings the rest up.
15:17 And all I've ever set out to do was just drive it. And I feel, I hate naysayers.
15:27 I can remember even when I used to say some of these things, so many people in the women's game,
15:31 oh, it's unrealistic, it's going to collapse, it can't sustain it, you can't invest this money.
15:37 And I always think the same thing, why are we so negative about investing in women?
15:41 People say to me, you have the biggest budget. I'm like, you should pat me on the back.
15:46 You should say well done for paying women properly. Why do you always use it as a negative situation?
15:53 And I've always felt really strongly about women and championing that and giving opportunity
15:59 and leaving it in the place that I dreamed about seeing.
16:05 But of course, it's only so many. I'm done. I'm beaten. I'm beaten. I'm done.
16:13 Thanks. Thanks.
16:26 That's a great question.
16:43 Well, if I'm to ever be around club football again, I don't suspect it will be in coaching.
16:54 But when my tenure is done with the United States, if Chelsea ever need me, they know what my number is.
17:03 Thank you. We'll leave it there. Thank you.
17:07 Sorry, Tom.
17:12 Thanks, Tom. Always. Always.
17:19 Thanks. Don't lie.
17:28 Thanks, Tom.
17:33 Oh, thank you so much. I appreciate that.
17:37 Appreciate it very much. Do you want a photo? Do you want to go around?
18:01 That's it. That's it. That's it. Feel like Harriet now. All right.
18:08 Can everybody, can everyone see me?
18:25 All right. That's it. Everyone's in. Can everyone see me?
18:31 Say one, two, three. Up the Chelsea.
18:37 Up the Chelsea. I'll send that to you guys. Thank you very much.
18:46 Singer. I got love. Lydia, can I say thank you to you as well?
18:54 Honestly, like leaving the army and trying to get into women's football has been a godsend. Absolutely.
19:04 Straight back at you. You've hit the ground running. Thank you, mate.
19:08 Best decision you've made.
19:33 Looks nice.
19:40 I'm going to be a lot better.
20:09 I just want to say thank you.
20:12 I know. I said this year.
20:33 Is it draining? Yeah. I'm just saying. I'm conscious when we are. When someone's got a problem, it's not just the trojan horse. It's the injury. It's always like, let's just get out of everything.
20:46 I just had to learn to switch off from it. Take it away from me.
21:03 But I think the players are really, really struggling with it.