The announcement that Mel Phillips had been sacked as manager of Brighton after just nine months in the role sent shock waves through the Women’s Super League.
The Seagulls have endured an underwhelming season so far but have shown flashes of promise, most notably in their win against title-hopefuls Manchester City, which are enough to suggest that the club are on the right track.
Phillips only took over at Brighton in April 2023. She successfully guided the club to safety, stabilising a team who were languishing at the bottom of the WSL table when she arrived after a string of poor results. This season the Seagulls sit five points clear of bottom-placed Bristol City with a game in hand. However, this was apparently not enough for the Brighton owners to allow her to continue.
The timing of the change is also surprising, with the January transfer window just coming to close. Brighton’s most recent result prior to the sacking was a defeat to league leaders Chelsea, which is hardly cause for concern considering the champions have won 10 of their 12 league games this season.
Melissa Phillips has left her position as women's head coach with immediate effect.
Mikey Harris, supported by Owen Fisher, will take interim charge for the foreseeable future, supported by the current women’s first-team technical staff.
— Brighton & Hove Albion Women (@BHAFCWomen) February 1, 2024
Phillips is also a highly respected member of the English football community. She previously had success managing London City Lionesses in the Women’s Championship before a move to the United States for a brief spell as assistant coach for LA-based Angel City FC.
There is a feeling around the league that the decision to sack Phillips was borne out of panic that the club had not lived up to high expectations set before the season began after a promising summer transfer window in which the club invested heavily, signing 10 players. However, many of the signings were young talents who require some nurturing, and after major changes teams also need time to gel on the pitch.
Brighton’s trigger-happy approach to management is sure to increase the pressure on the managers of other under-performing sides, as well as potentially putting off options for her replacement.
Reaction
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said she was “shocked” by the decision. Speaking at a press conference ahead of her game against Everton this weekend, Hayes said: “I thought they were a very organised team when we played them last week.”
“Yes, the game is going that way but no one is being paid a million pounds here. To make that decision seemed a little bit quick.”
Mikey Harris, who has been named as Brighton’s interim manager while they hunt for Phillips’ successor, said it was a “huge surprise” to be in that position, adding that “It’s never nice when someone loses their job. It’s unfortunately part of the industry we work in.”
BBC reporter Emma Sanders wrote that she had been to Brighton’s training ground last week and there was “no indication Phillips’ job was at risk”.
These reactions demonstrate just how out of the blue the decision to sack Phillips was, not only from those in the wider women’s football community but within the club itself.
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