Christen Press | "I'm a little bit competitive right now"
- Thread starter jojojo
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
So..she pressed the sign button?
Ok, now I'm proper hyped.
What a day.
Now just waiting for gegen.
Superb forward! Looking forward to see her play.
Really excited for this season now. I think we can definitely challenge Arsenal for the last CL spot and close the gap to the other two.
Looks like an exciting signing.
How good can this team be?
Is England starting to become the epicentre of the women’s game, or is that wide of the mark?
How good can this team be?
Is England starting to become the epicentre of the women’s game, or is that wide of the mark?
Stop the Press - The Heat(hens) are on!What a day.
I’m positive I’m not the only one thinking this so I’ll ask: Do these signings have any effect on the clubs finances for the men’s team?
To put it into perspective, this summer Chelsea made a signing for a world record fee... of up to £300,000. It really doesn't make any difference. I don't think we've had to pay a transfer fee for any of our signings this summer anyway.
Thank you. I’m not at all familiar with women’s football so I had no idea how it works.
I just hope you and others will stop worrying about these issues and instead get behind the womens team 100% - we are all ONE United
A strong womens team will strengthen the United brand even more, its a win-win situation for everybody involved. United fans only have support two teams and its a done deal. There is no doubt United can become
one of the best womens team in the world in the upcoming years.
Girls growing up in Manchester should have womens idols, and have the goal to make it to the ladies team!
Last edited:
Out of interest, who watches the ladies team regularly? I’ve never really shown any interest in them. I don’t even know a single players name.
How interesting is it?
How interesting is it?
Christine Press is awesome.
Good get.
Good get.
i love it because it’s real. These players don’t get the money the men get, nothing even close, so there is a purity and innocence to its play. They just want to play football. It’s not about the huge money and super agents. It’s kind of like going back in time watching it.
it really really needs people to get behind it and support it so if you can spare 90 minutes a week to show interest, do it!
Some really tidy players in this league now too. These two signings are very good technical players. Exciting time’s
You also have to watch it and not keep comparing it to the men's game. The technique these girls have compared to past women's teams is night and day.
oh for sure. It’s improving year by year. The more people get behind it the more money will go into it and from there it will grow. The standards will keep getting better. It will never reach the heights of the men’s game though, well, not for many many many many years, if ever.
Put it this way they were the only thing worth watching when Jose was in charge of the men’s team.
I actually find it quite enthralling. We are still pretty much this massive underdog team built in the proper United fashion and playing in an exciting way. Trying to barge in to the established top 3 and show that we belong there. All the games against them last season were close and we gave a good account of ourselves. Now in to our 3rd year and things look promising.
Two great signings, United have realized that it takes very little investment to be competitive in the Women's game. Hope we can improve on last season and possibly challenge for the title, but those big 3 are just so strong.
I am from sweden and I think Uniteds womens team is very fun to watch. I know all the players just as well as the mens players.
For those living in Manchester, I think much is decided by themselves when it comes to how exciting it will be.
I am going explain why below:
I am a fan of Hammarby in sweden (where Lotta Oqkvist came from). We have swedens largest attending fan base and also the loudest fans. With aprox 25 000 in average in an arena that takes aprox 32.000.
Hammarbys womens team has an arena with a capacity of around 4000 at max. The womens team used to play in front of about 300 in average throughout the years. But before last season we Hammarby fans decided to fully get behind the ladies team and support the club. The attendance first grew to about 1000, and immediately everybody thought the games were much more exciting because the fans were singing and chanting all games long adding to the experience.
During the season more and more Hammarby fans started to learn all about the players and get to know them after games etc. Throughout the season the hype just grew and more and more fans came to the games. At the end we had 4000 at the last 3 games and the atmosphere was probably better than the mens team ever had, it was insane.
The fans also collected donations to give the ladies a bonus if they advance from the 2nd tier to the 1st tier in sweden, so far the fans have come up with 14 000£ that will be split between the players when we finally advance to the 1st tier :-)
Now I follow Hammarbys ladies team as intensly as the mens team, there is no difference, I know all the players and care just as much for the womens team.
---
I think the same would apply to Manchester United. Part of the equation is having fun with your friends at the arena and loving the club, and that can happen regardless if mens or women are playing.
Uniteds womens charmed me completely during the 1st season when they not only won the league but played great football and everybody on the patch always gave 110%. And the girls were so nice and easy to relate to. Pretty much the opposite of the mens team at that point.
Also, the talent level of Uniteds team now is great and will become even better.
Football is not always about just how fast and strong the players are, if you love a club and start liking the players you will care just as much for the ladies team as the mens. And that feeling will just grow with each passing season.
I hope Manchester United fans will take the womens teams to their hearts to such an extent that the womens team will need a new arena to play on, the ladies deserves that! Manchester United fans have the oppurtunity to create something absolutely magical with the ladies team - LETS DO IT
From sweden I will watch the ladies on MUTV and engage as much as I can in social media to help create interest for the team!
I am happy to see new posters finding the womens forum here, it really makes my day!
Last edited:
It's interesting once you start following and reading up on players a bit. I don't know how it is for fans of other teams but it's nice to support a United team that's always improving without the additional baggage that comes with high expectations. I mean we only started the team two seasons ago and absolutely bossed the Championship before promoting to the main league. Came in 4th last season and we're growing quickly. It's quite exciting.
I had trouble catching games before this, but now that I have my MUTV subscription sorted, it's easier to watch these games as well. It's a refreshing way to follow and support United I think. The quality is obviously much less than the men's game and I still have trouble adjusting to that, but it's still entertaining and we play a good brand of football.
Since I don’t have MUTV and don’t live in the UK, I depend on Norwegian TV for coverage. Luckily the fact Man Utd has a women’s team has attracted enough interest that a few games have been shown here as well. Otherwise it’s results, reports and highlights - as in the old days!
Anyone who has watched United and a local football team know that you shouldn’t watch United and then your local side in quick succession because if you start comparing, it will take away from the experience. In Norway we’ve had good quality Women’s football for many years, so I’m used to watching it in it’s own right. It’s like footy has always been, really - if you get interested in a team and want them to win, it’s interesting, sometimes boring and sometimes exhilarating.
Besides, Casey Stoney is really a brilliant manager of the United mold.
I'm a season ticket holder for the men's and women's teams. But, I was basically a tournaments and Cup Finals watcher of women's football before United got a pro team.
I'd seen the general standards in women's football rise over the years but it was only when I went to watch United women play that I started to get hooked.
Since then I've taken my (gold season ticket holder) big brother, who grew up watching the Babes, to watch them as well. At first he was there out of curiosity (because I like it) but by the end he was shouting at the centre backs to get it wide faster, and let Galton (our winger) take a run at them. He's got men's and women's season tickets now.
Once you get past the pony tails, it's just another football match. If you get hooked, it's just another United team with goals worth celebrating, and matches worth watching. There are some very skilled players now and tactically/physically the game is improving all the time - as women's teams go full-time and coaching improves.
I've always liked watching players "grow up" in the team. Giggs, Ronaldo, Rashford, Greenwood etc - they're all bigger deals to me because I watched them from their debut. I feel the same about the entire women's team - the whole team is growing up together. Adding stars like Christen Press is part of the women's team growing up.
I'd seen the general standards in women's football rise over the years but it was only when I went to watch United women play that I started to get hooked.
Since then I've taken my (gold season ticket holder) big brother, who grew up watching the Babes, to watch them as well. At first he was there out of curiosity (because I like it) but by the end he was shouting at the centre backs to get it wide faster, and let Galton (our winger) take a run at them. He's got men's and women's season tickets now.
Once you get past the pony tails, it's just another football match. If you get hooked, it's just another United team with goals worth celebrating, and matches worth watching. There are some very skilled players now and tactically/physically the game is improving all the time - as women's teams go full-time and coaching improves.
I've always liked watching players "grow up" in the team. Giggs, Ronaldo, Rashford, Greenwood etc - they're all bigger deals to me because I watched them from their debut. I feel the same about the entire women's team - the whole team is growing up together. Adding stars like Christen Press is part of the women's team growing up.
Sections of her Zoon press session starting to come out of embargo now.
First snippets from the BBC:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54241530
It includes a nice insight into why it was so important for her and some of her US teammates to move.
"I have been away from football - at least in a team environment with a coach and team-mates - for six months. That's the longest stretch of my life.
"So what an opportunity to play and compete [at Manchester United]. I have missed competition so much over the past six months - so I'm a little crazy and a little bit competitive right now.
First snippets from the BBC:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54241530
It includes a nice insight into why it was so important for her and some of her US teammates to move.
"I have been away from football - at least in a team environment with a coach and team-mates - for six months. That's the longest stretch of my life.
"So what an opportunity to play and compete [at Manchester United]. I have missed competition so much over the past six months - so I'm a little crazy and a little bit competitive right now.
Christen Press ‘blown away’ by return to childhood dream team Manchester United
I don’t think so. Because of the way women play football at college in America I personally think they will be world leaders in the sport for many years to come. Training is better there so female players will continue to want to go there to develop. The only reason some of their players are coming over here at the moment is because the sport has shut down over there. Here, they have the opportunity to keep playing, training and getting paid. If they don’t mind the weather and the food, and their wages are better here (doubt it) then perhaps they will continue to play here once things kick off again in America...
Im glad Christen Press chose Utd. She looks damm good in the shirt and she’s an amazing player.