Last week, Arseblog News was told that current New York City FC Head Coach and former Manchester City Women coach Nick Cushing was a leading candidate for the vacant Head Coach role at Arsenal Women. We couldn’t double and triple source the information so we did not report it, but the story is now being carried by James McNicholas and Charlotte Harpur of the Athletic (£).
On Monday’s Arsenal Women Arsecast, Jamie and I spoke about the managerial market for a successor to Jonas Eidevall, who resigned last week, would open up in late November. We did so with this information in mind. When I mentioned on the pod that I had heard a name in connection with the post but couldn’t quite report it yet, it was Cushing.
Cushing coached Manchester City Women from 2013-2020, winning the WSL title in 2016, the FA Cup in 2017 and two Conti Cups. Cushing moved across to New York City FC in March 2020, initially as assistant coach before taking the reins in 2022.
Dutch coach Renee Slegers is currently in interim charge of the team and saw the team to victories over Valerenga and West Ham last week. Cushing would be unlikely to be able to take the role until after the MLS Playoffs, which his NYCFC team are involved in, in late November or early December.
Again, when Jamie and I spoke about Renee continuing as an interim potentially until certain domestic seasons finish in November, it was with this in mind. Arsenal are away at Manchester United on Sunday, 3 November after the international break and Slegers will almost certainly still be in charge at that point.
I’m hoping he isn’t the only candidate, the first name attached makes the big headlines. Just don’t know what to make of it, not enough info yet on his style. His US record alone is hardly anything to brag about
He was pretty good for citeh women 😁
At an enormously different time in the league. He’s used women’s football as a stepping stone and I don’t want anyone in our org who does that.
Agree and agree.
Suspicious that a male name is the only one in the press and no speculation on any woman. All across the world of coaches, hundreds of possibilities, what were the odds?
There are five or six female coaches more successful than him. Smells like the press want him to coach Arsenal Women.
I recon 50/50
Can’t Renee do it?
She’s too much like Jonas in her style of play
Don’t think we’ve really seen any evidence of that so far, either at Rosengard or here at Arsenal.
Wrighty saying she still Jonas-y, but has a chance to change
Sure he is a good coach but prefer a female choice like Laura Harvey, Jayne Ludlow, Renee Slegers to name but three. Female WSL coaches are a dying breed so let’s up their number.
Would rather any of those 3 than Nick Cushing. I have said before, a woman coach appears to get more out of women players and have an empathy that men do not necessarily understand, Vic Akers excepted, of course!
No one seems to know who Vic Akers is though. During the Arsenal v Chelsea game on BBC the other weekend, the camera kept going to Emma Hayes, who was sitting next to VA, and all the comments by the commentry team was on her achievements with Chelsea. I didn’t hear one acknowledgement of him though. Its like how nothing happened before the Premiership too!!
Vic Akers is a legend in women’s football, as anyone in women’s football knows. Peter storyteller was saying that Vic was a very good manager of women on the people(women) management side, which is not n aspect many male managers prioritise. I remember in the Chelsea doc (someone tied me to a chair and made me watch it!) that sam kerr said: in men’s football you have to perform to belong, but in women’s football you have to feel you belong to perform …. Very astute summary of the difference.
Hi, you misunderstood what I was meaning, sorry, it was probably the way I wrote it. I know what VA brought to the women’s game and to Arsenal back in the early days, I read with interest at the time all that he was doing. I was trying to get across that it is a shame that these days, most people outside Arsenal have no idea of his many cups and achievements.
My bad. Sorry
Very good point 👍
The press are obsessed with all things Chelsea. Vic Akers taught Hayes all she knows and she is not fit to wipe his bad bits.
I agree 👍
Laura’s had a terrible few seasons lately and would not be up to the standard we need right now. Wouldn’t want her at the moment.
There may be underlying reasons for that which are unknown. She has a very good track record and you don’t forget how to be a good coach in a matter of a season or two. Perhaps she needs a new challenge in North London!
Managers who have been entrenched in nwsl tho, always worry me. Us women’s football is just a lot of running up and down. Hardly anyone – rose lavell excluded – is particularly technical, and no one cares about looking after the ball.
Never appeared to harm their national team though! Maybe becaue they are always superior athletes given all that running up and down? 🙂
That’s what I think. But I allow for the possibility I am being bigoted 😁
Apparently, they want to hire an active coach, so they should look for more options on the market, there are many good coaches in activity, some examples are Joel Kjetselberg, Mariana Cabral, Arjan Veurink, Denise Reddy, Laura Harvey, Twila Kilgore, it doesn’t have to be these, but there are many names on the market.
Cabral. I’ve been thinking of her. She is not coaching at the mo tho. She left sporting about a month ago coz her bosses wanted boring football (or something like that😁)
not having Arjan from the lionesses,thank you very much
I don’t know if it makes sense, he must earn much more in command of a men’s team than a women’s team, it’s a step backwards, because Arsenal won’t cover what he earns there, the City group will want to release him even though he was promoted not long ago, I’m worried about this kind of senseless selection.
This would be an immensely disappointing and safe choice. Feels like it would be a scared one to get the players back on side, but not one we need right now. Instead of a mix between Joe and Jonas, this feels more like either a watered down version of Joe (less philosophy, more people management) or even inching toward a Pedro. Feels like it would be going backwards and not forwards. Here’s hoping it ends up being another on the short list…
Yes it’s not exactly thinking outside the box. Safe but dull hands. Perhaps we need anothe “Who?” moment like when Wenger arrived at the men’s team but can Edu and Claire find that person and convince them to turn our team around?
“who” 😂 Brilliant 👍
I read on Twitter/X that Cushing is committed to his current club. I do hope that the club are not going to throw huge amounts of money at him to prise him away – in line with their habit of substituting of spending a lot of money for boldness or thinking outside the box.
And in answer to my own comment.. From the BBC Sport website:
Arsenal are still considering other options, but would be prepared to wait if Cushing becomes their top target – as the Gunners have confidence in interim manager Renee Slegers.
“would be prepared to wait *if* Cushing becomes their top target”
“confidence in Renee Slegers.”
Good.
It would be nice to have a structure in place to hold the coach more accountable when it comes to results and style of play, as well as some more oversight on player acquisitions and sales- all of these appeared lacking under jonas’ tenure and need addressing. We cannot rely on the history of the women’s side alone to bring in top talent or stay competitive, as we have seen in recent seasons.
Accountable to who and which head coach worth their salt would agree yo such oversight? Madness.
Disagree with that completely.
I think Keira Walsh said in an interview a few weeks ago that Cushing was the best manager she has ever had. Don’t know much else about him.
But Kiera Walsh has only played for Blackburn, City and Barca so it’s not exactly a wide sample set to choose from!
Plus you always feel someone who has developed and encouraged you as a youngster, is a “really good coach”
Steph Houghton has said (on Crossways pod) that he is the best she’s ever worked with too. (Just reporting)
Interesting as she would have been under Tony Gervaise and then Laura Harvey when at Arsenal but they were turbulent times when they were messing about with summer leagues and the formation of the WSL. I think Steph had moved on before Shelley Kerr had made much of an impact. Even in a career like Steph had, apart from Arsenal and City, she only really played for Sunderland and Leeds for a couple of seasons so it is still a relatively focused viewpoint.
Please, AWFC – be daring. I accept that RS may not be the answer, but I want to be excited by your choice if it isn’t her. I am not excited by the prospect of Nick Cushing.
I assume it has to be someone who has won big trophies to keep the bigger personalities in the squad appeased. Experimenting on a new prospect would be more exciting but not sure that’s where the squad is at the moment. A lot of senior players who want to win something soon rather than develop over a few seasons
I take your point, but exciting doesn’t necessarily mean inexperienced, or trophyless. I would be excited if we got Jayne Ludlow for example (she’s not available). The players need to be inspired, too. It’s not just about a safe pair of hands. They need to buy into the new coach personally as well as their vision for the team.
Stephan Lerch ?
I replied to this days ago, but my comment is still in limbo! Anyway, I think it’s a great suggestion.
It also got me thinking – maybe after the Euros next year – Andries Jonker? Assuming RS isn’t it and we *genuinely* can’t find a woman coach. AJ’s Netherlands play a style that could easily fit our players. It’s three at the back but not a defensive three-at-the-back, although they are defensively resilient as well. They mix it up between playing out from the back and good long balls from the keeper, which is one of Doomslayer’s strengths.
Yes but they have Dom Janssen and we decided that we didn’t need her back!
I hope they find a “Hansi Flick” to transform Arsenal women, it would be a dream.
I do not find any flicker of interest in Cushing becoming our Head Coach.
The thought just bores me.
Perhaps the executive level (Clare Wheatley) needs her KPI’s scrutinising before a replacement manager is selected. My gut feeling is to appoint Renee until the end of the season and see if the senior players can play back into form.
Agree with Renee until the end of season, and hopefully longer……..
NYCFC won’t be in the playoffs until “late November or early December.” We’re going to knock them out.
I don’t know who would be best. But my gut feeling is to not want Cushing