Brighton interim manager Mikey Harris is ready to be in charge for the rest of the season.
The rumour mill has been very quiet on a new Seagulls manager, and with the end of the season rapidly approaching, it looks set that Harris will be in charge for a while.
The interim manager hasn’t had anything confirmed to him, but he’s prepared to be in the position until the end.
“It’s not been confirmed to me that I will be the manager until the end of the season, but I’m prepared to be here until the final game.
“Certainly, in my mind I’m planning that way because I think you have to.
“From my perspective, not confirmed, but I’m planning as if I’m here until the end of the season. But obviously, our sole focus this week is on Bristol City on Sunday.”
Busy schedule
This is, of course, the first league game after the first international break of 2024.
Brighton had a number of players away with their nations, and while it has been annoying not having everyone on the grass, Harris has found other positives during the break.
“The majority of our squad have been on international duty. It’s almost been frustrating not to have the whole group together to do that work.
“We’ve only had the whole squad back together on Friday for the first time. That’s one of the challenges of having elite players who represent their countries.
“We’re very proud of the players that go and represent their national teams, but for the players who haven’t been away, I’ve had time with them to get to know them and do some more individual work.
“We’ve also been able to get more of the academy players involved this week, which is really important for me personally to show that there is a pathway for them.”
The topic of the schedule is often discussed in WSL circles, especially in and around the international period.
For Harris, who has only been a part of the women’s game for a couple of months, he knows there’s nothing he can do to change things.
However, he’s also aware that talks are consistently ongoing over what can be done.
“With these sort of things, it’s always, for me, what can we affect? In this scenario, with the schedule, we have to accept it and we have to work as best as we can within those parameters.
“Is it ideal from my point of view? No, of course not. I’d rather have a longer build in than just two days before a game with players having been away for over a week. Ultimately, it’s the same for all the clubs.
“There is a lot of discussion going on about it at the moment, and I’d imagine it would be reviewed and people will look at the pros and cons of it now and how it can improve.
“Those conversations are clearly happening a lot; how can we improve the game as a whole, how can we improve the schedule, how can we improve the provision and exposure.
“Those kinds of conversations are happening on a daily basis between clubs and the governing bodies.
“I think it will just evolve as time goes on, but it’s not something I can personally influence or control, so I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about it.”
Sunday’s big game
Sunday sees the Seagulls travel to Ashton Gate to take on Bristol City, in what is a massive test for both sides.
The table will show the Robins sit bottom, but Harris believes that the standings don’t show the whole story.
“It’ll be a really difficult game on Sunday. Every game in the WSL is a high-level game, a challenging game.
“I’ve watched a lot of Bristol City in the last week, and I’ve been really impressed by them.
“I think their position in the league is a little bit of a false one. They’ve got some strong attributes, and we’ll have to be at our best.
“If we are at our best, I’m confident that we can put in a confident performance.”
The table will also show that this is a game between twelfth and eleventh, and naturally the stakes are high.
Despite this, Harris doesn’t see Sunday’s showdown as season defining, and that he and his team will prepare in the exact same way as they would any other opponent.
“I don’t see it as a season defining game. We’ve got eight games left and a lot of points to play for.
“From my perspective, we’re looking to finish the season as high as we possibly can. I’m hoping a positive performance, and a positive result will contribute to that on Sunday.
“We treat every game the same. The process is the same, our preparation is the same, our review is the same; we have a clear process that we follow, and Sunday is no different.
“Every game that we play, we respect the opposition, and every game we try and impart our philosophy and our identity on the game in a positive way.
“Hopefully, when all those things are put together, that it leads to a positive result and performance.”