Devils Play

It’s our final Devils Play of a hit and miss campaign which has taken us on a rollercoaster ride of a few dizzy highs and a lot of stomach churning lows. We review the season from soggy Paris to sunny Wembley and reveal the winners of the highly anticipated Devils Play End Of Season Awards (which as we all know are the only awards that matter). Come on United!

Just six days on from Wembley heaven it’s back to WSL hell as imperious Chelsea dismantle a shambolic United at Old Trafford to clinch the title in our back yard and celebrate their manager leaving and ours staying. We relive a sickening 6-0 defeat, call time on this confusing season, take a few deep breaths at the prospect of more Skinner and round-up another busy week in the world of WOSO. Come on United!

We’re still in raptures 24 hours on from a history making dance in the sunshine under the Wembley arch. We talk Tooney waltzing, Rach leaping, Lucia pressing, flags flying, pints sunk, songs sung, arms aloft. Oh what a perfect day. Come on United! 

Was that our worst performance of the season? Today’s pod is mercifully short because we’ve said it all already and losing to L*******l is too painful to dwell on. We’re done with this miserable season and can barely even look forward to Wembley... but we try to keep it upbeat and critique a new rival podcast before giving up and going to the pub. Come on United! #SkinnerOut 

Today’s Devils Play is sponsored by another Tooney wonder strike which lit up an otherwise drab match and proved once again we are in the presence of one Ella of a player. We talk Tooney magic, classy Hinata, magnificent Maya, ball progression and rotation. Plus we recount our away day in Leicester, bemoan the lack of female toilets at stadiums, celebrate academy success, talk pathways to the first team and allow ourselves a little LOL at Chelsea. Come on United!

Just a week after the elation of beating Chelsea we’re back to the familiar feeling of disappointment as predictable frailties and failures lead to a strange 2-2 draw in our final home game at Leigh Sports Village. We talk tactical changes, full backs, individual errors and the impact on the FA Cup Final. Plus we discuss the week that was in WOSO including Millie vs LJ and a new contract for mighty Maya Le Tissier. Come On United! 

Today’s Devils Play is high as a kite on the fumes of FA Cup magic as our girls finally vanquish old foes and rip the wheels off Emma Hayes’s open top bus parade. Yes, we’ve finally beaten Chelsea and the prize is another trip to Wembley which we might mention once or twice as we glory in two great goals, the Toone turn, Mary Earps and an incredible backs against the wall performance. Come on United!

It’s a confusing one today as we celebrate a 4-1 win that nevertheless felt fraught by the same old flaws in our dysfunctional system. We ponder the futility of continuing to play out from the back and sound like broken records on tactics, pressing, speed of play… but also cheer Tooney hitting 50, welcome back Hinata and look forward (ish) to an FA Cup semi. Come on United!

Surprise, surprise, we lose a big game 3-1. Who’d have predicted that?! In today’s episode we analyse another Groundhog Day of repeated failures, berate the soulless, moribund, embarrassing Emptyhad, wonder what the future holds and catch up on a busy couple of weeks in WOSO world. Come on United! 

That’s more like it! We’re full of the joys of a 4-0 win as United secure safe passage to the Semi-Finals of the FA Cup by battering Brighton. We talk Naalsund, Garcia, the return of Riviere and the unacceptable queue for half-time chips in Crawley. Plus we look forward to a semi-final and dream of wearing a scarlet ribbon in the merry month of May. Come on United! 

After a lovely two weeks off it’s back to WSL action with a bump as United’s depressingly repetitive failures once again cost us points, this time at second bottom West Ham who have only won three games all season. We grumble about another disjointed performance, lament the last minute open goal that so nearly changed the ending and look forward to winning the FA Cup… we are going to win the FA Cup, right? Come on United!

Yes that’s it, we’ve had it. Out thought. Out fought. Out played. Outclassed. Embarrassed at The Emirates. No more benefit of the doubt. No more mitigating factors. We’re coming off the fence we have been sitting on... #SkinnerOut. Sorry Marc, enough is enough. In this episode we reluctantly discuss the same old deficiencies after another humbling defeat, read the last rites to our WSL campaign, wonder why there were so many empty seats at a ‘sold out’ stadium, complain about home fans in the away end and hope the FA Cup might save our season. Come on United!

United win again! It’s becoming a habit. We talk Queen Of Clutch Rachel Williams and a very enjoyable day trip to Eastleigh to watch United progress to the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup. Wembley here we come. We give thumbs up to Maya, Leah, Silverlake Stadium, some Eastleigh pubs and thumbs down to a disjointed attack and cold Bovril. Plus we take another chance to LOL at an Arsenal loss before turning our attention to next weekend’s away trip to… Arsenal. Come on United!

It's two wins from two for United with dynamic duo Geyse and Keets scything down Brighton. We get excited about our tricky Brazilian on the wing and a new found right-side combo that looks a proper threat whilst largely ignoring the rest of a pretty dull game. Plus we lament the latest referee fail, LOL at Arsenal losing, wonder why bookies hate women and completely ignore the Cheat Cup debacle because we didn't want to be in it anyway. Come On United!

It’s a much cheerier Devils Play as we breathe huge sighs of relief at securing three points by beating serial cheats Aston Villa at Leigh Sports Village. We discuss a much improved performance from United, praise our full-backs and top scorer Keets, pour scorn on Rachel Daly’s diving career and have a proper debate about the merits of our under fire manager Marc Skinner. Come on United!

We’ve still got the blues after another defeat at the ironically named Joie Stadium but we’re a bit more cheerful on today’s pod. We’re through to the last eight of the Conti Cup as one of the best placed losers so that’s a win right there! We discuss a slightly better performance, debate midfield options, ponder solutions to losing Jayde to the Gold Cup, lament Chelsea signing all the good players, reflect on Skinner Out signgate and look forward to Aston Villa. Come on United!

It's a pretty downbeat and despondent Devils Play as we get home from Stamford Bridge to pick the carcass of a United performance in a must-win game that we comprehensively lost. We've got a lot more questions than answers about United's game plan, formation, midfield, defence, attack... and some reluctant but well deserved praise for Chelsea and our ex player Lauren James. Plus we jump aboard the Grace Clinton hype train, do the maths on The Conti Cup and try to find some positives from somewhere. Come on United. 

We are back with Episode 2 in which we rave about our very own Wonder Woman, celebrate putting FIVE past the Geordies, talk January Transfer window (will she or won’t she…), preview the rest of the season starting with the small matter of Chelsea next Sunday and rage at a terrible injustice in the press. Come on United!

Hello! Hello! Welcome to Devils Play - a new podcast about everything Manchester United Women hosted by James & Stevie. In our debut episode we review the first half of a disappointing season, express our undying love for Ella Toone, try not to talk about She Who Shall Not Be Named, feel conflicted about Marc Skinner and Mary Earps, worry a bit about Newcastle and wonder why people call Geyse Jay-Z. Come on United!