A Female Football Manager

[Dynamite]

Fisher Athletic are set to make football history when a female manager leads them out for Wednesday's Blue Square South match against Eastleigh.

Club turnstile operator Donna Powell raised £500 for the struggling club and was rewarded with becoming the first woman to manage a Conference side.

"I am confident I can do well - I already run a boys' football team," Powell told the club's website.

"I am no shrinking violet and do not suffer fools lightly."

The 27-year-old, who takes over from regular boss Dave Mehmet for one game, added: "I'll be picking the team and they'll be playing my way, none of this long ball nonsense - we'll be passing the ball on the floor, playing the game the right way.

"Sure, I'll be nervous - I realise there's a difference between kids' football and the Conference South but I see it as football is football no matter how old they are - and I know my stuff."

Fisher press officer Joe Arif added: "If Donna can turn things round, then who knows - maybe there's a permanent position in future."

The south London club have lost their last 10 matches and are a point off the bottom of the table, while Eastleigh are joint third in the league.

Eastleigh director of football David Malone said that the appointment "devalues the league".

"I'm not particularly happy about it, simply because we've got to concentrate our minds on getting three points from the game. I think what they've done is unprofessional," he told BBC Radio Solent.

"Fisher have done it for financial reasons, and I can partly understand that, but I don't think being manager of a Blue Square South team is a saleable commodity,"

"I don't want to sound like a grumpy old man - which I probably do - but at this stage of the season we're working extremely hard to get our side up into the Blue Square Premier, and I think the whole thing is just badly timed.

lol, lower league football

[King Ellis]

Wait a minute, this isn't the Diary Cube!

[stokeriño]

Eastleigh director of football David Malone said that the appointment "devalues the league".

Subtle. :/

[METALMAN]

I did that on FM 2009 ages ago. FOR ASTON VILLA. That's specialer.

[therockbox]

Bloody women. Coming over here, taking our jobs.

[Matt]

So... in one game she wants to completely revamp their playing style? Good luck with that.

[ZJ Penn]

I think we all know what this boils down to. Come on, what does she look like?

*Reserves judgement till someone posts a picture*

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I hope she wins.

[Crybaby Bunting]

Most managers in the Conference North/South are complete pricks who think that they're superhuman because they manage a football team anyways. It's refreshing to see if literally "anyone can be a manger" at that level.

[HailtotheYo]

500$ ? even with the weak dollar I can apparently manage several teams

[-A-]

Here she is:

[Clawson]

Ew

[MalaCloudy Black]

SHRUG. I wouldn't say no.

[gunnar hendershow]

Here she is:

Is that the puffy shirt from Seinfeld?

[Farmer Reil]

A group of fans on the Internet bought a club, yet it's a female manager that's devaluing the league?

[britneyspearsisgod]

Here she is:

The only thing devaluing the league is her face

[-A-]

Ebbsfleet are actually doing amazingly well since the takeover. They won the FA Trophy last season, almost got to the playoffs and they're looking to build a new stadium.

The Internet > Women

[Dynamite]

Just an update on this. She lost. Although apparently when they changed the formation at half time to what she wanted, they "put in one of our best performances of the season after half-time."

Oh, the report also says she's "desperate".

...

to be a full time coach

[Adam]

Although apparently when they changed the formation at half time to what she wanted, they "put in one of our best performances of the season after half-time."

To be fair, that can't have been too difficult, they're jettisoned off the back of the division and would be bottom by some margin if Bognor Regis hadn't had a points deduction.