Rick Passmoor is the vastly experienced assistant manager of West Ham United women’s team, and he’s been delighted with the two most recent Barclays Women’s Super League results.
The Cumbrian native was raised in Yorkshire and has supported Rehanne Skinner to back-to-back victories in the top division, against Bristol City and Arsenal, which have helped steer the side away from the relegation places.
It’s the first time the Irons have picked up two league wins in a row since October 2022, and Passmoor believes the victories are a reward for the fantastic work ethic that both players and staff have shown throughout what has largely been a frustrating season.
Back in 2008, Passmoor led Leeds United to the FA Cup final, and two years later they triumphed in the League Cup as he was awarded Manager of the Year. His success continued, and in 2015 he helped Notts County to the FA Cup final, where they were narrowly beaten by Chelsea.
Passmoor has worked with some of the best in the business in both the men’s and women’s games. Sue Smith, Karen Bardsley, Laura Bassett and Steph Houghton have all been students of his during illustrious careers, while he has also worked with European champions in the form of Alex Greenwood, Ellen White and Rachel Daly.
During his days at Leeds, Passmoor also tutored current West Ham United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, as well as former Hammer Sam Byram.
In his first six months in east London, the veteran coach has enjoyed doing what he does best, developing players, as well as continuing to learn every day from those around him.
The opportunity to return to the WSL was one I had to grab with both hands.
There's been a huge change for me in terms of coming to London and being 200 miles away from home. That's part of being in football and we see that with our players, you do that for the great opportunities that you're presented with in life.
I knew I would learn a lot from working with this coaching team. I believe you don't ever stop learning, and I wanted to come here and be comfortable being uncomfortable. The game has progressed massively over recent years, and to be in and around it every day is really exciting.
West Ham United are a great, family-orientated Club, very similar to the other Clubs I have worked with in men’s and women’s football, and that was also very appealing to me.
I got an unexpected phone call in the summer, and I’m delighted I was given the opportunity.
I’d not worked with Rehanne before, but you only had to look at her past and what she’s already achieved in the game - whether that’s internationally, as an assistant coach at Arsenal where she was part of a coaching team that won a lot of trophies, or to her own first steps into management in the WSL - you’d simply say, ‘awesome!’.
Working with her, there is detail in absolutely everything she does. She doesn’t leave a stone unturned, and I would say the level of detail she provides to not only us as a coaching team, but to the players as well, is the best I’ve ever seen.
I’ve found working with her enlightening, enjoyable, and in a positive way, challenging too. I feel as though I’m bringing my 40-years’ worth of experience within football to the group, but I’m also learning so much and developing as a person.
Being at Chadwell Heath has also allowed for me to get to know the staff on the men’s Academy side. I’ve spoken to Kev [Keen], Kenny [Brown] and Kalam [Mooniaruck], and we’ve been able to collaborate with the Academy and share ideas at certain points so far. They’ve been really positive with us, and it all feeds into that family feel the Club has.
People will be able to see the culture and environment we’re trying to build and progress as we move through the season.
We’ve got some fantastic young players who continuously need to develop, with some of those going out on loan, which I’m sure will be fantastic for them.
As the gaffer has said, we’ve had a fantastic transfer window and we were able to add four quality additions that have played on the biggest stages. It feels like they have been here for years, never mind a month! They’ve settled in straight away, so credit to them, but also credit to the team for helping them to do so.
The past two results have really been a result of the environment that we as staff and players have been able to create. We’ve remained focused on our principles and our processes, and we’ve been able to reap the rewards in the last two games.
We want to keep building on that, and I’m hopeful there’ll be plenty more wins to celebrate between now and the end of the season.
The women’s game has made huge strides forward and I believe it will continue to do so.
I remember I ran a grassroots female coaching programme in the early 1990s, with the first person walking on to the course in 1992. The centre of excellence at Leeds United came under my remit in 1999, and then I went into management in 2007.
Alongside a couple of others, I’ve seen the massive strides the women’s game has taken and the developments that have been made. We have to continue to keep doing that nationally and locally, on and off the pitch.
A lot of credit has to go to the people behind the scenes who haven’t necessarily been seen by the public. Everyone deserves a huge pat on the back for the work that has been done so far, and we need to continue shouting about the game and championing it forward.
