To prove the point, that compliment was handed Wolves Women’s new first-team coach Marcus Webber by Aston Villa boss Gemma Davies from first-hand experience, the pair having worked together for six years with the University of Birmingham women’s team.
While now joining Wolves on manager Dan McNamara’s coaching staff, Webber will also be taking over as the university’s lead coach following Davies’ departure due to Villa’s move to full-time professionalism.
Though he is only 25, Webber comes to Wolves with a wealth of experience having combined his uni responsibilities with spells coaching at Coventry United and the Birmingham City Women’s Academy, then managing Wolves’ National League Division 1 Midlands rivals Birmingham & West Midlands.
Having earlier this year played a key role in the talks that resulted in Birmingham & WM being merged into Boldmere St Michaels, it came as a surprise when Webber left the club in July.
But he tweeted that his decision to leave was due to “a positive career opportunity”, an opportunity that was indeed his switch to Wolves.
“As a young coach,” said Uefa ‘B’ licence holder Webber, “I saw the role at Wolves as an exciting new challenge, the chance to get fresh ideas around me and to step up to the next level.
“I want to make an impact at the club, to help the team develop and move up the women’s pyramid. I saw what they did last season and they’re understandably still gutted that they didn’t get promoted because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“But that disappointment is the motivation to go and do it again, and that’s the group mentality.
“The squad is strong in every sense, and with the excellent signings that have been brought in there’s every reason to feel positive about what we can achieve in the new season.”
