90 Minute Football have come through with another 'Life's a Pitch podcast this week, providing platform for Ruesha Littlejohn and Lucy Quinn on Emma Hayes To USA, Lauren James’ sublime ability, how they would fare on ‘I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here’ and more.
Here’s the standout topics from their latest podcast.
And yes, the bin chickens are back too!
Ruesha Littlejohn and Lucy Quinn on Lauren James
Lauren James was a surprising nominee for the Littlejohn’s ‘red card of the week’ this episode, simply because as Quinn describes, “she’s too good, it’s actually not fair.”
“Do you know how long I’ve been trying to kick a ball with my left foot, and she’s just dropping the shoulder, rolling it in, finesse, bottom corner, from the tightest of angels. And the rest,” she added.
“It’s not cool and it’s not fair” Littlejohn supplemented, continuing the joke, “it’s really frustrating.”
A decision of “pure jealousy” as Quinn says, the two were in awe with just how good the Chelsea midfielder continues to be.
Quinn’s own ‘red card of the week’ then saw another outlandish qualm.
“My only one is, every single person in that Birmingham City training room and the football world has a puppy. My red card of the week goes to the fact that I have no puppy still,” she says.
She goes on to explain the various breeds of dogs her teammates and the wider staff have at her beloved Blues, before labelling her pick as “pathetic.”
Chelsea’s hat-trick hero Lauren James earned her place in @EASPORTSFC #TOTW
Congratulations Lauren! 🤩 #FC24 pic.twitter.com/3M9o0Q9pEF— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) November 22, 2023
Quinn’s Player Of The Month Award
Last episode the duo joked about how although all the stops were pulled out for Ireland captain Katie McCabe’s Ballon d'Or nomination, there wasn’t quite as much fanfare for Quinn’s Championship Player of the Month nomination.
Littlejohn and the 90 Minute Football team set that right this week, presenting a cake to Quinn to celebrate her victory, after her stellar October showcases.
Scoring a goal and accumulating 4 assists, Quinn blew out her candles and closed her eyes to “wish that [she] wins the award again.”
“I think you will win it again,” Littlejohn says, “we’ll bring champagne next time” she jokes.
Who knows, maybe they’ll pick up some more trophies soon, if not in the football arena, then the podcast one.
Your #BarclaysWC Player of the Month for October! 🤩@BCFCWomen @LucyQuinn7 pic.twitter.com/kf5rfse0fD
— Barclays Women’s Championship (@BarclaysWC) November 10, 2023
Littlejohn for I’m A Celeb?
Debating whether they’d be involved as contestants or as replacements for presenters Ant and Dec, it was eventually decided that a split would ultimately be the best option for the two to feature on the show ‘I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!’.
Littlejohn predicts that she’d be good at the formidable Bushtucker Trials, going as far to say that she’d “enjoy it!”
“Please reach out…give Ruesha a call ITV” Quinn quipped.
It's only a matter of time before "I'm a Celeb" get in touch. 🌴😅
Episode two of Life's a Pitch with @RueshaLJ and @LucyQuinn7 dropping tomorrow... pic.twitter.com/NytLNoi0ts— 90min (@90min_Football) November 21, 2023
Ruesha Littlejohn and Lucy Quinn on The Rue and Lu derby
With excerpts of various vlog components, the pair dissected their derby day match with each other, where Littlejohn’s London City Lionesses lost out to Quinn’s Birmingham on a score of 1-0, thanks to a goal from Gemma Lawley.
“It wasn’t the best football that I think we’ve played,” Quinn began, “but our downfall in previous seasons, and at the start of this one was sometimes you’ve just to win ugly.”
“You’re not going to go a whole season with every game going your way, so I’m glad that we got it over the line,” she expands.
“Obviously a bit of drama towards the end of the game with a penalty and a red card, that’s always excited” she says.
Littlejohn too reflected on the game, recalling that she “heard a few fans saying that their eyes were bleeding, that it was that bad.”
It was also interesting to hear how the two interacted with each other on the pitch, while clearly being friends off of it.
“I didn’t really get near enough to kick you, or to give you a shove,” Quinn joked.
“We didn’t really see each other” Littlejohn added, before describing a story about how taking an orange gel went downhill for her quite quickly.
WNT select squad for UEFA Nations League games against Hungary & Northern Ireland.
First call-up for @peamountutd forward Ellen Dolan 👍#COYGIG pic.twitter.com/QfoDsBwBYl— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) November 23, 2023
Ruesha Littlejohn and Lucy Quinn on the USA’s appointment of Emma Hayes as manager
Reacting to the news that Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has officially been confirmed as the USA women’s next manager, Quinn and Littlejohn spoke frankly on how she has progressed the women’s game.
“We’d love for you to take the Ireland job but we wish you all the best,” Quinn says in jest, acting out how a phonecall with Hayes would have played out between herself and Littlejohn.
“It’s massive isn’t it,” Littlejohn added, outlining how “getting someone like that involved, she’s just going to demand standards.”
“They’ve got so much there. She’s got access to everything, so what she’s had to fight for at Chelsea she’s got already. I think she can just really focus on, let’s win,” she adds.
“I think it’s great, I think she was the perfect person for the job obviously with the way she is,” Quinn says.
“I’m a little torn. Did I really want her to go into men’s football just to prove a point? Sometimes I think like how class would that have been if that was one of the first major appointments as an assistant or like a head coach somewhere.
“I’m not trying to take away from the women’s game. We need strong brilliant women in the women’s game, and obviously that’s what she knows and is so good at, but I just think she would be capable of walking into a dressing room of guys and them being like, she knows what she’s talking about."
“So I would like to see that one day, but yeah really exciting to see what she’s going to do with that squad because like you say, they’re just a force to be reckoned with if they can get it right," she says.
Emma Hayes is heading to the United States and @LucyQuinn7 believes it is the perfect move for her! 🙌🇺🇸
How will the Chelsea boss get on in an international environment? 👀 pic.twitter.com/BxkSY4mpP2— 90min (@90min_Football) November 15, 2023
