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About Beth ❤
To say that this post will go in several different directions would be an understatement. I am sad, angry, excited, confused, grateful, bitter, hopeful, resentful and everything in between. When I say “I” it is very clear to me that I am not alone and that you probably feel the same way, so I’m going to do my best to express the whole spectrum of feelings, some of which might resonate and others won’t. Other posts will be more scathing but today I’m just grateful.
I fell in love with AWFC in a very difficult time in my life. During the summer of 2019 I became obsessed with the Oranjeleeuwinnen and virtually seconds later I realized that a few of them played for my club, Arsenal, and then I quickly became an actual proper fan. I was watching every piece of content imaginable, crack content, sporting content, you name it.
That fall I was lucky enough to play percussion with The Jonas Brothers and we did a massive tour all over the world and one of those stops was London. I invited several of the AWFC players and one of them replied… Beth. A few weeks later we met and she, DVD and Louise came to our show. It was one of the most incredible nights of my life and I will always be grateful for that.
This doesn’t seem like a tough time, and mind you we all met in February of 2020, but what you might not know is that a few months prior my house burned here in Los Angeles. I was in Canada while my wife was here in our homes and she had to leave through literal fire and flames and save herself.
What followed were months and months of absolute madness and add to that a little inconvenient thing called Covid. It was fucking brutal but one of the outside things that got me through it was women’s football. Learning about the club, knowing the players, past history, etc and during those endless days and hopeless weeks, these women were monumental for my mental and emotional health. They were my distraction, my therapy, a source of empathy and more. For the record, without my wife and family this period would’ve been unsustainable even with AWFC or any club combined. Family and friends…
And full disclosure, that’s what I consider Beth, which leads me to express that I am not always objective when it comes to her but let me attempt to do so.. even though I’ll start with “in my opinion” thus totally my objectivity…
In my opinion she can play til 2030 if not longer. She is football, in case people don’t fucking get it. We’re talking about a legend in women’s football, not just AWFC guys. She has done everything she could have done for our club and I tell you what, the fact that she kept the most bubbly personality during the darkest moments of her time is something we owe infinite gratitude for. Who else was gonna do it? NOBODY. She put our club first, always… and what does the manager and the board do? Not quite what you would expect and definitely not what she deserves.
Aside from her club trajectory, we cannot forget that she’s the reason “it came home.” Without her England don’t win the Euros, the country doesn’t change, lives aren’t changed… to borrow a Wengerism, we will need to take chronological distance to truly appreciate what she, and the rest of the lionesses, have done for the sport in the UK and the world. We had a gifted player and just about the greatest person you could ever meet absolutely LOVE our club and dedicate every single ounce of love and energy and football nous.
It’s utterly unacceptable that we just saw her last match at the Emirates, in an Arsenal shirt, and whatever happens in the future you better believe I’m going to root for her and if plays against us I’m gonna root for a Meado hat-trick, make no mistake. She will transform whichever club she goes to and I hope her, Viv and Katie reunite because they will win the Champions League and once again beat us to the WSL because they will be absolutely better than us, sorry not sorry.
I cannot believe we’re letting her go, not because it’s not believable but because it’s irresponsible by the club that you love and spend so much energy, time and money on, FFS!!!
My god she’s so much better than most players at the club at their positions… She’s a better defender than LWM, she’s a better midfielder than Pelova, she’s a better winger than Foord, she’s a better finisher than Stina… and let’s make one thing clear, Beth didn’t say goodbye to Arsenal, Arsenal said goodbye to her and that is not something I will ever forget… add to that how they treated Viv, Mana, DvD, Jill, JORDAN NOBBS, and many others. It’s just yucky, which is the total opposite of what Meado is.
I’ve said this so many times but Beth combined the best of Beckham and Rooney and if any of you are old enough to remember, both of those players would defend, spray balls all over the pitch and be the catalyst of everything when their teams needed them the most.
That is Beth Mead.
She was Arsenal, much more than other players and those that took her for granted just don’t know ball… but YOU, the ones that do, the ones that love her and supported her and donated to her walking charity, those that stuck by, showed her love, sang her songs… you my friend I’m thankful for as well.
I was lucky enough to watch her a handful of times, including her first game back from the ACL injury vs Villa when she assisted McCabe for that vital goal… Talk about moments you will remember forever.
Hope life rewards me with the opportunity to pay back to her 1/100th of what she has given me as a footballer, let alone as a person.
She will add value, energy, love, kindness, bite, footballing IQ to any and all teams she’s a part of. I am so excited for her future and I cannot wait to see her shine and win trophies because that’s what she does and who she is. A champion.. a winner. She’s Beth fucking Mead.
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Oh yesss & Oh God Nooo
Well, there we have it… the thought most of us feared came to become a reality. Our Meado is leaving AWFC and I have a lot of feelings and opinions which I will share, but before I get deep into it all I would like to mention a couple of things.
First of all I’d like to thank all of the new readers and I can see you come from all over the planet and that is absolutely incredible, so thank you for finding me and I hope I can make you stick around. Secondly I’d like to remind people that I am not a football expert, and that I am just a musician with a very subjective opinion however, this is no secret, I am friends with Beth and I will always stand up for her, do right by her and try to be as objective as I possibly can. If I succeed great, if not that’s great too. I say this with love: I don’t write anything to please anyone, ever.
I have stood up for Beth, Viv and many others at the risk of burning bridges here and there and I have never shied away from that and I owe it to you as a reader to dare, to be brave and express things that I feel a calling to say, not for ego or to prove a point, or at least that is not my intention. I absolutely welcome different opinions.
I will write much longer about Beth in the next couple of days as I need to process a few things but I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and I cannot wait to see how this universe and football rewards her in a new era for her. I’m extremely excited to see her win more and more and more.
Regarding the other news… I think we all expected the news on Pelova, you know how I feel about her. Laia I’m considerably bummed about and at the same time I think she can have more playing time and she’s just the coolest, so good luck to both.
One thing about Laia though is that this woman is an absolute legend. I know we haven’t seen the best of her in a bit but her accolades are absolutely insane. She’s won everything there is to win. Incredible.
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Her last home match
One more match at home. That’s all she has left at Arsenal Football Club. If it seems dramatic it’s because it is. It this feels vague its also because it is. I am not talking about anyone in particular but this can apply to Beth, to Katie, to Pelova, to Foord, to Frida, to Laia, and who knows who else. That’s sad and also exciting, so let’s explore that. I’m going to sorta create an avatar of a player and I’ll call them Player X instead of trying to push any one particular scenario because I don’t have inside info.
Player X has a seemingly incredible life at our club. We are THE Arsenal right? Monumental, historic, accomplished. We have some of the best facilities in world football, a great support system, the largest fan base in the world and a social media presence second to none. This could mean player X is also earning more than she would elsewhere and has more access to many more things, plus it’s a London club, etc. Why would anyone want to leave?
Well, you can start by looking at the negligence shown by the board in how they treated Viv and that situation. How we never replaced LIA WALTI ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME HOW IS THAT EVEN A THING???!!! You can also see how they create clothing lines and how there could be money spent in their wages.
You can also see the lack of support from the men’s players towards our Champion’s League Winners. Let that sink in… the players haven’t shown any support whatsoever to our girls when they were playing massive matches vs Lyon. Where were they? How can they be so self centered and lack so much humility? Well, it’s because they are men. I would be shocked if I heard that Declan Rice phoned Kim to ask her what it’s like to run a midfield against the best team on planet earth.
Imagine being player X, giving everything for the club, for the loudest and inexperienced football fans calling you useless or over the hill when you are quite clearly in your prime. Imagine being a player that doesn’t get the playing time you think you deserve. Playing under a manager that perhaps didn’t even want the job and keeps playing right backs on the left, etc.
There are so many variables and the excitement of a new adventure can be extremely appealing and I wouldn’t blame a single player if they decided to move on and sign for City.
Do I love Stina? yes, would I have Bunny Shaw instead? Absolutely. She’s better than Russo and since “she’s now a 10” they could form a great partnership. But I’m gonna assume that is nothing happening… so, if you are player X and the club doesn’t show that killer business sense and become total stone cold killers and prevent her from playing in any other team in England, then I would be looking elsewhere too.
I get that the grass is never greener than at arsenal for arsenal fans, but there is more to life than our club, and by the looks of many decisions we don’t seem like a serious club. Otherwise we would’ve locked in Beth and Katie.
Also worth noting that players should have more ambition and set higher standards and this is something I respect so much about Pelova, who clearly is moving on. I also think Lotte and Foord should move one as we can get true world class talent in their positions.
LWM is never going to bench Steph or Leah if they are both fit and we need someone to actually challenge them. If I were her I would be moving on. Foord might get a new contract?? are you kidding me? Why? If this means Katie stays they yes, but based on merit I just don’t think there’s anything footballing there that has shown excitement and a new signing energy.
We need to fall in love with the club again. Those players will always be in our hearts, the squad players who helped a lot, but the true soul of the team, the OGs, can still deliver amazing performances… Beth at 10, Kim in different positions, same with Mariona, Katie at left wing SCORING goals, etc.
Anyway, take a beat and truly enjoy every minute of player X on the field for us, it’s the last time you’ll see that.
Also, pathetic by the club if its Katie or Beth and they didn’t announce it and they could’ve gotten a much better send off.
A lot of this is on us fans. We treat them like shit a lot of the times. Never forget the loud “journalists” and their agendas driven by access and how the cozy up to the board and managers to never create any tension.
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Bipolarsenal
It is such a weird thing, supporting both Arsenal Women and Arsenal men. I can barely deal with one emotion let alone several with ONE of the teams, then there’s the other. It’s absolutely mad and exhausting and fantastic and exhilarating all at once. But make no mistake, there is a massive disconnect between the two and it’s very obvious. Don’t let the couple of cute pics of MLS and KCC fool you. This club isn’t the family that they sell us but like every family, the dynamic is fucked up and that’s expected and “normal.”
I’m also constantly caught in the past vs present situation. I am of the belief that we would’ve won everything if we still had Viv and Lia Walti. I am also of the belief that Michelle Agyemang is the truth and that we should’ve never sold Freya Godfrey… what a stupid move.
There’s also the duality of loving and supporting every player to ever play for our girls and at the same time knowing that a few of them just aren’t good enough for what I would like to see at our club. You know where I stand with those players, no need for me to point it out and I even feel guilty at this point.
Then there’s Arteta… I am not a fan and I would like to have another manager at my club but how can I argue that he is good if he gets to the CL final and might win us the league? I cannot stand his antics on the touchlines, they are cringe and unbecoming and I don’t need my manager to try to grab the ball from opposing players. It’s pretty pathetic actually.
Renee? Love her forever for the CL title but another domestic season without a trophy? not even a cup?? It’s not good enough, it really isn’t… Maybe we need a new assistant coach and different staff, ones that let her do the job and not bark in her ear.
Then there are the podcasters and YouTubers out there that claim to be the voice of reasons because they need access to feed their families but claim they don’t have access. They will gaslight you and try to make you think you don’t have critical thinking. At the same time, I encourage content creators and people to make their voices heard.
It’s a lot my friends and a perfect example is the men making the CL final and the girls losing the title to City, who won it thanks to Viv’s insane season, someone who’s midfield field and height are exactly what we need.
I need a 3 month nap
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It’s too quiet…
My anxiety is through the roof… I am at the point in which whatever happens with transfers, I need it to happen ASAP. Of course, there are literally months to go but we are just days away from the season ending and for us to know at the very least who will be leaving 100%. I am more focused on that whole dynamic that the men’s CL semifinal which starts in 20 minutes.
One player that confirmed their departure is Naomi Williams. I feel so bad because I don’t remember ever seeing her play and I have no real concept of her timeline at our club. I have heard only amazing things about her as a person and I wish her the best of luck in whichever team signs her.
Now, onto the next match which is tomorrow which I will miss because I will be sitting in a very comfortable dentist’s chair. Brighton is not going to be an easy match and I’m very curious to see not just the attitude of the players after that heartbreaking semi final vs Lyon, but I’m very interested to see how Renee lines them up. I wonder if at any moment there’s sentimentality involved and she’ll give players that are leaving some time so they get the flowers they deserve and they all do, regardless if they stay or go.
There is still some hope in terms of winning the WSL but I just don’t see a way in hell of that happening because city are STACKED and hopefully Viv comes back to play which will mean they will win, simple as that. Also, we learned that Beth is available again which is good news too and I hope everyone and everything is ok.
The season feels like a big deflated football and I feel the club was so negligent in the transfer window, specially not replacing Lia Walti and getting a proper backup for Steph and Leah.
If we were a serious club we would get Mapi Leon.
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Shocked…
This is a very hard post to write because I’m assuming that at one point or another I will be somewhat critical of individuals and you have my word that I will do my best to not do that and to also focus on some things that I see as positives… just stick with me here.
We didn’t get killed, we were absent or neglectful and the girls always put the effort in. That is always an overwhelming positive unlike what we see in a lot of men’s football where the players look like they gave up or aren’t even trying. Not in the women’s game, nope. It wasn’t enough, but they put the effort in.
Another positive thing is the fact that we got this far with a squad who has players that aren’t as good as other squads. Imagine if we had better recruitment and better players in key areas, we would’ve gone to the final so there’s some hope that we get the right players this off season.
Now, what could’ve gone better? I thought Renee’s substitutions weren’t good…
Smilla should’s stayed as a winger, Katie and Mariona should’ve stayed on the pitch in a match of this magnitude and the biggest error for me was the fact that Foord even started this match. I didn’t think I could see her play worse than the previous match and today showed I was wrong. She never hides and always tries, I’ll give her that, but today nothing came off. I value effort and grit and fight. She always shows that.
The penalty we gave away was so, so, so clumsy and if Steph Catley would’ve played this would have never happened. I have said this for months, Leah and Steph need world class players to cover their position. Katie could’ve played there with Hinds at left back.
Don’t get me started on Beth not playing. She would’ve kept Bacha way busier and quieter.
This is on Renee though, and yeah I still trust her with my life.
Lyon were better, at everything basically and just like I feared, Bacha was unreal and Engen/Endler did NOT have poor matches. I also said if they didn’t have all 3 Americans in midfield they would control it and they did, I was wrong in that I expected Damaris to play but other than that, we could see this coming.
Katie needs to stay and if she goes like I’ve said for 3 years now, Bacha is who we need.
So what’s next? The brutal reality that this could’ve been the last CL ever for some of these players at Arsenal and maybe ever, who knows? It breaks my heart and I hope they all are proud of themselves.
Holmberg is the truth. That girl is special.
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Lyon
One of the best things about living in Los Angeles and being a football fan is the time difference. You might think I’m insane because that implies waking up at 4am most weekends to watch the girls play and sometimes it’s both days if the men also play. Truth be told I watch an average of 6 matches per weekend and my days start very. I love all of this because I have the entire day ahead of me and I don’t need to worry a lot for those previous hours that are normally filled with anxiety… I’m sleeping at that point and I skip all the nerves, usually.
Also, it’s a very intense situation in that I wake up, check my notifications and read about a transfer or contract renewal or better yet: a series of messages on WhatsApp groups that can be either news breaking or totally unrelated banter. It’s amazing.
The match of the season is less than 24 hours away and I feel a combination of confidence and also apprehension. I’m confident because we have beat them already last week, we exposed some of their flaws, and their manager left some people on the bench that allow us to beat them. Ironically I’m apprehensive about the same things… not sure we can beat this team twice in a row, or that Ada would be that quiet 2 matches consecutively, nor do I think Engen and Endler would ever make mistakes like that again, let alone ever again.
One thing that does give me confidence is if they play their “American midfield 3.” They are good, sure but they are a way more balanced team with Damaris playing there and this is not based on stats but just my eyes and opinion. Egurrola is one of the best defensive midfielders in world football and same with some of our players, if she’s not on the pitch, any team is weaker.
Even as a half american I don’t particularly care about USWNT players, only if they play for AWFC. But I will absolutely miss seeing Lindsey Heap play in Europe. What an absolute monster of a player, and a big Arsenal fan. I wish we would’ve signed her at some point but it wasn’t meant to be.
I’m having this vision of Katie scoring a banger and I hope I’m able to manifest that. Seems like she hasn’t scored in a very, very long time and this is the kind of match that she excels at and my wish is for her to remind everyone and their mother what an Rolls Royce of a player she is and will continue being for years to come.
My prediction is another 2-1 and I’m hoping it finishes after 90 mins because I’m playing pickleball and can’t watch extra time 😦
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Steph: AWFC Legend
This has been a Catley stan account since day 1 and I’m happy beyond words that she has extended her contract at AWFC and her life in England. She is beloved by her teammates, fans, Australia and basically world football. Nobody has a bad word to say about her. We have had an absolute gem in our club and I am so relieved to know she will continue being part of us, someone who has already cemented legendary status
Assuming Leah also signs an extension, means one thing and one thing only: we will continue having the best CB partnership in world football. Nobody comes close. They have showed time and time and again how reliable, fierce, composed and technically gifted they are.
Screenshot This also continues to, in my mind, put pressure on AWFC to keep doing the right thing, meaning signing Katie and Beth to longer deals asap and like I said yesterday if they don’t, they should go to City, make lots of money. Also, if they do go to city, they will win 2 CLs in a row and the WSL too. So, basically we need them in our team. Look at the difference Viv has made. Anyway, let’s sort this out.
Regarding the Leicester match today I don’t have a doubt we will win and I have just seen the starting lineups and it seems like a very “rest our players” type of a match. Happy to see that honestly and I love Codina getting some playing time and also Holmberg. Potentially one of the last matches Pelova plays for us too and I hope the fans show her some love too.
I will miss this match because I have a tee time and I will also miss the men’s match vs Atletico. I’ll watch both later tonight but I’m hoping me not watching actually helps the teams haha.
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What are they waiting for?
Rumors are rumors and people will literally make stuff up and run with it. One of those rumors is that City are in, not just for Beth, but for McCabe as well. This has me very torn and I’m gonna try to express my feelings one way or another on here. Thanks for coming along for the bumpy ride.
On one hand I think it’s an absolute disgrace that the club hasn’t renewed them or offered them a new contract, from what we know, of course. How the fuck do you not secure Katie McCabe and Beth Mead? Is the board not aware of who they are? Have they not seen their cultural and sporting impact? It is nothing short of historic by every metric imaginable. It’s just ridiculous, my friends. This pair has done so much for our club, they are modern day architects.
We saw the club move on from Jordan Nobbs, Lia Walti, Jill Roord, DVD, Viv and more… none of them were “done” … they were all fantastic footballers and they still are, I will die on that hill.
Now you might be thinking that they aren’t getting any younger. Tell me any single person who has ever gotten younger. It’s all about expectations and assumptions and at the end of the day it all depends on the manager’s plans and who executes it. I will never understand playing Mariona and Kim as a double 6, never ever. But we won a CL like that, so in the words of my boss: “what the fuck do I know?”
I want and need them to be happy and if that means them going to a club that values them, respects them and also PAYS them, then I’m all for it, I don’t really mind. They could sign for spurs, Chelsea or whichever team and I will still support and love them. Ok I would hate it if it were Chelsea, specially because I don’t see them dominating like they once did, not based on the current table but the overall state of that club.
Also worth noting that sooner or later Man City will be held responsible for 115 rule breaches and things can take a weird turn, hopefully the women’s side is more of a stand alone arm.
So what is the club waiting for? what is the play? I have no idea and nothing makes sense but if we aren’t going to sign them up and show them the love and respect they deserve then we don’t deserve them. I’m also sick and tired of the social media discourse about them and if affects me, then just imagine what it can do to them.
Whatever happens, I just need to know soon.
More importantly, if you were them… what are you waiting for? in terms of a new contract or to make your decision? This is not a loaded question nor is it meant to make you feel a certain way. I’m just curious as to how these things truly work.
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Lucky Sunday
It’s been about an hour since our girls beat Lyon and to say that it was an interesting game would be an understatement. This game had a LOT in it and I’m gonna do my best to chat about a few things, and as usual I’d like to remind you that if you’re looking for match analysis and tactics, this is NOT the blog for that.
The first thing I’ll say is that I was gutted to know about Beth missing for personal reasons. Not sure what that’s all about but I send her, like you, all my love and support. We also learned that Steph wasn’t going to be a part of the squad. These two absences simultaneously made me think we had very little chance to get a result vs Lyon and once again I was proven wrong.
I didn’t expect Leah to be fit either, so when I saw her in the lineup I was beyond happy. She is so goddamned good. I thought she played very, very well and you can just see the class and poise she oozes every time she’s on the ball or makes a tackle. Elegance personified. We are just so used to her being so good that sometimes I think it can be taken for granted.
Someone who I thought had a tragic game was Foord. I don’t think she makes the right decisions basically ever and I cannot believe she wasn’t subbed at halftime, maybe because we have no attacking options “in her position” which is mental. She hasn’t been at the level our club needs and deserves, in my opinion. She should’ve scored 2, she should’ve passed way more times and she should’ve gotten a yellow card for a clumsy tackle/grab situation.
I am not fully loving the Stina / Russo thing but I also don’t dislike it right now. I love the thought of having them both on the pitch but would much rather see Mariona farther up the pitch and have more of a creating role. She also didn’t have the best of matches today.
Lyon were poor. This is BY FAR the worst Lyon team I’ve seen in a CL match ever and they left some stellar players on the bench too and who knows what that was about. I thought Ada would destroy LWM but she didn’t, which is surprising. Lotte did ok btw, nothing stellar unlike Fox who I thought was our actual player of the match.
Sophia got the POTM but I didn’t think she was particularly great, but good for the Canadian for continuing her run and pressuring Endler and Engen to make yet another mistake which sounds wild to say.
I still think we got a little lucky. They have enough talented attacking players to make life for us very difficult in France next week but I have full confidence we can get a result, specially if Steph and Leah are back on the pitch together. I trust those two with my life, my music career, my taxes, my health and my mental stability as well.
Foord had to score those two chances and I really hope that doesn’t come back to haunt us.
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A very subjective look into AWFC 