A very subjective look into AWFC

I was hoping I would be so very wrong and that we would have won that match. Even when we went ahead I was never fully confident and this isn’t a reflection on the players or the manager, just the overall energy and vibe. I can’t remember ever feeling like this, least of all with Arsenal Women.

I love Renee and I will forever and I mean FOREVER be grateful for what she accomplished and how she treated the players and how much love and support she has always showed them. I know for a fact that she was a beloved figure since she has been at the club and specially when she took over the previous manager. She is an icon, she is historic and she will always have a place in our hearts no matter what the results say, and I’m gonna say I’m speaking for myself.

At the same time, if I try to be objective, I have to say that I cannot trust a manager who’s idea of a tactical masterstroke is to bring on Caitlin Foord, and even less when Beth Mead is ON THE OTHER FUCKING TEAM WHICH MAKES IT ALL SO MUCH WORSE. BTW this isn’t an attack or criticism of Foord who just basically did what she does and nobody is surprised or shocked or disappointed… my issue with this is that this meant that no matter how bad she played (or any sub) Renee wouldn’t take them off… meaning that Foord on meant that when the impact subs were needed instead of taking off Foord we would take off Baum and that’s exactly what happened. One decision after the next.

Renee said it herself: “I’m trying” could be seen and heard in several videos on social media. That has never been an issue nor have I questioned that she is trying to do the best for the club.

So, with all of this said, the clear responsible for this is Clare Wheatley and the horrendous transfer policy. Who the fuck knows what the board is thinking and why. But they have gotten it all wrong. If someone needs to move on it’s her and not Renee. Let’s be honest…

The reality is that this is business and the Kroenkes, who are Trump donors btw (ewwww), will not accept losing money which they absolutely will once we don’t qualify for the CL and if (don’t think this will happen for real) attendances are less and less as the season goes on.

We could see that the ability is there. These players are unreal and incredible. We have Kim Little FFS. A goddess. It’s closer to clicking than it isn’t but one thing that I feel or interpret is that we seem to be too slow… a second late for everything… for every shot, every crucial pass, every decision.

It is all so painful when you see former players excelling and having fantastic seasons and these are players we need.

Have I wouldn’t give to have Van de Donk and Lia Walti back…

BTW the pressing, hunger and discipline by LCL is absurd. Everyone knows their roles and DVD is playing her best football probably in 4 seasons to be fair. Good for her.

Anyway, it’s 10:32 pm here in LA and who knows what the news will be tomorrow.

If it’s Renee or Clare that moves on I know where I stand. You?

❤

d

Putting aside all the areas that we can be critical of, including individual performances and opinions we might have about Renee, one thing that is very much factual is that we do not have a left footed left back, and I’m not counting Steph because she has been playing at CB. This is a very big problem. It is a glaring mistake by the board/Renee etc that we not only NOT address this.

Among the issues of not having one just as a stand alone situation, we can add to it the fact that Ona doesn’t seem like a natural left back and neither does Hinds, even though I feel the latter might’ve had better matches in that position honestly.

Let’s say Steph does play there if she’s fit… well that means that LWM comes in at CB and this doesn’t make me comfortable at all not just because it’s vs Man City and Bunny Shaw but also because she hasn’t gotten many minutes lately, so essentially we are fucked, but that’s just my opinion. Also, Step and LWM don’t seem to play all that well together but that might be totally false and just something that I have unfairly made up in my mind.

Then there’s that little matter of Beth Mead facing her former team. This is such a massive deal for me and I make no excuses nor do I feel I’m in any obligation to be objective or non biased. I also don’t feel like I need to hide the fact that she is a dear friend and I always want her to succeed at everything she does, in a micro and macro sense and in a personal and footballing sense.

The day we gave her away was the day I predicted she would score and assist against us and we would have deserved it. I thought I could feel it in my bones then and I feel it now, 13 hours before kickoff.

Obviously there’s a lot at stake and Renee’s job seems to be on the line. There’s no way it is sustainable if we lose tomorrow and I am definitely NOT saying that she should be sacked if we don’t win. Not at all. Again, that is not what I’m saying.

What I am saying is that there is no universe in which Arsenal Women don’t win anything for many years in a row with change and if Clare is the only constant and the one that doesn’t change then I’m afraid nothing is going to change.

❤

d

How can some people sing at the top of their lungs that horrible song, crying their eyes out, claiming to be the greatest fans of the greatest team on earth and at the same time spewing the worst abuse and insults you have ever seen and let’s not forget this is all directed towards WOMEN. You can’t make this shit up.

So Renee skips the press conference…. ok, I get people are not happy and have opinions, and some pundits like Jen Beattie and Shebahn Aherne have expressed their thoughts assertively, kindly and objectively, as you would expect from those two who are among the best to ever do it. That is vastly different than the shit that we see on social media towards the manager and the players.

It will never stop.

The game as we knew it is over.

Gone forever.

The kind, loving and welcoming atmosphere is not more.

The honeymoon period is over, and fans have ruined it.

Mind you, this is not referring to the in person experience for the most part, I’m talking about the online space which has been toxic for a long time. A faceless place where people can hide behind their keyboards or create Tumblrs about people’s private lives and I’m sorry all of this bothers me a lot because I care about those players and former players personally.

I’m just so hurt and disappointed and I’m sure I have contributed in some way with my negativity and I’m very sorry, I hold my hand and beg for forgiveness.

Some of us NEED football to be happy, and others don’t. AWFC can do whatever they want and I will still love them and love my life and love the memories and the trials and tribulations of being a supporter of this damn club. But that love isn’t unconditional in the sense that if it all starts affecting me directly somehow then my priorities need to shift.

I have lived it first hand with my podcast that I had to stop. It can be crippling and I just cannot imagine how the players feel reading so much bullshit.

It’s not the player nor the manager’s fault that some people dislike their own lives.

❤

d

I have been having a very difficult time concentrating for the past days due to the whole scandal and disgusting news regarding the 7 men than gang raped a female student at Cornell University. As you well know, this blog is not just AWFC centric and from time to time there are bigger things worth talking about and I will do more of that this week because at the moment I am so angered and disappointed and validated in the worst ways.

My thoughts go out to Jane Doe and to every single woman and person who has even been a victim of sexual assault, abuse, rape and everything in between. These situations put things in perspective and make things such as a rough start of a season seem so trivial and meaningless. They’re not but it seems like that sometimes.

I have no idea what I could preview because I know nothing about Paris FC. My only “preview” thoughts are that I want our players to have a great match, stay injury free, get a couple of goals, keep an clean sheet and just get a win so that they feel more confident when they face the biggest game of the season so far and essentially all season long.

Like with the previous manager and that whole situation, the only thing I want is to see the players smiling and if that isn’t happening then something has to change and that might imply changes at the very top.

The problem is that we don’t seem to have the right players that are mavericks, that shoot on sight and that are game changers. No need to chat about who those players are because we all know but don’t forget how people gaslighted you into thinking that we didn’t need them anymore.

I have a good feeling about tomorrow and I’m hoping this is the turnaround that is needed. Maybe ignorance is bliss and our opponents are way better than I’m expecting, idk, I’m so lost.

❤

d

Let’s just get right to it… This Chelsea defeat, the fact that we aren’t title contenders and haven’t been able to contend in recent seasons is not the players fault, and that is a hill I’m willing to die on. Not once have I ever blamed players for a performance and as much as I can privately have opinions about some players (and on here too) at the end of the day it’s more frustration and how I feel because it breaks my heart knowing that these players whom I care about, will feel so sad and might hurt a lot. I hate that for them… I can deal with a defeat, I just don’t want them to feel one.

One of the laziest things that anyone can say is: “the players need to take a long, hard look at themselves” or “the players need to hold themselves accountable” and this is said by some of the most “respected” male journalists and X aficionados who think they know football… just like me lol… These men always look the same btw, and they still idolize Jonas Eidevall which is hilarious… and they look like Jonas too but that’s a whole different topic. Men with no lips come by the dozen apparently.

I will tell you why these incels are wrong… they sit on their high horse and imply that these women are NOT introspective and self aware. These historic athletes have overcome more adversity in 2 training sessions than these men have drank beers and/or sodas in a week. So basically dozens… These women… these legends, these trailblazers, they know what is at play here… their lives and careers and reputation… Buuuuuut…

Those men want you to think that they don’t care… that they are weak psychologically and that they aren’t up to a challenge.

Obviously this is wrong.

I don’t give a flying fuck what anybody thinks but even a player like Foord whom I have said isn’t good enough for our team, is better at football than at anything I or most people will ever be.

Did I think she should come on? No!

Was it her fault she came on? No!

Should she have done better? Yes and so should have every player but they didn’t, we lost, it sucked.

But to imply that they aren’t aware of this is beyond irresponsible. Some fans have lost the plot.

Two people are responsible for the current state of affairs and these two people strike fear in the teeny, tiny, shriveled up, peanut sized, micro fingers of keyboard warriors who thrive on access. These brave guys rather stand up for a man that pushes the best player Arsenal have had in years, than to stand up for the fandom, for the players and the culture and standards Vic Akers and the players have created.

For the record these people are women, strong & intelligent women who of course will intimidate weak men.

Clare and Renee are responsible for this. And make no mistake, they are also responsible for the wins and the CL and the growth of the sport and the brand and all of that but you can’t just praise them and not criticize them.

They make the decisions and they are the ones that need to be held accountable.

It’s not good enough in the transfer market and tactically it is not working and hasn’t been working.

If KIM FUCKING LITTLE is asking out loud if she’s the 6, what hope is there for any of us to have any certainty about anything in life? That’s some existential shit. It would be nuts if she was told several times and was still confused, but we’re talking about Kim Little here… she’s seen it all. So if she is not aware of what is being asked of her, I’m gonna stand behind the player, ANY PLAYER, 10 times out of 10.

One last thing… whatever people have going in their lives (clearly not a lot) and think that the McCabe situation is similar to Ashley Cole, guess what?? They’re the only ones that need to take a look at themselves.

They should shower too.

❤

d

There is something I have talked about here and have had numerous conversations off line about, something that worries me and something that I feel is a bit of a dark cloud around AWFC and woso, and I’m gonna try to explain myself, so please bear with me. Of course, I will say as a disclaimer that this is very Arsenal Women centric and it’s more of a theory than a prediction, if that makes any sense.

If we don’t win the CL or the WSL, I’m afraid we are staring at the beginning of the end for the relevance and influence we have in world football. We have so much pull and so much attendance but people will not come out if we don’t win. Maybe at borehamwood that felt differently but at The Emirates? Sorry but 24k for a season opener isn’t the best of attendances is it?

Given the fact that so many young fans follow players and not clubs, there is a very real danger of thousands of people not supporting AWFC through tough times. They don’t see the reward and they don’t have the patience, and that is typical of youth and that’s fine, I’m not criticizing it, I’m just saying that is a thing that I don’t think the club fully look at or at least not in the way I see it.

WOSO depends a lot on Arsenal, on the eyes they get, the turnout they produce, the merch they sell, the popularity/look of the players, the history, recent European success, etc so if that is gone or not realistic, then there is a chance a lot of people will just tune out and not watch.

The product is always good, I always wanna watch women’s football, I’m not talking about ability or the quality of the players, if talking about the act of winning trophies, which could be related of course, but I’m focusing on the binary reality of it all: you win trophies or you don’t.

At the end of the day it all rests on the manager. Her substitutions were absolutely not good, every player that came in was ineffective. Reuteler and Cerci were bought to do what? Would be nice to see them on the pitch, same with Holmberg.

IDK guys, 30 shots on target and no goals? wtf. Maybe last year we would’ve lost it? Also Stanway has been great imho…

We were ruthless in the transfers with the wrong players. Today we needed a McCabe or a Beth.

Anyway, I don’t have an answer.

I do think this is beyond a make or break season for Renee, to me this is a make or break season for AWFC. Just look at the abuse and vitriol fans spew online, look at the insults, how they shamelessly minimize and call player names and these people “love” the club and follow the players on social media.

It’s all absolutely insane.

❤

d