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555th Post!
Now THIS is actually the post I never thought I’d write… that’s a LOT of blog posts.
No, I can’t believe it’s been that many. If nothing else it truly proves that I love this group of players and even though I might fall in and out of the club here and there, there’s 555 posts that prove I can, and that’s just as many as you have read, or some of you, and that’s absolutely insane to me, in the best of ways.
The main reason is because I’m really not a writer. I’m not an author, and English will always be my second language. I’ve never actually thought I have anything monumental to say and I didn’t really think I would find over 500 things to talk about but lets be honest… the last manager made it easy for me to write about him like 39 times or something.
So honestly, beyond getting on here and talk about the comeback vs Real Madrid, or how I think we should buy Caroline Weir, I’m just here to thank you. I’ve never had a problem with expressing gratitude here or in my life in general but because I wasn’t posting for a few months, sometimes I worry that you might think I am not grateful but the truth is that I value you, wherever you are, very much and we share this love for this damn club.
It’s safe to say that lots of people have definitely fallen in love with the club and I’m not alone and if you’re one of those let me tell you that you have the right to feel whatever it is you’re feeling. If that’s let down, then let it be that, or if you feel elated because you think Russo’s brace turn our season around magically, then that’s ok too and I actually am jealous of that.
All I’m saying is that be glad you feel something “negative” because otherwise you will just be one more of the pack that just believes whatever the club try to sell and this whole obsession by some of our fan base is basically a cult. And with that I mean it to be the healthiest cult there could ever be… so this is not an insult to anyone, believe it or not.
It’s just football at the end of the day and the club, the manager nor the players have any responsibility at all in how we react after they make us feel whatever it is we feel.
It’s just football… that damn thing that has made me write 555 posts and by the looks of it, I’m back at it. Sorry not sorry.
If you feel so inclined and want to suggest topics please let me know, and I will also bring back the music and football parallels very soon.
Here’s to at least 111 more Muahahaha
❤
d
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Lia was the barometer
If you are one of those incredibly kind people who has read this blog before, chances are you have heard me talk about Lia Walti, extensively. Obviously you have seen her play and you don’t need me to tell you how she is a generational talent. She is the very definition of a “Rolls Royce player” and a “Champagne Footballer.” She was and will always be one of the architects of what we know now as “standards” for our club, a club who’s board has clearly not appreciated her, in my humble and bitter opinion.
There are no superlatives or compliments that exist in any language to come close to expressing how good Lia is and I say is because she’s still an active player and I would be any more she will win the title in Italy. I always said that she is the barometer… how she plays dictates how the team plays. Two footed, calm, versatile, strong, elegant. Lia Walti has it all and when she left, she took it with her.
You would think that a club of the magnitude of AWFC would have a backup plan when they knew, for months, that they’d be letting her go. Instead we have been showed one of the most negligent non moves that I could ever remember. It’s so irresponsible and I don’t see how the hell we can survive without her, or at the very least, a player that actually comes close to her ability, which we currently don’t posses. Spoiler alert… there’s nobody like her anyway.
As much as I hate talking about Viv leaving, at least we had someone in Mariona to offer something different and great and also, at the very least, to give us a much needed injection of “copium” (borrowing this term from LeGrove aka Pedro The Arsenal Opinion Podcast aka the main inspiration behind me writing to begin with). But how in the hell do you not replace Lia with a Keira Walsh or Patri Guijarro?! Of course the answers might be very simple such as “they’re not for sale” but with all due respect to current players in the squad, they might have potential but they are nowhere near Lia, because she’s one of the best to ever play that position in women’s football, let alone for AWFC. We were so lucky to have her and we are currently being neglected by the board as fans, and moreover, the players, specially the OGs, are being neglected.
She’s irreplaceable of course, but among the things that happens is that instead of having her as a CDM, and at the moment KCC not getting many minutes, it forces Mariona and Kim to play way deeper than they probably should, and that is just my opinion as a non football expert and someone who plays drums for a living.
Now, if I was to get creative and pretend I am the manager, I think I would play Leah Williamson there, followed by KCC but I would only move Leah to that position if we get a household named CB, otherwise I’d have to get back to you because the only other alternative as far as football IQ is concerned would be Bethany Mead because that woman can play in any and all positions. She’s the truth.
To say I wish Lia the best would be an understatement. I remember going to the Zurich this past summer to watch the Oranjeleeuwinnen vs the Lionesses and just feeling so happy and proud that I was in her country. What she has done for Switzerland and the football for women in that country is absolutely historic and seismic. To borrow one of Arsene Wenger’s concepts, we will have to take chronological distance to truly see and appreciate what she has done for Arsenal and for football as a whole.
❤
d
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The post I never thought I’d write
Winning the Champions League might’ve been good for the players and us fans but I’m gonna be very controversial in saying that for the club we knew and loved, it was the worst thing that could’ve happened. I haven’t written in a while and this might be a long post so please be patient with me and my scrambled thoughts. But if you don’t have a lot of time its a mix of: Beth Mead is a historic talent, still to this day, and if you disagree you know absolutely nothing about this sport and you’re among the reasons why things aren’t great at the moment. Mixed with: the 3 players we need are Viv, Lia and Rafaelle. Sorry not sorry.
These players, the lionesses, etc have made the sport grow so fucking fast that they young fans just don’t get it. They don’t. They can’t, and it’s just the way the world works because at that age they don’t even know who they are themselves, they have not football nous, they have very short term memory and they obsess over comp clips and not what they feel when they see a player run back 60 yards and tackle.
First and foremost I hope you’re doing well, wherever you are. No matter what happens in or around the club, my appreciation and respect for you is very pronounced. I’m always grateful for you to read and share these silly posts. Also, as much as I have negative things to say about a lot of our fan base, you’re cooler, smarter and way better looking than most, but you knew that 😉
I don’t think the board had any expectations to win the CL and when we did, they short circuited and we are all living through some sort of hangover that sadly reflects on the players but the reality is that we all have a responsibility in this, not just those on the pitch. How? Why? I’ll explain but let me paint this picture:
The board and the former manager (who barely made the 8 team playoffs in the WSL, and got kicked out in the first playoff match – lol) had a long term plan, maybe 5 years total, in which he would instill is philosophy and way of doing things. The club rewarded a terrible coach and someone with very little empathy and respect for outspoken women with contracts and allowed him not just to buy his type of players but he systematically got rid of outspoken, historic women. Jordan, Mana, Vic (the OG and better one), Jenn and of course Viv.
The club relied on the fans’s lack of footballing knowledge and saw opportunities to just keep the lights on to give the illusion of ambition to fans that care more about new clothing lines, about asking players for their shirts and they made a lot of people think than home grown players were all the same. They also want people to think that “likable” players will cement some sort of loyalty but that is misguided and unsustainable. Without beating around the bush, they have worked to make you think that the squad has players that are just as good as Leah, Lia, Beth, Viv and more. Spoiler alert… they’re not. They’ll never be BUT so many people feel guilty for even thinking like me because they feel they’re betraying the club but the reality is that true fans DEMAND what’s best for the club NOW. Also, I’m not who to say what it means to be a true fan, as I’ve written about this before.
There are fans with a platform, with blogs and podcasts that post things like: “they players need to hold themselves accountable” or “if X happens, serious questions need to be asked!”
ok… no shit Sherlock!! Why the fuck aren’t YOU asking the questions? The answer is simple: ACCESS. Those people aren’t working for the fans and they aren’t outlets for actual debate or conversations. They are addicted to access. They wanna flex on you. They will tell you: “when I spoke to Renee she said ____” Ummm…. sorry dude but you didn’t “speak with her” other than in a literal sense. You asked a question alongside several other journalists in the room and btw the same person that does this asks questions that are about how much HE knows about x and you can see Renee’s body language and its just the most perfect reaction of any woman being spoken to by a man who thinks they know better. But anyway…
The club fires that awful manager and we hire Renee, the girls play their skins off, the best matches ever… and I’m sorry but among the reasons we did so well is because some players were injured and others didn’t feature and this is not an opinion, its a fact: they didn’t play and the girls won. It’s like saying X wasn’t a red card but the ref gave a red card. Maybe it wasn’t deserving of it but it was still a red card, you feel me?
So we win the CL. Short circuit… the players we bought just aren’t as good as the OGs and you might have an opinion about my opinion and I respect that. I do think KCC is a player and there’s something there but this winter window we have to make a lot of changes.
The 5 year just jumped ahead and the board has been caught with their pants down. They never thought Renee would win the CL but just steady the ship, I reckon. Word on the street is she didn’t want the job permanently but for some reason Arsenal FC, the mega corporation and historic football juggernaut felt a need to essentially convince her to take the job.
The adrenaline CL run is catching up. I have zero criticism of the players directly, I just feel they haven’t been put in a position to win culturally or financially.
Weird decisions being made.
We keep loaning out the wrong academy players and the bad luck with injuries to Leah and of course Katie Reid and Michelle are just so heartbreaking.
Definitely stopping That Arsenal Women Podcast for good btw
So to finish, as usual, I love this club and I love these players and I hope they play better and win more matches.
They know what they have to do and they have to do it for themselves, not for you or me. If you think they owe you anything because you’re a fan and go to the matches in person, they definitely don’t. If you think they need to hold themselves accountable and they aren’t actively doing that or talking about it, psst psst: you need to touch grass and make friends.
We’ve been living through these weird things with Joe, the guy that came after and now with Renee. But the board remains the same… Think of that what you will.
These players are some of the most badass women on planet earth’s sporting ecosystem, never forget that.
❤
d
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New Podcast Episode
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My players of the season
I’m not even going to make it all mysterious and delay my answer. It’s Daphne. I wouldn’t say by a mile as far as the overall picture and contribution is concerned but to me she’s the first person that comes to mind in that conversation. Also, it’s always Kim Little but…
Her shot stopping is incredible and her 1v1 abilities are incredible. She has been such an important addition to our squad and has made every single player around her better. Also, I understand that by contrast this might be a dig towards Manu and that is not the case. I love Manu and I’m so very grateful for what she has done at the club and if you have been a reader the past couple of years here, you’ll know I’ve defended her so much.
I also think it’s more than fair to asses that the whole backline feels like another team when Daphne plays. They all seem much more confident and consistent and they rely on her and trust her. Not sure how much reality there is to that or I might just be super oranje leeuwinnen centric but that is me.
My second player of the season would have to be Steph Catley. My goodness what a solid season she is having. I wouldn’t go as far as saying “she has found her position” because she’s an outstanding left back also, but her partnership with Leah has been unquestionable and a million times better than anyone else, sorry not sorry. The combination of Daphne AND Steph I think makes everyone just play better.
Somewhat unrelated and I know everyone loves Caitlin Foord and I also know you know she’s not my favorite player but she is having a fantastic season WITHOUT Steph Catley right behind her, so this whole myth of a “telepathic understanding” between them too has kinda been rubbish all along. I’m very happy for Caitlin but I still think we need Beth, Alessia and Chloe as our front 3.
Yes Mariona has been probably the actual player of the year but my 3rd place, and not last has to be for Emily Fox. It seems like she plays every minute of every match. Her work rate is unreal, absolutely unreal.
Trophy or not, there is a clear upward trajectory with Renee and I hope it continues.
d ❤
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What is good content?
There’s no question in my mind that AWFC YouTubers/podcasters/bloggers and much more constructive, positive and add more value to the club than a lot of the people (men) we see “representing” Arsenal FC.
What I mean by this is the absolutely toxic adulation and adoration for a manager than has won virtually nothing, coupled with insulting whoever doesn’t see things the same way and I have found that this doesn’t really happen with AWFC creators. This is just one of many, many things.
I don’t agree much with many people or many fans for that matter and this is something I talk about frequently on The Highbury Squad YouTube shows. Yet, I don’t feel a need to insult or belittle people that don’t agree with me, other than maybe when I got super defensive when we gave Viv to City on a free. Even then, at the very most sensitive I’ve been since DVD left, I never wanted to insult or criticize people for thinking differently.
Another example is when people on twitter gave me shit because I thought Sonia Bonpastor was someone we needed to get. I got laughed at and people came on my DMs saying they didn’t believe in her because of her “tactics” to which I laughed because these tactics won her a league and Champions League… so ummmmmmm my objective view is that her tactics are preeeeeeeeeeeeetty good.
Some people were saying that and defending the then manager just because they like hearing themselves sound loyal and sound as if they are more supportive than people like me that embrace change. Which isn’t the same as being ungrateful.
A lot of people refuse to be vocal about their discontent with the club because they want access to it and what’s wild is that some platforms like AFTV have people vociferously insulting players and yet they have much more access to the club than most normal people or content creators that are less toxic.
Authentic content is where it’s at, but authenticity is a very interesting thing. We can be authentic and be different from who we were and that’s still ok and authentic…. But let me put it in musical terms.
Take Taylor Swift for example. Let’s just say that when she released Red it was authentically who she was. All of her thoughts, energy, love and dedication were encapsulated in that moment. But a few years later she puts out Folklore… a VERY DIFFERENT album but it’s still her. It’s still authentically her. Differently her but her.
If content is a form of art, then it can be authentic, ambiguous, subjective and of course daring. That’s a part that sometimes goes missing and when a content creator does dare and challenges the status quo, most dudes on the AFC landscape do so with insults and negative drivel.
Now, you might assume that I’m implying that I make good content or that people have to be like me. NO, hell no. I am also negative and have spent way too much time criticizing a few players over and over and I have to learn to be more constructive. I always encourage people to have blogs, podcasts and specially YouTube shows. Make them great, with good audio and great lighting and be consistent.
So now that Jonas is long gone and so is our WSL season, here’s to a turn of the page and more constructive words, not so much in the podcast world but here.
d ❤
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Bye bye WSL
What a strange season.
I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it.
And we’re in the CL final? Insanity.
Beating Lyon too… it just makes no sense.
Without Beth or Lia starting and Katie playing so far back in defense.
Nothing makes sense.
It seems like the longest season I could ever remember as a fan of the sport. It filled me with joy, bitterness, anger, love, appreciation, resentment, ego and much more. I’m actually glad the season is over, I can’t believe we let Chelsea have Bonpastor, Bronze AND Keira Walsh, yet at the same time being incredibly thankful to Renee, Mariona and Alessia, all the while missing Viv and being extremely worried about Beth’s future.
Nobody can convince me that they know what the club is doing. A lot of the decisions by whoever makes the decisions seem very confusing and illogical and a lot of the fans just seem to go along with it. We’re renewing contracts to players than have barely played and had maybe 8 good games in 3 years and there’s radio silence on Mead and other players.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: blind faith in the club doesn’t make you a bigger or better fan. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting something different for the club.
Second place, barely, with the squad we have its just not acceptable. No Conti Cup, no FA Cup and if we don’t win the CL, we will have ZERO trophies and we can discuss success or progress all you want but at the end of the day you need trophies and most likely we will have none. None.
Part of me feels like asking: How can the club and management fail these players by not buying MORE elite players? Why did they have to choose between Jonas and Viv? Imagine Viv and Mariona playing together…
Alessia had a great year and so did Mariona. Daphne too and she’s actually my player of the season. So why not add more and more players with that killer instinct and ability? I feel like we settled for a few that just aren’t good enough but fans LOOOOOOOOVE them.
And that love isn’t wrong or unwarranted. I totally get their obsession with some players and I know I’m the same with my favorites. This is part of why football is amazing.
Like I rather have Beth over Foord but we’ve won with Foord in the team so what the fuck do I know.
So, let’s flip it and add some perspective/devil’s advocate type of situation.
How are KCC, LWM, Jenna or Rosa supposed to get any better? Why aren’t we setting them up for success? They also deserve more playing time, even if I feel we could use them in different positions. Stina seems to be struggling with the overall pace of the game and I don’t mean that she has slowed down…what I mean is that since she barely plays, it makes sense that she would be a little rusty and not time her runs properly, etc.
Amanda could’ve gotten minutes here and there specially the very last match for her at the club, etc etc etc.
Renee has found, albeit with a couple of changes here or there, her preferred 11 and it’s hard to argue against it if we make the CL final but I can do it all day. Proof is being sooooo many points behind Chelsea and no cup wins. But in her defense all the bad things will always be Jonas’s fault haha.
I’m a bit disconnected and I’m not too bothered about who leaves or who comes in. But I believe this has more to do with my opinion with Arsenal as a whole and not so much the women’s squad but also yes.
I know nothing that I’ve said makes sense and I also understand that it can make all the sense in the world because I’ve had conversations with several people and they all feel the same way.
d ❤
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Been a minute…
Hi.
First and foremost, I have to start this post the way I start almost every single one of my journal entries, and that is through an apology. I apologize for not being around. My heart just hasn’t been in it and believe it or not, I rather not write negative stuff, because even though things seem ok at the club, they are surely not in my opinion.
We got the news that Yeah, Amanda and Lina have left the club. Like you, I’d like to wish them all the best. They all must feel very frustrated and have their own personal situation going on but as a fan I can only hope that they look back at their time at AWFC fondly.
I can’t believe the girls are in the CL final. I honestly had zero hope against Lyon in the second leg specially because I felt that a double 6 situation with Kim and Mariona just wasn’t good enough as I thought they needed to be 8s. Boy was I wrong.
But I will say that the reason we won was also because DVD (the real one, not Daphne) didn’t start, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever but it sure as hell was a relief.
I still have mixed feelings about Renee and I strongly disagree with her on many things and with most fan base to be honest. I just saw how people kept going on and on about Foord being our player of the season. What.
There is no universe in which I see us beating Barcelona without Lia Walti and Beth Mead playing. There is absolutely nothing you can tell me to convince me. I don’t care who we’ve beaten without them. In my mind, we cannot. If their 3 in midfield start, we need Lia. Simple as.
I know what you might think… that I support players and not the club but that is not correct, I just happen to have infinite more faith and hope when Beth plays over Foord, etc etc etc.
Arsenal is a very weird club, almost bipolar. So many highs and lows. I just love it.
Back to the CL final….
ANYTHING can happen and of course I think we have a chance, even without key players. There’s always a chance and if football has proven anything to me infinite time over the years is that I have no idea what I’m talking about.
But you know what I’m gonna say…. if we had Viv we would crush them.
d ❤
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Things are weird
I honestly can’t quite put my finger on it but I have a feeling that something is going on at the club. Furthermore, I think overall this WSL season has been a bit strange. It just feels like a little dark, if that makes any sense. I have no idea what’s happening but I’m confused.
One of the things that you’ve heard me talk about before here has to do with toxic masculinity and how it relates directly to money and ambition. The bigger the game gets, the more money it brings, the more likely ambitious men will be a part of it, and ambition doesn’t really always been good intentions, does it?
The rise of abuse to players online and at stadiums is absolutely disgusting, abhorrent and most of all, it was predictable. It was only a matter of time.
As women’s football fans, and anyone that has just a little knowledge of history and empathy, we can appreciate how often we/the players/the culture go through the proverbial “one step forward, two steps back” situation. And it has happened a million times and I will sadly continue to happen, ideally less and less.
We cannot think it’s ok , acceptable or just normal that several players, huge names at that, have gotten abuse multiple times… Bunny Shaw, Millie Bright and sooooo many others. They don’t deserve it.
We cannot think it’s ok , acceptable or just normal that the Conti Cup final was played on one of the worst pitches I have ever seen in my life, on TV or in person. It enraged me and made me feel so sad. Like we’re talking about household names here, both clubs owned by people with endless pits of money, yet the players are treated like something. The players deserve the best conditions possible, just like men do, and of course I know you feel the same way.
Although Chelsea have been great, they don’t really look like world beaters to me, what do you think? I think City are by far the better team at least from my very biased perspective as Jill and Viv are two of my favorite players ever. Sad that Greenwood and Hemp haven’t been playing, otherwise, I think they would beat Chelsea and Arsenal every single match. I think they’re THAT good, and specially with a new manager.
As it relates to Arsenal I really don’t know what to think. It seems like the end of a cycle in a way but I don’t mean that the “older” players should leave. The opposite actually… I think some of the younger players aren’t as good as the OGs and the club is in fact NOT in good hands. The standards have fallen so short and whoever is responsible at the board should be held accountable.
Absolutely insane that we haven’t won a single WSL title. Only 2 Conti Cups, with this squad? AND I’m NOT minimizing the Conti trophies! I fucking loved both of those wins so much. With all my heart. But how can the club have stood behind a terrible manager for so long and trusted his vision for all those years?
Also, I’m gonna go ahead and say it but the worst mistake we ever made was to let Van de Donk leave. And equally as bad is let Viv leave.
She’s literally the player we need the most.
d ❤
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Born Again
I won’t blame you if you think its silly that I finally come back to this blog and I do so by writing about ME and my career, but there is an Arsenal Women overlap, I swear.
A few months ago I was asked to record percussion on a song that would feature Lisa, Raye and Doja Cat. As you can imagine this was a big deal. And you can also imagine that I didn’t know who Lisa or Raye were, back then anyway but trust that I know who they are now.
During the NLD that the men played, Lisa was a guest and I think she did some sort of coin toss ceremony. The best part was seeing her with Leah Williamson pictured afterwards. Of course none of this is about ME but definitely felt like a worlds colliding type of situation because at that point absolutely nothing about the song had been leaked or talked about publicly. I wasn’t allowed to say anything about anything and it’s not like Lisa was on a press tour chatting about the collab with the other two unreal artists.
But the song is out, and I’m so very proud of it. A lot of work has been behind it and at the moment I’m posting this, the video has 24.6 MILLION views on YouTube. The fact that I’m on a song with such big artists is an honor and a song that has the potential of being a smash hit worldwide which means a lot of people I love and admire will listen to something I’m a part of and that is always super crazy.
If you are curious and wanna watch the video, please check out these trail blazing women do their thing
d ❤
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A very subjective look into AWFC 