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Unforgettable Eindhoven
For the past couple of years I have been playing drums for Orianthi, who is a legendary guitar player/singer who you might know because she was featured in Michael Jackson’s This Is It documentary… essentially she was going to tour with him before his passing (because after his passing would be impossible. Sorry for the morbid joke but it was easy). Anyway, she is a virtuoso and a trailblazer, doing things since she was a kid that few people can even dream of and she did it as a woman in a male dominated space. Much like women footballers.
Now, if case you didn’t know this long story short: I’ve been obsessed with The Netherlands and dutch football so historically whenever I get to tour and perform in Europe I always look to see if there are dates in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rotterdam, etc. I’ve been lucky enough to do many European tours and I always wear or display a dutch national team shirt, it’s like a thing I do.
If you’ve read this blog you’ll know that I fell in love with AWFC and women’s football while watching the Oranjeleeuwinnen during the 2019 World Cup, specially Van de Donk, Miedema, Roord, Janssen etc etc etc but my favorite player was and will always be DvD. So, when I found out we were playing in NL and Eindhoven of all places… where she’s from, I knew that I had to keep my tradition alive except that this time instead of a Dennis Bergkamp or Edgar Davids shirt, I knew I was going to wear my DvD shirt.
The performance was at the. incredible BosPop festival which I had wanted to play for a very long time. The show went great and probably the best crowd of the entire tour but the most special moment came when we were taking a bow. We walked up to the front of the stage to thank the amazing crowd.
I pointed to the KNVB badge and once people realized what I was wearing they went absolutely mental… thousands of people just going wild BUT once I turned around and showed my #10 Van de Donk shirt the crowd ABSOLUTELY LOST it. Beautiful stuff.
Music is very special and I’ve had a great career playing lots of different venues, tours, etc but I honestly can tell you that this moment ranks up there with the most incredible feelings I have even experienced in my whole life. It was truly magical.
Not sure what it meant, not sure what I was trying to do or say or what but it seemed like a fitting tribute. Wearing my favorite player’s shirt, the national team no less, in their home region which btw is the same region my dutch ancestors were from 😉
Grateful to have experienced this and on the gratitude tip I’ll say that it’s thanksgiving this week and I’m not sure how active I’ll be so if you don’t hear from me in a few days: you’re welcome.
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Updates
I’ve been looking into some of the stats on this blog and it’s insane how little I’ve written in 2025. Part of me wants to apologize but that makes me feel like a bit of an arrogant person so I won’t do that. What I will say is that, if you happen to be one of the people that actually likes my style and miss it, I will be writing again here, but the podcast itself will be gone soon.
One of the reasons why I haven’t been writing as much is because I have been doing a lot of traveling and performing with a couple of different people, and in a few days time I will be sharing with you one of the most amazing experiences of my life when I played in Eindhoven back in July.
Going back to the podcast situation, there is some news for those people that enjoy music chat and want to get an inside look into what it’s like to be a professional musician and what some of the dynamics about that are. Back in the day I started a podcast called That Music Mentor Podcast and to save you time, what I have done is that I started a substack and I will be sending out some thoughts/opinions/anectodes a few times a week, so if this interests you please visit
www.demianarriaga.substack.com and subscribe.
Footballing wise I don’t have much to contribute today. The international break is not something I’m looking forward to as an Arsenal fan because I feel like they all would benefit from a long break and not have to fly to Australia or the USA for whatever match. But I will say that I would love to see Viv back with the Oranjeleeuwinnen in her current form and I’m curious to know what Arjan will do.
BTW if the season keeps going the way it is, Viv would get my vote to win PFA player of the year. She has been incredible. And if we don’t sort out our midfield, whenever we play city we’re gonna get bullied by her and Hasegawa.
BTW.2 I had mentioned that we need Carolie Wier and I still think so but honestly we could use Georgia Stanway to be fair. My friend Jamie and I chat all the time about how good she is and we could use her for real.
Obsessed with The Life Of A Showgirl like most people are and also the latest HAIM record is incredible.
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Fantastic Insight
Hey friends!
I will tell you all more about what I’ve been up to musically tomorrow but I wanted to share with you a video I watched that was just incredible. I had never heard of this channel aka shadow football, but I encourage you to watch this video on essentially what we all know regarding the midfield and Lia Walti’s absence.
Click HERE
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McCabe Hate Is Absurd
There has been an uptick in the criticism and hate towards Katie and this is something that I think its terrible, misguided and it reflects the usual cancerous situation which is a fan base choosing a scapegoat. We all know that at the end of the day this is just projection and its basically people telling on themselves.
Now, I’m not saying that she is immune to constructive criticism and I would bet my house that she is the first person to say she hasn’t been performing at her best but I will just add that said “best” has to do with goal contributions, shots, free kicks etc. The bite and attitude are still there and even thought she might need a new challenge, I still feel she is the right player for us.
She essentially has that left back spot guaranteed. There is no actual competition specially since Steph is not playing there anytime soon unless there are some suspensions or injuries. The issue for me lies on what I can only assume are directions from the coach as to what she is to do and NOT do.
The tactics have changed, the roles have changed and I feel like Katie is victim to a “driving with the parking break on” and so are Beth, Chloe and many others. They are these unicorns that are meant to be set free and be magical and express themselves but they are being asked differently and they are also such amazing professionals that they will do that.
There is also some stuff going around Katie not wearing the poppy symbol and I don’t know enough about any of that to make any sort of comment but some of the things I’ve read on social media are pretty terrible towards her and that cannot be an easy thing to deal with.
We can’t forget what she has done and we cannot forget what she is still capable of. It wasn’t more than 6 months since she was leading the celebrations post CL win. She is still that force of nature.
Support her still or not, at your own risk.
McCabe Forever.
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check this out!
I wanted to share with you an article by a dear friend of mine and fellow AWFC supporter…
Click HERE
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
You can listen to my music HERE
A very subjective look into AWFC 