They deserve it.
On Saturday, the Arsenal Ladies were crowned WSL Champions in spectacular style. A last-gasp stunner from Emma Mitchell was enough to not only secure 1-0 victory over Manchester City but in doing so, ended their opponents chance of going through the season unbeaten. What Kompany did against Leicester, Mitchell did against City.
A superb season for the ladies and a great achievement after being out of the race for the past few years. Arsenal had enjoyed great success under Vik Acres but after he retired in 2009 after winning a domestic treble for the fourth time. Eleven league titles too which was pretty special I’d say.
His replacement Tony Gervaise didn’t last long and Laura Harvey took over less than a year later. Another league title was secured followed by another domestic treble after winning the WSL, the FA Cup and the Continental Cup in 2011.
On 1 February 2013 Shelley Kerr replaced Laura Harvey and despite winning a couple of domestic cups, the league performance was declining. Just one point from the opening four league matches of the 2014 season together with being knocked out of the Champions League by Birmingham, Kerr resigned.
In 2014 they won a couple of domestic cups but the WSL was way beyond the regardless of who coached them.
Until this season…. Arsenal Ladies, who in 2017 were rebranded Arsenal women, why I’ve no idea, secured their first WSL Trophy in seven years beating money bags Man City along the way. After a five year absence, they’re back in the Champions League too.
The current squad is an exciting blend of youth and experience, featuring English, Scottish and Irish internationals, four of the Dutch players who won the 2017 Women’s Euros and young stars who have come through the ranks here. Arsenal.com
Joseph Montemurro is their coach and has been since 2017 so it’s taken him roughly two years to get Arsenal back to being where they were once so used to being. Immediately after winning the league he said he was already thinking on how to improve his squad, his team and the future for the women. Perhaps like Unai Emery, not seeing some of his important players suffer injuries will be a great help. As will a continued being of a stronger and deeper squad. Montemurro will need to in order to compete in Europe again.
Unai Emery has to, just to compete in the league. I know the women’s game is very different to the men’s as far as finances, transfers and number of fixtures goes but change is change regardless. And sometimes it takes time to get it right.
On that note, I’ll see you in the comments….
I have to admit that I am not into Ladies / Women’s football , maybe things when my 5 year old granddaughter gets into sport but. They are a team which has done well and so I congratulate them and for their own sakes I hope that they continue to suceed. All the best to them.
As far as Emery goes and the changes he may be able to make , they will depend on things out of his hands I feel. His job is to evaluate his stock and get the most from it. Others will supply him with what he has to work with. The all powerful days of an overreaching overlord have gone and the coach has to be assesed on results on the pitch . All the rest is someone elses problem.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/what-man-city-champions-league-15741074
Can’t see this happening but interesting all the same.
Have to fill the next ten weeks with something Potter. Lol
I guess I have more of an interest having played the women’s game but unlike the men’s game, tv coverage is limited. It’s a shame the club’s own tv channel wasn’t able to keep going as we’d have been able to watch a lot more of the women’s game along with the academy matches.
Great achievement, well done to all.
I watched the women’s cup final recently, and was so impressed by the commitment and passion of the players, also the standard.It wasn’t the greatest game but cup finals often aren’t.
Also I was really impressed with the officials.Why can’t we have more female officials in the men’s game ?
We get the occasional token female lino, I can’t recall a female ref.Its 2019,women are allowed to do hard jobs too!
Surely they could do as good a job as the men.Dare I say better!
Afternoon All,
Well done for the Post, Rico, and I admit that I have come to respect women’s professional football more, as the years have brought better and better players and more skills to their game.
There are those who poo-poo the need to spend money, and claim it is all down to improved coaching if Arsenal are to compete for EPL or CL trophies.
It is undoubtedly true that top coaching is a key component of all successful teams, as has been shown by Klopp and Guardiola, but having quality footballers is absolutely essential, otherwise it is like throwing jewels to swine.
For example, all the top managers, try to buy the best players available in every summer transfer slot, including Sir Fungus up until he retired – even after winning a top trophy.
Man City may be banned by UEFA from buying players as a result of allegedly ‘fixing the books’ and spending transfer money over and beyond their entitlement — but just in case that gets knocked on the head, they are making to clear that Pep will have upwards of £200m to spend this summer.
Similarly, the biggest spenders in the last two years, City and ‘Pool are also geared to spend big again — and where did those two come this year – and maybe even the CL for Pool to come?
It makes the supposed £49m allocated by Kroenke to Embury for transfers this summer, + what he can get for the discards, look puny in the efforts to rebuild a weak team.
If this level of transfer budget carries on we may once again become a middling team with fans who can only watch the top two, plus Chelsea and the the Spuds, and probably Manure, compete for the top competitions, while we do not.
Ra, just like our £49m transfer fee is media speculation, so is the £200m which City plan to spend.
They’re being investigated apparently so surely the last thing they’ll be doing is overspending again. Their wage bill has to be close to the limit. Especially if our is.
I don’t believe anything in the media about transfers and spending because they are simply trying to get readers.
Limey, do you recall how much stick Sian Massey took when she first officiated a match? I bet Keys and Gray do.
In a world which is still full of racism and homophobia, imagine how difficult it would be for a woman to referee a men’s game. The larger percentage of football fans are decent people I’m sure but sadly, too many aren’t…
G’day all, Man City will not be hit with a transfer ban, but if the UEFA investigators get their way, they will be banned from European competitions for a minimum of one season.
And if they do get banned from Europe, we’re in… lol
Yes Rico,
The Sian Massey/Keys-Gray thing was pretty shocking, although as you say still below the surface.
I’d like to think maybe men players would behave better towards a woman ref.Worth a try,couldn’t be
worse than the current lot.
I doubt they’d be any worse Limey, but I reckon some of the players might be quite rude.
Nice one rico.
Well done to our ladies. Perhaps we will start winning again as we did with Vic Akers.
Womens football is improving all the time, but take a look at England Ladies rugby union team. These girls are tough, talented and professional.
rico, I hear what your saying about UE transfer kitty, but I’m in the £40-£50mil camp, plus whatever he can generate with sales or winning the Europa league.
I could be wrong but I don’t think Citeh supporters would give a toss if they got banned by UEFA from the Champions League next season, they’ve just won back to back titles, they’re not bothered about a glorified FA Cup (not sure what that makes the Europa Cup btw lol) wouldn’t imagine their billionaire owners would give a hoot either for that matter.
rico 4.58, the rosary beads are out !
The major downside to not being in the Champions League, for City, is the likelihood that the top players would not wish to miss out at a chance of winning the major European club football tournament by signing for them.
Good morning. Don’t get your hopes up too soon Rico. The proposed C L ban on City would not come into effect until the 2020/21 seasonj. 😉
The upside for signing for City will be the huge wages to compensate for not being in the CL !
😉
Morning all.
I hadn’t Cicero as there’s more chance of it snowing today than City receiving any ban imo. Peps the golden boy isn’t he.
In any case, if it wasn’t for the money, I reckon another season of Europa would be better for us. More playing time for the younger players. Sounds negative but they are our future under Kroenke.
Ditto Micko re City…
New post up now.
Well done !