I've been following Arsenal Women closely for the past five seasons, three as a season-ticket holder. I have noticed that the quality of the WSL has improved markedly over that period; gone are the days when you could count on knocking five or six past anyone apart from Chelsea and City. Jonas clearly wants us to develop in a way that recognises that reality. We will have to wait and see just how successful he's been....Next season will be crucial for his project.
Most thoughtful and succinct comment I've seen about where the women's team currently are. Just saw your Substack bio re length of time following the club.
Tim - would be interesting to see a series of interviews with longer standing supporters of the women's team to understand different perspectives of what's changed (better or worse). Based on Kim's post, I suspect that rise in quality of the opposition is amongst them.
Current development in the women's game is (thankfully), going at full speed but that makes it tricky to perceive what's changing and how. There are clearly a lot of new supporters a view of where we are and where we've been to help give context could be of interest.
BTW I'm not holding my breath that the mainstream coverage will attempt something like this. It seems that punditry is mostly following the tired route of the men's game, with the refreshing exception of thoughtful people like Anita Asante and Izzy Christiansen.
Mentally I've been swinging to and fro from "trust the club, trust the process/we need to develop plug-and-play systems over individuals" to "why on earth are we letting Viv go?!"
So I'm very grateful for a) Reminder of just how good our new-ish striker has become and (b) the glimpse of a tangible plan.
I've been pretty uncomfortable with the tone of the criticism towards Jonas (as opposed to some of the the substance). I can see lots of ways in which he's improved the team. However, next season will have to be the year we win the WSL or a change will be necessary. The setting (and income) of the Emirates is only going to emphasise this.
I'm anticipating good summer business. If these first two are a measure of the quality, then I can't wait for the next season to begin.
I feel a little bit on a seesaw of emotion from this weekend after the endings of both the women’s and men’s matches. On one hand I’m proud that the women ended their season with a strong win (and Hollywood screenwriters couldn’t have scripted a better last goal from Viv), but on the other hand I feel Jonas’ project may be quite fragile. Online furor over Viv is probably on the more extreme end of reactions, so I don’t necessarily put too much weight on what’s swirling in the miasma of social media, but I do sense a true hesitation amongst the fandom as to whether he’s the one to take this team forward. This season was a disappointment ultimately, and I think he will have a quickly shortening runway to continue his vision of Arsenal Women if we are not highly competitive with Chelsea and City right at the start next season.
In the years I have followed Arsenal women and loved every minute I never expected the Head Coach to make a decision to rid the club of a world class player like Viv and then have the audacity to say it was for the good of the club and then talk about investment for next season! Jonas, that finished you in my book, no WSL in 2025 and you are finished, hopefully.
Fortunately, there is a bright shining star in our midst who has worked hard every match, run her socks off, led the line, scored goals and she is the best thing to happen to AWFC since, first Kim Little and second Viv Miedema.
The other shadow AWFC chased all season was the truth or falsehood as regards the so called low block because I do not think this is why there is no WSL title this season. We lost to Liverpook on the first day, lost to West Ham and either they never turned up at Stamford Bridge or, more likely, they were bady prepared by the Head Coach.
For all my criticism of the Head coach and it is now plentiful I do not believe that the lack of success has anything to do with the magnificent contribution of Russo, Fox, Pelova, AWM and the eventual return of Willaimson and Mead. Russo in particular has shown her class with her complete performances and the types of goals she has scored, often with poor service not least against Chelsea in December.
If Viv goes somewhere and bangs in the goals and we make a bad start, like this season, then Jonas is for the high jump. He has had long enough, we need a proper title challenge, a league cup is not good enough. We need to at least be like the men and challenging until the bitter end.
Yeah I don’t think anyone is under any illusion that there needs to be a title challenge next season. The first two signings of the summer are a long way down the round and there are going to be back room changes too, I think everyone recognises this season wasn’t good enough.
I've been following Arsenal Women closely for the past five seasons, three as a season-ticket holder. I have noticed that the quality of the WSL has improved markedly over that period; gone are the days when you could count on knocking five or six past anyone apart from Chelsea and City. Jonas clearly wants us to develop in a way that recognises that reality. We will have to wait and see just how successful he's been....Next season will be crucial for his project.
Most thoughtful and succinct comment I've seen about where the women's team currently are. Just saw your Substack bio re length of time following the club.
Tim - would be interesting to see a series of interviews with longer standing supporters of the women's team to understand different perspectives of what's changed (better or worse). Based on Kim's post, I suspect that rise in quality of the opposition is amongst them.
Current development in the women's game is (thankfully), going at full speed but that makes it tricky to perceive what's changing and how. There are clearly a lot of new supporters a view of where we are and where we've been to help give context could be of interest.
BTW I'm not holding my breath that the mainstream coverage will attempt something like this. It seems that punditry is mostly following the tired route of the men's game, with the refreshing exception of thoughtful people like Anita Asante and Izzy Christiansen.
Mentally I've been swinging to and fro from "trust the club, trust the process/we need to develop plug-and-play systems over individuals" to "why on earth are we letting Viv go?!"
So I'm very grateful for a) Reminder of just how good our new-ish striker has become and (b) the glimpse of a tangible plan.
I've been pretty uncomfortable with the tone of the criticism towards Jonas (as opposed to some of the the substance). I can see lots of ways in which he's improved the team. However, next season will have to be the year we win the WSL or a change will be necessary. The setting (and income) of the Emirates is only going to emphasise this.
I'm anticipating good summer business. If these first two are a measure of the quality, then I can't wait for the next season to begin.
I feel a little bit on a seesaw of emotion from this weekend after the endings of both the women’s and men’s matches. On one hand I’m proud that the women ended their season with a strong win (and Hollywood screenwriters couldn’t have scripted a better last goal from Viv), but on the other hand I feel Jonas’ project may be quite fragile. Online furor over Viv is probably on the more extreme end of reactions, so I don’t necessarily put too much weight on what’s swirling in the miasma of social media, but I do sense a true hesitation amongst the fandom as to whether he’s the one to take this team forward. This season was a disappointment ultimately, and I think he will have a quickly shortening runway to continue his vision of Arsenal Women if we are not highly competitive with Chelsea and City right at the start next season.
In the years I have followed Arsenal women and loved every minute I never expected the Head Coach to make a decision to rid the club of a world class player like Viv and then have the audacity to say it was for the good of the club and then talk about investment for next season! Jonas, that finished you in my book, no WSL in 2025 and you are finished, hopefully.
Fortunately, there is a bright shining star in our midst who has worked hard every match, run her socks off, led the line, scored goals and she is the best thing to happen to AWFC since, first Kim Little and second Viv Miedema.
The other shadow AWFC chased all season was the truth or falsehood as regards the so called low block because I do not think this is why there is no WSL title this season. We lost to Liverpook on the first day, lost to West Ham and either they never turned up at Stamford Bridge or, more likely, they were bady prepared by the Head Coach.
For all my criticism of the Head coach and it is now plentiful I do not believe that the lack of success has anything to do with the magnificent contribution of Russo, Fox, Pelova, AWM and the eventual return of Willaimson and Mead. Russo in particular has shown her class with her complete performances and the types of goals she has scored, often with poor service not least against Chelsea in December.
If Viv goes somewhere and bangs in the goals and we make a bad start, like this season, then Jonas is for the high jump. He has had long enough, we need a proper title challenge, a league cup is not good enough. We need to at least be like the men and challenging until the bitter end.
Yeah I don’t think anyone is under any illusion that there needs to be a title challenge next season. The first two signings of the summer are a long way down the round and there are going to be back room changes too, I think everyone recognises this season wasn’t good enough.