Walter Broeckx looks at yet another triumph for Arsenal Ladies
Who suffered the most of the defeat on Sunday? Was it the manager? The players? The supporters? Well in fact I think the one who suffered most are… the Arsenal Ladies.
Right on the day that Arsenal suffered their heavy defeat the Arsenal Ladies clinched their 13th title since 1993.
The Arsenal Ladies were formed in 1987 and in their existence of 24 years now they have won 13 league titles, 11 FA cups, 10 Premier league cups and the Uefa Women’s Cup.
This season they also won the FA Cup, and are about to start playing for the league cup of the Super League – victory in which would give them the treble.
Those are staggering figures. And then I leave out the less important titles that they have won. Less important, with all respect of course. Certainly if you think that it took them some 5 years before they could win something for the first time. But since then it has been winning and winning.
The current title is the 8th consecutive title they have won. Despite losing some of their best players a while ago to the better paid North American Women’s leagues Arsenal managed to keep on winning.
But when in some seasons Arsenal just had to step on the field to win the league this time it was a more tensed battle to win it. Arsenal had to travel to Liverpool Ladies and if they wanted to be sure of the title they had to win. They won 1-3 with Rachel Yankey scoring two goals and Kim Little scoring the last goal for Arsenal.
This victory meant that Arsenal won the league with 32 points after 14 games. The Women Super league has 8 teams in the league. 10 wins, 2 draws and 2 lost games was the outcome of the first WSL. Birmingham finished second with 29 points and their fiercest rivals in the last seasons Everton came third with 25 points.
So I feel a bit sorry for the Arsenal Ladies that their achievement went under the radar because our first team did what they did on Sunday.
Even our own Arsenal website is bringing this great performance very low profile. Poor Ladies. But what you have achieved is great for the Ladies and let us just hope that the success may continue in the future.
The Arsenal Ladies celebrate their 25 years in 2012. So let us all hope that their 14th title will be won in that year. Just look at those numbers that is one title in every two years. I hope the male Arsenal players talk a walk to the Ladies and just ask them how they did this. Maybe we could learn a few things from the Ladies.
The season is not over yet for the Arsenal Ladies – even after the end of season Super League Cup. Because at the end of September they will play FC Bobruichanka from Belarus in the Women’s Champions League. And if they can qualify against FC Bobruichanka over the two legs they will go further in the Womens Champions League. So who knows what still is possible for the Ladies.
Well done Arsenal Ladies. Keep on gunning.
Untold Arsenal on Twitter @UntoldArsenal
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fancy that. good to know we aren’t a total loss. that should upset the doomers and gloomers association quite nicely walter.
Not just a class side but evidence (if anyone in the lads’ squad needs it) that winning produces a winning confidence…. Our women MUST be paraded with their silverware at our Swansea fixture and at a time when our seats are full – the men + AW and his aides should be out to applaud them.
Of course, my thoughts are with the men and what they can put together this season – even the Carling Mug could provide that winners’ confidence. Gonner forever!
i second that lanesra.
I accepted congratulations on behalf of the ladies and our u18s who also won before I talked to anyone about the Man U game. Deflected a lot of criticism. Agree totally that they should be formally greeted at the next game and also think they should have a success banner in the stadium.
Walter I loved this. and I agree with you. There are two other things about Arsenal Ladies you didn’t mention in 2007 they won all 4 competition they took part. Vic Akers (yes that kit manager from 1st team) was the one who worked hard to create Ladies team and were manager of the team for years (that is main reason he recieved that OBE thing). Ladies also changed their manager at beginning of 2009-10 season. (After being in charge for 22 years Akers decided to move other things for the team but still in involved with them). So notice Arsenal do tend to keep great managers for long time.
Birmingham was really good this year because after their first team dropped they invested lot more for their women’s team.
Honestly reason I was smiling and endured Monday so well was because I knew what Ladies has done. I kept my eye in Twitter during the match (it ended just as first team started). Also wne Manure fan said something about the match my replay was “How’s your womens team doing? Oh right you don’t have one). Few years ago I complained that women do as they should but “men just disappoint you” I think it was year 2008…
Oh and if fact one of my favorite Arsenal score lines is from Ladies Champions Leagues matches (against some Greek team can’t remember who) home match 9-0 anway 9-0 Aggregate 18-0… Also at end of the season goal differeces were something like in 2007-2008 +70 and 2008-2009 +75 (considing that year only 14 goals in 22 matches and scoreing 89 goals nice…)
@Walter thanks for that,now i have where im going to bluff from as the Manures where on my a.. Congs to the Lady Gunners and thanks for making us proud. keep on gunning
Congratulations to the Lady Gunners from a western Canadian.
The year the Ladies won the UEFA Womens Cup (2007) was a record. They drew one game and won all the rest in every competition. Their goal difference in the league was in 3 figures. It is an unrepeatable feat.
Very little was done to recognise it. Shame on the FA and the BBC. They were amongst the team of the year contestants that year but the publicity was very poor.
The Arsenal Ladies are my Team of the Decade for that incredible set of results in 2007 (check out the honours on the official web site).
2nded lanesra, menace – very short shrift indeed has been given to them in the past. I have a vague memory of being at the stadium in 2007, when a trophy (might even have been the last of the 4 won that year) was brought onto the pitch by just two of the women’s squad, could even have been at half time, in a most desultory manner. The blokes around me grumbled then that more should have been made of it, e.g. why not whole team, lap of honour?
I’d love to see a guard of honour formed by the men’s 1st team and the “man management” to recognise a real set of winners before the Swansea match.
I agree with you about the club or others don’t recognise Ladies enough. I mean Arsenal (since they have one of the best Ladies team in world) try to get people respect women football more (honestly I don’t think it’s rated much).
And since this was THE FIRST WSL ever I think Arsenal should get whole Ladies team with the throphy to show it to fans in next home match. Or do Arsenal think that showing how great Ladies are will affect confidence of me or their fragile ego (even they should not).