Matt Beard was not shocked last Wednesday when Liverpool’s board of directors told him he would no longer be the head coach of the women’s team. He was at peace with the decision.
Since 2021, when Beard returned to the club that he had guided to successive Women’s Super League titles in 2013 and 2014, he had been “passionately pushing a boulder up a hill”, according to one source who, like all referenced in this piece, wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships.
In his first season, he won promotion to the Women’s Super League (WSL), and a seventh-placed finish in their first season back in the top flight was followed by a magnificent fourth-placed finish last season.
This season, however, Liverpool struggled to recreate the fight and fire that defined the 2023-24 campaign. In their first 10 WSL games, Liverpool won two and lost five — matching the total number of defeats accrued the previous season.
Injuries to key players, including defender Grace Fisk and forward Sophie Roman Haug, served as mitigating factors for inconsistent performances. Yet the last few months were soundtracked by the 47-year-old regularly emphasising his limited budget in comparison to league rivals and that his side had “over-performed” to finish in the top four.
Beard’s…
