Football Daily - Women's Football Weekly: Remembering Matt Beard

Episode Date: September 23, 2025

Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie remember the former Liverpool manager Matt Beard who has died at the age of 47. Natasha Dowie who played under Beard with Liverpool, Charlton Athletic and Boston Breakers tells us about ‘Beardy’ and her experiences with him which started at the age of 17 when she joined Charlton Athletic. Tash followed Matt to Boston Breakers and Liverpool where she finished her career and talks to us about how she always wanted to make him proud. Senior Women’s football reporter Emma Sanders joins the podcast who got to know Matt while at university and their friendship off the pitch over the years, including pints at the pub! Former German international Julia Simic who played under Beard at West Ham tells us she went there because of Matt Beard and how he has heavily impacted her as a coach now.If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line. https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

BBC Women's Football Weekly with Ben Haynes, Ellen White and Jen Beattie. Listen on BBC Sounds. Hey everyone, we wanted to bring you a really special episode of the Women's Football Weekly on the Football Daily Feed today, as we remember the former Liverpool, Chelsea West Ham and Millwall manager, Matt Beard, who very sadly died on Saturday at the age of 47. Matt Beard's wife, Deb, wrote on social media,

it's with great sadness that our beautiful Matthew Beard has passed away tonight. And that was on Saturday at 7.28 p.m. He's a loving husband, father, son, brother and uncle. He was the most amazing, caring man who was loved by anyone who had the pleasure to meet him. All of our family kindly asked for time to grieve in peace at his loss. We'll love you forever, you absolute legend. And we want to start by sending our sympathy, our love and our support to Matt's family at what must be. the most unimaginably hard time

and we also wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate a man that was adored by so many people so with me today as always Ellen White and Gem Bt I wonder if we could start by just summing up your feelings at the moment and we'll start with you else if that's okay yeah just obviously a lot of sadness but I feel like reading all the tributes

are just highlighting what an amazing man he was And I think that's the kind of overriding kind of thing for me is just the beautiful tributes that are coming in from journalists, from teammates, from fellow players, from other managers, from everyone in the football community, all coming together and just celebrating a lovely human being, first and foremostly, and the way that he treated people. And the humor that he had with that as well, I think, is really special.

sure I think that's been so lovely to read and hear those beautiful tributes. So, yeah, I think, I think, yeah, the overriding thing is just shocking and sadness, but so beautiful to hear the amazing tributes that are out there at the moment. Yeah, and those tributes, Jen, across so many different types of people, different generations, different backgrounds, it really is one of those sort of all-encompassing things, just the outpouring of this emotion and a wave of kind of beautiful sentiment from people that want to remember him?

Yeah, and I think Ellen is spot on. I think that in light of something so awful to hear at the weekend, it almost becomes a case of nothing else matters, but thinking of the family and everyone around, yeah, the situation. And I think it's also, we'll talk about everything he achieved as a manager, but I think it just goes to show how far actually just being a really amazing guy takes because the way he impacted so many people, that was what I was overwhelmed by the amount of kindness

and messages that just described them as this amazing guy. Like you said it yourself, over so many years, he impacted staff, players, every single person he worked with or came across, I never even worked with them. And I know how amazing it is. And I think that just goes to show. And I think, yeah, that was the biggest thing for me. It was, he was so young. It was such a shock. You know, the worst news to hear over a weekend of, you know, when you see that in the media, it's just an immediate shock and sadness. But I think what has happened after that and the way everyone's reacted and said so many kind things about them

I think has been just really amazing to hear because it's spot on. Yeah, it's been wonderful to see that outpouring. And just so many different people, like you said, Jen, from all over the world, people that have been

affected by him in the most positive way as well, which is lovely. Joining us now as senior women's football reporter Emma Sanders and Emma, Matt was someone that you knew really well, but I wondered if you could start by telling us how you got to know him, not necessarily as a football coach or a manager, but just as a person. Yeah, he was a really warm, loving man.

You know, he came with a very strong cockney accent. He always used to try and wind us up by throwing in cockney slang phrases, so nobody knew what he said. And it always used to annoy me because I used to say, you know, I don't know what you're trying to tell me. and he'd walk away, sort of laughing. And that was kind of, you know, just his nature. He just wanted to make everyone feel like a million dollars.

He just wanted to bring sort of happiness and laughs into the room. I've known him since I was, you know, really young when I was back at university and I was a student just trying to get into the women's game. And, you know, you spoke about the longevity of him being around. And he was just kind of always there. But I think it's mainly the last couple of years, maybe since COVID, that we've been able to sort of build a more of a personal relationship off the pitch because, you know, we spent more time together, just the nature of the media growing in

terms of having more media conferences, having more exposure for the women's game. It naturally meant that you got to know people better in the women's game. So, you know, we used to go to the pub very often. He did like a pint, maybe more than one. And yeah, you used to just phone me up randomly on his way into this. training ground and you know we wouldn't talk about football um he'd tell me about his cat that used to drive him up the wall and it was actually quite funny this morning i woke up and then i read a lovely tribute from amber whiteley who's the local assistant who worked with with matt for for

for several years across her career really really close to him and she was talking about his cat as well so clearly he was ringing us all complaining about about his pet um but yeah he was uh he had many funny stories and he's someone that I think you know as Jen and Ellen said he's he's touched so many people's hearts as a person not just as a football coach and I think I think it's that side of him that people will will really really miss. Do you know what there seems to be a recurring theme in that everyone who has written about him or has done broadcast work talking about him they have really specific memories that really specific stories that really specific stories about him, where they go into an intricate detail, but always something very personal,

always something that either he had taken an interest in, that he was keen to point out to them, or something that he was sharing with someone else. And so few people have talked about things being football related. It's always something where they connected with him. Yeah, and I think that was the real beauty of him as a person, was that he had this ability to make every single person who spoke to special. You know, whether you were a journalist, a player, an opponent, you know, a staff member, or literally just a kids who was sat in the stands. I spoke to a Liverpool supporter last night, who's a season ticket holder and he has a young daughter called Olivia and she goes to all of the games now at St. Helens. She used to go

at Princeton Park to go and watch Liverpool women. And he came over to her once and she was nervous about playing for a new team the next day. And he gave her some tips on how to manage those nerves in a football match. And she was about seven years old. But for him to realize that she was nervous in that moment and how special it would be to somebody of so young to receive some advice from the little poor woman's manager who she was going to watch every week, I think was so special to her. And when I heard that story yesterday, that made me feel really happy, really emotional but also I think it just summed up who he was

and yeah just all the stories that are going round today and over the weekend stuff like the cat the amount of mentions I've seen about Bovril because he was obsessed with it and you know I was going for my camera roll to see some of the photos that we had together and there was one that I'd taken of him

at full time after a game and he's holding a cup of Bovril and I remember like very vividly in the moment him saying quit take this because I might get a sponsorship deal off the back of it so yeah he was a funny man and he was a crazy one and he had lots of those personal moments I think that he shared with a lot of people we have spoken so much about him as a person but he was an outstanding football manager as well can you tell us a little bit more about the moments that he would have been really fond of in his own career he's without doubt

the most successful manager in Liverpool women's history he took west ham to their first FA Cup final. He arguably laid the groundworks and the foundations for the success that Emma Hayes and now Sonia Bon Pastel was having at Chelsea. He was the kind of person who, you know, was constantly knocking on the door of boardrooms. And I think, you know, people will look at his back-to-back WSel titles at Liverpool and naturally say that that was the most successful era of his managerial career. But if you asked him personally, he would tell you that being so involved in the Liverpool women's teams moved to Melwood to the world-class training facility was his greatest achievement. He was so proud of that. And I know from talking to him that it was a big condition of his

when he came back to the club for the second spell was that he wanted to come back knowing that the women were going to be treated as elite professional athletes. And that was his main condition. He wanted his own staff and he wanted the women to be treated the way that they should be. And I think that in itself, I think, shows you the type of manager that he was because he wanted of the best out of his players. I think one of his fondest memories was when he guided Liverpool back to the WSL and they won the Women's Championship title

and it was down at Ashton Gate and they won it against Bristol City on the day. And I was there reporting on the match and he was walking around afterwards with a red curly wig celebrating with the fans. And I remember I brought over a bottle of Prosecco and his first comment wasn't,

thank you, it was, is that it? because he wanted it in another six or seven bottles. So, yeah, he had a lot of fun, and he celebrated those successes. But like I said, I think it was that move to Melwood that I think will be as great as achieved. And if you sort of look at him going through the different eras of his career as well as a coach and where he eventually got to, can you remember the last time that you would have spoken to him about where he was at him? I actually only spoke to him about a week or so ago.

It wasn't that long ago, and it was, you know, he'd left Burnley at that point. He'd dropped down to the third tier. I know he found it quite difficult. You know, he'd been at kind of the highest highs, the two-time W-Sel winning manager, and then going down to the third tier of women's football. And I think what actually upset him a little bit the most was just, you know, seeing that there's still so many areas in the women's game that needs that support, needs those resources

and needs the kind of treatment that female athletes deserve and I know he spoke about that and he wanted to change that and he felt Bernie were a club that were looking to do that but he has, he's gone from kind of the bottom to the top and back down to the bottom

he's done all stages, all tears of the women's game I remember when he stepped in at Bristol City as an interim manager there and he was covering for their manager on maternity leave and he knew he had a skill set and he knew he had an ability as a football manager to go in and help that club when they really needed someone to step in

so yeah I think you know even most recently those conversations were kind of around what he wanted to change in the women's game he wanted to do a podcast with me actually and I told him that as much as I'd love to have that kind of authority at the BBC I unfortunately can't tell him that we can just do a podcast

and get it up and running what did he want it to be called no hold bars in a bar so yeah typically beardy fashion he wanted to go all out but he wanted to do it in a pub so but yeah he wanted to discuss what he described as the real issues in the women's game

and I think you know if there's one thing that he wants people to still talk about is kind of what still needs to change what still needs to develop because he spent so many years working hard for that and I'd hate to see to see those efforts stop. Em, thanks so much for joining us.

I know you've done a huge amount over the last few days to help remember Matt, so I hope you're able to get a little bit of rest and a bit of quiet to kind of just spend some time thinking about him on your own. Yeah, thanks very much, guys. Look after himself. Thanks, him, you two.

Let's just scan through his career as well. Back-to-back WSL titles in 2013 and 14 with Liverpool. led Chelsea to their first ever FA Cup final in 2012 before that he'd guided Millwall Lionesses to promotion in 2009 as I mentioned their promotion back to the WSL with Liverpool

with the second tier title in 2022 two years later they clinched fourth place in the WSL also a cup finalist while in charge of West Ham will speak to Julia Simich about that a little bit later on he was appointed as the Burnton

Burnley manager in June 2025, but resigned in August, as I'm just mentioned there as well. Jim, why do you think he was able to have such longevity? If you look at coaches, not just in the women's game, but all over the world, in the men's game as well, it's very rare to see someone that can manage to do so many different things at the very top of the game, but also getting size promoted as well. What do you think it was about him that made him so capable? From one of the biggest things I'm seeing from all of the messages and statements that have been put out, and even Emma speaking about him there, is from someone as well who never played under him, just came across him when you played against him or at events. And for me, the standout

thing was his ability to connect with people. No matter who you were, what level of player, if you're a staff member or a fan in the crowd, his ability to connect, I think is by far the biggest thing a manager can do when working with players. And that, for me, is the baseline to get the best out of you. If you feel seen and you feel valued and you feel like your ability is worth being at a club

and Matt, I think, made everyone he worked with feel like that. If you have that, you can get the best out of people. and I think no matter what level of club he managed, whether it was at a West Ham or a Liverpool or an early Chelsea or Bristol, reaching finals with those kind of clubs and winning titles, at whatever level,

I think that's a testament to why he was so successful. He had this ability to get the best out of you, to believe you were good enough to be there, and make you feel valued. And I think of anyone, I'm sure Ellen would agree, all you ever want from a manager is to feel valued and to feel like you're good enough to be playing or in the squad

and I think that was his niche. Not many managers can make every single player feel like that and I think that's what Matt's speciality was. It feels like every player felt loved and felt belief in them and he was able to, it seems like, create systems that fitted the players that he had at each, team and I've read numerous tributes from players saying thank you for taking a

chance on me. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for when I felt maybe down and out that you believed in me and then we went on to achieve amazing things together and I feel like I totally agree what Jen's like to feel valued and feel loved and to feel like a manager believes in you is all you want as a player. Obviously you want the success and you want the cups and everything like like that but it just feels like he's he's gone from he's he's like an OG isn't he of women's football from you know years ago when no one invested no one believed in women's football so now you know there's so much investment and he's been there

right at the beginning an ally for women's football and what he's achieved is phenomenal and how he's changed players lives how he's given them so much love and belief and care and made them feel safe is like truly remarkable and really special. That's so fascinating as well because that's one of the other things that jumped out of me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the fact that so many different

players said, thank you for taking a chance on me, because that's one of those things that I think that hits everyone, right? The idea that sometimes all you need is just a little bit of faith in you or just to lead a little bit of a nudge. Someone just go on, do that thing. I think that's such a

gift for someone to have to share that with other people. Let's now bring in Tash Dowie, who played under Matt at Charlton Athletic, Boston Breakers and Liverpool. Tash, thanks for joining us. Can you take us back to your early years at Chaltern and just your first impressions of Matt? It's funny, I was choking up, winter and I thought, God, I'm not going to be able to come on this call. I think that, sorry, pair with me guys. Take your time, Tash. Don't worry. If you cry, I'll cry. If you cry, I'll be in it together. Don't worry.

So I think when I go back to when I was 17 years of age I was playing at Fulham actually and I was playing under Marianne Spacey for a year and was getting a lack of game time and I remember Keith Bonas and Matt Beard approached

me and gave me an opportunity and again we talk about opportunities and I remember playing there with Ennio Loco and playing in FAA Cup finals at the age of 18 and really that's when kind of my career, I would say, started. And a lot of that was to do with Matt and Keith Bonas, who was a manager at the time.

And I just remember Beardy with his cheeky smile, always messing around, always giving me a big hard, guys, give me, all right, darling, how's the family? And then to make that move from Everton to Liverpool, it was, you know, a tough decision because of obviously, I had great years at Everton. But it was also easy because I know Beardy. and he didn't really have to persuade me much. He just picked up the phone. And I think Matt was, he just made you feel like the best football player in the world. And he wasn't just a manager to me.

He was a really good friend. I followed him over to America to play over in Boston. And again, I think it was fate that in probably one of my darkest times in my career with regards to not enjoying my football, I'm at a period that I had in Reading, he found a way to bring me back home. And I got a way. a loan spell back to Liverpool which

I never ever dreamed would be possible again to be able to come back to the club that I loved at the age of 34 as well but Beardy made that happen because he knew me as a person he knew I'd run through a brick wall for him and I would I would do anything for him

because he was the type of manager that made you feel like that and to end my career at the club that I loved with Beardy as well just I couldn't have asked for a better way and you know from like I said feeling rock bottom not enjoying my football which I never thought football was my obsession from three years old all my life I'd enjoy my football and I wasn't enjoying my football from within literally driving up that motorway and seeing B or D walking through that door and getting a big hug from him I felt like a five year old kid again signing my first professional contract and just a couple of months ago he sent me a voice note a video on my WhatsApp singing happy birthday to me and You know, he would always do things like that and you'd just be laughing on the phone at him and you'd just think that's just beardy.

And that's what I loved about him is that he never changed. He never tried to fit him with maybe, you know, the way the game was going and trying to be a different person. He was him. People called him old school. He wasn't. He was just beardy. And anyone that had the pleasure of playing for him would say he was one of the best managers to ever work with. And I'm just devastated, to be honest, because I just really hope more than anything he knows how much.

people thought of him because it's been beautiful to see how many people have reached out and shared their thoughts on people that haven't even played under him people didn't even know him but what i would say about beardy his he was just such a special person he really was and i feel very lucky to majority of my career have had him on the sideline with me and i won everything that i've won in my career with him as my manager and yeah it's really hard to take and like i said we're going to be there for the family i'm i'm you know it chokes me up even listening to ellen and that talking and it's going to be a hard really tough period

you know for a long long time but I just think we're never going to let anyone forget about this guy because like I said when we talk about women's football and we talk about those trailblazers and people that did it for the love of the game for nothing that were kit men were groundsmen it wasn't even long ago

three years ago when I was playing at Liverpool that Beardy was watering the fields and the pitches at Tramib and you know he just always did it for the love of the game and I think they're the people that when we look back at our careers as well, Jen and Ed and who came from an era that I came from, they were the coaches and managers, you know, that were there from the start. And I think that we need to sing about them more, your beards, your mo-mali's, those managers

that really were there from the beginning. So, yeah, I love him to death and I'll miss him. I miss his laugh, I miss his hug every time I see him. His big cheeky smile, but like I said, we'll make sure he's not forgotten. Tash, you got a call to go to, to Boston and I mean for most people I assume that would be something that would feel like a huge deal lifewise. Did knowing that it was going to be him that was going to be waiting with a hug for you make that easier? I was the one calling him asking to go. It wasn't it wasn't it wasn't him calling me. Put it that way.

I literally called Beardy and said, please, can I come and play for you over in Boston? So I don't think he had a choice, to be honest. But yeah, it was brilliant again, scoring on my debut, 10 minutes into it. And again, the big hug. And that's what I mean. I was looking through messages, you know,

probably shouldn't do, should you, it makes you more upset. But messages of when I first got into the England squad and messaging him saying, I might be getting minutes. and it was actually when I was playing with Ellen and you know times where I said I'm not starting this game he said

Tash you don't have anything to prove to anyone you know you're the best I love you I love you to death and he just would he would just always he'd always put an arm around you and like I said yeah I was calling him to go to Boston it was always a pleasure to play for him Tash I was thinking about like that 2013 season you guys won

and I was thinking back I was it came up on my highlights when you I was playing for Arsenal and you guys smash a spawning at the Emirates and I was thinking I was thinking about that team that you had and you know a lot of players had come in

and how did he galvanise you guys? How did he how was he able to create such a successful team with there was a lot of signings wasn't that they brought in and obviously you went back to back what was that like for you guys and how did he manage that all? Yeah I think

when I look back in my career playing for 16 different clubs over six different countries. Those two years were the best of my life, 2013, 14. And I think that that's what Beardy's real talent was, is getting good people first and foremost. You know, whenever I used to go and play for him, he wouldn't want to know about, you know, really actually how good the football player was.

What's the person like first and foremost? And when he brought those, I remember when him saying to me, I would bring in people from Iceland, from Sweden, from Germany, from America. And at that time, there wasn't many internationals playing in the WSL. And first of all, I thought, how is this going to work? But again, we talk about what Beardy was like and that he didn't, first of all, it's always the person.

You know, always, Tash, how's Becky? How's your family? Because he knew if you were happy, you know, if the wife was happy, if your partner was happy, then you would play good football, you'd be happy. And I think the way that he brought that team together, we were like a group of sisters. You know, he would make sure that everyone was okay, check in, make sure we did things. We would always want to socialise. As soon as we finish training, we'd be around each other's houses, cooking, baking.

And I think that's a lovely thing as well about international players. They bring that over with them, don't they, that kind of togetherness, the Americans with their kind of positivity, the Germans, with their professionalism, the Scandinavians with their relaxed vibe. It just gelled so much. And I honestly think, Ellen, what we did that year, we talk about Chelsea, incredible what they're doing right now, winning the league six times in a row. But for Arsenal, for your team to have dominated women's football,

as long as you did. And for us to then be bottom of the league and to create this team from nothing and then go on and win it back to back, a lot of that was to do with Matt Baird, absolutely. It was and like I said, that's why I wanted to play for him wherever I possibly could. I think one of the biggest things I wanted

to talk about as well, Tash, from someone who's not played under him, but here's so many amazing stories. The biggest thing for me is his balance between this, wanting elite performance and treating everyone like elite athletes, but creating this environment. that was just so fun

and I think of anyone that has ever played in the league knows how hard that is to balance I've seen moments of him I think he's walking into a team meeting room and hiding behind doors and scaring players I can't imagine him then switching on

and talking about formations and winning leagues and being a champion and I'm like how was that how did he manage because that for me is like if you smash that you're the best manager

what was your experience of it yeah and I think all of us, we've had all different managers in our career, haven't we? And I think finding that balance between a manager is either someone that's a really good man manager, but actually technically, tactically isn't great, or you've got the real technical side, but actually can't manage the players. Beardy had both. He was so detailed with setting you up to go into a game, whoever you're up against, so hardworking. You know, always the first of training, always the last off the pitch, obsessed with the game. But also then had that balance

sort of really personable, like you said, that real man manager where it is that we all want to win. Absolutely, we did. Beardy was a winner. He hated it. Don't give me wrong. I remember many of times that 17 years of age at Cholten, you know, us losing the game and Beardy throwing things across the changing room and

you wouldn't want to be in the changing room when you lost the game with Beardy, but that's also the standard he has where you kind of knew there was that limit where you could have your fun, but as soon as it came to game day, as soon as it came to right, we're ready to train, you switch on, there's no messing around. And then when you're done and you have your downtime. He's back to being Beardy. And I think everyone, you know,

just kind of knew that, knew it as the way it worked. And it made you, like you said, Jen, I think too many people, it becomes a job for them, doesn't it, playing football? You know, we missed then fun times when we were younger where we used to play for the love of the game. And I think with Beardy, he allowed you to still feel like you were a kid having fun. And I remember even, I'll tell you a funny story. And this is how much I really cared about what he thought of me as a player. I remember when I got loaned back to Liverpool. and it was my first game back against Lester. We lost 1-0, and I remember it was an open goal.

Ball comes out to me, and I've headed it against the crossbar, so we lose 1-0. And I was devastated because at the time we were in the relegation battle with Redding. And I message him straight after the game, said, I'm really sorry, Gaffer, I should have scored that. I feel like I've let you down. And he said, Tash, relax. You're going to be scoring goals for us, you know.

And again, I just wanted to make him feel proud. I never wanted to let him down. and then obviously we went on, I went on to score, I think, three goals in five games. We stayed safe in the league and then obviously Liverpool did brilliant the season after. But it was. I just always cared so much about making sure I made him proud. And I think that is because of the way he treated me as a player and a human being. It's quite special that you can remember intricately something as simple as you missed a chance.

And that's a memory lodged in your mind. I think that also, Tash, says a lot. about perhaps how much we get into football sometimes and lose sight of the bigger picture, which sounds like he never really did. He never really lost sight of what was really important. Yeah, I think you're spot on. And I think that I've seen many people say that maybe Beardy gave too much to others and maybe didn't focus on himself enough. And I think that's the hardest thing now when I think about it. Like, you always do, don't you? What more could I have done? could I have, I mean, you do, you go around your head a thousand times, why, why, why, why?

And I think that even the lovely, I broke down the other day watching the video and when he used to say that Debbie used to message him after every game, just saying win, lose or draw, I love you. You know, and I just think that Beardy loved the game more than anything, but he probably realized as well, family, there was more to life as well. And I think that sometimes that that brought you back to Earth as well, because as a player, we're all guilty for it. we thought that losing the game was the end of the world. I was the worst loser. Even at 35 years of age, if I lost a game, I was crying on the way home and it just would never change. But actually, you know, being with someone like Beardier as a manager

where you put the arm around and you say, Tash, it's just a game of football. You know, there's more important things in life. And I just kind of, yeah, like I said, I can't speak highly enough of him. I really can't. He was just such an incredible, fun human being, family, incredible. and like I said, so lucky from the age of 17 to 35 to have been in his life and played the majority of my career with him. I really am.

I feel really, really lucky. Tash, thanks so much for all of those memories. I can confirm as well, having played one game of football with you, that we both lost, that you do absolutely hate losing. I won't live that down either. Yeah, they've been doing the rounds around the media that, yeah, you don't want to be on my. I think Robin Cowan is still mortified from me

telling her she has to track her player. She said that to me. I'm surprised I've even been asked to come on the BBC. Tash, take care of yourself. Thanks, guys. Thanks for putting a smile on my face. Cheers, thank you. I said lots of love.

Bye-bye. That's lovely to hear from Tash Dowie there, who played under Matt multiple times. I just had the most wonderful. relationship with him and some lovely memories there. One thing I wanted to come back to was the point that M made about the women's game and his constant striving for things to be better. And just hearing there that he was out on the pitch, making sure that the pitch was

zippy enough, Ellen, and it had enough water on it at trammeet. I mean, it just, like this, I think we have to be really cognizant of the fact that in a few years time, that sort of story won't exist anymore. With the rate that the women's game is moving, we won't be talking about that kind of scenario. But it's built on people like Matt who made sure that we won't be talking about that sort of scenario. Each person we're talking to,

they're just more incredible memories or more incredible stories are appearing and that's super special. But yeah, he was one of the good guys. You know, and I feel like really hard to come by in women's football, true allies, true trailblazers, true people that want the best for the women's game, want the safest environments, want the best environments, the best facilities. And I also really loved, I think it was when M was saying about one of his proudest achievements was, you know, getting Liverpool to Melwood, you know, that incredible facility that, you know, he's smashing down doors. fighting for women's football and what women's football deserve. And I think that's so important to keep banging that drum of what he was constantly trying to do for the women's game from when he started.

I think it was in 2009, wasn't it? Right the way up to obviously 2025. And it's, yeah, it's amazing what he achieved in his career. And then he's going out and watering the pitch, wanting his time. to have a really zippy pass and hopefully get three points for them water in the pitch. It's just, it's just incredible. And I feel like, you know, Tash, you know, in the darkest of days, still being able to smile and think about the really special moments

and, you know, bringing a smile to her face, you know, reliving incredible memories of him. I think that's really amazing to hear. I think she's right as well. We need to, you know, talk about those managers, that era of managers that did go above and beyond when the game was, you know, nowhere near at it is now. And I think that that story of watering the pitches is just amazing. But I think it also, I want to go back to what Emma was saying about how even still, you know, not as long as a week or two weeks ago, he was talking about how he still want to talk, have a podcast about the growth of the

game and, you know, how much there still is to do. And I think that would have been, having seeing that being at Burnley and a lower tiered team so clearly it's so clear where his passion was was developing people developing youngsters developing clubs and getting them to that next level and that is literally why the game is where it's at now is because we have people like that in the game you know at that time developing things that no one else cared about and I think that is the absolute standout thing about my beard probably part of the reason why there are just so many tributes coming in for Matt Beard across so many levels of the game and from so many parts of the world. One of those tributes is from Farrow Williams, who won back-to-back titles under

Matt Beard at Liverpool. She was on Five Live on Sunday and spoke so well about her former manager. So we wanted to play this out for you one more time. It's absolutely devastating for players that played under him, people that he knew. And the football community, the whole of the football community. He was a guy that was, you know, much loved. And I think, you know, if he could see the love on social media that has been put out over the last, you know, 24 hours, he would realise just how special a guy he was. Who was he to you, Farah? Who was Matt Beard? Well, he was more than a manager. A great mentor for me. A great friend. Sorry. No, I don't apologise. Honestly, it's absolutely fine.

somebody that saw maybe potential in me that maybe I didn't see myself when I had difficult periods outside of football. He was there. It was like an older brother. We had laughs together, similar humour. Just somebody that cared, cared about everybody else. Farah, honestly, if at any point it's a bit too much, don't worry, because I can't imagine what it's like at the minute.

Are you all right? Yeah, no, I'm fine. I'm fine. So, I mean, look, we can talk about him as a manager, but actually the sense I'm getting just from reading the tributes is whatever you were, if you were involved in the women's football community, if you played under him, if he was the opposing manager, or if he was just someone you cross paths with,

everybody just seems to see him as one of the good guys, as someone with so much warmth. Absolutely. I think, you know, the warmth he gave people. Whenever he came into contact with him, I think that was something that was special about him. always greeted you with a hello darling that was his line a warm hug but yeah i think he's seen everybody as the same he never had judgment of people and and as i said you know win lose or draw and in difficult pressure moments as we have as you know sports people he was never he would

never shy away from from giving people this time and yeah just a special guy um i wish he was here to to see and feel that from from all of us because he was was he was one of a kind and he had you know the purest of souls see one of those people who maybe didn't realize just how how loved he was as a coach you know sometimes that the best coaches are the ones who were so humble yeah maybe maybe and maybe he spent all of his time making sure everybody around him felt that from him you know he gave a lot of love he gave a lot of you know attention to people and you know he gave opportunities when when people thought they were down and out. He was the guy that

would find a space for them. And I'm sure if you've read a lot of the girls that played under him or was given an opportunity or even putting a shot window from him, he would do his utmost to give you that opportunity. You know, working class man. The old boy we used to call him,

you know, he could sell anything. But yeah, he was a great guy and as I said, he was somebody that even for me when I signed for Liverpool you know, he said to me after signing, if I had to listen to what people said about you and didn't take it at face value, I would have never met the friend that I did. So, yeah, he was somebody that he was non-judgmental, took people on face value.

And as I said, outside of him as a coach, he was a fantastic friend. And, you know, when he spoke to him recently about, you know, his job at Burnley, and he was really excited about starting that. But, yeah, he was just, as I said, he was a guy that absolutely adored his family. They meant the world to him and secondly football. And that was his life. It's really hard I can only imagine to try to put into words

not only what he meant to you and what he meant to everybody who played under him but also what he did for the women's game you know that's one thing that really comes through from all of the messages I've seen on social media the impact he had to help the WSL and women's football get to where it is now yeah and very few of them

you know, probably can name on two hands, you know, the important people that was in the women's game right from the beginning that cared about it, that, you know, were advocates for the women's game that really tried to drive and push the game on into a position that is in today, you know, working hard behind the scenes, you know, juggling jobs to give, you know, us as women when we were a little bit younger, the opportunity, you know, to train and play and giving up their time, you know, for at times voluntary, you know, in order to give us an opportunity to represent the teams that we did. Yeah, he was somebody that, as I said, he cared, you know, massively about the women's game and was there from the beginning. Once he got an opportunity in the game, you know, he was fully focused on really trying to drive and get the game to where it is now. And I'm sure, you know, he'll be proud of where the game's at now and his party played in that. Is care the thing, do you think, above all else, that made him such a great coach for you? Yeah, and you've heard me mention it a few times that he cared about the game. He cared about where he could take the game. He cared about people, maybe a little bit more than he cared about himself

because he was somebody that just gave love to everybody, gave attention and time. And I think that's something that you can't buy. You can't buy somebody's time and investment. And that's something that he did with a lot of us, me in particular. And I'm forever grateful for what he did for me. That was Farrow Williams speaking with Steve Crosman on Sunday and still enormously raw.

And the news will have only just reached. Farrah at that time and Jen she did so well to to even manage to to speak just a just a little and and give some memories and some thoughts on what was something that must be so painful for her. You hear the raw emotion and you know struggle with words and but I think you know it was so soon after we'd all heard the news as well and I think even just to be able to put words together and actually get out that emotion is credit to. and just goes to show how important that was for her to share those memories and credit Matt in that way but the raw emotion is so difficult to listen to and I hope she has as well has all

of her family around her supporting her and I hope everyone does in moments like this because that's what um you need it's it's a grieving process and it's it's so difficult but the again the outpouring of love and that everyone had for Matt is so um apparently and all the words that everyone's sharing. You know, been working with Farrah. Obviously played alongside her for a number of years at England as well. But, you know, being in the green room, working with Farron, you know, she's spoken so many times about Matt Beard and the stories

and the emotion when she was speaking there about him taking a chance on her, believing in her. And they created and achieved something so special. When impact's about titles, you know, giving her the belief that she is a phenomenal player, she was a phenomenal player. And it just goes to show what love, giving a player love, giving a player belief will do to a team. It's not just players that have spoken about his impact that we've seen other managers as well. Emma Hayes saying, I can't quite compute this.

Absolutely one of the best humans, always available for a chat, one of the good guys, a champion in the women's game and a top bloke so gutted for his family. Carla Ward, the Republic of Ireland manager, said she was heartbroken. Jilly Flaherty, who played under Matt Beard at West Ham and Liverpool, said I'm absolutely devastated and lost for words at the news of losing Beardy tonight. A man I thought so highly of, who in all honesty I would have followed around the world to play for, the best manager and friend I could have ever had asked to have had in my life. Rest easy, Beardy, and give my dad a big squeeze, please.

Love you, Gaffa. is one of the amazing things that you think how can one person manage to affect so many individuals so profoundly that every single one of these players saying like I would have followed you anywhere, Tash saying, oh, she's calling him to be like, take me over to the other side of the world. It's just absolutely incredible. We saw Olivia Smith, who was signed by Matt Beard for Liverpool before her one million pound move to Arsenal saying she wouldn't be where I am without him. And then Missy Bo Kerns, who also played under that beard at Liverpool, say,

you believed in me from day one and we got on like a house on fire. All the memories we have, I'll never forget, especially one where I lost a bet, and you made me training your kit. I'll be there for the family and the kids always, because you made me part of the family. Lots of love, Missy Bo. That's so good. Missy Bo headache in Inverted comedy, which is just lovely. One more tribute that we wanted to get and one more person that we wanted to hear from

who played under Matt Beardt at West Ham was Julia Simmits. She's a former German international and now coaching at Eintracht Frankfurt. And she had some wonderful first memories of meeting Matt. My first memory with Matt is basically a FaceTime call when he tried to sign me for West Ham when I was still playing in Germany. And he always used to FaceTime. And that was so good because with his Cogny accent, I could barely understand his English.

and I was just remembering his smiley face covering the whole screen because he always took the phone so close to his face but I was lucky to see his lips moving so I could at least try to understand his language but he was always so full of energy, positivity it was my first plan to come to England but with him from the first second

I just wanted to play for him because he was just transporting all this positive energy and since then I was yeah i was just full behind him and i i couldn't wait really to to meet him to meet him in person how was it when when you got to west ham from the first day on really we were a bunch of people from everywhere so we were a brand new team with i think signing 14 new players and all of them were signed by matt so knowing the the football knowledge he had all around the place was was incredible he brought in 14 different characters 14 different

nations as well. And the first memory was really, we were bonding so quick because of him. He made us feel like family from the first second. He always hugged me in the morning. He always smiled at me like all over the face when he saw me in the morning. But not just me with every single player. And that's something now being or working as a coach, you know, how hard it is as well to have a smiley face every single day because there are stressful times as well. But this is something I will never forget when I think of Matt, I have to smile. That was my first reaction because he was always that positive manager that transported that energy. What I like the most was he always put the human being first before the footballer.

And not just with me, also with other players. You also pick that up. How does he treat the people around him? How does he treat the people and the stuff? How made he feel everyone? And that's something you don't remember every single sentence or every single sentence. every single word, but you always remember the feeling people give you. And with Matt, I basically can just think of positive feelings towards him. What was he like as a coach when

you were on the pitch? Very in-depth. He was very, like, demanded a lot of us. He made us go over 100%. But we also did a huddle after every single training. That was so new. I was playing 13 years in the German Bundesliga for big clubs with big managers with Champions League expectations and titles and all this but with Matt I was looking in my in my text messages with him and my WhatsApp and I sent him a message once when I wrote I never liked to play for a manager more than for him and I never wanted to win more for a manager than him and this is exactly what he made us feel as a group and because he just tried to get everything out of us he always said leave your heart on the pitch but also play with a smile

express yourself he once said to me because i wasn't defensively very strong he said sitchie that was my nickname um we both know you can't defend so don't do it and that was basically something i i will always stick to my head because what manager would tell you this especially in a serious meeting. But at the same time, I wanted to defend even more because he gave you always the freedom to just express yourself. And that what he always said was express yourself. Just play with a smile.

If you don't shoot, you don't score. Things like this, just stick to my head so much. And I probably never enjoyed playing football more than for him, really. This is so interesting, Julia, because you can hear so many intricate details that you remember. so his effect must be quite profound on you I wonder how much you end up using every day in your coaching that you learned from him

I'm trying obviously I'm not there yet in terms of players management he was extraordinary and as I said I had a couple of managers very very good ones in detail like in depth people who would understand the game so much I would say Matt's strongest arm was always the players management the care he showed every single one and that's there are different ways

to be a good manager right you can be tactically very strong you can do the best training sessions but you can also create the best environment and this is probably when I think of him and our environment at West Ham it was family it was basically and you say

this very quickly in sports and especially in football that you speak of a family but this time it never felt like work it always felt like, hey, you meet your best people, you meet your best friends, you meet your best managers, you had always such a family environment there. And this is probably how you get to your best as well if you feel comfortable, if you feel like, yeah, it's a challenging and demanding environment and competitive as well, but also with big heart. And this is something

what I'm trying to also implement in my coaching side to give the players the feeling that that they want to play for me as well as a person because I also estimate them as a person and I put the person and the human being first as well. There's always more important things than football, especially I'm working with young players and young talents, and there's so much more in life than football. But what you want the most is becoming a professional footballer,

so I'll try to help them to become the best version. And this is something what sticks to my head, what I'm trying to implement as well in my coaching style. and 90% of it was given by Med. I can remember coming down to do shoots with you at West Ham and walking in to the training ground and just the sound of laughter, people just laughing and sounding incredibly happy and just enjoying coming to work.

And I mean, that's probably naive from me, but I just thought that was normal, you know, but it clearly is not something that's absolutely everywhere. I wonder, Julia, when you get a little bit of time and work is not so hectic and you're able to just sit down for five minutes and take a breath. How is it that you'll remember him?

What will be the thought that comes to your mind when you get a chance to reflect? I remember him being, like, he wanted to make us grow really, you know? Like he wanted obviously us to work together as a unit and as a team, but he wanted to make every player better on a daily base. As you mentioned,

the laughter at the training ground, it's just something I experience that now. It's not that easy to get energy in your team, to get laughter in your team, to get people like each other. And that's something a manager can transport to a team. And this is something when I think of him and also there are so many moments, so many different things he just implemented in that group of people. I remember him sitting in front of us and we were a brand new team, as I mentioned, and people from everywhere where you didn't really, you couldn't estimate where we're going

in terms of quality. And he just said he won't ask to reach the F.A. Cup final. And I was in Wembley played, I think, for the first time. And at the end, we made it to Wembley and played a final against Manchester City as a complete underdog. We lost the final. And after the final, I spoke to him and I said, Matt, why didn't we win? And he said, I made a mistake because I said we wanted to make it to the final.

But I didn't say we wanted to win the final. And with us being at the final, the journey was done really or the target was reached. And he was always so hard with himself in terms of I wanted to get out everything of us and of him as well. And what I also remember is him just standing in front of us and saying, look, That's on me. I'm sorry. My mistake. And before, I always experienced coaches that were always finding excuses or explanations with him. He would be just pure honest. If he made a mistake, he would just stand there in front of us players and imagine a manager standing there and saying, sorry, my fault. Probably we lost the game because of me, because I got something wrong or

whatever. And I always thought it's such a strength to do this. And not a weakness. It's the clear opposite. That's also something, obviously, thinking of him so much in the last days, bringing so much memories back. And thinking of him also made me think how good of a person he was. And I think I could just spend hours thinking of him, speaking to former teammates about him. And we would just laugh a lot.

We would even cry a bit. And we would just basically come to the point where we always say, we were missing just so much because it was just so much more than learning about football. It was learning about life in a very playful environment, let's call it like this. And even after I left West Ham, he wanted me so badly to stay. And my knee was basically done. And he was always fighting for me and a new contract. And I went to Milan.

He was checking on me so many times. And the contact never broke up clear opposite. We were just on the phone sometimes and laughing. and I just loved the way he spoke, the way he also listened, the banter he brought. It's just so many pure, positive things I'm thinking of, and this is something I'll probably write down a couple of things to not forget them. Julia, it's been so beautiful listening to you. Thank you so much for sharing those memories,

and I really hope you are able to get some time to kind of sit and write and reflect and remember Matt. Thank you so much. I will. such lovely memories from Julia Simich, and that's where we're going to leave it today on the pod. So thanks to Julia, thanks to Jen, to Ellen, to Em and to Tash, as we remembered Matt Beard, who sadly died at age of 47. If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line, which is just BBC.com.com. Listen on BBC Sounds Women's Football Weekly on the Football Daily

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