Matt Beard: Former Liverpool manager was ‘one of a kind’, says Fara Williams

Fara Williams says Matt Beard was “one of a kind and had the purest of souls” after the death of the former Liverpool manager aged 47.

Williams was part of Beard’s Liverpool side which won back-to-back Women’s Super League titles in 2013 and 2014.

Speaking after the Reds’ WSL game at Aston Villa was postponed on Sunday, the former England midfielder described Beard as being “more than a manager” and a “great mentor and friend”.

“The warmth he gave people. Whenever you came into contact with him there was something special about him,” Williams told 5 Live.

“He always greeted you with a ‘hello darling’. That was his line, a warm hug. He saw everyone as the same. He never had judgement of people.

“Win, lose or draw in difficult moments that we have as sportspeople, he would never shy away from giving people his time.

“Just a special guy. I wish he was here to see and feel that from all of us. He was one of a kind and had the purest of souls.”

Beard began his managerial career with Millwall Lionesses in 2008 and won promotion in his first season. A three-year spell at Chelsea followed in which he took them to an FA Cup final.

He won back-to-back WSL titles with Liverpool in 2013 and 2014, and managed the club during their first ever Champions League campaign.

After spells with Boston Breakers, West Ham and Bristol City, Beard returned to Liverpool in 2021 for a four-year term and led the Reds to promotion back to the WSL.

Former England midfielder Williams, who scored 10 goals in 48 games for Liverpool, praised Beard’s impact on her career.

“He was somebody that saw potential in me that maybe I didn’t see myself. When I had difficult periods outside football he was there,” said Williams.

“He was like an older brother. We had laughs together, a similar humour. Just somebody that cared about everyone else.

“He gave a lot of love, he gave a lot of attention to people. He gave opportunities when people thought they were down and out. He was the guy that would find a space for them.”

Williams also paid tribute to Beard for the impact he had on women’s football.

“He was somebody that cared massively about the women’s game and was there from the beginning,” she said.

“He was fully focused on trying to drive and get the game to where it is now. I’m sure he will be proud of where the game is now and the part he played in that.

“He cared about the game, he cared about where he could take the game, he cared about people maybe more than he cared about himself. He gave attention and time and that is something you can’t buy.

“You can’t buy somebody’s time and investment. That is something he did with a lot of us, me in particular, and I am forever grateful for what he did for me.”

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