ST HELENS, England -- Among the sea of flags decorating St Helens' Stadium during Liverpool's Women's Super League (WSL) clash with Manchester United, there was one particularly poignant addition.
"Liverpool was made for Matt and Matt was made for Liverpool," read the banner, displayed in tribute to the hosts' former manager Matt Beard, who passed away last weekend at the age of 47.
Just eight days on from that devastating news, Liverpool fell to a 2-0 defeat to United on Merseyside thanks to goals from Hinata Miyazawa and Ella Toone. But, for head coach Gareth Taylor and his players, the challenges surrounding Sunday's game extended far beyond matters on the pitch.
Fourteen of the 20 players in Liverpool's matchday squad played under Beard before he was dismissed in February, following a string of disappointing results. Eight members of the team that started against United were signed by Beard, while more than half of defender Gemma Bonner's 200 WSL appearances -- a landmark she reached on Sunday -- came under him at Chelsea and across two separate spells at Liverpool.
- Thakur: OL Lyonnes have spent big, but will it cause issues?
- Kassouf: Alex Morgan aims for the same heights in business
It was during that first period on Merseyside that both Beard and Bonner helped to deliver the club's first ever WSL title in 2013, which they successfully defended the following season. The Liverpool fans in attendance against United honoured that feat with chants of "Matt Beard's Mighty Reds" in the 13th and 14th minutes.
To many of those supporters, Beard was not just a football manager but a friend. After games at the club's former stadium, Prenton Park -- where they played until 2024, he could regularly be found signing autographs long after the final whistle, before joining fans for a postmatch drink at the pub next door.
It was a level of familiarity that defied Beard's status as one of the most high-profile and successful managers in WSL history. But, in many ways, it was that easy-going persona which set him apart from his contemporaries and won the affections of so many within the women's game.
"It's rare for a football manager to be so loved by so many players," Liverpool captain Grace Fisk said in a heartfelt tribute posted to the club's website this week. "He coached hundreds of players but had interactions with many more and he just had this way of drawing people to him.
"We saw how competitive he was on the sidelines, so loud, rowdy and shouting your ears off one minute but then joking with you about it 20 minutes later. He just had this warmth about him and he cared so much about people. If you were playing badly or had a bad training session, he'd make you feel like your worries were just silly. I think the effect he had on everyone was really special."
Indeed, the outpouring of emotion that has greeted Beard's passing speaks volumes about the contributions he made to the world of women's football. The London-born coach, affectionately dubbed "Beardy" by those who knew him, managed seven different clubs across a distinguished 17-year career, and played an integral role in advancing the professionalism of the women's game.
After leaving Liverpool in 2015, he enjoyed spells in charge of NWSL side Boston Breakers as well as West Ham United and Bristol City. He rejoined the Reds in 2021 when the club was at its lowest ebb, having been relegated to the second tier the year prior.
With Beard back at the helm, Liverpool immediately secured promotion back to the top flight and, in the 2023-24 season, defied expectations by finishing in the top four despite their limited transfer budget. He helped turn Liverpool's fortunes around and, in doing so, left an indelible mark, not just on the club but on the sport in general.
"I felt that [the players] all dealt with the emotion of it beautifully," United boss Marc Skinner said after his team's victory. "What I'd say, though, is there's time for sadness, but we need to celebrate Matt's life. I know [Beard's wife] Debbie was in the stands and I know that she will want everybody to remember Matt exactly how he was in front of everyone.
"So, I promised everyone that I'll keep talking about him in our environment so the memory of him will live strong. And so, as sad as it is, I think it's now time to turn that into the happiness and remember him in the best possible way because he was an incredible human."
For Liverpool, the task at hand is now clear. The Reds are yet to collect a point in the WSL this term -- despite winning 5-0 against Sunderland in the League Cup in midweek -- and the need to start picking up results is becoming increasingly pressing.
Of course, achieving success at this level is much easier said than done, but the resilience Liverpool showed in the second half should, at least, inspire optimism that this team is up for the fight.
"I think this is a cracking group of people to work with," Taylor said. "I think being at this club is super special. Each person who works here or plays here feels that, and I think there's a lot of positives.
"The girls are excellent to work with, they really, really are. I think obviously now there's a lot of transition going on; new staff, new way of playing potentially. Hopefully off the back of that there will be new expectations.
"That takes a little bit of time and trying to change the mindset here of the players a little bit. Trying to turn them into winners again, which we've been before under Matt, is a tough challenge."
That challenge will continue when Liverpool take on free-spending London City Lionesses in the WSL next Sunday. A victory at Hayes Lane could mark the start of a new era under Taylor, though the memory of the man who laid the club's foundations will live on forever.
