 down again after horrid results against West Ham, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday’s reserves.
The 4-4-2 formation came out for the visit of the reigning Premier League champions, the shake-up working wonders as Newcastle were unfortunate to come away with a 2-2 draw.
It was even all smiles at the Etihad as Newcastle ran City ragged for the first 40 minutes, where they really should have went in two or three goals to the good at half-time.
Cue the second half that saw Newcastle’s recently-solid defence dissolve into a back line of complete disarray, as they conceded six goals in a hugely embarrassing 20 minutes.
That 20 minute spell alone has once again heaped the pressure back onto all concerned within Newcastle United; the head coach, the players, the board, the scouts, and of course, the owner.
The vast majority of fans are fed up simply at the fact that regardless of the coaches or players who are brought in, nothing at the football club is seeming to change, and it’s hard to argue with them.
Somehow, things even look worse than they did last year – all for the sake of just twenty minutes.
But, I really don’t think the criticism should be as sharp as it is.
I’m well aware of the state the club is in, and has been for years. I know and appreciate the argument against Mike Ashley and his running of Newcastle United. A lot of you may think or respond that the losses aren’t the point, it’s the fundamentally rotten philosophy that the club is built on right now. Yes, I get that.
As I say, take a look back at our season so far. It’s not impossible, nor even unlikely, to suggest that should Newcastle produce the goods in their next couple of games or so, that the buzz of positivity would be swarming St. James Park again, which is all a fan-base like ours really wants, isn’t it? To go home happy at 5pm on a Saturday afternoon?
Looking back at each league result (not scoreline, not performance) that Newcastle have delivered, or failed to, this season, and the opposition they’ve come against, only the home defeat to Watford sticks out as a particularly poor one.
Look ahead to the opposition coming up in our next five or six games, and you’ve got to say that they’re all winnable, if the team approaches them right. But there lies the main problem.The mentality of the side has been horribly questionable. To play with the rigour they did against Chelsea and Manchester United this season, compared to the complacency against Watford is not only disrespectful, but moronic.
There are NO easy games in the Premier League. Not one single game between any two sides is ever a write-off, we have to understand that.
When we play Bournemouth at home, are we going to win the game by simply turning up? Of course not, yet the players seemed to think so.
I would argue that Newcastle have set themselves a standard of performance in the way they’ve played in certain games this year, they’ve proved that they can compete against the top sides. Manchester United couldn’t get through us, Arsenal were painfully lucky to do so, and Chelsea and Manchester City couldn’t cope with us for large periods of those fixtures.
So if we don’t go on to take that mentality, that desire, into the next two games (at least) with Norwich and Sunderland, something is seriously, seriously wrong.
Should we remain winless come November, then I’ll start ringing the alarm bells. But for now, the team needs to realise that Norwich, Sunderland, Stoke etc. are all more than capable of playing good football and beating us, they wouldn’t be Premier League sides if they weren’t.
If they can do that, and appreciate the fact we need to bring that effort and desire into every single minute of football we play, we’ll start climbing the table. I’m convinced we have some very, very good players at the club ability-wise, the majority of them just need to give their heads a shake.
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This app is a good way to deal with boring periods of life. We used the most progressive technologies and effective workings of the best online casinos, so that you can always play at the best automatic machines at any time and in any place.You know how sometimes you have a friend that just knows you so well that it’s kind of scary….but kind of amazing and wonderful at the same time? I have been blessed with such a friend in Laura. Laura and I lived together in college for 3 ½ years……we took classes together, grew in our faith, challenged each other, laughed ‘til it hurt, and had so much fun together. She is truly a friend who knows me deeply. She came to visit this week. We went horseback riding, kayaking, watched movies, walked around Wal-Mart like old times when we were roomies, & had some great talks. She cleaned off my porch for me….got rid of the leaves that accumulate there, and swept it off. It looks so much more inviting now. 🙂 (thanks, friend)
I took her to the airport yesterday. Our goodbyes are bittersweet now that we are no longer in college together…..the Lord has brought us to different paths in life, but our times together are still so sweet.
Here’s a picture of us from the weekend. I am blessed to have been given such a wonderful friend.
4 Replies to “My friend, Laura”
Yeah, friends are cool. Even more so because it’s Laura.
My Friend, Beth:
She is Purty, Has a Great Laugh, Artsy, Sends me fun Packages in the Mail, Sends me WONDERFUl cards in the mail.
Love.
She’s coming to see me! Okay, not really me, but I benefit because her friends are getting married in Dallas.
I love you befro! Thanks for our talks. (spptt…you didn’t change the pic!)August 01, 2018
Croft & Bender Serves as Financial Advisor to Dominion Youth Services in its Sale to Century Park Capital Partners
Croft & Bender, an Atlanta-based investment banking firm, is pleased to announce the successful sale of its client, Dominion Youth Services (“DYS” or the “Company”), to Century Park Capital Partners (“Century Park”).
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, DYS. The Company's experienced staff of over 700 professionals use evidence-based practices and a holistic wraparound model to ensure positive, successful outcomes for the individuals it serves.
Croft & Bender served as the exclusive financial advisor to DYS on the transaction. "Croft & Bender has been a true partner in navigating DYS to a successful transaction. The team’s counsel, knowledge, strategic advice and commitment were all key to achieving a positive outcome for DYS and my partners." said DYS Co-Founder, Dean Gholson. “Looking ahead, we are very excited about the opportunity for DYS and Century Park to continue growing the Company while positively impacting the lives of children and young adults throughout Virginia.”
“The founders of DYS built an incredible business centered around caring for the youth of Virginia, driven by a talented and committed leadership team with a passion for serving kids and young adults in need,” commented Ronnie Goldman, Managing Director at Croft & Bender. “It has been a pleasure working with the DYS founders as well as the Company’s talented leadership team. With the support of Century Park, we expect DYS to continue to grow and thrive as a leading provider of youth behavioral and mental health services in Virginia and the Southeast."Three Black women in Chicago are changing the way Black people celebrate day parties. Only six months ago, Lauren Ash, DJ Chardonnay and Nickecia Alder joined forces to launch Party Noire. In just a short amount of time, their success has by far exceed their expectations. We sat down with DJ Rae Chardonnay to talk about the success of the day party, challenges and how they've found their niche: celebrating Black women.
CN: Six months ago, you launched Party Noire with Lauren Ash and Nickecia Alder. What inspired you all to launch the party? How did you all meet?
RC: I met Lauren via mutual friends who constantly mentioned that we should know each other. We were introduced via email and social media and I later attended a Black Girl in Om