Prof. Pedro Mendonça’s Post

The fallen giants are back on their feet! From the lows of relegation and a real fear for the club as it failed to earn promotion on the first time of asking against Fulham at Wembley, which plunged us into financial crisis due to an unpaid tax bill. It is fair to say as a fan of the club, it was bleak times. However in the words of life-long Villa fan and Actor David Bradley, "The lows... just make the highs higher". And he was right. New ownership came in from Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, daring the Villa Faithful to dream once more with their continuous investment into the club. They brought in Dean Smith, who guided us to promotion to the Premier League in 2019, taking us on a record breaking journey with the help of stand out performances from Jack Grealish, Tyrone Mings and John McGinn to name but only a few. Fast forward to last year, a lifeless looking team under a different manager, and on the brink of yet another relegation scrap 11 games in, the decision to go out and get the best manager in the world (no bias I swear), Unai Emery, is a decision that will go down in Villa history. He flipped the script entirely, drawing out the best in his players, guiding them to the European Conference League in that same season. Many Villa fans may have thought, 'This is as good as it gets. After seeing West Ham struggle with the new introduction to Europe in their schedule, lets make the most out of playing amazing opposition on Thursday and play great football.' But they would be completely wrong. Although starting the campaign on a 5-1 defeat to Newcastle, Unai Emery with now captain John McGinn managed to navigate the Premier League, defeating tough opposition like Manchester City and Arsenal within 4 days of each other whilst simultaneously playing European heavyweights with the likes of Lille, Ajax and Olympiakos. And in the end, for the first time in 41 years, Aston Villa Football Club is playing in the Champions League! All I have to say is... Do you want to bet against us? #AVFC #UTV #VTID #UCL

Their footballing knowledge maybe be debatable?, but when it comes to Health and Safety (working at height, signage, fire prevention and PPE workwear) their knowledge is second to none. 👍 #EURO2024 #Construction #Healthandsafety

England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 shouldn’t be in the Euros final… But they are. ⏰ The 95th minute equaliser from Jude Bellingham vs Slovakia 🇸🇰 ⏰ The 91st minute winner from Ollie Watkins vs Netherlands 🇳🇱 It’s been no secret England haven’t played their best football this tournament, but they’ve made it to the final. 🏆 Meanwhile, Spain 🇪🇸 have been the standout team, winning every game. They’ve beaten some of the top contenders: 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇮🇹 Italy 🇩🇪 Germany 🇫🇷 France Two teams, two very different paths to the final. 🚀 This highlights a crucial lesson: it’s not always about performing at your best every single time, but about showing up consistently and staying in the game. 🎯 England’s journey teaches us that consistency and perseverance matter more than perfection. Their results show that it hasn’t always been pretty, but it’s been effective. 🔥 Let’s reflect on England’s journey and apply it to our own. We might not always be at our best, but with discipline and consistency, we can still reach our goals. Do you think the boys are bringing it home? 👀🏆 ♻️ If you found value with this post share it with your network #Euros2024 #EnglandVsSpain #ConsistencyIsKey #Leadership #Perseverance #FootballLessons #MindsetMatters #KeepPushing #NeverGiveUp

Couldn’t have said it better myself Jake Humphrey ⚽ We are all on our own journey, each with different challenges and triumphs. No matter the path you take, you will face setbacks. It’s how we navigate these obstacles that define our success 🏆 #leadership #businessdevelopment #leadershipdevelopment #resilience

To all my friends, colleagues, and clients who are parents, and who regularly face the challenge of finding creative ways to keep your children focused on the positives, even in the most difficult situations. Even when belief is forgotten and hope is lost, this example shows how to turn failure, rejection, or disappointment into success. Instill a positive mindset and belief. This is not about trying to be perfect all the time, but about having the mindset to accept that failures and mistakes will happen. Sometimes we take the wrong path, but with positive belief, learning, and a focus on growth and change, we will get there. 🙏🙌 🪴 🌱 #growth #positivemindset #resilient

As we go into the second weekend of a thrilling Six Nations, here’s a really timely story about the unintended benefits of lowering the tackle height (from shoulder height to sternum) in schools and across much of amateur Rugby Union. This was a controversial change. A year ago traditionalists were up in arms. Many feared it would ruin the sport as they knew it. In reality it has proved to do the opposite. While it’s too early to conclusively say that it has lowered the incidence of concussion, the anecdotal evidence is that there has been a significant improvement. And it has had another unintended consequence - because the rule leads to fewer two-on-one tackles, the ball-carrier can often offload the ball to a team mate. So as well as improving safety, rugby is getting faster and more enjoyable to watch, with fewer set-piece interruptions. Those of us in positions of influence in the game should take heart from this example. * Increasing player safety doesn’t have to come at the expense of the sporting spectacle. * Innovation is critical to the future of the sport. See you at Murrayfield. Come on Scotland! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 https://lnkd.in/eeBsRhR2

🔥Cross the Finish Line🔥 Do you follow England in Euro Championship 2024? If so, it’s been a rollercoaster ride: Another heartbreak. 58 years and counting. Fans claiming England played negative football. Pundits arguing that England has the best squad, but not the best team. Questions swirling around the captain Harry Kane and manager Gareth Southgate’s future. It’s easy to see this as a series of failures, but that’s far from the whole story. Before Gareth Southgate, England’s football reputation was tarnished, often failing to progress to the later stages of tournaments. Under Southgate’s leadership, England has reached the semifinals of major tournaments and finished as runners-up twice in the last two consecutive Euro Championships. Though they haven't secured the ultimate glory, their journey is nothing to scoff at. There’s a lot to be proud of, despite the emotional ups and downs that fans experience. In the end, champions are remembered for crossing the finish line. Are you ready to cross your own finish line in your regulatory projects? Book the call by putting "Accelerated Regulatory Action Call" in the subject line email to chaudhry.aziz@assureregulatoryservices.com and we will be in touch to book the call at your convenient time. #regulatoryaffairs #regulatorycompliance #regulatoryreporting

⚽ Rasmus Højlund Returns for Manchester United’s Europa League Clash Against Porto! ⚽ After a long-awaited return from injury, Rasmus Højlund is back in the starting lineup for United in tonight’s crucial Europa League match against Porto. But how ready is he mentally? 🧠 We’ve broken down his focus, comeback strength, and how he handles adversity with our latest Mind Stats report. Curious about his mental readiness for this big moment? 👉 Check out the full analysis here: #RasmusHøjlund #EuropaLeague #ManUtd #MindStats #FootballAnalysis #MentalPerformance

Everybody before the EUROS talked about Southgate not picking Grealish, and forgot to mention not including the likes of Henderson or Phillips which now are the main problems in this England team. Highlighted today by Sam Wallace in the Telegraph, “the 1-1 draw against Denmark in Euro 2024 revealed significant weaknesses in the England squad. While Jack Grealish's inclusion was a major talking point, it's the absence of experienced midfielders like Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips that's proving to be more critical. The lack of stability and leadership in the midfield was evident, contributing to a less cohesive performance. As we progress through the tournament, it's becoming clear that the selection decisions are impacting England's overall strategy and performance. It's crucial for Southgate to address these gaps if England is to advance successfully in Euro 2024.” https://lnkd.in/gW4rZTgK #Euro2024 #England #Football #Leadership #TeamStrategy #Telegraph #GarethSouthgate #SportsAnalysis

Excellent interview. Learning to deal with criticism on big event pitches without the opportunity to get the facts in the open can be difficult. The fact remains that although the pitch is the single most important asset in the stadium, it’s performance is impacted by hundreds of other decisions generally taken by others and not necessarily even the tournament managers. It’s often the case that these decisions have little or no input from the grounds manager or indeed comsultant. All we can do is continue to plan and communicate the risks and complexity of achieving these surfaces which in summer between domestic fixtures and non football use can actually be more challenging than a clear season in winter post a decent renovation!