Georgina Nicholas was “devastated” to lose her job at Arsenal due to the coronavirus pandemic but will now join them in Europe in her role as chief executive of JD Cymru Premier club Haverfordwest.
Nicholas spent eight years at Arsenal after managing multiple retail businesses in London’s West End and being headhunted by the Premier League club to work as their retail operations manager.
The 38-year-old “loved my job” of overseeing five stores, 27 managers and 300 people, but her world was turned upside down in August 2020 when Arsenal responded to the Covid crisis by announcing plans to make 55 staff redundant.
Nicholas was among those to get the dreaded call to join a Teams meeting and hear the bad news as Arsenal publicly defended their actions by saying they had looked at “every aspect of the club and our expenditure before reaching this point”.
She said: “I was devastated, it was really difficult to manage. It was also devastating to see people you spent so much time with lose their jobs.
“I was told: ‘Look, this is the situation we’re in, this is the decision the club has made and this is the result of that’. You’re told to go through a consultancy period where your job is potentially on the line and you can argue why you should stay in role.
“But it’s hard to argue when they’ve already made the decision. I did put some options forward about other roles, but I knew what was going to happen and that my life was going to change.”
Arsenal drew strong criticism at the time for making a swathe of redundancies in their football, commercial and administration departments.
But Nicholas remains philosophical about the call, saying: “Ultimately it was a business decision, nothing personal. It didn’t come as any shock to me.
“I’m certainly not going to criticise Arsenal because that was right for their business. I was a casualty of it as millions of other working people were during that period.”
Nicholas had left her native Pembrokeshire at the age of 17 but with few opportunities in the London retail market post-Covid she returned home to west Wales.
She helped her family provide care for her sick grandmother and briefly took a retail role that involved an “unfeasible” amount of travel across the UK.
“I’d done a complete 360 coming home and felt I had been knocked off my pedestal,” said Nicholas, who spotted on social media that Haverfordwest were seeking a general manager.
“I thought ‘That’s really interesting’ and the chairman Rob Edwards was looking for someone with in-depth experience of working in football.
“I went through the process, put a presentation together, and got the opportunity of putting my vision for the club into life.”
Nicholas was appointed in March, with Haverfordwest so impressed with her CV and ability that her role was upgraded to chief executive officer.
Two months later Haverfordwest qualified for Europe for the first time in 19 years, and only the second occasion in their history, by beating Newtown on penalties in the Cymru Premier’s European play-off final.
The Bluebirds meet Shkendija of North Macedonia in the first qualifying round of the Europa Conference League, with Thursday’s away leg to be played in the 33,000-capacity Tose Proeski Arena.
Haverfordwest, whose squad contains Wales Euro 2016 semi-finalist Jazz Richards, must make the 95-mile trip to the Cardiff City Stadium for the return game as their Bridge Meadow ground does not meet UEFA standards.
“We’re definitely ahead of plan but our ambition is not only to be in Europe but to be successful there,” said Nicholas.
“We know it’s difficult to attract players because our location is off the beaten track. But the higher the profile of the club is raised the more attractive it becomes.
“Rob is quite a visionary and we want to be a trailblazer that sets trends. Leadership positions in sport tend to be male dominated and it’s important we see more females coming into sport in general and taking up roles.
“But it’s not just about being a female. It’s about having the right person in the right role and meeting the objectives of the club and the board.”
And what about the possibility of going back to the Emirates Stadium in European competition one day?
“That would be a good story to tell,” she said. “I don’t think we’re quite there yet, but one day who knows?”
All or nothing: TTFA president Edwards gives Yorke World Cup qualifying mandate in two-year agreement
Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards has given recently appointed Head coach Dwight Yorke a mandate of qualifying the senior Soca Warriors to the Fifa Men’s World Cup or risk being replaced.
Edwards made the declaration during an interview on I95.5 FM on Saturday, as he pointed out that their World Cup qualifying ambition was the driving force behind the move to replace Angus Eve.
“It’s not just about selecting a coach. It is about the process, the journey and qualifying to the World Cup,” Edwards said.
Still, Edwards, who was elected TTFA president in April, explained that getting to the World Cup was a medium-term goal for his administration and, as such, they opted for a change in approach to accomplish that objective.
“We had to get the process right. We had to get where we wanted to go and make sure we had the mechanics within the TTFA right to make sure we get there and I think we reached the best choice for the men’s national senior team,” he shared.
“The entire team met and we laid out our short-term goals, medium-term goals and long-term goals. The medium-term goal was to qualify for the World Cup in the next two years. When we evaluated everything, we thought we needed a change...and the executive decided we wanted to go in a different direction.” Edwards added.
That said, Edwards reaffirmed his unwavering support for the current crop of Soca Warriors players to get the Twin Island Republic to another World Cup for the first time since 2006.
In fact, he revealed that Yorke’s two-year contract is with an agreement that he successfully qualifies the team to the 2026 global showpiece.
The Soca Warriors currently sit second in Group B on four points, two points behind leaders Costa Rica ahead of the resumption of qualifying action in 2025.
“With the right support and with the guys we have, I do believe we can qualify for a World Cup. We need a coach that understands the culture we have, with players coming back in two, three days before a game. Dwight was the ideal choice for us and he understands the culture of teams in Concacaf as well,” Edwards noted.
“In terms of that professional to approach the game, I think Dwight really brings that to T&T football. I think this project for our executive and for Dwight is about qualifying for the World Cup. It’s qualifying for the World Cup or nothing. I am sure I know Dwight’s pride. He will not stay on with the TTFA or with any club if he has failed to live up to his high standards,” the TTFA president opined.
Beyond the on-field obligations Edwards said it will take an estimated US$4 million to ensure Yorke and his team has the best possible chance throughout their campaign.
“The government through the Ministry of Sport has been involved in every campaign. We truly believe qualifying for the World Cup, taking it to the back end of 2025 will take about US$4 million. When we relate the proposal, we are hoping to get 30-33 per cent from the government,” Edwards said.
Leipzig have 'everything you would want' – Celtic boss Rodgers
Celtic may be four points clear of RB Leipzig in the Champions League, but Brendan Rodgers is not underestimating the challenge that his side face on Tuesday.
The Hoops welcome Leipzig to Celtic Park on matchday four, for what will be the fifth meeting between the sides.
Leipzig have won three of the previous four encounters, with Celtic winning 2-1 in a Europa League match in November 2018.
While Leipzig, who are second in the Bundesliga, have lost all of their Champions League matches this term, Celtic bounced back from their heavy defeat to Borussia Dortmund by holding Atalanta to a 0-0 draw in their last European outing.
Rodgers' team come into Tuesday's clash on the back of a resounding 6-0 defeat of Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership, but Rodgers knows his side are in for a stern test.
"Leipzig are no different to Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta," said Rodgers. "A top team. They have everything you would want - speed, power, technique.
"It's a brilliant challenge for us."
After conceding seven goals against Dortmund on MD2, Rodgers explained Celtic knew they had to step up.
"You always have to learn and be better and we were against Atalanta, a really outstanding team," said Rodgers, who were perhaps fortunate not to concede against the Serie A side, given they conceded 2.4 expected goals (xG).
"We'll look to bring our energy to the game but we also know we'll have to defend for good periods of the game, play with concentration and commitment like we did against Atalanta," he said.
"There will be moments when we press with aggression and moments where we have to be controlled. Top teams will push you back and you have to have resilience."
After a run of 12 home games without a win at Celtic Park in the Champions League between 2013 and 2023 (D3 L9), Celtic have won their last two home games. They last had three wins in a row back in November 2007 under manager Gordon Strachan.
"Home games are very important at this level and when you want the result the supporters can bring you closer to that," said Rodgers.
"What the noise generates here is absolutely incredible.
"We will also need that bit of patience as well because we have to be educated in our pressure.
"We've got ourselves into a really good position after three games and now we have another opportunity to show we can pick up a result against a top team."
Neymar does not believe latest injury is serious
Neymar does not feel his latest injury is anything to be overly worried about.
The Brazilian star had to be substituted off late on in Al-Hilal's 3-0 win over Esteghlal in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday.
Aleksandar Mitrovic's hat-trick propelled Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal to a comfortable win, though it was soured when Neymar clutched his right thigh and left the field just 29 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute.
It was only the 32-year-old's second appearance since he returned from a year-long lay-off due to a serious knee injury.
However, the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona attacker allayed fears over a serious injury.
"It felt like a cramp, only very strong!" Neymar posted on Instagram. "I'm going to have some tests and I hope it's nothing too serious.
"It's normal for this to happen after a year, the doctors had already warned me, so I have to be careful and play more minutes."
Neymar has played only seven games for Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal since joining from PSG in a blockbuster transfer last year.
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