ROME (AP) — Robert Lewandowski joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the only players in Champions League history with 100 or more goals. But Erling Haaland is on a faster pace than anyone by boosting his total to 46 goals at age 24 on Tuesday. Still, Haaland's brace wasn't enough for Manchester City in a 3-3 draw with Feyenoord that extended the Premier League champion's winless streak to six matches. Lewandowski’s early penalty kick started Barcelona off to a 3-0 win over previously unbeaten Brest to move into second place in the new single-league format. The Poland striker added goal No. 101 in second-half stoppage time. Ronaldo leads the all-time scoring list with 140 goals and Messi is next with 129. But neither Ronaldo nor Messi play in the Champions League anymore following moves to Saudi Arabia and the United States, respectively. The 36-year-old Lewandowski required 125 matches to reach the century mark, two more than Messi (123) and 12 fewer than Ronaldo (137). Barcelona also got a second-half score from Dani Olmo. The top eight finishers in the standings advance directly to the round of 16 in March. Teams ranked ninth to 24th go into a knockout playoffs round in February, while the bottom 12 teams are eliminated. Haaland has 46 goals in 44 games Haaland converted a first-half penalty to eclipse Messi as the youngest player to reach 45 goals then scored City's third after the break to raise his total to 46 goals in 44 games. Ilkay Gundogan had City's second. But then Feyenoord struck back with goals from Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko. Inter leads standings and hasn't conceded a goal Inter Milan beat Leipzig 1-0 with an own goal to move atop the standings with 13 points, one more than Barcelona and Liverpool, which faces Real Madrid on Wednesday. The Serie A champion is the only club that hasn't conceded a goal. Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 — the same score from the 2020 final between the two teams. PSG ended with 10 men and remained in the elimination zone. The French powerhouse has struggled in Europe after Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid. Atalanta moved within two points of the lead with a 6-1 win at Young Boys. Also, Arsenal won 5-1 at Sporting Lisbon; and Bayer Leverkusen routed Salzburg 5-0. AC Milan follows up win over Real Madrid with another victory AC Milan followed up its win at Real Madrid with a 3-2 victory at last-place Slovan Bratislava in an early match. Christian Pulisic put the seven-time champion ahead midway through the first half by finishing off a counterattack. Then Rafael Leao restored the Rossoneri’s advantage after Tigran Barseghyan had equalized for Bratislava and Tammy Abraham quickly added another. Nino Marcelli scored with a long-range strike in the 88th for Bratislava, which ended with 10 men. Bratislava has lost all five of its matches. Alvarez and Griezmann lead Atletico to 6-0 rout Argentina World Cup winner Julian Alvarez scored twice and Atletico Madrid routed Sparta Prague 6-0 in the other early game. Alvarez scored with a free kick 15 minutes in and Marcos Llorente added a long-range strike before the break. Alvarez finished off a counterattack early in the second half after being set up by substitute Antoine Griezmann, who then marked his 100th Champions League game by getting on the scoresheet himself. Angel Correa added a late brace for Atletico, which earned its biggest away win in Europe. Atletico beat Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round and extended its winning streak across all competitions to six matches. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — LJ Thomas had 25 points in Austin Peay's 62-50 win over Georgia State on Tuesday. Thomas added five assists for the Governors (4-2). Tekao Carpenter scored 12 points while finishing 4 of 9 from 3-point range. The Panthers (3-3) were led by Zarigue Nutter, who recorded 17 points. Malachi Brown added 10 points and two steals for Georgia State. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Harry and Meghan’s polo docuseries to highlight ‘grit behind the glamour’
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — LJ Thomas had 25 points in Austin Peay's 62-50 win over Georgia State on Tuesday. Thomas added five assists for the Governors (4-2). Tekao Carpenter scored 12 points while finishing 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
CHICAGO — With a wave of her bangled brown fingertips to the melody of flutes and chimes, artist, theologian and academic Tricia Hersey enchanted a crowd into a dreamlike state of rest at Semicolon Books on North Michigan Avenue. “The systems can’t have you,” Hersey said into the microphone, reading mantras while leading the crowd in a group daydreaming exercise on a recent Tuesday night. The South Side native tackles many of society’s ills — racism, patriarchy, aggressive capitalism and ableism — through an undervalued yet impactful action: rest. Hersey, the founder of a movement called the Nap Ministry, dubs herself the Nap Bishop and spreads her message to over half a million followers on her Instagram account, @thenapministry . Her first book, “Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto,” became a New York Times bestseller in 2022, but Hersey has been talking about rest online and through her art for nearly a decade. Hersey, who has degrees in public health and divinity, originated the “rest as resistance” and “rest as reparations” frameworks after experimenting with rest as an exhausted graduate student in seminary. Once she started napping, she felt happier and her grades improved. But she also felt more connected to her ancestors; her work was informed by the cultural trauma of slavery that she was studying as an archivist. Hersey described the transformation as “life-changing.” The Nap Ministry began as performance art in 2017, with a small installation where 40 people joined Hersey in a collective nap. Since then, her message has morphed into multiple mediums and forms. Hersey, who now lives in Atlanta, has hosted over 100 collective naps, given lectures and facilitated meditations across the country. She’s even led a rest ritual in the bedroom of Jane Addams , and encourages her followers to dial in at her “Rest Hotline.” At Semicolon, some of those followers and newcomers came out to see Hersey in discussion with journalist Natalie Moore on Hersey’s latest book, “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape,” released this month, and to learn what it means to take a moment to rest in community. Moore recalled a time when she was trying to get ahead of chores on a weeknight. “I was like, ‘If I do this, then I’ll have less to do tomorrow.’ But then I was really tired,” Moore said. “I thought, ‘What would my Nap Bishop say? She would say go lay down.’ Tricia is in my head a lot.” At the event, Al Kelly, 33, of Rogers Park, said some of those seated in the crowd of mostly Black women woke up in tears — possibly because, for the first time, someone permitted them to rest. “It was so emotional and allowed me to think creatively about things that I want to work on and achieve,” Kelly said. Shortly after the program, Juliette Viassy, 33, a program manager who lives in the South Loop and is new to Hersey’s work, said this was her first time meditating after never being able to do it on her own. Therapist Lyndsei Howze, 33, of Printers Row, who was also seated at the book talk, said she recommends Hersey’s work “to everybody who will listen” — from her clients to her own friends. “A lot of mental health conditions come from lack of rest,” she said. “They come from exhaustion.” Before discovering Hersey’s work this spring, Howze said she and her friends sporadically napped together in one friend’s apartment after an exhausting workweek. “It felt so good just to rest in community,” she said. On Hersey’s book tour, she is leading exercises like this across the country. “I think we need to collectively do this,” Hersey explained. “We need to learn again how to daydream because we’ve been told not to do it. I don’t think most people even have a daydreaming practice.” Daydreaming, Hersey said, allows people to imagine a new world. Hersey tells her followers that yes, you can rest, even when your agenda is packed, even between caregiving, commuting, jobs, bills, emails and other daily demands. And you don’t have to do it alone. There is a community of escape artists, she said of the people who opt out of grind and hustle culture, waiting to embrace you. The book is part pocket prayer book, part instruction manual, with art and handmade typography by San Francisco-based artist George McCalman inspired by 19th-century abolitionist pamphlets, urging readers to reclaim their divine right to rest. Hersey directs her readers like an operative with instructions for a classified mission. “Let grind culture know you are not playing around,” she wrote in her book. “This is not a game or time to shrink. Your thriving depends on the art of escape.” The reluctance to rest can be rooted in capitalist culture presenting rest as a reward for productivity instead of a physical and mental necessity. Hersey deconstructs this idea of grind culture, which she says is rooted in the combined effects of white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism that “look at the body as not human.” American culture encourages grind culture, Hersey said, but slowing down and building a ritual of rest can offset its toxicity. The author eschews the ballooning billion-dollar self-care industry that encourages people to “save enough money and time off from work to fly away to an expensive retreat,” she wrote. Instead, she says rest can happen anywhere you have a place to be comfortable: in nature, on a yoga mat, in the car between shifts, on a cozy couch after work. Resting isn’t just napping either. She praises long showers, sipping warm tea, playing music, praying or numerous other relaxing activities that slow down the body. “We’re in a crisis mode of deep sleep deprivation, deep lack of self-worth, (and) mental health,” said Hersey. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2022 , in Illinois about 37% of adults aren’t getting the rest they need at night. If ignored, the effects of sleep deprivation can have bigger implications later, Hersey said. In October, she lectured at a sleep conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, where her humanities work was featured alongside research from the world’s top neuroscientists. Jennifer Mundt, a Northwestern clinician and professor of sleep medicine, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, praises Hersey for bringing the issue of sleep and rest to the public. In a Tribune op-ed last year, Mundt argued that our culture focuses too heavily on sleep as something that must be earned rather than a vital aspect of health and that linking sleep to productivity is harmful and stigmatizing. “Linking sleep and productivity is harmful because it overshadows the bevy of other reasons to prioritize sleep as an essential component of health,” Mundt wrote. “It also stigmatizes groups that are affected by sleep disparities and certain chronic sleep disorders.” In a 30-year longitudinal study released in the spring by the New York University School of Social Work, people who worked long hours and late shifts reported the lowest sleep quality and lowest physical and mental functions, and the highest likelihood of reporting poor health and depression at age 50. The study also showed that Black men and women with limited education “were more likely than others to shoulder the harmful links between nonstandard work schedules and sleep and health, worsening their probability of maintaining and nurturing their health as they approach middle adulthood.” The CDC links sleeping fewer than seven hours a day to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and more. Although the Nap Ministry movement is new for her followers, Hersey’s written about her family’s practice of prioritizing rest, which informs her work. Her dad was a community organizer, a yardmaster for the Union Pacific Railroad Co. and an assistant pastor. Before long hours of work, he would dedicate hours each day to self-care. Hersey also grew up observing her grandma meditate for 30 minutes daily. Through rest, Hersey said she honors her ancestors who were enslaved and confronts generational trauma. When “Rest Is Resistance” was released in 2022, Americans were navigating a pandemic and conversations on glaring racial disparities. “We Will Rest!” comes on the heels of a historic presidential election where Black women fundraised for Vice President Kamala Harris and registered voters in a dizzying three-month campaign. Following Harris’ defeat, many of those women are finding self-care and preservation even more important. “There are a lot of Black women announcing how exhausted they are,” Moore said. “This could be their entry point to get to know (Hersey’s) work, which is bigger than whatever political wind is blowing right now.” Hersey said Chicagoans can meet kindred spirits in her environment of rest. Haji Healing Salon, a wellness center, and the social justice-focused Free Street Theater are sites where Hersey honed her craft and found community. In the fall, the theater put on “Rest/Reposo,” a performance featuring a community naptime outdoors in McKinley Park and in its Back of the Yards space. Haji is also an apothecary and hosts community healing activities, sound meditations and yoga classes. “It is in Bronzeville; it’s a beautiful space owned by my friend Aya,” Hersey said, explaining how her community has helped her build the Nap Ministry. “When I first started the Nap Ministry, before I was even understanding what it was, she was like, come do your work here.” “We Will Rest!” is a collection of poems, drawings and short passages. In contrast to her first book, Hersey said she leaned more into her artistic background; the art process alone took 18 months to complete. After a tough year for many, she considers it medicine for a “sick and exhausted” world. “It’s its own sacred document,” Hersey said. “It’s something that, if you have it in your library and you have it with you, you may feel more human.” lazu@chicagotribune.com
Albanese – China’s ‘handsome boy’ – is becoming perfect ‘free trade’ patsy
November 25, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread by Jonas Roslund, Linköping University We distance ourselves from completely neutral products if they are liked by people who have political views that we find disagreeable. This is shown in four studies from Linköping University, Sweden. The behavior is reinforced if we have to make a decision when others are watching. Political distancing affects us more deeply than was previously known and governs our choices even when it is completely irrelevant. The studies show that even chocolate can be political. "From a social perspective, it can unfortunately be rational to distance ourselves from these neutral things, but this contributes to a more polarized society," says Arvid Erlandsson, senior associate professor at the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning at Linköping University. In four studies, researchers investigated people's attitudes to completely non-political products before and after these were linked to people or groups with different political views . As far as is known, this is the first time such an investigation has been conducted. The results have been presented in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin . The first study concerned clothing. The more than 600 participants were first shown a number of pictures of people wearing formal clothes. The heads of the people were hidden. Participants were asked to give their opinion on the design, fit and color of the clothes and how much they would want to buy them. They were also asked their views on political parties . They then had to re-evaluate the clothes, but this time the faces of the people wearing them were visible. It turned out that the faces belonged to well-known Swedish politicians. This clearly affected the results in the second round. Clothes worn by a politician from the participants' least liked party were now more often perceived as less stylish than in the first assessment. In the next study, more than 800 participants first gave scores to eight well-known chocolate brands and stated their political stance. They were then divided into groups for a second round. One group was told that a previous pilot study showed that their political opponents liked a particular chocolate the best. A second group was instead told which kind their own side preferred. They then made a new assessment. It turned out that chocolate that was liked by political opponents had now become significantly less appealing. However, varieties that were liked by their own side did not become more popular. "It's less about you associating with what your own side likes and more about avoiding what's liked by the opposing side," summarizes Erlandsson. A third study similarly examined willingness to donate money to various charities. More than 1,200 people participated and the results were the same as in the previous studies. Participants were less likely to give money to organizations they were told were preferred by political opponents. The researchers think that we unconsciously behave this way to maintain a consistent self-image. What the participants did not know was that the pilot study showed that everyone—regardless of their political affiliation—had actually liked the same chocolate varieties and the same charities. In the last study, 1,295 people participated. They also had to choose between products, but with a difference. One group made their choices while being observed by animated faces they were told belonged to their own political grouping. It turned out that the tendency to distance oneself from products liked by political opponents was further reinforced. The researchers' conclusion is that we attach great importance to how we appear to others. "Knowing about it might make you think twice, instead of just going on a gut feeling," says Erlandsson. More information: Arvid Erlandsson et al, Politically Contaminated Clothes, Chocolates, and Charities: Distancing From Neutral Products Liked by Out-Group or In-Group Partisans, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2024). DOI: 10.1177/01461672241298390 Journal information: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin Provided by Linköping University
Inclement weather leads to multi crashes near RidgetownVANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Central 1 Credit Union (Central 1) today reported third quarter performance reflecting steady financial results across business lines, consistent with plans and expectations. “Our stable third quarter results were in line with our expectations,” said Sheila Vokey, Central 1’s President & CEO. “Central 1 continues to grow its critical payments, treasury and clearing and settlement services, which we provide at scale to financial institutions who deliver banking choice to Canadians.” Third quarter 2024 compared with third quarter 2023: Net income was $5.8 million, compared with $3.9 million Net fair value gain 1 was $6.9 million, compared with loss of $2.0 million Net interest income was $9.7 million, compared with $19.6 million Return on average equity 2 of 2.1%, compared with 1.6% Year-to-date 2024 compared with year-to-date 2023: Net income was $47.8 million, compared with $23.6 million Net fair value gain 1 was $60.2 million, compared with $24.2 million Net interest income was $34.0 million, compared with $41.3 million Return on average equity 2 of 8.0%, compared with 4.4% Central 1’s third quarter and year-to-date (YTD) results continue to report strong financial performance in 2024. Central 1’s net income for the third quarter was $5.8 million, an increase of $1.9 million compared to the third quarter last year. This is primarily reflecting higher net fair value gains 1 and higher non-interest income, excluding strategic initiatives 1 , partially offset by lower net interest income. The reported YTD net income was $47.8 million, an increase of $24.2 million compared to the same period last year, reflecting an increase of $36.0 million in net fair value gains 1 largely due to credit spreads narrowing. Core Business & Financial Performance Treasury Treasury delivered consistently strong results in the quarter and reported a net income of $11.3 million, broadly in line with $11.5 million reported in the third quarter last year. Net interest income was $10.1 million, a decrease of $9.9 million compared to the third quarter last year. However, the decline in net interest income was offset by an $8.9 million increase in net fair value gains 1 . Non-interest income, including revenue from Treasury’s fee-for-service operations, also increased by $2.4 million compared to the third quarter last year. Payments & Digital Banking Payments & Digital Banking reported net loss for the quarter was $3.8 million, compared with a reported net loss of $4.7 million in the third quarter last year, driven by the Digital Banking business and partially offset by the net income in Payments. The year-over-year reduction in net loss for the current quarter can be attributed to reduced spending on strategic initiatives 1 . This decline is due to the pause earlier in the year in the Payments Modernization initiative, awaiting details from Payments Canada. Additionally, there were lower professional fees associated with Forge implementations, and completion of certain digital strategy projects. After the close of the quarter, Central 1 announced its intention to wind down its digital banking business and transition clients to one or more alternative digital banking providers. While no firm date has been set for completing this transition, Central 1 is working with digital banking providers and clients to complete transitions within a three-to-four-year timeline. Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures Central 1 uses a number of financial measures and ratios to assess overall performance. Some of these measures do not have a standardized definition prescribed by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and might not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Presenting non-GAAP financial measures and ratios provides readers with an enhanced understanding of how management analyzes Central 1’s results and assesses the underlying business performance. The discussions of non-GAAP financial measures and ratios that Central 1 uses in evaluating its operating results are presented as footnotes in the respective sections of the Management’s Discussion and Analysis together with the required disclosure below in accordance with National Instrument 52-112 Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures Disclosure. Non-GAAP Financial Measures The following non-GAAP financial measures exclude certain items from our financial results prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Accounting Standards. The tables below present reconciliations of these measures to their respective most directly comparable financial measures disclosed in Central 1’s Interim Consolidated Financial Statements. Net Fair Value Gain (Loss) Net fair value gain (loss) used across this press release is comprised of gain (loss) on disposal of financial instruments plus changes in fair value of financial instruments reported in the Consolidated Statement of Income (Loss). Reporting them combined provides better information on the fair value movements of Central 1’s financial instruments to the readers. Non-Interest Income, excluding Strategic Initiatives Non-interest income, excluding strategic initiatives, presented in the Overall Performance and Results by Segment sections of this press release is derived by excluding Central 1’s income from investments in strategic initiatives. Excluding income from strategic initiatives allows readers to better understand Central 1’s recurring financial performance and related trends. Overall Performance Results by Segment Payments & Digital Banking Central 1’s third quarter Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) and Financial Statements have been filed on Central 1’s SEDAR profile at www.sedarplus.com and are also available at central1.com/investor-relations . About Central 1 Central 1 cooperatively empowers credit unions and other financial institutions who deliver banking choice to Canadians. With assets of $11.6 billion as of September 30, 2024, Central 1 provides critical services at scale to enable a thriving credit union system. We do this by collaborating with our clients, developing strategies, products, and services to support the financial well-being of their more than 5 million diverse customers in communities across Canada. For more information, visit www.central1.com . Notes 1. These are n on-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP financial ratios. Refer to the "Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures" section of th is release or the MD&A for more information. 2. This is a non-GAAP financial ratio. Refer to the “Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures” section of the MD&A for more information. Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements This press release and announcement contain historical and forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are or may be based on assumptions, uncertainties, and management’s best estimates of future events. Central 1 has based the forward-looking statements on current plans, information, data, estimates, expectations, and projections about, among other things, results of operations, financial condition, prospects, strategies and future events, and therefore undue reliance should not be placed on them. These include, without limitation, statements relating to our financial and non-financial performance objectives, vision and strategic goals and priorities, including focus on capital and cost management, the economic, market and regulatory review and outlook for the Canadian economy and the provincial economies in which our member credit unions operate , the impacts of external events such as international conflicts, protests, natural disasters or pandemics, as well as statements that contain the words “may,” “will,” “intends” and “anticipates” and other similar words and expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. Securityholders are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Certain important assumptions by Central 1 in making forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, competitive conditions, economic conditions and regulatory considerations. Important risk factors that could cause actual results and the timing of such results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include economic risks, regulatory risks (including legislative and regulatory developments), risks and uncertainty from the impact of rising or falling interest rates, international conflicts, natural disasters or pandemics, geopolitical uncertainty, information technology and cyber risks, environmental and social risk (including climate change), digital disruption and innovation, reputation risk, competitive risk, privacy, data and third-party related risks, risks related to business and operations, risks relating to the transition of clients to alternative digital banking providers, and other risks detailed from time to time in Central 1’s periodic reports filed with securities regulators. Given these risks, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Central 1 undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws. Contacts Media: Heather Merry Senior Manager, Communications Central 1 Credit Union T 1.800.661.6813 ext. 2355 E communications@central1.com Investors: Brent Clode Chief Investment Officer Central 1 Credit Union T 905.282.8588 or 1.800.661.6813 ext. 8588 E bclode@central1.com
Judge rejects request to sideline SJSU volleyball player
Manchester City 3 Feyenoord 3 - Defensive disarray, expectations lowered, glimpses from GundoganPrime Minister Justin Trudeau says a new chapter for Syria can begin that's free of terrorism and suffering for its people. In a social media post on X on Sunday, Trudeau said the fall of the Assad dictatorship "ends decades of brutal oppression." Syrian President Bashar Assad fled the country on Sunday and is now reported to be in Moscow, bringing to a dramatic close his nearly 14-year struggle to hold onto control as his country fragmented in a brutal civil war. The toppling of Assad comes after opposition forces entered the Syrian capital of Damascus, ending half a century of rule by his family. Trudeau said Canada is monitoring the transition closely, and he urged "order, stability, and respect for human rights." Ottawa is urging Canadians to avoid all travel to Syria and to consider leaving the country if it's safe to do so. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told a news conference on Sunday that Assad "was a puppet for the tyrants of Tehran." "He has carried out genocides against the Sunni people in his own country, and now he appears to have been toppled," Poilievre said in Ottawa. Poilievre said it's unknown who will replace Assad, adding it isn't Canada's fight and that he doesn't believe Canada should get involved. "We should stand with our allies, including Israel, against the terrorists. We should focus on protecting our own country." Ottawa describes the security situation as volatile, and said the Damascus and Aleppo airports as well as some border crossings are closed. An updated travel advisory from the Canadian government warns people to avoid the Middle Eastern country due to what it calls "ongoing armed conflict, terrorism, criminality, arbitrary detention, torture and forced disappearance." Canada has urged its citizens to leave Syria since November 2011, and its embassy in Damascus suspended its operations in 2012. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2024. — With files from The Associated Press. The Canadian Press
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NICEVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Aaliyah Nye scored 15 points and No. 23 Alabama coasted to an 83-33 win over Alabama State on Monday at the Emerald Coast Classic. Sarah Ashlee Barker and Karly Weathers both added 12 points for the Crimson Tide (7-0). Zaay Green had 11. Barker, Weathers and Green combined to go 12 of 16 from the field as Alabama shot 51% and made 23 of 34 free throws.
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Shankland warns Hearts team-mates to face the truth over the club's survival battle... and insists the league table does not lie Tynecastle club are second bottom of the Scottish Premiership after derby defeat to city rivals Hibs Skipper Shankland says struggling Edinburgh men can't afford to shy away from the scale of the club's predicament Neil Critchley's side next face must-win match at fellow strugglers Ross County as they bid to improve fortunes By STEPHEN HALLIDAY Published: 23:04 GMT, 27 December 2024 | Updated: 23:04 GMT, 27 December 2024 e-mail View comments Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland has urged his team-mates to confront the reality of the Tynecastle side’s perilous situation before it’s too late. Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to city rivals Hibernian left them in 11th place in the Premiership table, just two points clear of bottom club St Johnstone. Eager to avoid a relegation battle in the second half of the season, Shankland (pictured) knows the heat is firmly on Neil Critchley’s side as they prepare to face Ross County in Dingwall on Sunday. ‘You need to be realistic,’ said the Scotland striker. ‘We’re in a position where the league table would tell you that we’re not exactly a brilliant team. ‘I think the season would tell you that. Right now, we’re not performing like a good team. So we are where we are in the table because we deserve to be there and that’s the truth. 'I think if anyone shies away from that, they’re telling themselves a lie. We are where we are and now we’re going to a huge game at Ross County this weekend that we need to go and win. Club captain Shankland says anyone shying away from the reality is 'telling themselves a lie' Shankland tries to urge his men on during their Edinburgh derby defeat to Hibernian The Leith side's triumph at Tynecastle has pushed their city rivals into a state of near crisis ‘We need to have the belief that we can turn it around but we also need to find the quality to go and do it. ‘You see the boys in training. They can do it. It’s just bringing it to the match. That’s the hard bit and that’s where we’re struggling at the moment. ‘The feeling among everybody is the same. There’s a frustration that we’re not doing what we need to do in the final third to put teams under pressure. ‘Goalies aren’t having to make saves against us week in, week out. We’re not putting enough pressure on the opposition goal for how much ball we have. ‘We’re not doing that, we’re not producing that. That comes down to the individuals and levels of quality that we’re putting together. So it’s just overriding frustration.’ That frustration has led to anger among Hearts supporters, most vocally expressed after the recent Europa Conference League exit at home to Moldovan side Petrocub. Shankland was critical of the atmosphere created by supporters that night but had no complaints over their reaction as Hibs won at Tynecastle for the first time in five years on Boxing Day. Hearts' failure to defeat Moldovan minnows Petrocub in the Conference League was a real low Manager Neil Critchley (second from right) is coming under increasing pressure from fans ‘There’s obviously frustration there and I understand that,’ he added. ‘At the end of the game, they showed that frustration. ‘That’s fully acceptable on my part. It’s a fan base that expects us to win games, especially derbies. It’s hugely disappointing. I fully understand the frustration and anger. You need to take that on the chin. ‘That’s what’s expected when you play here and you play in the games. You’re expected to win and we’ve not done it. ‘Tynecastle can be quite a hard place for some players to play at times when things aren’t going well but I thought the crowd were good against Hibs. ‘I thought they were behind us. It wasn’t the case of the crowd getting on top of us. I didn’t feel that at all. ‘Derbies usually bring that buzz and it only takes a small moment to change a crowd and get a lift, but I didn’t feel like the crowd was bad at all.’ Manager Critchley hopes to refresh his squad in the window and Shankland accepts changes in personnel are needed. ‘It can help, aye,’ he said. ‘Obviously, you need quality. You need to recruit quality players that can bring a level that’s expected to perform at the football club. That’s what we need going forward.’ Europa Conference League Share or comment on this article: Shankland warns Hearts team-mates to face the truth over the club's survival battle... and insists the league table does not lie e-mail Add commentIn her new book, “We Will Rest! The Art of Escape,” the author and academic says you too can flee the toxic grind culture.