Chelsea escape points deduction following Etihad Stadium brawl, while Blues defender signs new deal December 13, 2016 Chelsea have avoided a points deduction after being slapped with a £100,000 fine following the mass brawl which concluded their Premier League victory at Manchester City earlier this month. The ugly scenes prompted the Stamford Bridge club’s fifth charge of failing to control their players in 19 months, which brought with it the threat of [...]
RFU boss Ian Ritchie backs Dylan Hartley as England captain despite latest brush with the law December 13, 2016 Rugby chief Ian Ritchie has defended Dylan Hartley’s conduct since being England skipper and believes he has sufficient credit in the bank to remain as captain despite the threat of a Six Nations ban. Northampton hooker Hartley is set to face an independent disciplinary hearing on Wednesday after being shown the third red card of [...]
A Monster Calls is a moving tale of loss that doesn’t pretend to have any of the answers December 13, 2016 From Harry Potter to the Secret Garden, children’s literature is chock full of orphans. Yet theirs is a rare form of bereavement, usually the result of a tragic accident that happened without warning at an age they barely remember. In A Monster Calls, 12-year-old protagonist Conor O’Malley faces up to a more common, brutal reality; [...]
Manchester City’s problems are self-inflicted but Pep Guardiola can solve them by changing his tactics December 13, 2016 Pep Guardiola is insistent that Manchester City’s recent deterioration won’t make him abandon his philosophy, but there is no denying that things are not going to plan at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola’s perfect start of 10 wins from 10 games is a distant memory, with City managing just four victories from 15 fixtures since. Defence has [...]
Constant speculation over Alastair Cook’s future as skipper is “pain in the backside”, says Trevor Bayliss December 13, 2016 England head coach Trevor Bayliss has labelled fervent speculation over the future of Alastair Cook as Test captain as a “pain in the backside”. Cook confirmed in the wake of his side’s thrashing by India in the fourth Test in Mumbai that the scale of defeat, which gave the hosts a 3-0 series lead, inevitably [...]
The Last Guardian review: 10 years in the making, Fumito Ueda’s new game is a flawed work of genius December 13, 2016 Playing The Last Guardian is like booting up a fondly half-remembered game from your childhood. Almost 10 years in the making, Japanese designer Fumito Ueda’s follow-up to his elegiac PS2 titles Ico and Shadow of the Colossus comes with a monumental weight of expectation; its protracted development – only snippets of which were glimpsed over the years [...]
Anthony Watson interview: Bath and England star on why he’s not letting himself think about the British Lions tour to New Zealand just yet December 13, 2016 Bath star Anthony Watson insists he has put thoughts of travelling to New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions next year to the back of his mind following three months out injured. The winger has been consigned to the opposite side of the touchline he is so used to hugging for England and Bath, [...]
No, Greg Dyke: There is no justification for government intervention in the FA December 13, 2016 These are not great times for the Football Association (FA). There has been criticism for years over the Premier League’s dominance, wasteful spending on Wembley and the failed Lilleshall School of Excellence, and underfunding of grassroots football. This has been reinforced this year by England’s risible performance in the Euros and new manager Sam Allardyce’s [...]
Jose Mourinho expresses relief at Manchester United’s Europa League draw, while Tottenham handed Gent test December 12, 2016 Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho expressed his relief after his side were pitted against French outfit Saint-Etienne in the last 32 of the Europa League. Tottenham, meanwhile, who secured their passage to the knockout phase of the competition with a 3-1 victory over CSKA Moscow in their final Champions League group match, will play Gent. [...]
Cristiano Ronaldo targets fifth Ballon d’Or award after latest crowning as world’s best player December 12, 2016 Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo has promised to go in pursuit of a fifth Ballon d’Or in 2017 after being crowned the world’s best player for the fourth time in his career. Ronaldo has so far netted 48 goals in 52 matches for club and country during 2016, a year which has seen the 31-year-old win the [...]