Chelsea sign new kit deal with Nike thought to be worth close to £1bn October 13, 2016 Chelsea have confirmed a lucrative kit contract with Nike that stands to see the American sportswear manufacturer pay the Premier League club close to £1bn. The 15-year, £900m deal is due to start next season, when Nike will replace Adidas as the provider of kit for all of the Blues’ squads, from the academy through [...]
In pictures: The highs and lows of Jess Ennis-Hill’s glorious career October 13, 2016 Jess Ennis-Hill enjoyed a decade at the highest level in which she became one of Britain’s most successful track and field athletes of all time. Here is how a stellar track and field career unfolded. Read more: Jess Ennis-Hill retires and says: "I know the time is right" 2006-2008: Showing promise Ennis won her first [...]
“I know the time is right”: Jess Ennis-Hill calls time on one of British athletics’s greatest careers October 13, 2016 London 2012 golden girl Jess Ennis-Hill insists she is bowing out on a high after bringing down the curtain on one of Britain’s finest track and field careers. Ennis-Hill, who won two World Championship titles as well as her defining triumph at her home Olympic Games, confirmed her retirement on Thursday after a decade of [...]
The Mountaintop play at Young Vic review: a searing, sexy, devastating imagining of Martin Luther King Jr’s last night October 13, 2016 Martin Luther King Jr is one of the towering figures of the 20th century. A champion of African-American culture and people, a religious leader, a community organiser, a crusader for civil rights, an exemplar of non-violent resistance, a model of masculinity, a moral touchstone, an icon, a martyr, a secular saint. A play about his [...]
Jos Buttler savours having the last laugh as England seal victory and series win againts Bangladesh October 13, 2016 STAND-IN England skipper Jos Buttler savoured having the last laugh as his side claimed the spoils of a fractious series with a tense four-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Chittagong yesterday. Vice-captain Ben Stokes was involved in a flashpoint at the post-match handshakes at the now infamous fracas in Dhaka on Sunday, but led England home [...]
Jos Buttler, fracas and all, has done his future claims to lead no harm in Bangladesh October 12, 2016 Despite England inflicting defeat upon Bangladesh for the first time in their last seven home one-day series, I fully expect skipper Eoin Morgan and opener Alex Hales to return to the side for the 50-over tussles with India in January. Hales has scored four one-day centuries in the past year, while England have done extremely well [...]
Former Crystal Palace boss Steve Bruce vows to stop the rot after being appointed Aston Villa manager October 12, 2016 Newly-appointed Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has vowed to arrest the club’s decline and rekindle past glories after being confirmed as manager of the seven-time top-flight champions. Bruce has replaced former Chelsea manager Roberto di Matteo, whose 12-match reign at Villa Park was ended last week with the Midlands outfit 19th in the Championship having [...]
Movie-length games: new titles you can play in under three hours, including That Dragon, Cancer and Virginia October 12, 2016 These movie-length games pack an emotional punch but won't lead to you getting a messy divorce because you neglected your family to farm credits to pay for a new colour of rocket launcher. That Dragon, Cancer Platform: iOS That Dragon, Cancer is less a game than an interactive art installation about a grieving family coming to [...]
Mafia III review: An evocative open-world shooter that’s only slightly more fun than a horse head in the bed October 12, 2016 Mafia III is the third instalment of a game franchise all about the mafia. This may sound a little glib, but here’s the thing: the implications of choosing a title as bold as ‘Mafia’ are significant. The word is laden with cliché. By using it, you’re invoking some of the most significant movies and novels [...]
Jury is out on Gareth Southgate’s England management credentials and only a win in Scotland can keep him in the frame October 12, 2016 On the evidence of his first two matches as interim England manager, the jury is very much out on Gareth Southgate. He got the points as expected against Malta on Saturday, but the quality of the performance in Tuesday’s goalless draw in Slovenia was so disappointing. England needed composure; instead they were panicky. An international [...]