Ryan Lochte endorsement earnings under threat as tarnished sponsors could ask for millions back August 20, 2016 American swimmer Ryan Lochte arrived in Rio de Janeiro with ambitions to return home with a fresh set of Olympic medals and a raised profile to help finalise a one final payday as his career enters its twilight. In the end he got two out of three. Lochte has come back to the United States with a sixth gold [...]
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says “crazy” transfer market is making it difficult to do business August 20, 2016 Chelsea manager Antonio Conte believes Premier League clubs are being over-charged on average players this summer and has expressed his discomfort at some of the fees being paid. The Blues have spent just over £60m on N'Golo Kante and Michy Batshuayi and while Conte believes his squad could do with further additions before the transfer window closes at [...]
Liverpool takeover offers will “get put in the garbage” says chairman Tom Werner August 20, 2016 Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has issued an unequivocal message to those interested in buying the Premier League club – it's not for sale. The Merseyside giants were the subject of reports linking them with a £700m takeover offer from a Chinese firm. A letter circulated online appeared to show Chinese investment group SinoFortone approaching Liverpool owners [...]
Aston Villa striker Rudy Gestede targeted by Turkish champions Besiktas as a replacement for Mario Gomez August 19, 2016 Aston Villa striker Rudy Gestede is being targeted by a number of European clubs including Turkish champions Besiktas following an impressive start to the season. Gestede has scored two goals in Villa's first three games of the Championship season, prompting Besiktas to prepare a serious offer for the Benin international. Two Bundesliga clubs are also believed to be interested in the [...]
Brothers in arms: Alistair and Jonny Brownlee claim triathlon one-two as sailors Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark strike gold August 18, 2016 Great Britain’s avalanche of medals continued as the irrepressible Alistair Brownlee became the first man to win successive Olympic triathlon titles as brother Jonny claimed silver on Copacabana. The Yorkshire duo became the first British siblings in Olympic history to finish first and second in the same event and the maiden brotherly one-two since Italian [...]
New twist in Ryan Lochte and United States swimmers’ robbery tale as police cry fabrication August 18, 2016 The controversy over claims by United States swimmers, including 12-time Olympic medallist Ryan Lochte, that they were robbed at gunpoint has taken a fresh twist after Brazilian police alleged the story was a fabrication. The United States Olympic Committee indicated on Sunday that Lochte and team-mates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen had been [...]
Astra Giurgiu 1, West Ham United 1: Mixed emotions for Slaven Bilic as late leveller sours Hammers’ bid to reach Europa League group stage August 18, 2016 West Ham boss Slaven Bilic had mixed emotions after his side were pegged back by a late leveller to leave their Europa League play-off tie with Astra Giurgiu in the balance. Skipper Mark Noble successfully converted a penalty on the stroke of half time to propel the east Londoners to a position of strength, only [...]
David Brent: Life on the Road review: Ricky Gervais plays his excruciating old hits one more time August 18, 2016 Ricky Gervais may have captured the zeitgeist with The Office, but he’s reminded us often enough in the 13 years since it finished that it’s a bar he’s not always capable of hitting. This movie spin-off shows he can still play those toe-curling greatest hits, even if his film isn’t exactly brimming with new ideas. [...]
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is an utterly refreshing family drama August 18, 2016 The extravagantly titled 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, is a conventional tale of wartime Britain, made extraordinary by an unusual approach. Stripped-back staging and exaggerated performances create a heightened reality, and pervasive humour means that when tragedy inevitably strikes, it’s blindsiding. Based on real-life events – and a novel by Michael Morpurgo – [...]
Groundhog Day at the Old Vic review: Tim Minchin’s follow-up to Matilda is a bawdy, hilarious modern-day Dickens tale August 18, 2016 At the opening of Groundhog Day I overheard David Walliams say to writer Tim Minchin: “This better be bloody good.” He was saying what everyone was thinking: there’s an absurd amount of expectation heaped on Minchin’s first musical since 2010’s Matilda, a level of hype perhaps not seen since The Book of Mormon. So it’s just as [...]