England blasted as “catastrophic” and “stupid” by European press keen on Brexit jokes following Iceland loss June 28, 2016 England's players were likely relieved to have been out of the country yesterday and away from the English media's glare following their humiliation at the hands of Iceland. Not that the press in France or anywhere else were any less scathing of a dismal performance which saw England booted out of the European Championships by the [...]
Could Brexit help the England football team avoid future Iceland humiliations by limiting foreign players in the Premier League? June 28, 2016 The path has become well worn: England fail at a national tournament, the game's soul-searching begins and proposals for reform are put forward. Limiting the number of foreign players in English football to allow room for home grown talent to prosper has become a favoured option for Football Association chairman Greg Dyke. Last week he responded to Britain's [...]
Italy 2, Spain 0: Conte switches focus to Germany as incoming Chelsea boss masterminds destruction of reigning champions June 28, 2016 ITALY boss Antonio Conte basked in the glory of ending holders Spain’s eight-year grip on the European Championship but insisted the Azzurri will have to be “super-extraordinary” to beat world champions Germany in Saturday’s quarter-final. Conte’s charges proved tactically superior to their rivals and ended a run of five winless matches against Spain as veteran [...]
England 1, Iceland 2: Minnows leave Hodgson out in cold as woeful Three Lions eliminated from Euro 2016 in humiliating fashion June 27, 2016 Apologetic England manager Roy Hodgson has fallen on his sword after the Three Lions suffered a humiliating exit from Euro 2016 following a wretched showing against minnows Iceland in Nice. Hodgson wasted little time in ending his four-year reign and confirming his departure, as well as that of assistants Ray Lewington and Gary Neville, although his side’s [...]
A pathetic yet fitting end to four years of Roy Hodgson; a man out of time and a reign bereft of moments to savour June 27, 2016 Elimination from Euro 2016 by Iceland was a pathetic yet suitable end to an underwhelming four years of Roy Hodgson characterised by meaningless wins and repeated failures when it really mattered. History may not be kind to Hodgson, whose appointment was greeted with a combination of surprise and unkind mockery which gave way to a [...]
Southampton close in on manager Claude Puel and offload £34m Sadio Mane to Liverpool June 27, 2016 Southampton hope to bring a measure of stability to another tumultuous close season by finalising the appointment of French coach Claude Puel and the £34m sale of Sadio Mane to Liverpool. Puel is poised to succeed Ronald Koeman at St Mary’s this week after spending four years at Nice, who he guided to fourth place in [...]
Reigning champion Novak Djokovic content as Wimbledon title defence begins with crushing victory over Briton James Ward June 27, 2016 WORLD No1 Novak Djokovic declared himself content after his quest for a third consecutive Wimbledon crown began with a straight sets victory over British wildcard James Ward on Centre Court. Djokovic claimed the first nine games before world No177 Ward fought back in the second set, although the Serb, who currently holds all four grand [...]
Independence Day: Resurgence is a bewildering montage of CGI disasters and giant alien spaceships June 27, 2016 Independence Day: Resurgence is pitched as an antidote to the gritty movies ushered in by the age of the super-hero blockbuster. Sometimes, however, the cure can be worse than the disease. The original Independence Day, now 20 years old, was a bona fide cinematic event, expanding the boundaries of what was possible with CGI; the [...]
Barbu review: A sexy, hairy and acrobatic exploration of the history of circus June 27, 2016 ★★★★★ | Spiegeltent, London Wonderground An acrobatic circus and dance act from the most hirsute recesses of Quebec, Barbu dismantles preconceived notions of masculinity and then rebuilds them into something new using hula hoops, see-saws, ribbons and swings. Several large, beautiful men cavort and spin about the stage, like lumberjacks trapped in a salad spinner, [...]
Painters’ Paintings at the National Gallery review: a thought-provoking exhibition featuring Freud, Matisse, Degas, Reynolds and Van Dyck June 27, 2016 ★★☆☆☆ | National Gallery Painters’ Paintings is a highly unusual exhibition in that it imposes a context onto its collection that many visitors may never have considered before; it is surprising to learn that the National Gallery possesses some 70 paintings that were owned by the other painters it displays. It takes as a starting [...]