Newcastle relegation Mike Ashley’s annus horribilis: Here’s what’s gone wrong for the divisive Sports Direct founder May 12, 2016 Mike Ashley's year has gone from bad to worse after Newcastle United were dumped out of the Premier League for the second time in his ownership on Wednesday night. Yet Newcastle's ejection from the riches of England's top tier into the same division as Burton Albion is only the latest in a series of damaging [...]
£25m keeps Pochettino at Tottenham and puts him into premier league of best-paid managers May 12, 2016 Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has forecast an era of domestic and European success at the club after ending speculation over his future by signing a new five-year contract. The Argentinian, who has been linked with Manchester United after turning Spurs into Premier League title challengers, agreed a deal thought to be worth £25m, making him [...]
The Angry Birds Movie is a story for children about a collection of rare birds violently catapulted into shoddily built towers May 12, 2016 In a post-Battleship world, it seems no premise or product is too remote to base a film on. Step in Angry Birds, the mobile game that was the saviour of long commutes everywhere when it burst on to the scene in 2009. The spin-off movie was met with incredulity but hopes have quietly risen given [...]
George Shaw brings his haunting My Back to Nature series of paintings to the National Gallery May 12, 2016 George Shaw is best known for his highly detailed renditions of high streets and urban scenes from middle England, favouring enamel paint more commonly used for Airfix models. These deliberately unspectacular, eerie images reached their widest audiences following his nomination for the Turner Prize in 2011. It is fascinating, then, to see how this traditional [...]
How do you create a sex-heavy unreality for an unshockable twenty-first century audience? May 12, 2016 Diarist Samuel Pepys saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream – for the first and last time – in 1662, describing it as the most “ridiculous play that ever I saw in my life” despite “some good dancing and some handsome women”. Centuries later, can the sex-fuelled plot still baffle a contemporary audience? Emma Rice takes a stab in her first production as [...]
Betting: Top four place up for grabs in Premier League’s final weekend May 12, 2016 As the Premier League’s most memorable season comes to its last weekend, the only thing it could be said to be lacking is a genuinely exciting final day showdown. Leicester City’s fairytale at the top and Sunderland’s great escape at the bottom mean the title race and relegation battle have been settled. However, the race [...]
Sarries have the international stars to achieve European glory May 12, 2016 No team has ever won every game of a victorious European rugby campaign, but that’s exactly what Saracens intend to do when they take on Racing 92 in the final of the Champions Cup tomorrow. History would suggest that it won’t happen, but form says otherwise. In recent weeks, Sarries have dispatched both Wasps and [...]
Why Chelsea parting ways with Adidas makes financial sense — Blues could pocket £50m per year with Nike, Under Armour or Puma May 12, 2016 Yesterday’s announcement that Adidas would terminate its contract with Chelsea six years early came as a bolt from the blue. Officially the decision was described as “mutual” and it probably was once Chelsea agreed to pay a penalty clause rumoured to be nearly £40m (€50m). The original 10-year deal, signed in 2013, was for £30m per year. So [...]
Vince and Ball handed England chance as selectors keep faith with Hales and Compton for first Test against Sri Lanka May 12, 2016 Hampshire batsman James Vince admits he was shocked after England selectors put him in line for a first Test cap in the opening match of the home series with Sri Lanka next week. The captain of the England Lions development team is joined in the 12-man squad by Nottinghamshire seamer and fellow Test newcomer Jake [...]
Good news for Liverpool fans: BT Sport and YouTube to stream Champions League and Europa League finals for free online May 12, 2016 BT Sport will stream the Champions League and Europa League finals live on YouTube, allowing millions of fans not subscribed to the TV channel to watch the games for free. The decision follows reports that Uefa is concerned with poor viewing figures for the first season of BT Sport's £897m deal which took European football away [...]