Arsene Wenger: Banks demanded I sign a five-year deal with Arsenal for Emirates Stadium construction loans April 30, 2016 Arsene Wenger has claimed banks "demanded" he stay at Arsenal when they loaned the club the funds to build the Emirates Stadium. The under-fire manager said that he turned down approaches from a number of other clubs during the period as Arsenal moved out of Highbury and into their new 60,000-capacity home. Arsenal received loans from [...]
Artist Sarah Sze’s delicate towers question the nature of sculpture April 29, 2016 "When I think about sculpture, I’m thinking as much about the dispersal of objects as the agglomeration of objects, about the absence of form as much as the presence, about the decay of material as much as the construction of material.” This is a suitably elusive description by Sarah Sze of her large-scale installation pieces, [...]
My Inspiration: Classical pianist William Howard on the sheet music that inspired his latest project, Sixteen Love Songs April 29, 2016 I became very passionate about Czech music in the 1970s when I was a student. I went to Prague in 1984 during Communist times, and I’d go to second-hand music shops where you could pick up music phenomenally cheaply. I used to come home with piles of scores; lots of stuff I’d never heard of. [...]
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino set to sign new contract keeping him at club until 2021 April 29, 2016 Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he has made a verbal agreement with the club that he will stay for a further two years beyond his existing contract to 2021. The Argentine boss has impressed in his first two years at Spurs and looks set to guide them to their best Premier League finish [...]
No, Arsene, Arsenal aren’t champions away from home — you’d still be fighting for top four April 29, 2016 According to Arsene Wenger, Arsenal are the best away team in the Premier League. In an extraordinary press conference in which the Gunners boss took aim at former players and members of the media, Wenger also argued that "we have to realise that away from home we are championship winners". The Frenchman explained: "We lost [...]
Leicester City: Former Economist editor set to miss out on £100,000 after forgetting to place annual bet on Foxes to win the Premier League April 29, 2016 For 20 years, former Economist editor and current boss of Bloomberg News John Micklethwait placed a throwaway £20 bet on Leicester to win the league at the beginning of every season. Leicester are just one win away from winning the Premier League but unfortunately for Micklethwait, last summer was also the first time in two decades [...]
Leicester City: Claudio Ranieri will receive huge seven-figure bonus for winning the Premier League April 29, 2016 From 5,000/1 rank outsiders to Premier League champions in waiting — Leicester City’s transformation under Claudio Ranieri couldn’t be much more drastic. And the Italian manager, who took over last summer, will be rewarded handsomely should he guide the Foxes to a historic league title that is now just one win from their grasp. Leicester [...]
Villarreal 1, Liverpool 0: Klopp fumes at dozy Reds defending but shrugs off overall significance of stoppage-time goal April 29, 2016 Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp refused to hide his irritation at conceding a last-gasp winner but shrugged off the overall significance of Villarreal’s stoppage-time strike in last night’s Europa League semi-final first leg. A tactical contest appeared to be meandering towards a goalless draw until dozy defending allowed former Manchester City youngster Denis Suarez to evade [...]
Football betting: Leicester to keep the champagne on ice in tricky Manchester United test April 28, 2016 There's nothing unusual in the Premier League title being sealed at Old Trafford. But if Leicester do it on Sunday it will arguably be the most remarkable moment in top-flight history. The Foxes take on Manchester United needing three points from their final three games to claim the trophy. Famously, Claudio Ranieri’s men were 5,000/1 [...]
Football betting: Alan Pardew can be pardoned for prioritising Palace’s precious trip to Wembley April 28, 2016 Alan Pardew will have plenty to smile about when he returns to Newcastle this weekend. His Crystal Palace side’s Premier League safety is virtually guaranteed, with 39 points, and they have a first FA Cup final in a generation to look forward to. And that makes Newcastle a very attractive bet, at 19/20 with Betway. Until [...]