West Ham: Saleven Bilic releases captain Kevin Nolan August 27, 2015 West Ham have dissolved the contract of captain Kevin Nolan and released him on a free transfer after he slipped down the midfield pecking order at Upton Park. New Hammers boss Slaven Bilic had started the 33-year-old, who joined in 2011 and led the club back into the top-flight the next season, in just one [...]
Man City land Kevin De Bruyne in English record £57m transfer August 27, 2015 Manchester City are expected to complete the signing of Belgium attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne from Wolfsburg for a Premier League record transfer fee in euro terms. The early-season pace-setters are thought to have agreed to pay up to £57m for the 24-year-old former Chelsea player – the equivalent of €78m and slightly more [...]
Rugby World Cup squad 2015: England gamble on Sam Burgess as Stuart Lancaster axes Danny Cipriani August 27, 2015 Rugby league convert Sam Burgess is the surprise inclusion in England head coach Stuart Lancaster’s squad for the Rugby World Cup, it was confirmed today. Burgess, 26, switched codes less than a year ago and only made his senior England debut earlier this month, earning mixed reviews in a 19-14 win against France at Twickenham. [...]
Film review: Straight Outta Compton August 27, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★☆ Ice Cube spitting F**k Tha Police in front of a jumping Detroit crowd, and the subsequent stage invasion by armed cops, is one of the most exhilarating moments in film this year. That it never actually happened – the band were calmly arrested at their hotel later that night – is largely [...]
Hamlet review: Benedict Cumberbatch shines in this flawed production at the Barbican August 27, 2015 The Barbican | ★★★☆☆ “We are all Hamlet” booms the programme of The Barbican’s – nay, the world’s – fastest-selling play of all time. It means that Hamlet’s such a broad part, he can be played as a lunatic, a depressive, a Machiavellian and even, heaven forbid, a woman. But while we can all be [...]
Chris Tremlett: My time had come to call it a day August 27, 2015 When I got injured at Guildford a couple of months ago while playing for Surrey, mentally something changed and it was at the back of my mind that I might not make it back from my latest injury and could be forced to retire. I gave myself a bit of time to let the [...]
I know what a World Cup axe feels like August 27, 2015 Ex-England No10 Charlie Hodgson tells Ross McLean that Lancaster can’t win THERE is simply no mechanism for cushioning the heart-rending blow of missing the final cut for your country’s Rugby World Cup squad. That is the view of Saracens fly-half Charlie Hodgson as England head coach Stuart Lancaster today prepares to name his 31-man party [...]
Farah refuses to be fall guy in 5,000m August 27, 2015 BRITAIN’S Mo Farah hopes to dodge the three strikes and you’re out mantra after suffering a scare in his bid for a long-distance double at the World Athletics Championship in Beijing yesterday. Defending champion Farah – hunting a record-breaking third twin title at major global events – qualified for Saturday’s 5,000m final second in his [...]
Champions League: Rooney finds scoring touch in Euro romp August 27, 2015 CLUB BRUGGE 0 MANCHESTER UNITED 4 MANCHESTER UNITED WIN 7-1 ON AGGREGATE SKIPPER Wayne Rooney admitted that his status in the game makes harsher scrutiny inevitable should he suffer a goal drought after catapulting his side to the Champions League group stages with a hat-trick against Club Brugge last night. England captain Rooney ended a [...]
Cipriani set for Rugby World Cup heartache August 26, 2015 SALE fly-half Danny Cipriani is expected to be the highest-profile casualty when England head coach Stuart Lancaster confirms his final squad for next month’s Rugby World Cup today. The versatile 27-year-old is set to miss out on the home tournament, with Lancaster tipped to pick George Ford and Owen Farrell as fly-halves and Mike Brown [...]