West Ham are overachievers March 30, 2014 WEST Ham fans are disgruntled because expectations are too high, according to boss Sam Allardyce. Victory at 19th-placed Sunderland tonight will move the Hammers 11 points clear of the relegation zone. Yet the team were booed off last week after beating Hull and Allardyce said: “We overachieved last year finishing 10th. Over-achievement always brings a [...]
My Gunners have shown they’re up for the fight, insists Wenger March 30, 2014 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger believes that Saturday’s fightback against Premier League title favourites Manchester City has answered critics who questioned his side’s appetite for a battle. Ex-Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes delivered a withering appraisal of Wenger’s men in midweek, after they followed a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea with a meek draw at home to [...]
Giles says he’s tough enough for the top job March 30, 2014 ENGLAND’S limited-overs coach Ashley Giles believes he would be strong enough to lead the Test side if offered the role by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Defeat to South Africa over the weekend means England’s final Twenty20 World Cup match today against Netherlands is a dead rubber. Yet Giles remains bullish. “I led [...]
England Sevens beaten to title in Hong Kong final March 30, 2014 ENGLAND coach Simon Amor saluted his emerging squad after they were beaten to the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sevens title by HSBC World Series champions New Zealand yesterday. Amor’s men went one better than last week’s third place in Tokyo, finishing runners-up in the Sevens calendar’s most celebrated event after losing the final 26-7. It [...]
Hartley escapes action over biting claims March 30, 2014 NORTHAMPTON hooker Dylan Hartley will face no disciplinary action, the Rugby Football Union confirmed yesterday, after being accused of biting England colleague Tom Youngs’ hand during Saturday’s 22-16 defeat to Leicester. Video footage of the incident was reviewed but deemed inconclusive, while the Tigers made no formal complaint.
Toast of New York to get Derby run March 30, 2014 HORSE RACING: Trainer Jamie Osborne plans to enter Toast of New York in June’s Investec Derby, following the two-year-old’s win in the Group Two United Arab Emirates Derby on Saturday. Meanwhile, Godolphin-trained African Story triumphed in the Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race.
Djokovic beats Nadal in Miami final March 30, 2014 TENNIS: World No2 Novak Djokovic won the Sony Open in Miami last night, beating world No1 Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-3. Djokovic, who defeated Roger Federer at the Indian Wells final two weeks ago, has now beaten Nadal three times in a row.
The Winter Soldier is Captain fantastic March 27, 2014 FILM CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER Cert 12a | By Melissa york Four Stars CAPTAIN America is no one’s favourite Avenger. He’s a white bread, vanilla, all-American goody-two shoes. Born of a genetic experiment to create the perfect soldier during WWII, he doesn’t even have any real super powers other than being able to beat [...]
Family drama is a surefire future classic March 27, 2014 FILM THE PAST Cert 12a | By Alex Dymoke Five Stars NAMING a film after a big, weighty abstract noun like “the past” demands something serious and monumental – The Past is just that. It’s a slow-burning, intelligent and unexpectedly gripping family drama about the power exerted by the past over the present, and the [...]
Line, colour and an encyclopedia for modern life March 27, 2014 ART OBJECTS OF OUR TIME Alan Cristea Gallery | By Alex Dymoke Four Stars IN THE 1970s and 80s, Michael Craig-Martin’s output earned him a reputation as the most hated man in British art. His brazen conceptualism infuriated the critics. One particularly memorable piece was “Oak Tree” – a glass of water on a plinth [...]