Tomkins set for world record move September 23, 2013 RUGBY LEAGUE: Wigan have agreed a world record fee to sell full-back Sam Tomkins to New Zealand Warriors at the end of the season. Tomkins, 24, has signed a three-year contract in a move that eclipses the £450,000 Wigan paid Bradford for Stuart Fieden in 2006.
A fun but shallow spectacle September 22, 2013 THEATRE A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Noël Coward Theatre | By Xenobe Purvis Three Stars THE Michael Grandage Company turns to Shakespeare with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the fourth in a series of productions. The play, which has suffered a history of hackneyed interpretations, is given a contemporary twist in Grandage’s hands, set in the hedonistic [...]
An extraordinary, enchanting exhibition September 22, 2013 ART RICHARD SERRA: DRAWINGS FOR THE COURTAULD The Courtauld | By Joseph Funnell Four Stars BEST known as a small treasure-trove of impressionist/ post-impressionist masterpieces, there is something a little extra-ordinary going on at the Courtauld Gallery. Atop its spiralling staircase we are confronted with an enigmatic set of forms that comprise a new body [...]
Where to drink September 22, 2013 LONDON is most definitely on the move, with a plethora of openings across the city. For adventurous spirits, head to Islington, where new cocktail bar Hoxley & Porter launched last week. Fashioned to resemble a deluxe train carriage from the halcyon days of African exploration, the room is one of a kind, featuring a dark [...]
Premier League: Best to come from our star creator Ozil, says Wenger September 22, 2013 AT EMIRATES STADIUM ARSENAL 3 vs STOKE CITY 1 ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger has warned his Premier League rivals that there is even more to come from Mesut Ozil, after the club’s £42.5m record signing created all three of their goals during yesterday’s win against Stoke. The Gunners took the lead just five minutes in, [...]
Premier League: Villas-Boas joy after Paulinho late flourish lifts Spurs to second September 22, 2013 CARDIFF CITY 0 vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1 RELIEVED Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas believes his team’s 93rd minute winner was richly deserved for their persistence in Cardiff yesterday. Spurs, missing striker Jermain Defoe due to a groin problem, carved out 29 chances as they dominated for much of the 90 minutes, but were continually thwarted by [...]
Sport Comment: Cosseted players can learn from loyal fans September 22, 2013 EVERY football team has supporters like the two I met on a train on Saturday evening coming back from Newcastle, but just occasionally you wonder if a “meet the fans” evening at every professional club wouldn’t help focus the minds of some players who regard their job as a right and not a privilege, and [...]
Grant: I don’t understand exclusion of Mata September 22, 2013 FORMER Chelsea manager Avram Grant insists owner Roman Abramovich has never interfered with team selection, but admits he too is mystified by the continued exclusion of midfielder Juan Mata. Blues boss Jose Mourinho did not even name Mata on the bench for Saturday’s 2-0 win over Fulham. The Spaniard was Chelsea’s outstanding player last term [...]
Big spenders play out draw September 22, 2013 THE showdown between Ligue One big-spenders Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco finished 1-1 last night at the Parc Des Princes. Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic put PSG in front on five minutes, but Radamel Falcao, signed for £52m from Atletico Madrid in the summer, headed Monaco’s equaliser on 20 minutes. Elsewhere, a thigh injury suffered in the warm-up [...]
Qatar winter World Cup would hit all competitions, says Gill September 22, 2013 MOVING the 2022 Qatar World Cup to winter is feasible but would force all parties to accept a compromise, admits Football Association vice-chairman David Gill. Former Manchester United chief executive Gill is also on the executive committee of Uefa, which last week backed in principle plans to put the tournament back several months. “It is [...]