A summer break in Finland, counting thousands of tiny islands as they drift past August 15, 2022 Sitting down to dinner in what was once Finland’s most dangerous prison wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I embarked on a recent Scandinavian sojourn. But soon after touching down I learn that the city of Turku’s penchant for experimental dining is fast turning the place into Finland’s culinary capital. It’s all too [...]
Hedonistic thrills and cosmopolitan grandeur in Rhodes August 15, 2022 THE WEEKEND: Can’t decide between a culture break or a beach holiday? Rhodes offers both! This Greek island has historic sites reaching back to antiquity, and sundrenched beaches that slip into a dazzling, clear blue sea. From the cheap, hedonistic thrills of Faliraki nightclubs to the cosmopolitan grandeur of Rhodes’ medieval Old Town, there’s something [...]
A green and gold decade: Australia prepares for spell as host of sport’s biggest events August 15, 2022 The sun-kissed nation of Australia is about to embark on a decade-long installation as the centre for world sport. Although it was beaten by Qatar to the rights to stage the men’s football World Cup later this year, the country is set to co-host the women’s equivalent as well as Rugby World Cups, a second [...]
Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham: Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte see red in tactical ding-dong August 14, 2022 Matches between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur don’t tend to need extra spice but Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte provided it in fistfuls anyway today at Stamford Bridge. Tuchel and Conte turned the traditional handshake between opposing managers on the final whistle from a moment of sportsmanship into an arm wrestle – both earning red cards [...]
Arsenal show what Manchester United are lacking: vision and a whole club’s backing August 14, 2022 Those of a Manchester United persuasion raised on their fierce and at times violent rivalry with Arsenal may not like it, but following their calamitous start to the season it may be worth the former looking at their old adversaries for solutions. Having defined the Premier League around the turn of the millennium, both teams [...]
Players as part owners: Is Cesc Fabregas’ deal with Como the future of football? August 14, 2022 As athletes transition to life after professional sport it is natural for them to consider what comes next, and such considerations were highlighted recently by Cesc Fabregas’ recent signing with FC Como. In addition to his wages, the Italian club has said that Fabregas will also become a co-owner. So could this be a trend [...]
British Airways announce new flight routes to Aruba and Guyana August 14, 2022 British Airways has announced their first new long-haul flight routes since before the pandemic. The heritage British airline will serve Aruba and Guyana from late March 2023. BA last announced a new long-haul flight route in 2019 to Portland, Oregon, but due to Covid-19 that inaugural flight was delayed until June of this year. Both [...]
Chelsea v Tottenham: London derby offers early clue to capital’s top team August 12, 2022 Tottenham have the chance to justify pre-season talk of eclipsing Chelsea with victory over their manager Antonio Conte’s old team at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, writes Frank Dalleres. It is notoriously futile to the point of being foolish to attempt to divine anything approximating the final Premier League table from the opening skirmishes of the [...]
Saracens won’t let internationals derail Premiership bid, says coach Joe Shaw August 11, 2022 Saracens head coach Joe Shaw has vowed to ensure that international call-ups don’t derail the Premiership runners-up’s attempts to go one better next season. With many European internationals set to miss over 10 weeks of domestic action and players representing countries further afield likely to miss a similar number of weeks, strength in depth at [...]
Trevor Steven: Manchester United must use transfer window to fix serious problems August 11, 2022 The Premier League season may have started but the transfer window remains open until the end of the month – and Manchester United have already shown that they have the greatest need of the top teams to make use of the market. Sunday’s home defeat to Brighton in their opening game served up the familiar [...]