Gloucester Rugby CEO Lance Bradley: Scrap relegation this season, it’s not right and would be catastrophic for any Premiership club January 21, 2021 “It would be catastrophic,” says Gloucester Rugby chief executive Lance Bradley, matter-of-factly, about the prospect of relegation. Gloucester sit bottom of the Premiership table after six rounds of fixtures, raising the spectre of another swingeing financial blow as all clubs count the cost of the pandemic. It hardly bears thinking about – and Bradley doesn’t [...]
Schemers review – Dave Mclean biopic is a flat B-Side January 21, 2021 Biopics that feature their subjects are not a new thing – Muhammad Ali and radio host Howard Stern both played themselves in the stories of their lives. However, they are rarely followed by rave reviews. Schemers is based on the early breakthrough of Dave Mclean, a music promoter who went on to work with some [...]
White Tiger review – a thrilling adaptation of the best-seller January 20, 2021 Netflix’s film output can be a mixed bag. The streaming giant sinks a lot of money into expensive, star driven vehicles that are average at best (see last year’s Rebecca, Hillbilly Elegy, and The Midnight Sky). However, it has also provided a platform for interesting stories that in ordinary times may have struggled for breathing [...]
Head coach Eddie Jones among three England rugby staff forced to self-isolate ahead of Six Nations January 20, 2021 England’s preparations for the Six Nations have been further disrupted by head coach Eddie Jones needing to self-isolate for 10 days. Jones and attack coach Simon Amor must isolate as they have been deemed close contacts of forwards coach Matt Proudfoot, who has tested positive for Covid-19. It follows the news that skills coach Jason [...]
Right to Dream founder Tom Vernon to explore buying British football club after securing €100m investment for pioneering project January 20, 2021 The English coach behind Africa’s leading football academy, Right to Dream, has secured a €100m investment to expand the pioneering model and explore the purchase of a British club. The deal sees Egyptian conglomerate the Mansour Group become majority shareholder in Right to Dream, which also owns Danish football club FC Nordsjaelland. Founder Tom Vernon, [...]
Culture in the age of Trump: His legacy in theatre, art and film January 19, 2021 Tomorrow marks the inauspicious end to one of the most divisive and controversial Presidencies in American history. Trump’s four-year legacy includes a partially-built wall, the dismantling of decades worth of environmental legislation, and a record-setting second impeachment. But he also had a huge influence over the world of art and culture, with creators across the [...]
Alexei Navalny calls for UK sanctions against Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich January 19, 2021 Detained Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has called for the UK to sanction Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and former Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov if he is not released from prison. Navalny’s close associate Vladimir Ashurkov said today that Navalny had written up a list of eight Russian oligarchs that “he felt should be sanctioned if [...]
How Games Workshop helped a middle-aged generation survive the pandemic January 18, 2021 Every quarter for the last five years, there’s been a condescending raise of eyebrows from the finance world when a publicly-listed company from Nottingham releases its results. The Games Workshop, most famous for its tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000, grabbed headlines again last week when it reported its operating profits had jumped to £92m in the [...]
Phil Neville tipped to become coach of David Beckham’s Inter Miami after leaving England Women with immediate effect January 18, 2021 Phil Neville is stepping down as England women’s team manager with immediate effect and expected to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami. Neville, 43, has been in talks with the Major League Soccer men’s side, who have a vacancy since sacking manager Diego Alonso this month. The Football Association said it would shortly appoint an interim [...]
Mesut Ozil: Arsenal exit raises questions about player power and at what point clout becomes baggage January 18, 2021 The case of Mesut Ozil – signed to rapture and fanfare, ushered out the door to relief all round – is a very modern transfer tale. After Arsenal pulled off the surprise signing of Ozil in summer 2013, shirt sales increased 12-fold and tickets at Emirates Stadium became even harder to come by. The club [...]