Sheffield United: Europa League qualification is ridiculous yet looks achievable for Chris Wilder’s never-say-die Blades February 4, 2020 Discussing a recent game, Chris Wilder made the point that football is not all about tactics – and I agree. More than anything it’s about players’ commitment to their job; the raw materials that go into being a professional. After that, extreme talents can make the difference for top sides but, as an example of [...]
Super Bowl LIV: How Patrick Mahomes turned the tide in the Kansas City Chiefs’ favour to down the San Francisco 49ers February 3, 2020 It was billed as the Patrick Mahomes Super Bowl, and with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter on Sunday night it looked like that prediction would come to pass – just not for the reasons expected. Having not thrown an interception in 164 postseason passes, the Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback threw his second [...]
Saudi win shows there’s plenty more life left in lionheart Graeme McDowell February 3, 2020 First Lee Westwood and now Graeme McDowell; wins for stalwarts of the European team are coming thick and fast at the start of this Ryder Cup year. It’s funny how things pan out. Fittingly, McDowell, held off an American contingent of Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson to win his first European Tour title for almost [...]
Tottenham 2-0 Manchester City: Spurs win in classic Jose Mourinho style to move fifth in the Premier League February 2, 2020 It has taken some time but Tottenham have now experienced peak Jose Mourinho. A return to his past glories came in the perfect scenario – against his arch foe – and, more importantly, in the most traditional of manners. Tottenham had three shots, spent the majority of the game with every player behind the ball [...]
Uncle Vanya at the Harold Pinter Theatre review: Toby Jones delivers an acting masterclass January 31, 2020 Just as Dickens charted the plight of the underclass in Victorian England, Chekhov chronicled the slow collapse of the Russian aristocracy at the end of the 19th century. In Ian Rickson’s production of Uncle Vanya, adapted by award-winning playwright Conor McPherson, this breakdown is made literal, with trees winding through broken windows and vertiginous bookcases [...]
The Lighthouse film review: Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe shine in this tale of madness at sea January 31, 2020 From kids’ TV show Round the Twist to video game Bioshock, popular culture has painted lighthouses as, at best, weird and spooky, and at worst responsible for the complete collapse of society. Well guess what: it’s yet another bad day for the lighthouse marketing department. Robert Eggers follows up his brilliant 2016 period horror The [...]
Mushrooms: The Art, Design and Future of Fungi at Somerset House – A celebration of humanity’s great, unsung alliance January 31, 2020 There’s something about mushrooms that’s at once fascinating and horrifying. I remember opening a cupboard in an old flat and discovering a little field of pure-white mushrooms sprouting out of the carpet. Part of me was amazed that these strange things had taken up residence in my home, and part of me wanted to burn [...]
Faustus: That Damned Woman at the Lyric review – A flimsy gender-swapped adaptation January 31, 2020 The drive in British theatre to stage more plays by and about women has led to a spate of gender-swapped classics, reexamining and recontextualising their patriarchal power dynamics. Christopher Marlowe’s snappily titled The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus is the latest, and, on paper, it’s an ideal candidate. As Chris [...]
Six Nations preview: England can heal World Cup scars while youthful France will spring a surprise January 30, 2020 The Six Nations kicks off on Saturday and, although there are some question marks around them, England are still red-hot favourites to win the tournament. On the face of it, they come into the competition facing a few issues. Sunday’s match in Paris is their first since losing the World Cup final in November. Can [...]
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood review: Tom Hanks’ portrayal of a beloved kids TV star is profoundly sweet January 30, 2020 Beloved children’s television host Fred “Mister” Rogers is almost entirely unheard of outside the United States, but to a generation of Americans he inspires more heartfelt nostalgia than Neil Buchanan, Dave Benson Phillips and both of the Chuckle Brothers rolled into one. His genial style of education was an eddy of peace and civility in [...]