The King of Hell’s Palace at Hampstead Theatre review: a blistering political thriller September 23, 2019 The King of Hell’s Palace is a gripping political thriller, rooted in family drama; an exposé of the corrupt business practices that emerged in China following Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms. In the early ‘90s, the Chinese economy was liberalising, consumerism was on the rise, and the clamour for export-led growth encouraged some budding entrepreneurs to [...]
Antony Gormley at the Royal Academy: An existential crisis has never felt so invigorating September 23, 2019 This giant Antony Gormley retrospective feels like the artist’s unified theory of everything. The works are drawn from four decades of output, but feel so indelibly fused with the famous halls of the Royal Academy you can barely imagine them elsewhere. Gormley bends and shapes the gallery to his will like a potter at a [...]
Premier League round-up: Heady Hammers; United striker light; Aubameyang saves Emery’s skin – again; and Howe’s Fab Four September 22, 2019 After an inauspicious start to the season, these are heady times at West Ham. Unbeaten in six games, no goals conceded in their last four and yesterday a win over Manchester United, thanks to goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Aaron Cresswell. The fixture list has not been the most daunting – United were the first [...]
BT lines up Champions League bid as it looks to retain lucrative rights September 22, 2019 BT is gearing up to defend its control of Champions League TV rights as the telecoms giant cashes in on price rises in its broadcast division. BT Sport paid £1.2bn in 2017 to secure exclusive rights to Champions League and Europa League matches for three seasons, cementing its control of European football coverage. Read more: [...]
Eintracht Frankfurt 0-3 Arsenal: Young guns paper over the cracks September 19, 2019 Crisis averted – for now, at least. Following the damaging collapse at Watford on Sunday, Arsenal and Unai Emery could hardly have asked for a better start to their Europa League campaign than a three-goal win at last year’s semi-finalists. Throw in exciting displays from youngsters Bukayo Saka and Joe Willock, who both scored, Pierre-Emerick [...]
Carlton Cole interview: Former West Ham striker on his career, new life as a coach and strawberry Haribos September 19, 2019 Carlton Cole can recall the moment he knew his race had been run. After his football career had taken him to three different countries in three years, through brief stints with Celtic in Scotland, Sacramento Republic in the United States and Persib Bandung in Indonesia, he was back in London on trial with AFC Wimbledon [...]
Olympiacos 2-2 Tottenham: Spurs stuck in limbo after slipping up in Greece September 18, 2019 Champions League hangover or the lingering effects of a summer of uncertainty? Whatever the cause, Tottenham remain a team in limbo, seemingly determined to take one step back for every stride forward. In their opening European fixture at Olympiacos on Wednesday night Spurs contrived to secure a third 2-2 draw from as many away games [...]
Chris Tremlett: Graham Thorpe can succeed Trevor Bayliss but tactics and selection are more important than new coach September 18, 2019 England’s win in the final Test at the Oval on Sunday may not have made a difference to the destination of the Ashes, but in other ways it still had a profound effect. It ensured they ended the summer on a positive note, with a different feeling, and reminded everyone just what they are capable [...]
Peckham judged the world’s eleventh coolest neighbourhood September 18, 2019 “This time next year we’ll be in the top ten” Peckham has been named the world’s eleventh coolest neighbourhood in the 2019 Time Out Index. The south London hotspot may still be more globally famous for the antics of Del Boy and Rodney but a new generation of chefs, baristas and bartenders are turning it [...]
Chelsea 0-1 Valencia: Barkley misses late penalty as Blues fall flat at Stamford Bridge September 17, 2019 There were bound to be stern words in the Stamford Bridge home dressing room tonight after Ross Barkley took it upon himself to take a late penalty, only to waste a gilt-edged chance to equalise in a disappointing defeat against Valencia. The England midfielder, fresh off the bench, waved away regular – and reliable – [...]