England v United States: Phil Neville seeks World Cup final as crowning moment of his personal turnaround July 1, 2019 As soon as Phil Neville was announced as manager of the England women’s football team in January 2018 he was on the back foot. Questions over his suitability for the job and experience were swiftly followed by a media storm as historic tweets surfaced in which he made comments disparaging to women. Given his predecessor, [...]
Golf has helped Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Nate Lashley turn their lives around July 1, 2019 Golf throws up some wonderful stories and this week’s two first-time winners on the main tours – Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Nate Lashley – are the perfect illustration. South African Bezuidenhout claimed his maiden European Tour title in fabulous style at the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama on Sunday. He stood up to everything that a high-class [...]
Wimbledon 2019: Believe it or not, tennis is a sport in decline July 1, 2019 Wimbledon is once again nearly upon us. And despite the munificence of the championships and inspirational successes of Andy Murray, it is a staggering indictment that the long-term trend is a declining sport, turning over £1.5bn per annum. Read more: Wimbledon men’s tennis is still finding its titanic trio hard to replace In its latest [...]
Jonny Bairstow heeds his own advice as England beat India to keep their World Cup alive June 30, 2019 Jonny Bairstow’s tirade against the media last week caused quite a stir ahead of England’s must-win World Cup clash with India, but it also contained some sound advice. After lambasting former players Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen for their negative comments following damaging defeats by Sri Lanka and Australia the Yorkshireman pleaded with the cricketing [...]
Wimbledon 2019: Men’s tennis still finding its titanic trio Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal hard to replace June 30, 2019 Year after year it seems to be the same question: can anyone truly compete with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic at the grand slam events? As they continue to advance into their thirties it becomes increasingly likely that their reign of supremacy will end and their unrelenting grip on the major tournaments wane. [...]
My Sporting Life: Merrick Haydon on breaking into the industry, making the British eventing team and his hopes for disability sport June 30, 2019 Merrick Haydon, managing director of agency rEvolution, recalls rubbing shoulders with Will Carling, representing Great Britain in equestrian eventing and running sub-four hour marathons, and makes the case for more coverage of disability sports. What is your sporting passion? Rugby union has been a big part of my life since going to a boarding school [...]
Arctic film review: A grim but powerful slog through the frozen wilds June 28, 2019 A minimalist tale of man-versus-nature, Joe Penna’s debut feature immerses us in the daily routine of Overgard (Mads Mikkelsen), the survivor of a cargo-plane crash in the Arctic (actually, Iceland). How long he has been stranded in the frozen wastes is uncertain, as we join his story in media res, but his missing toes suggest [...]
The Damned at Barbican review: More of the same good stuff from Ivo Van Hove June 28, 2019 The Damned continues Dutch theatre director Ivo van Hove’s obsession with adaptations, with his oeuvre now including four Bergman screenplays, versions of Oscar-winning films Network and All About Eve, and now four works from Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti. And while this French-language play occasionally veers close to a van Hove ‘greatest hits’ compilation, it’s excellently performed by [...]
Yesterday review: A chilling account of the harrowing symptoms of one man’s brain injury June 28, 2019 The phrase “feel-good comedy of the summer” should cause no small amount of bile to rise in your throat, but Yesterday is inescapably just that. A movie that seems algorithmically laser-targeted for success, it arrives just as ravenous audiences are lifting their faces from the dessicated carcass of last summer’s Mamma Mia 2, and are [...]
Toy Story 4 review: A visually stunning nostalgia fest that lives up to the franchise legacy June 28, 2019 The question on my lips when Toy Story 4 was announced was: why? Toy Story 3 seemed like the perfect finish to a trilogy that never made a misstep. As the film ended, the sight of Woody, Buzz Lightyear et al with their new owner, Bonnie, as their original one, Andy, drove off to college, [...]