Trevor Steven: Tottenham stadium move timing seems strange when they should be focusing on top four race April 2, 2019 Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has born the brunt of the criticism for a loss at Liverpool on Sunday that leaves them fighting to stay in the Premier League’s top four, but I believe their problems lie elsewhere. Two stats tell the tale of Spurs’ season. First, they are in double figures for defeats, which is [...]
Mick Schumacher’s bid to emulate his father is a challenge that few Formula One drivers have achieved April 2, 2019 This week Mick Schumacher took the biggest step yet toward emulating his father as he made his Ferrari debut during Formula One in-season testing. Being the son of the sport's most successful driver – seven-time world champion Michael – meant the spotlight was firmly fixed on the 20-year-old as he took to the Bahrain track [...]
Chelsea v Brighton: Stubborn Maurizio Sarri weighed down by his own philosophy as end edges closer April 2, 2019 Chelsea find themselves in a familiar position ahead of tomorrow's match with Brighton: clouded by a miasma of discontent, yet still on the pathway towards potential success. Last season Antonio Conte secured the FA Cup despite the end of the campaign being overshadowed by his protracted, bitter exit from the club rumbling on in the [...]
Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle: Aaron Ramsey’s virtuoso display leaves bittersweet taste for Emirates crowd April 1, 2019 It was all about Aaron Ramsey. Mesut Ozil may have brought some tricks and flicks, Alexandre Lacazette some bustling approach play and a neat finish, but for Arsenal fans leaving Emirates Stadium the performance of their Welsh midfielder – and all that it meant – was what had tongues wagging. Strangely for a virtuoso, all-action, eye-catching [...]
Sam Torrance: Tough cookie Kevin Kisner showed Major grit to win WGC Match Play April 1, 2019 A lot of golf goes into winning the WGC Match Play. Those who make it to the last four end up playing seven rounds in five days, so it is a grind. But Kevin Kisner is a tough cookie. Kisner, who reached the final last year only to suffer a 7&6 defeat to Bubba Watson, [...]
Gaming changers: how marketing messages have had to change for gambling companies April 1, 2019 Where do you know Ray Winstone from? If you’re of a certain vintage, you’ll probably recall his early work. Carlin in Scum, Kevin the rocker in Quadrophenia. More of a millennial? Then perhaps it’s his turn opposite Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast or as Frenchy in The Departed. Or maybe it’s simply him yelling “put [...]
Fulham must shed their excess to prepare for relegation and the hard landing looming in the Championship March 31, 2019 The summer was a time of excitement and optimism for Fulham. After an impressive 23-game unbeaten streak and fairytale play-off final win at Wembley, the club set about expensively assembling a squad it thought could not just avoid the drop the following season but thrive in the Premier League. Thanks to the deep pockets of [...]
Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham: Fortune favours the Reds as they go back top of the Premier League March 31, 2019 The title race remains on. It looked very much to be slipping away from Liverpool, but as the ball trickled over the line at the Kop End it was clear fortune favoured the reds. Rather than one of their own players, Liverpool fans were left celebrating the mistake of an opponent, as Hugo Lloris inexplicably [...]
Arsenal v Newcastle: Unai Emery’s incessant tinkering is proving a hidden strength March 31, 2019 In the Premier League’s current climate, new managers are expected to revolutionise the way their team plays, implementing an attractive style of football and instilling a work ethic that often involves pressing high up the pitch. Under Unai Emery this season, Arsenal have been accused of failing to follow that blueprint and told that they [...]
Romeo & Juliet: Kenneth MacMillan’s notoriously tricky take on Shakespeare’s classic is brutally beautiful March 29, 2019 Romeo and Juliet Royal Opera House Shakespeare famously trailed his tragic romance with ‘there never was a story of more woe / than this of Juliet and her Romeo”. Big words, Bill. But they hold up in this brutal, speechless version by The Royal Ballet. The Bolshoi Ballet first brought Romeo & Juliet to the [...]