Five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend: Barkley’s back, Arsenal undone, Pogba running the show and Fulham flailing October 28, 2018 It had been easy to forget just how good Ross Barkley can be. The England midfielder had lost his way with Everton, sliding down the pecking order after a long-term injury. But having acclimatised following his January move to Chelsea, the 24-year-old is reminding everyone of his talent. The absence of Eden Hazard was not [...]
Farrell or Ford? Who will play No8? Should Chris Ashton start? As the autumn internationals draw closer, Eddie Jones still has some key questions to answer October 28, 2018 The autumn internationals will be one of Eddie Jones’s final opportunities to test his England players against the best in the business ahead of next year’s World Cup. England face three of the favourites to win the tournament as they play New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, as well as next year’s hosts, Japan. Things [...]
Legal Q&A: Why has Colin Kaepernick filed a trade mark of his image? October 28, 2018 Colin Kaepernick has made headlines over the last two years for protesting against police brutality by kneeling during the US national anthem ahead of an NFL fixture. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has also been in the public eye for fronting an eye-catching Nike campaign. After gaining such significant exposure for his personal brand [...]
A Very Very Very Dark Matter review: Martin McDonagh’s twisted Han Christian Andersen biography is a weird blunder October 26, 2018 There’s lots to love about Martin McDonagh, author of such universally acclaimed works as In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, The Pillowman, and lately the Oscar-nominated Three Billboards. His newest play, A Very Very Very Dark Matter, has all the hallmarks of his weirder writing. It’s a twisted, violent and deeply ironic reimagining of the life of [...]
Good Grief, Charlie Brown! at Somerset House review: A fantasyland for Peanuts fans October 26, 2018 Until March 2019 If you didn’t grow up reading Charles M Schulz’ cartoon strips, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. Isn’t it just a cartoon strip about an anthropomorphised dog designed to sell pencil cases? But despite the Schulz estate’s willingness to cash in on the Snoopy IP, Peanuts is something entirely [...]
The Wild Duck at the Almeida: Ibsen’s classic play has been carved up for this deconstructivist test of endurance October 26, 2018 Until 1 December There have been a spate of productions recently that take a classic play, lift up the hood, and have a real rummage around with the nuts and bolts. There was othellomacbeth at the Lyric, which spliced together the titular plays, casting the female victims of the former as the witches in the [...]
Edward Burne-Jones at the Tate Britain review: A load of daft paintings but some first-class curation October 26, 2018 Until Feb 2019 It’s easy to be sniffy about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a bunch of bohemian Victorians obsessed with mythology and romanticism, who spent their days painting big, silly pictures of King Arthur and sleeping with each other’s wives. They claim their highly decorative works harked back to the days before art became formalist and [...]
Overseas matches, disruptive broadcast deals and a global network of delegates: how La Liga is trying to close the gap to the Premier League October 25, 2018 You may have noticed Spanish football in the headlines lately – and not only because this weekend sees the latest instalment of its biggest game, El Clasico, between Barcelona and Real Madrid. La Liga, the organisation that represents Barca, Madrid and the other 40 clubs that make up Spain’s top two divisions, and their straight-talking [...]
Ollie Phillips: Pressure mounting on Eddie Jones ahead of autumn internationals as RFU publicly pursue his successor October 25, 2018 The Rugby Football Union are already preparing for life after Eddie Jones, it emerged this week. That in itself isn’t controversial. One day he will have to step aside – it just depends whether that will be at the end of his contract in 2021 or following the 2019 World Cup. Jones is well aware [...]
A year ago Crystal Palace got their season on track with a win at Chelsea and Roy Hodsgon will need his side to replicate last year’s heroics ahead of tough run October 25, 2018 It was this time last year that Crystal Palace began to stop the rot following a dismal first seven games of the season that left them bottom of the Premier League with no points and no goals. A shock win at home to Chelsea in mid-October proved the catalyst for improvement. Palace went from strength [...]