Euro 2016 England v Russia: Ex-Chelsea star Graeme Le Saux encourages fans and media to stick by team and forgive players for mistakes June 11, 2016 Former England left-back Graeme Le Saux has encouraged the English fans and media to be patient with Roy Hodgson's side and avoid creating a "destructive culture of fear" within the squad. The ex-Chelsea and Southampton star played at the 1998 World Cup, the last international tournament held in France, and has revealed that the intense [...]
Premier League U-21 teams including Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea invited to play in Football League Trophy June 10, 2016 Premier League academy teams will play League One and League Two clubs next season in next year's EFL Trophy, after Football League bosses signed off on a shake-up of the competition. At the Football League's annual general meeting, chief executives approved plans to allow Premier League under-21 sides from category one academies, which includes Arsenal, Chelsea, [...]
How to watch Muhammad Ali’s funeral in London – How UK fans can pay their respects to The Greatest June 10, 2016 Few public figures have ever enjoyed the same global appeal as Muhammad Ali and few athletes have ever reverberated as strongly through history. The legendary boxer's funeral will be held in his native Louisville, Kentucky on Friday but such is his universal impact that, it will also be beamed around the world including in London where devotees [...]
Maria Sharapova sponsors Nike, Head and Evian have placed brand value ahead of sport’s values by sticking with banned tennis star June 10, 2016 In the 24 hours following the news that Maria Sharapova has been banned for two years for taking banned substance Meldonium, the spotlight has invariably shifted to her sponsors to see their reaction. Many would have expected Nike, Head and Evian to pull the plug on their sponsorship deals with the former world No.1, but [...]
Euro 2016 most valuable squad: Germany top value ranking ahead of England while Portugal and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo is most valuable player June 10, 2016 England’s squad for Euro 2016 is the fourth most-valuable in the competition, behind only hosts France, reigning champions Spain and World Cup winners Germany. Roy Hodgson’s 23-man squad has a collective value of £357.8m at an average of £15.6m per player, according to independent database transfermarkt. That makes the Three Lions more valuable than every [...]
Euro 2016: Five reasons why England cannot win the European Championship in France June 10, 2016 The Euro 2016 championship kicks off in France today – but does the England team have what it takes to bring home the trophy? Probably not, unfortunately – and here are five reasons why: 1. While England have potential to be a dynamic force going forward, there remains considerable concern over the defence. Aside from Chris [...]
Rafael Nadal left to focus on Olympic Games after wrist injury forces his withdrawal from Wimbledon June 9, 2016 Former world No1 Rafael Nadal will now focus on returning to full fitness for the Olympic Games in August after withdrawing from Wimbledon having failed to recover from a wrist injury. Nadal, a 14-time grand slam champion, pulled out of Roland Garros before his third-round match after failing to shake off the hand problem which [...]
Bairstow exorcises ghost of previous Lord’s stumble to reach three figures and lead England’s revival against Sri Lanka June 9, 2016 In-form England batsman Jonny Bairstow revelled in laying to rest the ghost of falling agonisingly short of a century at Lord’s four years ago after reaching three figures to spearhead his side’s comeback against Sri Lanka. England slipped to 84-4 shortly after lunch following another top-order collapse, only for Bairstow to lead the revival with his [...]
Three Lions goalkeeper Joe Hart urges England to go for the jugular during Euro 2016 June 9, 2016 England goalkeeper Joe Hart has called on his side to display the sort of ruthless streak during Euro 2016 which was so desperately amiss during their dismal group-stage exit at the World Cup two years ago. Roy Hodgson oversaw England’s worst performance on the world stage for more than half a century in Brazil, although their [...]
The Deep Blue Sea review: Terrence Rattigan’s evocative portrayal of post-war Britain’s uncertain future June 9, 2016 National Theatre | ★★★★☆ This new production of Terrence Rattigan’s 1952 play evokes brilliantly both the uncertainty of the decade in which it was written and its universal insights about relationships. It opens with a bungled suicide: Hester Collyer (played by Helen McCrory), the estranged wife of a judge, has tried to gas herself but forgot [...]