Why would the Premier League ‘strongly suggest’ clubs mark the coronation? It’s all part of the eternal struggle for power“We’ve fought wars,” pleads Peter Shilton, his voice breaking with emotion. “People have died to protect our national anthem. Every country has its national anthem, and they’re very proud of it. And, you know, we’re one of the top ones. It’s sad that a small minority feel they have to do this.”Alas, I was abroad over the weekend and thus missed out on most of the piping hot coronation discourse that many of you will have enjoyed. As it happened I was in Germany: in many ways the royal family’s spiritual home, even if – in Shilton’s reading of history –...
Club struggles in a shifting financial landscape mean it is harder to attract top overseas players to the English domestic gameStarter for 10: has the Premiership ever seen a more naturally-gifted player than Charles Piutau? Others have scored more tries, made more tackles or influenced their team’s fortunes more significantly, but has there ever been anyone to match Piutau’s capacity to thrill, to produce those moments that stir the senses?On Saturday he makes his last appearance for Bristol against Gloucester after five years at the club. He arrived to great fanfare, the first £1m player and as the totem of the Premiership’s marquee player policy, but the ledger will show only a qualified success. He was injured at the start...
Stuttgart event has a limited field which means even many top female tennis players must look elsewhere to surviveFew events signify the refreshing early days of a new clay season in tennis quite like the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Over the years this has become one of the most beloved tournaments on the Tour among players and spectators, its popularity reflected in an entry list tightly packed with quality every year.This year, it is practically the Tour’s own battle royal. Nine of the top 10 players have descended upon the WTA 500 event this week (Tour events are divided into 1000, 500 and 250 categories in order of prestige and prize money) and the lowest-ranked player able to gain...
High security for England’s tour is costing the PCB which is the only board denied huge TV revenues generated by facing IndiaYou may have noticed that there are side-effects to watching England’s series against Pakistan. Some are obvious, like a nascent infatuation with Harry Brook’s inside-out drives. Others, though, are less so. You may experience a nagging urge to switch to Sensodyne toothpaste “because life’s too short for sensitive teeth”, drink Tapal Tea, “it makes teatime terrific”, or start using Osaka Tubular Deep Cycle Premium Batteries. You may even find yourself overcome with inexplicable curiosity about the latest Dawlance Power Wash Challenge, in which members of the public compete on rowing machines to win a washing machine.It’s easy to snigger...
The sport’s national governing body missed the chance to bring people together after the death of Queen Elizabeth IIDuring the middle ages, flagellants would remove their white robes adorned with a red cross, kneel on the ground, and then vigorously whip themselves in public displays of fervour. Some sports appear to have been taking notes. Since the Queen’s death, we have seen the FA stop grassroots football, the Premier League ask for applause at 70 minutes to celebrate the length of Elizabeth II’s reign, and British Cycling bizarrely tell people not to ride during the state funeral, before performing a rapid U-turn. These are some of the biggest beasts in British sport. And they have looked frit.Frit because such decisions...