Skip to main content

Day: 3 December 2016

Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea

Written by Harry Newton on . Posted in Sport.

If this Game was a Song…

Kaiser Chiefs — I predict a Riot

Oh yes, I’m taking you back to the days of 2005, when life was easier, politicians were qualified, and the Kardashians hadn’t been invented by the Illuminati yet. Or, I’m taking you back to last Thursday on the middle floor at Factory.

This game was jam-packed with some sexy football, and some golden opportunities (many squandered by City), but it would be wrong to not mention the eruption of chaos deep into additional time at the end of the game. Sergio Agüero got sent off for a tasty challenge on David Luiz, and then we had ourselves a good old fashioned skirmish (wouldn’t go as far to say a ‘riot,’ but I couldn’t find a link to the 2005 hit “I predict a skirmish”).

It was very much the kind of event that your Mum calls a kerfuffle — handbags and poor temperament. Agüero will miss four games now with this ban, as it is his second ban of the season, but he won’t be lonely as he will be joined by Fernandinho for three of those games after he was also sent off. Fernandinho had a heated exchange with Fàbregas which resulted in the Chelsea man taking a tumble over the advertising boards. It is completely wrong to condone violence, but it was a pretty funny tumble. Otamendi will also miss the next game, as he received his fifth yellow card of the season earlier in the game. He still has an immaculate haircut though.

Chances Squandered

I got the feeling early on that this may not be City’s day. They had a goal disallowed, as Kevin de Bruyne’s wicked free-kick was headed in by Fernandinho, but the Brazillian was stood in an offside position. Gary Cahill was too busy waving to his Gran in the stands at one point, which allowed Agüero to pounce on a loose back-pass in the Chelsea penalty area, but that resulted in nothing. Agüero had a few more chances throughout the game too, but it just wasn’t to be.

None of those chances compare to Kevin de Bruyne’s miss though. Just in time for the yearly “Bradley Walsh’s Top 10 Premier League misses” DVD this festive period, Kevin de Bruyne comes straight in at number one, after rattling the crossbar from five yards out on an empty goal. The Belgian has been City’s best player this season by quite a distance so the fans won’t mind too much, and Kevin won’t mind the royalties he’ll get from the DVD either.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Goals, goals, goals

City’s goal came from a Jesús Navas cross that Gary Cahill expertly turned into his own net, as they left Chelsea to the finishing. Chelsea put away three of their four shots on target. The first was curtesy of Diego Costa as he leapfrogged Sergio Agüero in the goalscoring charts this season. He wriggled free of Otamendi to score. Some say Otamendi was beaten because of Diego Costa’s fantastic touch and movement — others suggest it was punishment from the heavens for wearing gloves with a short sleeve t-shirt.

The second came from Willian, who ran onto a Diego Costa pass to slot home. Will.I.An didn’t have time to stop for an interview with me after the game though, as he had to run off and film the fifteenth series of The Voice UK. Where is the love? The third goal came curtesy of a late counter attack from Eden Hazard, to finish off the game. This was yet another goal for the Belgian who is back in form, after taking a gap year (gap yah) last season.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Referee

Being a referee is a tough job. I mean, it’s not like being a surgeon or an American politics expert, but it’s a pretty tough job. Nobody loves a referee. Nobody goes home and kisses their pinned-up poster of Howard Webb — they go home and kiss a poster of Raheem Sterling or Lorraine Kelly (just me?). That being said, we still need to talk about Anthony Taylor’s display this game… but let’s all try and remember that Taylor has a tough job and probably didn’t make these decisions to piss anyone off. Probably.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

City had a couple of penalty shouts this game that were all waved away. These were correct decisions; Jesús Navas fell over an invisible table in the penalty area late in the second half, and Gary Cahill (he really had a nightmare today) handled the ball early on in the game. Both of these would have been harsh.

Taylor however did miss a blatant foul from David Luiz on Sergio Agüero. The ball had made it past Alonso on the left and Agüero was through on goal. Then Luiz arrived and Agüero fell to the ground under his pressure. I mean, it wasn’t like Luiz steamed in like a tank on steroids, but it was definitely a foul. As the last man, there would have been a decision to make as to whether Luiz would stay on the pitch or be sent off. The decision in the end from Taylor was to avoid eye contact with anyone and pretend nothing happened.

 

To summarise, it was a bloody good game with a bloody silly kerfuffle at the end. Celtic next for City on Tuesday in the Champions League! Who knows what will happen, nothing’s certain except that it’s going to be bloody freezing. I hate December.

Brazilian football team tragedy

Written by Jennifer Sterne on . Posted in Sport.

On Monday the 28th of November tragedy struck the Brazilian football Club Chapecoense, when they lost almost all of their players after their plane crashed in Colombia. Only six of the 77 people on board survived the crash into the mountainside just a few miles from the runway.

Three players from the team survived, with 19 of the first team team and their coaching staff losing their lives.

The team were on their way to Medellin to play Atlético Nacional in the final of the Copa Sudamericana, which would have been the biggest match in the club’s history. Authorities have stated that the evidence is suggesting the crash was due to the plane running out of fuel as it attempted to land.

The team’s fans and family are in mourning after the tragedy, which saw the following players lose their lives:

Marcos Danilo Padilha: Goalkeeper. Danilo was crucial in the club’s success in the Copa Sudamericana, saving a last-minute shot in the semi-final.

Dener Assunção Braz: Left-back. Gained attention in the country after the success with with Ituano FC in 2014, in the São Paulo championship.

Mateus Lucena dos Santos (Mateus Caramelo): Left-back. Signed by the club last year, had a history of playing for lots of other Brazilian Clubs.

Guilherme Gimenez de Souza: Right-back. At the age of 21 he was one of the youngest players.

Marcelo Augusto Mathias da Silva: Defender. Joined the club this year, had previously played for Flamengo.

Willian Thiego de Jesus (Theigo): Defender. Reported that he was negotiating with Santos, after joining Chapecoense last year.

Filipe José Machado: Defender. Signed earlier this year.

Josimar Rosado da Silva Tavares: Defensive midfielder. Joined the team last year after playing for Palmeiras and Internacional. He had also played for for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Watan.

José Gildeixon Clemente de Paiva (Gil): Defensive midfielder. Signed last year, played for the Brazilian clubs Vitória and Ponte Preta.

Sérgio Manoel Barbosa Santos: Defensive midfielder. Was signed by the club this year, after playing for many smaller Brazilian clubs.

Matheus Bitencourt da Silva (Matheus Biteco): Defensive midfielder. Joined the club this year, after starting with Grêmio and his career in 2013.

Cléber Santana Loureiro: Midfielder. Had played for some of the biggest teams in Brazil. He was one of the most experienced players.

Arthur Brasiliano Maia: Midfielder. Been playing football since childhood, and joined the team this year.

Bruno Rangel: Striker. With a total of 81 goals, he was the top scorer for the Club.

Tiaguinho: Striker. In a video that has now gone viral, we see the team telling him he’s going to become a dad, only a few days before the tragedy.

Ananias Eloi Castro Monteiro: Striker. Was signed by the club last year, and has played for a few of the countries biggest teams.

Everton Kempes dos Santos Gonçalves: Striker. Has played in the past for lots of smaller Brazilian clubs.

Ailton Cesar Junior Alves da Silva (Canela): Striker. Only joined the club this year, after playing for many smaller teams.

Lucas Gomes da Silva: Striker. Joined Chapecoense last year.

Only three of the team survived:

Jakson Ragnar Follmann: Goalkeeper. Has had to have a leg amputated and could also lose the other foot.

Alan Luciano Ruschel: Left-back. Received spinal surgery and is described as being in a critical but stable condition.

Helio Hermito Zampier Neto (Neto): Defender. Has severe injuries to his skull, thorax and lungs.

Sports journalism was also a heavy victim in the tragedy, with twenty Brazilian journalists who were following the team losing their lives in the crash.

The journalists that lost their lives in the crash were:

Renan Agnolin: A radio and TV reporter

Victorino Chermont: Reporter for Fox Sports Brazil

Rodrigo Santana Goncalves: Cameraman for Fox Sports Brazil

Paulo Julio Clement: Sports presenter at Fox Sports

Douglas Dorneles: Sports journalist at Chapeco Radio

Laion Espindula: Reporter at Globoesporte.com

Ari Junior: Globo TV

Guilherme Laars: Globo TV

Guilherme Marques: Globo TV

Djalma Neto: RBS TV

Giovane Klein: Reporter for local TV station RBS

Lilacio Junior: Outside broadcast coordinator for Fox Sports Brazil

Gelson Galiotto: Sports journalist at Chapeco’s Super Conda radio

Edson Ebeliny: Sports journalist at Chapeco’s Super Conda radio.

Andre Podiacki: Diario Catarinense newspaper

Mario Sergio Paiva: formerly a commentator for Fox Sports

Bruno Silva: Technician RBS TV

Fernando Schardong: Sports journalist at Chapeco radio

Devair Paschoalon: Fox Sports Brazil

Only one reporter survived the crash, Rafael Henzel, now in a stable condition after having surgery for his injuries.

Out of respect the team, Atlético Nacional asked for Chapecoense to be awarded the Copa Sudamericana title and many Brazilian clubs have offered players to the team for free in order to prevent them being relegated.

A motion has also been proposed to the Brazilian FA to request that the team is immune from relegation for the next three years.

FIFA have asked all players wear black armbands in remembrance, and a minutes silence will precede every match played this weekend in their memory.

Happy holidays – where to get away this winter

Written by Gemma Sowerby on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Advent is finally here: the mulled wine candle is out, you’re eating mince pies by the dozen, and it is finally acceptable to play Bublé’s Christmas album 24/7. December is great, but it is hard to get super excited about another Christmas in rainy Manchester. A Christmas break usually means being free of lectures and reading for a few weeks, but have you thought about taking a real break?

You might be dreaming of a white Christmas or somewhere a bit more exotic than the Arndale to do your shopping. The options are endless, but if you need some inspiration, here’s a round up of the top places to get away this winter — all on a student budget!

Christmas markets

We’ve all heard of the incredible German markets of Stuttgart and Cologne, but Germany isn’t your only choice for a glug of gluhwein and a nice dose of Christmas cuteness. There are much cheaper and much less touristy options available; loads of low-cost airlines fly to Prague; you can get the Eurostar to Lille or Bruges for as little as £29; the famous sprawling markets in Riga in Latvia are really popular with locals and full of Christmas cheer — at half the usual prices. Wherever you’re thinking of heading you can also check out last-minute deals if you’re tightening the purse-strings!

Top tip: Passport theft is rife in big crowds, and some Scrooges will be out to steal them and more, even at the Christmas markets. Check out the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) #PassportAware campaign for information on safeguarding yourself against this type of crime abroad.

Winter sports

We’d all love to be able to afford a trip to Verbier this winter, but sadly most students don’t quite have the bank balance for that. Skiing isn’t totally off the cards though: Eastern Europe is much cheaper and has some secret gems where the slopes will not disappoint. Bulgaria, for example, has all the most wonderful ski resorts that you’ve never heard of, and while there won’t be any Made in Chelsea stars in the bars, there certainly is an affordable après-ski scene, as well as reasonably-priced accommodation, equipment, and lessons if you need some practice.

Top tip: Winter sports are not, however, without their risks — make sure you take your EHIC card and comprehensive travel insurance before your trip, in case of a medical emergency. In 2015, FCO research revealed that almost a third of winter sports lovers travelled without appropriate travel insurance, with some incurring huge costs as a result. (Better to be #SkiSafe than sorry.)

City break

A mainstay of the student-friendly travelling roster is the European city break — you can’t go wrong in Edinburgh for Hogmanay, the world-famous new year festival with events all over the city: it is sure to be an NYE to remember.

Alternatively, why not spend New Year’s Eve on the continent? With a new Eurostar route and low-cost flights from all over the UK, it is easier than ever to visit Amsterdam! You can sample the Dutch delights in one of Europe’s biggest party cities — with impromptu street parties, thousands of bars and clubs that just don’t shut, and an impressive fireworks display illuminating the whole city, Amsterdam is the place to be this NYE. The markets will still be open too for your last dose of Christmas spirit and there are hostels galore for low-cost living.

It is important to stay #TravelAware in such a touristy city — read the FCO’s travel advice for guidance on your time away and make sure you take out comprehensive travel insurance.

Cosy cottage

If you’re really short on cash, or just don’t fancy going far this Christmas, why not cosy up to a log fire in a cottage or cabin in the countryside, right here in the UK. Browse sites like Airbnb and Holiday Lettings for reasonably priced homes from home, from the Lake District, to Scotland, all the way down to the south coast, and get set to snuggle up with family or friends. The more the merrier (and cheaper!) and make sure you do your research before choosing a place to stay — you don’t want to end up in a village with no pub!

Whatever your destination, the FCO are there to help if you get into trouble — follow them on Facebook and Twitter @FCOtravel for the latest foreign travel advice. Happy holidays!

Album: The Weeknd – Starboy

Written by William Bain on . Posted in Music.

25th November via XO and Republic

6/10

Performing under the pseudonym of ‘The Weeknd’, Canadian R&B singer Abel Tesfaye shot into modern pop superstardom with last year’s Beauty Behind the Madness. Tesfaye’s mix of down-tempo, smooth soul and digitally altered hip-hop beats alongside sexualised and drug-inspired lyrics brought commercial success and gave the 26 year-old a somewhat unique position in the modern pop scene.

Fast-forward a year to late 2016 and Tesfaye has looked to take advantage of his newfound pop-prince status through Starboy. There are certainly promising moments within Tesfaye’s latest album, often propelled by outsider’s contributions. The influence of Daft Punk in titular lead single ‘Starboy’ adds a much-needed slick edge.

Indeed, the French electro-duo’s presence on the album’s second single and album closer ‘I Feel It Coming’ provides one of the album’s highlights and forces the Canadian singer to embrace a smoother persona which is more akin to Thriller-era Michael Jackson. This is an influence Tesfaye seemingly aims to channel in this album, and it comes across better on this song than elsewhere on Starboy.

Guest performers and producers are crammed into the album in an attempt to increase creativity and interest to the album, totaling eighteen songs and lasting sixty-eight minutes. Lana Del Rey assists another one of Starboy‘s more original and most interesting moments, performing as the love-interest character in ‘Stargirl Interlude’. Tesfaye has often spoke of Del Rey’s impact on his work, and this interlude – placed mid-way through the occasionally sluggish album – allows both artists to play up to the theatrics which they have often been praised for.

Another shining light is offered in the form of fourth track ‘Reminder’, which offers, incidentally, an actual reminder that Tesfaye has the ability to channel the inner-personality he so often intends to show. Throughout Starboy, there are many indications that 26-year old can supply the poetry and melodies he found so succinctly in his past work.

However, it is frequently difficult to overlook the realisation that perhaps Tesfaye has attempted too much on this album: much of Starboy feels reused and lacking in new ideas. ‘Six Feet Under’, which features Future, feels like a cheaper version of the duo’s previous collaboration on ‘Low Life’ and follows the Kendrick Lamar-featuring ‘Sidewalks’.

Lamar’s contribution to this track feels appropriately unenthusiastic; coming at the album’s midpoint, where Starboy begins to feel like it has given up on breaking new ground. Only a final flurry of encouraging songs in the form of ‘Die For You’ and ‘I Feel It Coming’ deliver a fresh element to the album’s second half.

Starboy will undoubtedly prove a commercial success, powered by its namesake lead single and the promise of smooth R&B from one of the decade’s most popular artists. Yet, despite its occasional bright sparks, the disfigured and stumbling filler prevalent within Starboy may leave fans and critics feeling that The Weekend still has yet to perfect his true identity as a songwriter.

Australians and the changing faces of British sport

Written by Guy Williams on . Posted in Sport.

This weekend’s rugby action saw England against Australia. There is something iconic about this fixture, across all sports.  You may not be a cricket fan but you will know about the Ashes. It is a rivalry that taps into the primal part of our soul. Beating the French, it is true, comes close to matching the nexus of feeling conjured up by a win over Australia. But it is still not quite the same thing.  The fact is that England has many things in common with France: centuries of shared history, a love of literature, a richly multicultural society. A common climate. Such a long relationship has caused areas of expertise to emerge among the two nations, respected and accepted. England knows that France has the superior cuisine (a French word, of course). France knows that England tries very hard with food.  The relationship is sometimes antagonistic, but what relationship isn’t?

England has no such relationship with Australia. Beyond a common language and a love of tea, there is nothing. A void. Returning to sport, it is easy to see that the two countries are opposites. Their styles are not compatible. In cricket, England have tended to favour conservatism and endurance. England produce grafters and accumulators: your Geoffrey Boycotts and Michael Athertons. Occasionally there have been mavericks. Denis Compton was one; Ian Botham was another. But these players have always been treated with faint suspicion, as having arisen in spite of the system not because of it. Meanwhile, Australia favours dashing, charismatic players. Don Bradman was the epitome of this style, the so-called ‘Australian way’. More recently, the likes of Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Shane Warne have crushed England’s grafters with unrelenting aggression. The difference is starker in rugby. The World Cup final of 1991 demonstrated this. The team that took England to the final that year was built on forward domination orchestrated by the likes of Brian Moore and Jason Leonard. The team that took Australia to that final relied on the twinkling feet of Michael Lynagh and David Campese. Australia won this clash of ideologies.

In the build-up to the game on Saturday, the England coach, knowing his history, tapped into this ideology by raising concerns over Australia’s scrummaging technique: “Australia have issues with their scrum, some technical issues.  I am not going to sort it out for them.” For his part, the Australian coach retorted: “Maybe we are naive, idealistic, but we want the Wallabies to be loved because of the way we play footy”. England pinpoint areas up front, while Australia are concerned with ideals, with the way they play. This is standard stuff: grafters against the stylists. So far, so familiar. But it is worthwhile considering who exactly the coaches in question are. The England coach is Eddie Jones, an Australian, and former club teammate of Michael Cheika, also an Australian, and Jones’ opposite number. How has this turn of events come about?

English sports fans of the 2000s have been fed a diet of ‘us’ against ‘them’ of the type mentioned earlier. But change is afoot. The Australian team famously conquered by Jonny Wilkinson’s right boot in 2003 was in fact coached by none other than Eddie Jones. England’s rugby league side is coached by an Australian, Wayne Bennett. The cricket team has witnessed a similar phenomenon. The Ashes-winning side of 2015 was coached by Trevor Bayliss, a New South Welshman and former (temporary) coach of Australia. Meanwhile, the former supremo of British Cycling was Shane Sutton, another Australian. Not since the heyday of Kylie have Australian tones so dominated the airwaves in this country.

This is not a complaint — far from it. England’s cricketers, their latest annihilation at India’s hands notwithstanding, have started playing with flair and aggression, more like Botham than Boycott. In a quirk of fate, Eddie Jones has overseen England rugby’s longest winning streak since 2002/3. He himself was a victim in that sequence of English victory. The style of play he has instilled in the class of 2016 is dynamic and intelligent: the definition of ‘heads up’ rugby. Jones has added an attacking element to England’s traditional forward dominance and the results are there for all to see.  Whisper it quietly, but England seem to be mastering the ‘Australian way’. Scary.

It seems that the line between ‘us’ and ‘them’ has blurred. Ideologies have been shattered. English sport is reaping the benefits of an Australian-led regeneration.

As the dust settles, it appears that there has been some sort of revolution. See, I told you we had more in common with France.

The Lowers Depths remains relevant in film

Written by Mritunjay Sharma on . Posted in Film.

There is seldom a text whose characters and locations have the ability to exist for over 100 years. The Lower Depths is a play written by Maxim Gorky around 1902. It was a depiction of the lower classes of Russia, and it is supposed to be inspired by real people and events that happened during Gorky’s life.

Anton Chekhov — a famous playwright himself — wrote in a letter to Gorky “I have read your play. It is new and unmistakably fine.The second act is very good; it is the best, the strongest, and when I was reading it, especially the end, I almost danced with joy. The tone is gloomy, oppressive; the audience, unaccustomed to such subjects, will walk out of the theatre, and you may well say good bye to your reputation as an optimist, in any case”.

Moreover three eminently distinct and adroit film makers, Jean Renoir (French), Chetan Anand (Indian) and Akira Kurosawa (Japanese) also presented their own version of such societies in their respective times and culture. Renoir made Les Bas-fonds in 1936, it was a satirical take on the lives of different people living in slums. The central idea of the film like that of the play is that, despite the immense pessimism and inhumane environment of the characters, there is a presence of the rudimentary presence of emotions. The film won the prestigious Prix Louis-Delluc in 1937.

Chetan Anand made Neecha Nagar in 1946, this film was similar only in the idea of the presence of upper and lower class societies. The screenplay of the film is different as in this film there is a confrontation of the two societies, and also the uprising of the lower society to fight the evil of the rich and privileged. Neecha Nagar can also be seen as a film of protest as 1946 was the time when India was fighting British empire for the freedom and self rule. Neecha Nagar won Grand Prix du Festival International du Film at the 1946 Cannes film festival.

Finally comes the film of Akira Kurosawa, Donzoko, made in 1956 and was based on the Edo period, this was the period when Tokyo was becoming a large urban setting which gave rise to the distribution of people into different classes. Donzoko was not changed much from the original play and was adapted the same way play was written.

The reason that this play and these three films need to be discussed is because even after 100 years many would argue that the ghettoisation of people is still taking place, and it is happening in places like New York, London, Tokyo, Beijing, Delhi. Be it the Calais jungles, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, we have left a huge number of people behind. We think that we have created a civilised society but we have only created a situation where on one side we have a secure society and on the other hand a society where everyday new rebellion is happening and being crushed everyday.

It is a sad fact that even today we have more than a billion people who do not have adequate housing facilities. We live in times where The Lower Depths still exist, it is just we have come high up and become myopic enough to not acknowledge the existence of such depths.

Monochrome wardrobe: The non-committal approach to adding excitement to your outfit

Written by Holly James on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

As the festive season draws ever closer, the yearly challenge that faces the monochrome wardrobe does too: how do you bring festive fun to your outfit when your wardrobe has managed to look like it is Halloween for the last 5 years running? With the days drawing in and getting colder, the task seems even more difficult when just getting out of bed feels like a challenge. We all know that our favourite pair of black skinny jeans are not going anywhere, so how do you bring some effortless sparkle to your wardrobe without compromising your all-black aesthetic?

Footwear is key to staying warm and looking chic through the winter, but splashing out on a new pair of shoes is an expensive luxury that many students just cannot afford. The next best answer? Socks. Bold statement socks are big news this season, from high end to high street fashion, the old rules have gone out the window. Pair up your sparkly socks with open toe strappy heels for a party look, or wear your trainers with some statement ankle socks to bridge the gap when wearing ankle grazing or cropped trousers. Not only will your outfit look on trend, adding socks will help you fight the cold and stay warm. The top pick: use Topshop’s 3 for £8 deal to grab a variety to get you through the season, with choices from nude pink sparkles to mustard stripe welt socks.

It is not just socks you can layer this season; countless bloggers have been layering tights under their jeans for a stylish answer to keeping the cold out.  Kylie Jenner’s Instagram post last week showed us that fishnets are definitely the best way to work this trend as the iconic tights are sure to draw attention to your outfit. This is best worn with the waistband of the tights visible above the jeans if you’re wearing something cropped, or showing through ripped or frayed denim on the leg. Go for oversized fishnets paired with heels or chunky platforms for a night out or statement look (try ASOS oversized fishnets, £6 in a variety of colours). For a more practical daytime solution to sporting this trend, layer oversized fishnets with low denier tights or opt for a standard fishnet to keep the heat in. If fishnets just are not your thing, the next best solution is a pair of woolly tights under boyfriend jeans, or layering plain tights with statement socks for really cold days.

From knees and toes to head and shoulders, hats and scarves are your best bet to really keep the cold out and create a bold look this winter. Beanie hats and oversized scarves are bang on trend and perfect for those days where leaving your duvet and venturing out for your 9am lecture seems like it is just never going to happen. Both Zara and Primark have a great range of oversized scarves this year, and check out ASOS for a good variety of beanie hats to choose from. For tips on how to style them, seek inspiration from bloggers who live in particularly cold countries, they know best.