Gursimran Hans

Sunderland ’Til I Die is an eight-part Netflix series charting the story of Sunderland AFC’s ill-fated 2017–18 campaign. The season before saw the end of a ten-year stint in the English top flight, whilst in previous years the likes of Roy Keane, Ricky Sbragia, Steve Bruce, Martin O’Neill, Paolo di Canio, Gus Poyet, Dick Advocaat and Sam Allardyce had been able to keep Sunderland just about safe, David Moyes was unable to succeed in what was always an uphill struggle. So, in comes Simon Grayso

The aim of this study is to determine the credibility of five different articles on the land reclamation policy announced by Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, during the Annual Policy Address on 10th October 2018. Lam announced the Hong Kong Government was to pursue the reclamation of land in Lantau to ease Hong Kong’s housing crisis. The policy was met with a fair degree of concern over cost, environmental concerns and debate over effectiveness. By credibility, we aim to determine how

Albert Camus’s The Fall tells the story of Jean-Baptiste Clamance, a former Parisian lawyer staying in Amsterdam, who is very similar to the characters of Meursault in prior Camus novels, only he is on a nuclear scale. Clamance bumps into someone in the bar one night, the reader and recounts his story. First published in 1956 and totalling under 100 pages, Clamance has lived the high-life and tasted all sorts of physical pleasure but metaphysically it’s a different story. Feeling empty and ful

The third instalment of the Cricket World Cup saw the West Indies attempt to win a third consecutive world championship at Lord’s. England would host the tournament once more — but with an increased number of venues. The six grounds that had hosted matches in 1975 and 1979 all hosted three matches each but County Grounds in Derby, Bristol, Taunton, Chelmsford, and Southampton, as well as St. Helen’s, Grace Road, Nevill Road and New Road, would all host one game each. England, of course, qualif

Controversy surrounds Wayne Rooney’s recall for a farewell appearance for England against the United States. However, international farewells and testimonials are not completely unheard of. Whilst Paolo Maldini turned down the opportunity to play for Italy in a friendly against Northern Ireland as he approached retirement and David Beckham famously said he would never retire from England after suggestions England’s November 2010 friendly against France would be his farewell, they have become in

The 17th October will mark a day of lobbying for colleges, organised by the Association of Colleges (AoC). So what exactly can you expect? Education unions are organising a march on the Houses of Parliament from Pall Mall. Principals, staff and students are expected to arrive in Westminster from 10am and the Methodist Central Hall for registration with the march expected to begin at 1230. This is likely to be followed by speeches and meetings with MPs. AoC staff will spend the latter part o

Translated into 37 languages, Wild Swans tells the story of 20th Century China from the last days of Imperial China to the Japanese Occupation, Civil War, Revolution and post Mao era. Jung Chang narrates the biographies of her grandmother, Yu-fang, her mother Bao Qin and herslef. It begins with the tale of how Yu-fang was married off as a concubine to a high ranking general, and eventually married a doctor in Manchuria. Bao Qin joins the Communist Party at the age of 15 and eventually meets W

Over the years, several cricketers have captured the imagination of the public. In this article, I list my personal cricket World XI based on players who played the game when I was most in tune with the going-ons of the game. They are several top players who just missed the cut and perhaps on another day I would choose differently. Ali Cook faces the first ball of the game. England’s all time leading Test run scorer, Cook burst on the scene in 2006 recording a half-century and a century in hi

Cricket is one of the world’s oldest sports and one steeped in tradition and heritage. Hundreds of grounds have hosted international and domestic cricket at the top level of the game but a select few stand out among the rest as being the most iconic. From vibrant colour to historical moments, I’ve picked out 16 of the most iconic in the world. Located on one of the most important ports in the West Indies, St. John’s is noted for its’ hard and dry pitch which favours batsmen. Several of the W

The second installment of the World Cup may have seemed liked Déjà vu. The format of the tournament was unchanged from the previous installment in 1975 and it was once again hosted by England using the same six grounds as before. England as hosts automatically qualified alongside fellow Test nations Australia, West Indies, India, Pakistan and New Zealand. South Africa were still under a sporting boycott at the time. Prior to the tournament which began on the 9th June, England also hosted the

English sports fans don’t have to wait that long for one of the nation’s favourite games to come home. In May 2019, England will host the Cricket World Cup. In this new series, I’m going through the history of every single Cricket World Cup to date. Despite the sport having a long history dating back centuries, its premier world championship is just 43 years old. This comes from the fact One-Day Internationals are still a young invention with the first 130-odd years of international cricket be

You don’t read this book, it reads you. Published before his move to PSG, I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic deals with Zlatan’s early life in the Malmo suburb of Rosengaard and his career in football, his thoughts and emotions during the high points and the low points. Ibra, as he became nicknamed when he first when to Italy to play for Juventus, had a rough upbringing, split between the homes of his Bosnian father Sefik who had an alcohol problem and his Croatian mother, Jurka, who worked hard to raise

Albert Camus, one of the world’s greatest philosophers began writing The Plague sometime in 1941. His time in the French Resistance meant it was not completed until after the Second World War. The book can work as an allegory to life in France under the Third Reich. It is set in Oran, a town on the Algerian coast, in the midst of a devastating plague. Through this, Camus works an allegory of life under the German occupation, without any political leanings getting in the way of the interpretatio

I have nothing but total respect for Arsene Wenger and his achievements in football. As a West Ham United supporter, I have a fair bit of tribal hatred to Arsenal Football Club, but Arsenal are the only one of our rivals that I have any feelings of respect towards, and that’s all down to Arsene Wenger. I’ve spoken and written extensively about how I think football should be played and I think Wenger’s style of play, particularly while Arsenal were at Highbury fits the bill perfectly. During th

With the recent decision to bomb a Syrian chemical weapons factory by the United Kingdom, United States and France, debate has naturally turned into the reasoning behind the decisions. Are these interventions worth it? Will we be plunged into a Third World War? This opinion piece delves into some of my thoughts behind the issue and points that I think people are misunderstanding or not considering. This isn’t true. Whilst my inclination is to avoid all intervention and conflict in general, I t

AC Milan rightfully claim a spot as one of the biggest clubs in world football. Though various issues have resulted in a downturn in fortunes, they have had spells of complete domestic and European dominance. Only Juventus have more Scudettos, only Real Madrid can beat their seven Champions Leagues. From the Swedish invasion of the 1950s and 1960s to Arrigo Sacchi’s revolution and Fabio Cappelo’s evolution with Carlo Ancelotti’s 2000s dream team to follow, the Rossonieri have spent decades sti

In football, no.10s, the forward players just behind the main striker often stir up the most emotion. These players are often enigmatic, can do things with oranges that most cannot do without a football and contribute with goals and assists and just moments of sheer ecstasy. This article is dedicated to 10 of these men who have graced the game in the last 20 years that you may not have heard off. The only player on the list still playing professionally for Czech side Slavia Prague. Having burs

That fact that my copy of Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets got battered in the post is quite poetic. It is a gritty, hard-hitting story. David Simon who would go on to produce hit TV series The Wire, spent 1988 shadowing the homicide squad of Baltimore Police Department whilst on sabbatical from his job as a reporter at The Baltimore Sun. It is quite simply, a stunning example of immersive journalism as Simon gets under the skin of the detectives, the suspects, the lawyers, the witnesse

Football, known as The Beautiful Game has had its’ fair share of superstars. Below, I’ve compiled a side from 11 of these players, whom, I believe at their peaks form the greatest team you could assemble throughout the history of the game. The side will play in a 3–4–2–1 formation, in the style of Johan Cruyff when he managed Ajax and Barcelona. This formation will allow the team to play a high tempo attacking game with control exerted from the midfield. A strong, mobile defence will back up a

The last play to be penned by Federico García Lorca, just a few short weeks before his execution in 1936 as part of Franco’s purge of Spanish intellectuals, La Casa de Bernarda Alba was first premiered in Buenos Aires in 1945. It is sometimes grouped with Blood Wedding and Yerma as part of Lorca’s rural trilogy, though, it was incomplete at the time of his death, at the age of just 38. I must admit to being unaware of this piece, however, a friend of mine is starring in a production of it, so