
Washington Post will offer buyouts to employees to reduce staff
The Washington Post plans to offer voluntary separation packages to employees across all functions, a company spokesperson said
2023-10-11 05:15

Fans slam Sheree Whitfield for excluding 'RHOA' alum NeNe Leakes in show teaser: 'It’s not a real reunion without her'
Nene Leakes has not been featured in any Bravo shows since she filed and later repealed a lawsuit against them
2023-07-07 11:47

Aaron Ramsdale’s dad criticises Mikel Arteta for not explaining why son dropped
Aaron Ramsdale’s father has criticised Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for not telling his son why he has been dropped in favour of David Raya. England goalkeeper Ramsdale started in Arsenal’s first four Premier League games, but has been relegated to the bench following Raya’s arrival on loan from Brentford. Ramsdale’s father, Nick, told The Highbury Corner podcast that his son had “lost his smile” and was finding it difficult after not being given an explanation by Arteta. Nick Ramsdale said: “Aaron’s lost that smile to when he was holding on to that ball at this moment in time and it is difficult. “It really is difficult to see him there and we all keep saying ‘you need to keep smiling’.” He added: “It’s possibly the way it’s been done. Not knowing the reason why, and this is me because we don’t know why. Again, Aaron is working as hard as he can. He’s trying to do his best for the squad. He’s upbeat and he’ll do everything for Arsenal to try and win the league.” Ramsdale signed a new long-term deal with the Gunners in May, but has played second fiddle since Raya arrived in August on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent move. Nick Ramsdale added: “Aaron is going to be the cup goalkeeper, and David Raya is going to be the main man unless something happens, an injury or a sending-off. Aaron’s got to live with that and he is living with that even though he’s not been told it. By anybody.” Read More Anybody can beat anybody on the day – Kane Williamson hopeful NZ can upset India Denver Broncos capitalise on second chance to beat Buffalo Bills World trampoline champion Bryony Page eyes landmark Olympic appearance in Paris
2023-11-14 18:57

Trump is not a spy. Why is he charged under the Espionage Act?
An emerging defense of former President Donald Trump is that he should not be criminally charged. The federal indictment released on Friday describes him sloppily hoarding classified documents at his private clubs, after all, not selling secrets to a foreign country.
2023-06-14 00:27

US House panel probes BlackRock, MSCI on China investment flow
US lawmakers are probing American investment flows facilitated by BlackRock and MSCI to Chinese companies that Washington has sanctioned, a...
2023-08-02 05:53

Long-injured MLB ace Strasburg set to retire: reports
Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the 2019 World Series Most Valuable Player for helping the Nats win the Major League Baseball title, plans to retire...
2023-08-25 05:48

Manhunt for the escaped Pennsylvania killer draws hundreds of officers to small township where he's believed to be armed with a rifle
The Pennsylvania manhunt for an escaped convicted killer has escalated and shifted focus to a small township where police have set up a new perimeter, schools are closed and people are on edge after the fugitive stole a rifle and vanished again, authorities said.
2023-09-13 16:27

A tiny ground and a squad costing less than a Man City sub. How are Luton one game from the Premier League?
Before every home game, Luton Town’s club shop is teeming. The little building perched outside Kenilworth Road is like a temporary prefab classroom and inside it’s cosy: once you’ve bought a shirt or a mug or a woolly hat then you best be on your way to make room for someone else. It is a different world to the extravagance of the Premier League. Tottenham, for example, boast the largest club shop in Europe: half an acre of sheer Spursy-ness, selling everything from Spurs-encrusted party bowls to the Spurs Monopoly board game, complete with a 100-seat auditorium to consume even more Spurs from the comfort of a soft chair. These two clubs seem to exist on different planets, and yet they could well be rivals in the same league next season. Luton have climbed here by consistently punching above their weight. The club’s entire wage budget, around £6m, would buy one Manchester City sub. They are always swimming against the tide and the small but mighty Kenilworth Road is a monument to that – intimate and intense, like a particularly atmospheric cow shed, with 10,000 seats that sound like 50,000 when the linesman fails to spot a foul throw. Luton’s long-awaited move to a new venue at Power Court is still a couple of years away. So should they win promotion – having advanced to the play-off final after victory over Sunderland, this is a distinct possibility – what on earth will the Premier League giants make of a ground where away fans file through an alleyway and up a metal staircase that hangs over neighbouring gardens? “They will think it’s a tip,” smiles Alex, a Luton season-ticket holder in the club shop. He has been coming here since 2005, sitting in the same seat since he was three years old. “But it’s our tip.” *** Despite his reputation as one of the brightest managers in the Football League, Rob Edwards was expecting some hate from Luton fans when he took charge in November. He had only recently left Watford, their bitter rivals, and so when he sat down for his first press conference as the new man in charge of Luton Town, all he could do was try to defuse a potentially volatile situation. “It’s not as if I left Watford a club legend,” he joked. Edwards was referring to the way he was spat back out by Watford after only 11 games, a familiar story for managers who dare work for the trigger-happy Pozzo family. But far from holding a grudge, Luton fans seemed to get a kick out of sticking one to their rivals. “Welcome Rob,” read a banner at his first game away at Middlesbrough, which soothed some anxiety. His first home game at Kenilworth Road, a Boxing Day win over Norwich City, finished with the entire ground singing his name. It would prove to be the first win of many, with only two league defeats for the rest of the campaign meaning Luton finished third in the Championship and got themselves into the play-offs for the second successive season. A club with a tight-knit staff and limited funds have improved their league position every year for eight in a row, climbing from the Conference in 2014 to the upper echelons of the Championship, and now they are within touching distance of the top tier for the first time in 30 years. At the heart of their rise is continuity – midfielder Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu has been with the club from non-league – and careful planning. Losing manager Nathan Jones to Southampton was a sudden bruise, but Edwards was already on the radar. Luton had analysed his League Two-winning year in charge of Forest Green Rovers and found it was no fluke – the underlying numbers showed a manager deploying the kind of fast, aggressive football that Luton themselves used to dominate Leagues One and Two. They analysed his 11 games at Watford too, and discovered some good things in the team Edwards was building, despite the quick sacking. Preparation has been key in the transfer market too. Led by club legend Mick Harford, chief scout Phil Chapple and analyst Jay Socik, Luton have made a habit of identifying smart signings from across the Football League and some inspired loans from the Premier League too. Right-back James Bree left the club in January but Luton seamlessly replaced him with Cody Drameh on loan from Leeds, and the addition of Aston Villa’s Marvelous Nakamba has brought solidity in midfield. Buying Carlton Morris from Barnsley last summer was crucial, and he has racked up a career-best 20 league goals. They recruit a specific Luton type: as well as being technically sound and a good character, they have to be athletic, able to withstand a high tempo for 90 minutes and out-run their opposition. After all, this is what Luton are: a club who extract every last drop from whatever they have. No Championship side have won more tackles in the final third than Luton this season, and the result is a team that are often hard and horrible to play against. Edwards has found a balance between a pragmatic approach and a team who can play football too. A direct route to goal is always an option with the power and strength of Morris and the imposing Elijah Adebayo up front, and Luton have found they don’t need to dominate possession to win games. That might be a useful trait in the Premier League. But what really stands out is how Luton are run off the pitch. There is no billionaire benefactor here: the club were saved by their own fans and now they are supporter-owned, and the people in charge – chief executive Gary Sweet, chairman David Wilkinson and majority stakeholder Paul Ballantyne – are deeply invested in its future. As one member of staff told The Independent: “Our owners give a s**t, and that isn’t always the case in football.” *** One staff member, Bill Cole, has worked for Luton for five years and has been visiting Kenilworth Road for 76. He will miss it, but he won’t shed a tear when it’s gone. He reels off more than half a century’s worth of new stadium plans that ended in disappointment, and says Power Court is exactly what the club has been crying out for, for far too long. “I hope they build a metal pillar in front of the press box to remind us of The Kenny,” he smiles. At full-time of a late-April clash against fellow high-flyers Middlesbrough, buoyant Luton fans poured out into the narrow streets that run down the hill to town following a 2-1 victory. It was a crucial moment in ensuring Luton finished third, and Boro fourth to face Coventry. If these two sides are to contest the play-off final – the so-called richest game in football – then perhaps this win has set the tone. Cole has seen it all before, though, and has a warning. “In 1959 we played Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup final,” he remembers. “Two weeks earlier we’d played them here at Kenilworth Road and we stuffed them 4-0. But at Wembley, we never showed up.” But win or lose the play-offs, Luton are unlikely to change too much. They are going in the right direction and their progress is a result not of vast investment but of sound stewardship. Amid the game’s financial bonanza benefitting a few elite clubs, Luton are showing that there is still a place for a little meritocracy in football. Read More Luton Town one game from Premier League after comeback win over Sunderland How to watch Championship play-offs Dimitar Berbatov warns Harry Kane not to ‘tarnish’ Tottenham legacy by leaving Dimitar Berbatov warns Harry Kane not to ‘tarnish’ Tottenham legacy by leaving I don’t blame English fans for cynicism over US investment – Burnley’s JJ Watt Arsenal and Leverkusen in ‘advanced talks’ over Granit Xhaka deal
2023-05-17 16:25

'Selling Sunset' Season 6: Chrishell Stause left heartbroken after Mary Fitzgerald takes Jason Oppenheim's side
Emma Hernan convincing Chrishell Stause to return to the office but it seemed like there were a lot of broken relationships that needs to be fixed
2023-05-19 16:57

Paramount to sell Simon & Schuster to KKR for $1.62 billion
(Reuters) -Paramount Global said on Monday it was selling Simon & Schuster to KKR & Co for $1.62 billion in
2023-08-08 04:23

James Cameron sees similarities between Titanic wreck and submersible tragedy, shares his thoughts
James Cameron, who directed the hit 1997 film "Titanic" and has himself made 33 dives to the wreckage, offered some thoughts Thursday after it was announced that a missing Titanic-bound submersible suffered a "catastrophic implosion," killing five people on board.
2023-06-23 04:48

Heat double down on Jimmy Butler guarantee with latest flight records
The Miami Heat are all the way in on Jimmy Butler's guarantee as they don't have a flight booked back to South Beach for Game 7.Less than a week ago after the Boston Celtics had reeled off a pair of victories against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, Heat star Jimmy Butl...
2023-05-30 04:46
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