Latest news with #GeorgeCaulkin
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Great North Run 2025 medal unveiled in collaboration with Newcastle artist
The Great North Run's 2025 medal has been revealed, inspired by art and poetry. Unveiled on August 14, the medal is the result of a collaboration between the event and Newcastle-based 'art of illusion' artist Howard Lee. Mr Lee is known for his hyper-realistic 'Real vs Fake' style and his work has gained global recognition through social media and television. The medal design features the Tyne Bridge, alongside lines from the poem We are the Great North Run, written by George Caulkin, North East sports correspondent for The Athletic and The New York Times. Great North Run's 2025 medal has been revealed (Image: Supplied) The poem has been adopted as the theme for the 2025 event. Howard Lee, artist, said: "Because my work is viewed in video form, there are a lot of ways to experiment with creating illusions or playing around with perception. "Realism is already a type of artistic illusion but the video creates a certain way of seeing it, adding another level for the audience. "The starting point for this type of artwork is almost always to find a range of art materials that can be blended to accurately match the colours in the real piece. (Image: Supplied) "The depiction of the Tyne Bridge and surrounding poetry took quite a lot of colour mixing. "I feel very privileged to have been involved in the process of revealing this year's medal, it really is quite a striking design." Mr Lee has lived in Newcastle for nearly 20 years after moving to the region when his wife secured a job in the North East. He said: "We drove up here not knowing what to expect and we never left because this region has everything you would want. "It has everything really – the people, the atmosphere, the culture, landscape, art, architecture, food. "I feel very lucky to have found myself here." The Great North Run has been a fixture in the North East for 44 years, celebrating 'ordinary people doing extraordinary things'. This year's event will take place on September 7, with 60,000 runners expected to take on the 13.1-mile course from Newcastle to South Shields. More than 200,000 spectators are expected to line the streets to cheer on the runners. The 2025 AJ Bell Great North Run will be broadcast live on BBC One and will feature elite men's, women's, and wheelchair races. Among the competitors will be Olympian and Great Run Ambassador Eilish McColgan, who has confirmed her participation. Organisers say the medal is a celebration of the spirit of the North East and the collective achievement of everyone who takes part. A spokesman for the Great North Run said: "Every one of them a story. "But together, we are the Great North Run." The medal reveal video is available to view on Instagram at @great_run. Runners and fans can also find out more about this year's event and the We Are The Great North Run campaign on the official website. Registration is now open to be notified about the 2026 ballot. For more details or to sign up for updates, visit
New York Times
11-08-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Newcastle United season preview: Hello despondency, our old friend…
Nobody at Newcastle United is claiming this has been a positive summer. Although nobody was claiming it a year ago, either, and last season didn't turn out too shabby. If the past few months have demonstrated anything, it is that being good is actually quite hard. On the pitch, Newcastle are very good — fact — but they have found it difficult to compete with more established clubs for new players. Alexander Isak, their best player, has pushed to leave. Being rubbish (again) isn't what anybody wants, but they have found themselves in a gilded sort of cage. Advertisement Champions League football, a great team, scope to improve their squad; these are first-world problems, surely? Yes, but… Has an opportunity been missed? George Caulkin, who back in the bad old days described himself as a 'Chronicler of Misery' for north-east football, looks at what might lie ahead. This is not meant to be entirely facetious but who, exactly, would be doing the expecting? The chief executive? There isn't one. The sporting director? There isn't one. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Newcastle's majority owners? How involved are they? Where are they? The first two positions will be filled shortly, but it will take time for a new structure and relationships to settle. After a testing close-season — the second in succession — there should be a level of realism about what lies ahead for Eddie Howe and his team, although the head coach will do everything in his power to minimise excuses. Last time, the baseline internal target was qualifying for Europe. It will doubtless be the same this season, albeit with an asterisk. Not enough players. Anthony Elanga joined from Nottingham Forest for £52million on a five-year contract. Right-wing is a position Howe has been attempting to strengthen since he came to Tyneside and Elanga's arrival means Newcastle have quality in depth and decent options given the standards Jacob Murphy set last season. Aaron Ramsdale has been brought in on a season-long loan from Southampton with a view to a permanent deal next summer. Goalkeeper is also an area that Howe has been looking at long-term, despite having a plethora of them at St James' Park. Ramsdale will fight it out with Nick Pope, the current No 1, for a starting place. More will arrive. They have to. Let's face it; pretty much everybody. Since the takeover, Newcastle's recruitment has been first-class, but their strategy this summer, to bring in oven-ready players for the Premier League, has been flawed. Does that represent a failure of imagination, preparation or execution? Take your pick, but Paul Mitchell's hasty exit as sporting director has left the club exposed and in the lurch. Advertisement Newcastle have repeatedly been rejected or gazumped. It is a long list; Bryan Mbeumo, James Trafford, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko. And it leaves them with a lot of work to be done — and holes to be filled — before the end of the transfer window. As things stand, they can only be undercooked. This feeling of despondency. Newcastle won their first domestic trophy for 70 years last season. They're back in the Champions League. They had money to spend after three windows without the addition of a first-team-ready player. There was momentum and excitement, but with Isak wanting out and all this uncertainty, it feels like the club have reached a crossroads. This time a year ago, it was Anthony Gordon who'd had his head turned by Liverpool. By his own admission, he endured a tough season, struggling for form and confidence and picking up a suspension which meant he missed Newcastle's Carabao Cup victory over Liverpool. Twelve months on, he looks hungry, aggressive and engaged. They need him. Here, we need to take a huge step back and then lift our heads. Howe is an elite coach. Newcastle have a fantastic team in the most basic sense of the word. They have some outrageously good players. Elanga is exciting. They are in the Champions League again. They have shown repeatedly they can compete with and beat the best teams in the land. They are cup holders. Perhaps most pertinently, they are very, very good at facing down adversity. Isak, naturally. Their best player, a striker of sublime quality who has scored 20 goals or more in consecutive seasons, wants out. Will he stay? Can he be rehabilitated? If he goes, most likely to Liverpool, what does Newcastle's team look like? Can they bring in a comparable replacement? Will Newcastle get other business done? Advertisement There is a bigger picture, too, Where are the concrete developments (literally) about a new stadium or training ground? Is the great Newcastle project still moving? Yes, according to Howe. 'The owners are very much engaged — as much as they always have been,' he says. 'There's a lot going on at the football club behind the scenes to take the club forward.' Some of these concerns would be eased by a couple of good wins and more players arriving — the squad will surely look very different by transfer deadline day — but this was not the summer anyone anticipated. Howe's natural state is pessimistic. He freely admits he is motivated by a fear of failure. The good news, in those terms, is that he must be feeling very motivated. Wherever the fault lies over recruitment, Howe has had huge churn above him over the past two years and it feels like Newcastle the club are holding back Newcastle the team. He has done his bit, and then some. He deserves better. Howe has been a transformative figure for Newcastle, beyond bringing them silverware. This shouldn't even be a question. Newcastle end up having a great season. This is said with more hope than expectation, but Howe brought focus to an unsettled dressing room last time around and led them to great — the greatest? — things. Fingers crossed. Eyes crossed. Everything crossed. A fairly major asterisk against Isak but for now… Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
06-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Arsenal fans: How are you feeling about the 2025-26 season?
The new Premier League season is almost upon us and we want to gauge how the fans of every club are feeling going into the 2025-26 campaign. It is the time of year when a new signing or two can mean optimism abounds. Alternatively, a dodgy pre-season and a lack of transfer activity can leave supporters fearing the worst. Advertisement Let us know how you feel about your club's prospects this season via our simple poll below and, as has become tradition, George Caulkin will analyse the results and report back with The Athletic's hope-o-meter, a not particularly scientific reflection of fans' hopes and fears for the coming season. Loading…
New York Times
06-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Newcastle United fans: How are you feeling about the 2025-26 season?
The new Premier League season is almost upon us and we want to gauge how the fans of every club are feeling going into the 2025-26 campaign. It is the time of year when a new signing or two can mean optimism abounds. Alternatively, a dodgy pre-season and a lack of transfer activity can leave supporters fearing the worst. Let us know how you feel about your club's prospects this season via our simple poll below and, as has become tradition, George Caulkin will analyse the results and report back with The Athletic's hope-o-meter, a not particularly scientific reflection of fans' hopes and fears for the coming season. Loading…
New York Times
06-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Burnley fans: How are you feeling about the 2025-26 season?
The new Premier League season is almost upon us and we want to gauge how the fans of every club are feeling going into the 2025-26 campaign. It is the time of year when a new signing or two can mean optimism abounds. Alternatively, a dodgy pre-season and a lack of transfer activity can leave supporters fearing the worst. Advertisement Let us know how you feel about your club's prospects this season via our simple poll below and, as has become tradition, George Caulkin will analyse the results and report back with The Athletic's hope-o-meter, a not particularly scientific reflection of fans' hopes and fears for the coming season. Loading…
