Sheffield United have no immediate plans to sack Paul Heckingbottom after the club suffered their heaviest league defeat when they were hammered 8-0 by Newcastle. The Blades were put to the sword by a rampant Newcastle to go six games without a win on their Premier League return, but Heckingbottom’s job is currently safe, the PA news agency understands. There has been speculation linking former boss Chris Wilder to a Bramall Lane return, but even this embarrassing defeat will not change the board’s position. When asked whether he will be the manager for the next game, he said: “Yes, 100 per cent. “This might be a theme now by the looks of it. I can’t answer any of that, the game, the players, my department, yeah no problem, but things like that you are asking the wrong man.” Heckingbottom, who guided the club to promotion last season, has overseen a difficult few days following the death of women’s player Maddy Cusack earlier in the week. The midfielder, who also worked for the club’s marketing department, was just 27 and the club were left “devastated”. And the boss admits he will be glad to see the back of a horrible week. There were poignant pre-match tributes to Cusack and Heckingbottom said: “It has affected a lot of people, there were tears on the pitch before the game. “But we were determined to end what has been a really tough week strongly and we weren’t able to do that. It has been a tough week for everyone at the club and one we want over.” The Magpies rewrote the history books, registering their biggest away win and also becoming the first Premier League side to have eight different players score in a game. Eddie Howe’s side, who endured a difficult start to the season, now look like they are clicking and performed superbly on the back of their midweek Champions League trip to AC Milan. They did not take their foot off the gas in the second half as they racked up the goals and that was the most pleasing thing for the boss. Howe said: “It has been a great week for us. That is football for you. “Before the Brentford game, we knew the importance of that game, a massive point in the week and great to see us back to our very best today. “I never doubted us in the final third, we have got some outstanding players, and we have had a very tough start to the season in terms of fixtures, but today we were ruthless and kept looking to score, which is they key thing. “We respect Sheffield United and Paul Heckingbottom and the job he has done here but we just had to do our thing and keep pushing and trying to score goals. “We weren’t aware of anything during the game regarding the records. We were just trying to keep pushing the lads to keep scoring goals, having that mentality and desire that we want in every game. “We want to attack well, we want to entertain and be good value when people come and watch us play. One of our fundamental beliefs is that we are always looking to score. “With top-quality players, results like this can happen, but very rarely, that is why we will enjoy it tonight. “You hope this ignites something in us and we try to repeat, not the scoreline, but the performance on a regular basis. That is our aim, but the Premier League is very difficult.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sam Hain reveals sleepless night before impressive England debut Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea need to grow up as a team after fresh setback Jurgen Klopp hails ‘massive steps’ made by Darwin Nunez after latest Liverpool goal

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Donald Trump is appealing the $5 million jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing New York

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 15, 2023--

By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Sakura Murakami TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled on Tuesday a package of wide-ranging

Fran Kirby shook off suggestions she might feel intimidated by the new faces in England’s camp after she returned from her long absence in the 1-0 victory over Belgium on Friday. Kirby had not played for England since the Lionesses faced the Czech Republic in a friendly last October and missed this year’s World Cup after undergoing knee surgery. The Chelsea midfielder received a warm reception by the sold-out crowd in Leicester when she came on in the 65th minute of the Nations League clash. Kirby said: “It feels like I haven’t been away. Obviously, I know a lot of the girls from playing against them. “Everyone who has come in has brought a fresh face and a new standard. It has been nice to be in training around them and getting to know them more personally. “I don’t think I need to mould in at all, I’m probably one of the oldest players here now. I think I know what I’m doing. “It’s nice to be on the pitch, it’s nice to get a win, so I’m happy. “I’ve been working really hard over the summer to try and get back as quickly as possible and to be involved tonight was really special.” Kirby, who has suffered a spate of injuries and fitness issues in recent years, announced in May she would be going under the knife to fix a knee issue that had long plagued her, with doctors determining surgery was the only way to rectify the situation. The 2019-20 season saw Kirby diagnosed with pericarditis, a heart condition, and in 2022 she was sidelined with a fatigue-related illness that led to her installing an oxygen tent at her home. As for this most recent problem, Kirby said: “At the beginning it was quite tough because you don’t really know when the end of the injury is. I accepted quite early on that I wasn’t going to be part of the World Cup squad, not that it made it any easier. “I was able to support the girls and feel the same emotions that they were feeling and going through. Being back with them now just means that all of the hard work paid off in the summer.” Friday’s victory moved the Lionesses up to second place in Group One, with a quick turnaround before they face Belgium again in Tuesday’s return fixture. England need to finish top to advance in the tournament, which also serves as a qualifier for next summer’s Olympics in Paris. Kirby’s reception from supporters was perhaps second-loudest to only former Leicester goalkeeper Mary Earps, who seemed to elicit a roar every time she made a stop en route to earning England a first clean sheet since they faced Nigeria in the last-16 at the World Cup. Kirby said: “The support that I’ve had over the past year has been incredible from fans – national team and Chelsea. I can’t fault anyone for their support and that has been really pivotal for me coming back. “It’s frustrating when I’m injured and can’t be out there, so to hear that reception when I came on is really special and it’s something that I won’t forget. “I’ve been working really hard to get back out on the pitch as much as possible and I want to stay there.” Read More England ‘feeling the heat’ of World Cup implosion – Marcus Trescothick Erik ten Hag admits Man Utd ‘have a way to go’ as they prepare for derby day Son Heung-min hails Guglielmo Vicario for ‘unbelievable saves’ in win at Palace Luka Doncic scores 49 with four straight three-pointers to beat Brooklyn Texas Rangers win World Series opener in extra innings On this day in 2017: Anthony Joshua beats Carlos Takam to retain world titles

By David Milliken LONDON The Bank of England should speed up the pace at which it is unwinding

From wearing your underwear in the street to very muted colour schemes, some trends stood out from the spring-summer 2024 womenswear collections at Paris Fashion Week, which ends on Tuesday, as did mounting...

No. 7 Texas visits Iowa State on Saturday night for a key Big 12 game

NFL great Tom Brady expects his friend Harry Kane to benefit from “a new injection of energy” after joining Bayern Munich from Tottenham. The 30-year-old ended his long association with the north Londoners on Saturday when he completed his £100million move to the perennial Bundesliga champions. Kane said it felt like the right time to leave Tottenham after two decades with the club, just as Brady did when departing the New England Patriots in 2020. The quarterback won six Super Bowls during his 20 years with the Pats and went on to win his seventh in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Huge NFL fan Kane has become friends with Brady over the years and the retired QB turned Birmingham minority owner believes the striker will thrive with his fresh start. “I sent him a congratulatory note,” Brady told the PA news agency. “He’s been a friend of mine for a long time. “He’s supported me over a long period of time, and I’m here to do the same for him. I know sometimes when you move clubs there's kind of an injection of energy Tom Brady “I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next. “I know sometimes when you move clubs there’s kind of an injection of energy. “It’s a different environment, you want to go prove people wrong, you want to prove people right. And that’s a great feeling as an athlete.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Rookie defender Yerson Mosquera scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, Roman Celentano had four saves and FC Cincinnati set up an all-Ohio Eastern Conference Final with a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union

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