Soccer

JACK GREALISH made a touching gesture for girlfriend Sasha Attwood after scoring for England.The Manchester City star opened the scoring after 18 minutes against Finland and celebrated by sucking his thumb.Jack Grealish celebrated by sucking his thumbCredit: PAThe winger said he would pay tribute to his daughter MilaSasha Attwood gave birth to Mila at the end of SeptemberCredit: Instagram @sasha__rebeccaThe gesture was Grealish’s way of celebrating the birth of his first child.Sasha gave birth to their daughter Mila Rose at the end of September but announced the arrival only last week.Grealish, 29, described Mila’s birth as the “best moment” of his life but he spent just a few hours with his daughter before flying from London to Newcastle to play in Man City’s 1-1 draw with Toon.He has now scored for the first time since becoming a dad and he delivered on his celebration promise.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBefore the match he was asked if he had something special planned if he scored, to which Grealish replied: “Yeah, to be fair, do you know what I’ve half thought about it for a while, I just didn’t manage to score yet.”Well, obviously I scored for England but in the moment just so much was going on and it being against Ireland and that I just completely forgot. So, yeah, maybe next time.”Grealish has been with childhood sweetheart Sasha for 10 years.She has been with him for virtually all of his football career, and celebrated with him on the pitch after he won his second Premier League title earlier this year.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSInside Sasha Attwood and Jack Grealish’s relationshipSasha Attwood and Jack Grealish have become parents for the first time, but their relationship started well over a decade ago…The pair met as teens in Solihull, West Midlands at secondary school, with Sasha previously saying they have been together since she was 15. Jack was already on his way to becoming a professional footballer when he met Sasha.Despite the long-term nature of their relationship, she remained on the sidelines when his career took off.However, intense interest in Jack’s private life came to a head in 2021 when England reached the final of Euro 2020, delayed a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of their romance, Sasha was cruelly targeted by trolls on TikTok and Instagram, receiving 200 death threats a day from “young girls”. The pair were spotted on holiday together following the tournament and slowly began showing more of their relationship on social media when the vile trolling died down. In 2022, they celebrated their 10-year anniversary and purchased a seven-bed mansion set in 24 acres worth £5.6 million.They moved in to the home in late 2023, but Sasha and members of Jack’s family were subject to a terrifying robbery while cheering on the Manchester City star during a televised match just after Christmas. Their latest milestone is Sasha’s pregnancy, which they announced on social media on July 7, and the birth of daughter Mila Rose on September 27.The couple have been congratulated by several of Grealish’s footballer pals, including Dele Alli, Declan Rice, Ross Barkley, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Morgan Rogers.Grealish opened the scoring after clever movement allowed him to latch onto Angel Gomes’ pass before he slid the ball past the keeper and into the far corner.New dad Jack Grealish reveals why he would never ask Bukayo Saka to babysit and which England pal he’ll go to for tips More

FORMER Premier League manager Phil Brown has insisted he would SACK HIMSELF if he was the chairman of his non-league side.Cult hero Brown will best be known to football fans for his time at Hull City and his infamous on-pitch team talk in 2008.Phil Brown is currently in charge of Kidderminster HarriersCredit: GettyHe held the infamous Hull City team-talk on the pitch back in 2008Credit: PA:Empics SportSince his time with the Tigers, Brown has managed the likes of Preston North End, Southend and Swindon Town.He now has the top job at Kidderminster Harriers in the National League North.However, the club has had a slow start to the season, having only won four of their first ten matches.The poor form has left the club languishing in 11th place, seven points off the summit.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLBrown, 65, has now given an honest account of the season so far and insisted that he would sack himself if he was the club chairman.He told the BBC: “On current form, it means I’m not good enough.”If I were the chairman, I’d be thinking about changing the manager, whether he’s thinking that way, I don’t know.”We won four out of five at the start of the season, and everyone wanted to join in, but that’s fallen by the wayside.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS”My head’s on the chopping block, not theirs. But if I were a player, I’d be embarrassed about the performance in the first half.”But I know what it looks like as a chairman, as an owner, as a director of football.Watch astonishing moment non-league clash is delayed by bizarre injury – caused by a WATER BOTTLEHe insisted he would ‘sack himself’Credit: Getty”They’re wondering if I’m picking the right team, by the end of the game, it was ‘no’.”Brown’s comments came after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup by Guiseley, meaning they miss out on a spot in the first round proper.He insisted that the performance was “sub-standard” and that the whole team is “accountable”.He added: “To be brutally honest, I need to apologise for my performance more than anything else, it was sub-standard to what the Harriers fans are expecting.”They expect people to wear the shirt with pride. I’m picking people who clearly don’t wear the shirt with pride.”They seem to be flying their own flag more than anything else.”You have your name on the back of your shirt, and you represent yourself and your family.”But if that’s the representation, then that’s not good enough for me.”Players were coming off the bench who weren’t prepared and didn’t look like they wanted to play, or affect the game.”There’s not enough out there who were wearing the shirt with pride. Some of them were delusional. I take full responsibility for the fact that some of the players weren’t ready.”I am holding the whole team accountable for losing this game – if you want to call it a punishment then they’ll all be in on Sunday which should be a day of rest.”We’ll be working 24/7 until we get this right.”READ MORE SUN STORIESBrown took up the job at Kidderminster last season on a short-term deal but was unable to prevent the side’s relegation from the National League.However, he and his assistant Neil McDonald were kept on by the club and handed a new two-year contract in the summer.Who are these famous footballers? More