JACKSON, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 27, 2023--

Birmingham have sacked head coach John Eustace despite a bright start to the season, increasing rumours of former England captain Wayne Rooney taking charge at the club. Eustace led Birmingham to safety last season, while a come-from-behind 3-1 derby win over West Brom on Friday left Blues sixth in the Sky Bet Championship after 11 fixtures heading into the international break. While Birmingham recognised in a statement Eustace had “helped to stabilise and strengthen the club” in his 15 months at the helm, they have decided to part company with the ex-Republic of Ireland assistant. “It is essential that the board of directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire football club,” the statement on Birmingham’s official website said. “With this in mind, Birmingham City has parted company with head coach John Eustace. “A new first-team manager will be announced in the coming days who will be responsible for creating an identity and clear ‘no fear’ playing style that all Birmingham City teams will adopt and embrace.” Eustace succeeded Lee Bowyer in July 2022 and helped Birmingham finish nine points above the drop zone in the second tier amid off-field issues surrounding the ownership of the club. Despite just three defeats so far this season, it was reported over the weekend Eustace’s position was under threat as the club’s new American owners sought a big-name appointment. Former Manchester United striker Rooney would seemingly fit the bill after he announced on Sunday he would be leaving DC United following their failure to qualify for the Major League Soccer play-offs. “It’s just the right time,” he said in quotes reported by the Washington Post. “I have really enjoyed my time here. But I just feel it’s the right time to go back to England. What lies ahead, I don’t know.” Read More Ireland wings Mack Hansen and James Lowe on mend ahead of New Zealand showdown Jos Buttler concerned by ‘poor’ outfield ahead of England clash with Bangladesh Football rumours: Wayne Rooney in the running for Birmingham job

A Twitch streamer actively encouraged his fans to “torture” him as he carried out a nightmarish new challenge on the platform. The pro gamer, who goes by the name Izidore, aimed to spend three days locked in a dark closet, allowing his viewers to pay for the pleasure of tormenting him. The “torture” items on offer included a flashbang – costing just 50 Twitch bits (or $0.50/ around 88p) – or pummelling him with ping pong balls ($4/£3.17), a leafblower ($5/£3.96) or a water shooter ($15/£11.90). However, Izidore looked visibly defeated after he passed the halfway mark, and with 49 hours and 27 minutes to go, he bowed out of his makeshift hellhole. Just before he left the wardrobe, he began weeping, telling fans he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t see and couldn’t breathe. He then decided to let some “air” into the tiny room and told his girlfriend, June, who appeared at the door that he “didn’t want to stop”. However, after bursting into tears, he admitted defeat and trudged sadly out. The streamer was showered with support on Twitch chat following his sudden exit. However, he will soon have to face the dramatic forfeit he set himself. Before embarking on the task, Izidore pledged that if he quit before the 72 hours was up, he’d “total" his own car. And however baffling this whole thing might seem, it’s worth noting that Izidore isn’t the first influencer to embark upon the self-confinement exercise. He follows fellow streamer Erby who, last week, completed his own three-day stint in a pitch-black cupboard. Erby then pushed his moderator, who’s known as C0usta, to make his own attempt, promising him a new car if he should succeed. However, the 2005 Chevrolet Suburban clearly wasn't tempting enough, and C0usta quit after around 24 hours. Ahead of Izidore’s attempt, his girlfriend, June, who was tasked with hurling eggs at her partner, explained why he’d decided to give the challenge a go. “This actually isn’t his first closet stream, he’s been doing challenges for years,” she told Dexerto. “He’s good friends with Erby [...] and when C0usta quit the challenge, Izi set up the exact same challenge here to prove that he can do it.” Speculating on Izidore’s expectations, June continued: “I think he’s expecting to lose his mind and come out victorious on the other side better for it. “I honestly expect him to complete the challenge – he has been doing challenges like this for like four years and has never quit yet!” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The persistent weakness in Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong augurs ill for risk-loving retail investors in South

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will outline plans to bolster energy security on a visit Monday to Scotland

By Rae Wee SINGAPORE The dollar held tight ranges on Friday as investors awaited a key U.S. jobs

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He’s the biggest name in chess at the minute, and Hikaru Nakamura has responded to the cheating allegations against him by going on a crazy winning streak. Streamer and grandmaster Nakamura dismissed “garbage” claims that he had cheated recently after going on a 15-game winning streak and blowing away opponents. In case you missed it, chess grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik appeared to have accused Nakamura of cheating in a cryptic post after referencing a number of “interesting” statistics behind his incredible form. Magnus Carlsen had a little fun at his expense earlier this week, and didn’t seem to be taking the whole thing too seriously. Since then, Nakamura seems to have been galvanised by the accusations and he’s gone on to win a staggering 43 games in a row. It’s an impressive feat to say the least, and chess master Levy Rozman seemed to sum up the thoughts of the community by writing: “This is insane. Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura has just won 43 blitz chess games in a row, live on stream... he is clearly sending a message regarding the recent comments from Vladimir Kramnik.” The allegations have clearly inspired him to some of the best form of his chess career. Nakamura already hit back after grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi shared a screenshot of Kramnik’s post implying Nakamura had cheated. He hit back by writing on Twitter: “Vladimir appears to be referencing my record…is he really accusing me of cheating? [Ian Nepomniachtchi] are you jumping on this accusation as well by tweeting this garbage??” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Paige Spiranac humorously shared an Instagram incident where her caption led followers to misunderstand her intention

Double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya was discriminated against by rules requiring her to lower her testosterone levels, the European Court of Human Rights found...

Andrew Lester, the 85-year-old White homeowner accused of shooting a Black teenager who rang the wrong doorbell, is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.

Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez homered in his first three at-bats against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night