DEAN SMITH

The pressure on Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reached new levels after the team’s latest Premier League setback, a dispiriting 4-1 loss to struggling Watford.

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been hired as Aston Villa manager.

West Ham has an unusual situation on its hands.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is facing a changing landscape in men's basketball amid coaching retirements, roster upheaval and a bumpy showing in last year's NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina now faces the challenge of finding Roy Williams’ successor.

Villa says discussions are ongoing between medical representatives of the club, the Football Association and the Premier League. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira, file)BIRMINGHAM – The Premier League warned clubs Friday that disciplinary action will be taken over breaches of coronavirus rules amid a sharp rise in cases, including 10 Aston Villa players being forced into isolation after testing positive. The outbreak at Villa threatens its Premier League games next week but the team will still contest its FA Cup match against Liverpool on Friday using only youth players. In games, players have become more lax and the league wants them to minimize contact. Villa's next game in the Premier League is against Tottenham on Wednesday, and Purslow did not know whether that match would go ahead.

FILE - In this March 27, 1993, file photo, Kansas coach Roy Williams raises his arms in victory after cutting a piece of the net after the NCAA Midwest Regional final in St. Louis. He was the guy that gave Roy Williams a chance, Williams told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)A Hall of Famer with three national championships and a familiar face at the Final Four, it would seem Roy Williams was destined for big things in basketball. He was the guy that gave Roy Williams a chance, Williams told The Associated Press. They wanted a high-profile coach and told Budig it would be a huge mistake to hire Williams.

It was a test of resolve for new Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, but Project Restart was accomplished. No team suffered more after the restart in June than the 2016 champion, blowing an eight-point cushion in the Champions League places. The capitulation was completed by Sundays 2-0 loss to Manchester United, which took the last Champions League place off Brendan Rodgers' lineup. Like Chelsea, Arsenal turned to a former midfielder this season to take charge. But there wont be a fifth consecutive season in the Champions League for the 2019 beaten finalist.

A television camera operator is seen during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, July 4, 2020. After the Premier League was brought to a sudden halt in the second week in March, abandoning the season became a very real prospect as the coronavirus pandemic death toll mounted. Signs outside told fans to stay home, with even pubs still closed when the league resumed on June 17. Some medics don't have far to travel to games with Watford's hospital looming over one corner of Vicarage Road. Even the stadium's car park is shared with tents for the town's COVID-19 testing, providing a reminder of the health emergency that made this the longest season.

Aston Villa's Matt Targett, top, celebrates with teammate Trezeguet after the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Peter Powell,Pool)The anguish of Leeds and Nottingham Forest provides a reminder of just what is at stake on the final day of the English Premier League for the teams fighting relegation. Status and history offer little protection when a team is trying to stay in the Premier League or regain a place in the world's richest league. Bournemouth must beat Everton and rely on Watford and Villa losing to secure a sixth season in the Premier League. The parachute payments have been criticized by the English Football League, which operates the three divisions below the Premier League, as they create an imbalance over the income for teams.

Liverpool's Sadio Mane, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Aston Villa at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, July 5, 2020. Liverpools players were back home at Anfield for the first time since winning a first English league title since 1990. Mane swept home a finish off the underside of the crossbar in the 71st for his 16th league goal of the season before Jones converted a shot from 10 meters out in the 89th after a nod-down from Mohamed Salah for his first Premier League goal. With second-place City losing 1-0 hours later at Southampton, Liverpool is on course to win the league by a record margin. BLADES BLUNTEDSheffield United's players resumed the Premier League with an outside shot at Champions League qualification.

Chelsea's Christian Pulisic celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Chelsea at the Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, England, Sunday, June 21, 2020. (Molly Darlington/Pool via AP)BIRMINGHAM Healthy enough to make his first appearance in nearly six months, Christian Pulisic sparked Chelsea to a comeback victory. Olivier Giroud put Chelsea ahead two minutes later in a 2-1 win over Aston Villa 2-1 on Sunday that strengthened the Blues' hold on fourth place in the Premier League. Giroud scored for the sixth straight league game against Villa. Unfortunately a little bit of quality and fortune favored them," Villa manager Dean Smith said of Chelsea.

Dean Smith (center) with Shannon Leedy (right) and Joanne Farrugia (left) at their JaZams toy store in Princeton, New Jersey. During the coronavirus pandemic, gift cards are nothing short of a lifeline for some small businesses. "It would be a heck of a lot of gift cards." For the most part, sales of gift cards go straight to a business' bottom line, which is invaluable in a time of turmoil. What people do with those gift cards after purchasing them is another story.

(Reuters) - A Wisconsin high school student on Tuesday stabbed a school resource officer, who responded by shooting the teenager, police said, in the second such incident over the last two days in the state. Oshkosh West High School, about 85 miles (137 km) north of Milwaukee, was put on lockdown after the altercation, Oshkosh Chief of Police Dean Smith said during a news conference. Smith said the student wounded the officer with an edged weapon. Classes were canceled for the day and Wednesday at the high school. Police said the student pulled out a handgun and did not respond to the school resource officers insistence that he give it up.

An Oshkosh Police Department resource officer shot a 16-year-old student Tuesday after the boy stabbed him in the officer's office at Oshkosh West High School. "Today's tragic event shows that trained school resource officers can save lives," Oshkosh Superintendent Vickie Cartwright said at a news conference. Those guidelines call for resource officers to serve as police officers as well as teachers and mentors. No Wisconsin laws spell out any special requirements for resource officers or restrictions on their weapons. Last year, for example, armed guards at three high-profile school shootings Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky; Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland , Florida; and Santa Fe High School in Texas were unable to stop those shootings.

Prince George of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are seen in the stands during the Premier League match between Norwich City and Aston Villa at Carrow Road on Oct. 5, 2019, in Norwich, United(CNN) - It's no secret that Prince William is an avid soccer fan but it seems he's passed on the passion to his young family, especially to Prince George. The pair, along with the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte, was spotted celebrating in the stands as their favorite team Aston Villa thrashed Norwich 5-1 in the English Premier League Saturday. "I'll be getting them tickets for every game now if they need them," joked Aston Villa boss Dean Smith after the match at Carrow Road in an interview with the BBC. Football fanPrince William, a devoted Aston Villa fan, is president of the English Football Association (FA) and works closely with the governing body on a number of issues related to the sport. In May, he was spotted joyously celebrating his side's Championship playoff win at Wembley which ensured Villa's promotion to the Premier League.

Legendary UNC basketball coach Dean Smith dies at 83 College basketball fans called him "The Dean." Over four decades, Dean Smith turned the North Carolina Tar Heels into a powerhouse team. Mark Strassmann reports on his remarkable career.