Every time I’ve watched England Under-21s train at home or abroad over the past five years, Ashley Cole was out there early, laying out the balls and cones (pic below), discussing the session with the head coach Lee Carsley. He gave individual instruction to defenders like Levi Colwill and Tino Livramento. They spoke highly of Cole’s counsel and desire to improve them as players. His work ethic and humility inspired them.
In matches, Cole would sort the subs with the fourth official. No airs or graces, even though Cole was a genuine superstar as a player. He was the most consistent of the Golden Generation, England’s greatest ever left-back, seventh on his country’s all-time appearance list with 107 caps, winner of seven trophies with Arsenal, nine with Chelsea. He stood up to Cristiano Ronaldo and Arjen Robben. He nailed his two shootout penalties in the 2008 and 2012 UCL finals. He was an elite competitor and winner.
After retiring at 38, Cole could have played golf or gone into punditry. Instead, he’s built a coaching career. Along with some other reporters, I helped Cole do the media module of his Pro Licence at St George’s Park. Cole's attention to detail and desire to deliver in his second career was very clear to us.
Cole worked his way up, assisting Frank Lampard at Derby, coaching in Chelsea’s academy when Lampard went to the Bridge, and then assisting Lampard at Everton. He assisted Wayne Rooney at Birmingham City. He also assisted Carsley in his six games as caretaker of England’s seniors before becoming a full-time FA coach.
Cole, 45, now takes on his first managerial role – at Cesena in Serie B. It’s only until the end of June but an experience, an education and with the possibility of a longer stay. Good luck to Cole. He’s earned the opportunity. He’s grafted for it.
2026 will mark the year when humanity achieved digital abundance. Any thought and desire instantly transmogrified into software. Apps, games, images, music, docs, sites, every one generated, by anyone.
It's impossible to be consistently scrutinous, especially with the level of inspection that current gAI content requires.
Short-form content means you watch tens of videos a day. How long can you keep pulling out the magnifying glass?
We're cooked.
@BayernSpace I don't know who you are, but I'd go to war for you, Mr BayernSpace. Anything you need. I'm one DM away. Need a couch to kip on? You know who to message. Need someone to give you that confidence boost and tell you you're gorgeous? I'm here.
As part of his dangerous anti-vaxx crusade, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. spread horrific lies about autistic people by saying they “will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date.”
RFK Jr. also said many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.
He claimed that autism destroys families and children.
This is objectively false.
Plenty of autistic people pay taxes, hold jobs, play sports, write poems, and go out on dates.
And a small percentage — not many — require help to use the toilet.
What a horrific demonization of autistic people under the guise of trying to find the cause of autism.
This is why Robert Kennedy Jr. is one of the most dangerous men in public health.
There's a reason this 24/7 electricity topic is royally pissing me off.
Yesterday in theatre the power went off 6 times in about 3hrs.
This means 6 times, the junction box was unplugged and replugged to solar/electricity & the equipments- anaesthetic machine, Diathermy, Suction
Is it me or has the White House still never explained why DOGE had to do all this stuff immediately and why they couldn’t wait to, I don’t know, make sure they weren’t shutting down Ebola teams/firing nuclear technicians/etc