DUBAI // As steps in to the unknown go, Tony Coton's decision to leave behind his family, friends and home to accept the goalkeeper coaching position at Al Ahli, the ambitious Pro League club, was definitely in the leap category.
"I was looking at opportunities to get back in the game without really searching for a job," said Coton, whose 10-year association with English Premier League side Manchester United ended in 2008 because of a knee injury. "I spent a few months helping out at [English Championship side] Queens Park Rangers when Mick Harford was caretaker manager and I got the bug again.
"Then, out of the blue, I got a call asking if I was interested in coming out to Dubai.
"I thought it was a little pie in the sky at first, but I got another call from the club, they told me about the package and I talked it through with my wife."
Less than a month later, Coton, with the green-light from his wife, agreed to join Ahli's backroom staff. Little did he know that fellow newcomers Gordon Ellis, the physiotherapist, John Phillips, a fitness coach, and Chris Loxston, a Prozone analyst, were also bound for the Emirates.
The surprises did not, however, end there. The former United, Manchester City, Watford and Sunderland shot-stopper readily admits that the quartet had no idea that Ahli's new board were in discussions with David O'Leary, the former Leeds United and Aston Villa manager, to take over at the helm.
"I came in without knowing who the manager was going to be," said Coton, who trained Peter Schmeichel, Fabien Barthez and Edwin van der Sar in his Old Trafford days. "Not one of us knew each other when we arrived on June 25, but we'd all heard different rumours about who the manager was going to be."
With O'Leary bringing experienced heads such Roy Aitken, his assistant at Leeds, and Malkie Thompson, a former Birmingham City coach, with him to Dubai, Coton revealed that the club's distinctly British coaches had been implementing a host of new ideas to the Ahli players on a recent four-week pre-season training camp in Austria.
"There's a British feel to the coaching set-up and we want that to run through the club, in terms of the togetherness and work ethic that is associated with the game at home," said Coton. "We respect the local culture and traditions and don't want to upset or change that, but the players know things need to change if they are to improve and become better and they've taken everything on board.
"They're quick learners and I'm really impressed with what I've seen so far. The application, desire and commitment was first class in Austria and some of the players commented on how the staff stick together. I got the impression they hadn't had that before and it is already rubbing off."
With traditional British football methods and vernacular flying around Ahli training sessions, Coton added that the players are not the only ones adapting to the club's bright new era.
"As coaches, we're under no orders to learn Arabic, but we're picking up some basics as we go," said Coton.
"Half of the squad speak excellent English anyway and they pass on what we want to those that are not as adept. Things have started well."
emegson@thenational.ae
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
Uefa Champions League last 16 draw
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur
Basel v Manchester City
Sevilla v Manchester United
Porto v Liverpool
Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain
Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma
Chelsea v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Besiktas
Sweet%20Tooth
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJim%20Mickle%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristian%20Convery%2C%20Nonso%20Anozie%2C%20Adeel%20Akhtar%2C%20Stefania%20LaVie%20Owen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
