Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterBy the 2010 World Cup, England had made failing to meet expectations something of an art form.With the Golden Generation unable to make it past the last-eight of a major international tournament, Fabio Capello was the man in the dugout for the Three Lions tilt in South Africa that summer.The Italian was known as a strict disciplinarian, but even he couldnt turn around Englands fortunes, as a last-16 exit to Germany beckoned.Ashley and Joe Cole on their 2010 downtimeAshley Cole and Joe Cole were both members of Capellos squad 16 years ago, so was there any truth in the subsequent chatter that players were bored that summer, due to the former Juventus bosss strict guidelines?I was playing Call Of Duty I was never bored, me! Ashley tells FourFourTwo, with his former team-mate agreeing. You may like The 2002 World Cup was the first time I was around big names. It made me understand I was capable of playing with top players and at major tournaments Ashley Cole on Englands 2002 rollercoaster tournament Theres going to be a moment where England are under the cosh to win the World Cup, someone is going to have to take the game by the scruff of the neck Joe Cole on what England need to do to win the World Cup We lost a lot of shootouts from 1990 and it became a thing. You have to credit Jordan Pickford and the boys theyve turned that round Joe Cole on how England ended their penalty hoodoo "I loved watching the other games and the food was great we had all the things we needed, the former West Ham man adds.Snooker, table tennis, recalls Ashley, with Joe adding that there was a holiday camp feel at the tournament: It was like a youth club for grown men! Personally, I had a great time.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.There was, however, one bucket list item that Capello - perhaps understandably - did not allow the two Coles to do, in swimming with sharks between matches.Yeah, I was fuming! says Joe, with Ashley admitting that he was also ready to enter the water with great whites."Yeah! Sharks, we have this kind of relationship I dont like getting in the sea because Im scared of them, but I plucked up the guts to go and jump in a cage, then it got stopped! What to read next Cristiano Ronaldo made me do the splits. I thought, This cant happen again. I didnt want someone to take my career away from me Ashley Cole on his major tournament battles with the Portuguese icon 'Roy Keane leaving Saipan in 2002 galvanised us but Mick McCarthy wasn't right to question him in front of the squad' Ex-Republic of Ireland international Clinton Morrison gives first-hand account of famous 2002 World Cup fallout Thomas Tuchel's divisive England World Cup 2026 squad is match-fit but short on fresh legs While for many people of a certain disposition - Capello included - entering the water with one of the planets greatest predators simply isnt a risk worth taking, Joe insists the odds of making it out of the water would have been in his favour.Youve got to be really unlucky to miss a game, he laughs. Imagine the breaking news: Ashley Cole is missing the game, hes been thumped by a shark.We went on a safari, so we just thought, Day off, were in South Africa, I might never come back here again. We tried to get it all sorted, then Fabio kiboshed it, he said no. I thought, But its harmless ish?Could It Be Coming Home? with Joe Cole and Ashley Cole is brought to you by Carling, official sponsor of the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Womens FA Cup. Watch the show on YouTube and Spotify, or listen to it wherever you get your podcastsTOPICSEnglandWorld CupJoe MewisSocial Links NavigationFor more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.With contributions fromChris FlanaganSenior Staff Writer
