Rachael

To say it's upsetting to find out Gordon Cowans, our "Sid" at Villa, is now in a nursing home as his dementia takes hold, is an understatement and I'm sure upsetting to everyone in the Villa family. As a footballer, he was one of my true heroes, a majestic ball playing midfielder who was criminally underused for England but who drove us to become Champions of England and Europe. Quiet, no fuss, just oozing class and composure always. As a coach at Villa, he was the only one on the coaching staff who didn't judge my mental health issues at a time when others, who should have known better, did. A quiet word here, a chat there, a "well done big man" when I was at my loneliest and weakest showed me the man he is. I saw Sid a few weeks ago at Villa Park, and although it was obvious dementia was taking an ever increasing hold, he still chatted, still instinctively knew his role amongst supporters as an icon, signing autographs and having photos, a lesson to every pro footballer today. If he can, you can. Sid, you're my hero, yesterday, today, tomorrow and for as long as I have breath in my body. You are the very best of the sport we love, the club you represented and still represent with so much grace, and the family and friends who will be by your side. From me and mine, thank you for everything you gave a wide eyed 11 year old, thank you for the words as I lived a nightmare wrapped in a dream come true, and how you epitomise why Aston Villa Football Club is the special place that it is. To Sid's family, sending you much love and wish you the greatest strength at this difficult time. We're Aston Villa, a glorious name, a magnificent history and a bright future ahead. All made possible by men like Gordon Sidney Cowans. "All of my heroes are Villans". Keep fighting, Sid. #UTV 💜💙

***BREAKING*** Everyone ready for some VERY good news? The Crown Inn — widely regarded as the birthplace of heavy metal music — has been listed at Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on the advice of Historic England. It is best known for being the venue where Black Sabbath performed their first ever gig at Henry’s Blueshouse, which was situated upstairs inside the pub. The Crown also hosted a litany of other rock royalty including The Who, Status Quo, UB40, Duran Duran, Thin Lizzy, Marc Bolan, Supertramp, Judas Priest and Led Zeppelin. Sitting at the junction of Station Street and Hill Street, a stone’s throw away from Birmingham New Street Station, the building is one of the first things seen by passengers leaving the station via the Spanish steps and has been a site of concern locally for almost a decade, laying vacant since 2014. Next stop, The Electric 🤞

This is so moving. A real goosebumps moment. This is Shane MacGowan’s funeral. More funerals should have this energy, where we celebrate the miracle of life. What an amazing video. xitter.gq/SkyNews/status/1733178…

This is one of the best videos to ever exist for entrepreneurs, creators... I think about it often. In 2016, Pharrell Williams visited a NYU music production class to critique student songs. At the beginning you could see student "Maggie Rogers" drenched with the absolute terror of sharing this with him. Pharrell is there just trying to keep his excitement in. The guy couldn’t wait to tell her this song is the bee’s knees. After he listened to a song called “Alaska”, he explained why “I have zero, zero, zero notes for that:” 24 hours later, someone posted the clip to Reddit. It blew up and the rest is history. Grammy nominated, millions of followers etc. And Maggie responded to the Reddit thread (i'll share screenshot in the next tweet). This story I find so cool because it inspires other artists to share what they got. We all can all connect with the fear of showing our work. It ain't easy. And to have a unique POV like Maggie. Easy to copy, harder to have something unique. I’ve got a bunch of designs, creations that have never seen the light of day. This video inspires me to publish more. My point of sharing this video: Publish your art anonymously. Or publish your art proudly as yourself. Bonus points if it's one of a kind work. But publish your darn art. This is your new week's energy. This is your 2024 energy. Go get 'em. -- If you enjoyed this, go listen to some Maggie Rogers. And thank you to Pharrell for being so supportive to an up and comer. And go follow me for more stories like this @gregisenberg, so you get more of it in your feed I share stories about internet communities, free startup ideas and more. (link in bio for more info about me)

👏 @dgoficial is world class ON and OFF the pitch. My son was 🥶 and he gave him his jacket as a present. I can’t thank you enough for the happiness you have given my family today. 💜💙 #AVFC @AVFCOfficial #UTV

Sam Fender, Glastonbury 2022 An oldie but a goodie but this time in it’s full 7 mins 32s glory. An emotional Sam Fender at the first Glastonbury in 3 years post Covid, his first appearance at the festival. I don’t recall a song looking any better visually and I’m happy to be proved wrong. Perfect 👌🏻 #Glastonbury #Glasto @samfendermusic

This video from @NorwichCityFC is the best bit of Mental Health Awareness I’ve ever seen… watch until the end.