BOOT SPOTTING 28-29 APRIL
The biggest game of the weekend happens this evening but there was still plenty of action and great boot spots in the Premier League on Saturday and Sunday. As usual TRW brings you the very best boot spots from the Premier League this weekend.
This weekend saw some pretty spectacular goals scored – one of which was Tottenham Hotspur and England fullback Kyle Walker’s long range free-kick. In his interview after the game, newly crowned Young Player of the Year Walker said that he ‘just felt it’. Walker had been wearing an older pair of Blue/Orange Umbro GT II Pro boots but was back in the current Silver/Red colourway this weekend.
It has been a big week for Umbro who launched their St George collection ahead of the Euros. Unfortunately we will not see the collection in the Premier League this season. Otherwise we may have seen the likes of Aston Villa’s Stephan Warnock wearing a pair instead of this Black/White/Blue colourway.
Despite having the kit matching Soar/Black/Silver T90 Laser IV colourway available, Fernando Torres has stuck with the launch White/Orange/Black colourway. The Spanish striker seems to be hitting some form after scoring against Barcelona midweek and finding the back of the net three times against QPR. A great time to go on a goal-scoring run – for both Chelsea and Spain.
Jose Enrique seems to have finally worn-out his Warning/Black Adidas AdiZero II boots. The ex-Newcastle fullback had worn that colourway for most of the season but has recently updated his AdiZeros to the latest Blue/Energy MiCoach colourway.
There are still plenty of players in the Premier League wearing the AdiZero II such as Swansea’s Nathan Dyer. Dyer has, like the rest of his Swansea teammates, impressed in his first season of Premier League football. Dyer seems to be a big fan of the Blue/Slime colourway having worn them for most of the season.
We were surprised to see Connor Sammon’s choice of foot wear. The Wigan forward is another player to have worn the Warning/Black AdiZero II colourway but has recently switched to one of Adidas’ White-out colourways. Back in November 2010 Adidas released a Lightning White/Cyan colourway for the original AdiZero I boots which Sammon has been in for the past few weeks.
One of our favourite colourways here at TRW this season has been Adidas’ White/Blue/Warning AdiPower Predator colourway. Everton’s Tim Cahill, who hasn’t had his best season for the Toffees, has been in them since their release. Cahill has suffered from some injury problems this season but were glad to see him hitting the back of the net this weekend and doing is signature ‘boxer’ celebration.
Our final boot spot comes from Sunderland’s James McClean. McClean was featured on our boot spots wearing a custom pair of AdiZero MiCoach boots and more recently in Vapor VIII. Now McClean has unveiled a stunning pair of Blue/White NikeID Vapor VIII boots similar to the alternate Photo Blue/Platinum/Orange Superfly III launch colourway.
ADIDAS PREDATOR LETHAL ZONES: PASS
Adidas have released the fourth teaser of their Lethal Zone campaign. This week Adidas’ unique campaign sees their white boots feature a highlighted ‘pass pad’ on the instep of the boots -’ They Call Him Pass.’
He’s the skeleton key, One touch and you’re past. The ball always finds them. No defense can last. Pass unlocks the game. One more to finish the task.
The memory foam on the medial side of the boot ensures consistency of passing, and a 3-D sticky print with large surface area increases ball contact time for more precise passing.
PUMA V1.11 MUNICH
Puma have a habit of release some great looking limited edition boots such as the v1.815 Ferrari and Puma PowerCat Tokyo. Now, to mark this year’s Champions League Final being played in their own back yard, down the road in Munich, Puma release two very special editions of their v1.11 and PowerCat football boots with plenty of local pride on display.
Munich is the capital of the German state of Bavaria and this special edition design is inspired by the feature the white and blue lozenge design of the Rautenflagge, the state flag and the official gold and black colours of the capital Munich.
Engineered for speed, the v1.11 Munich football boots are made from a premium microfibre synthetic that’s soft, lightweight and durable for superb ball feel and a snug fit. Held in place with an elastic strap and velcro fastening, the v1.11 Munich’s lace cover provides these Puma football boots with a smooth striking surface.
The carbon fibre plate incorporated in the TPU sole plate reduces the weight of the v1.11 and distributes pressure evenly on firm ground. The lightweight Pebax frame offers stability and also decreases the weight of these Puma football boots further while pointed studs give the v1.11 Munich reliable firm ground grip.
The 11/12 season has been one of the most successful for Puma’s speed boot silo, highlighted by their growing roster of European heavyweights including Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure & Mario Gomez. We can certainly expect to see Gomez wearing this colourway in the Final if Bayern Munich make it past Real Madrid on Wednesday.
The new Puma Munich boot collection including the White/Blue/Gold V1.11 and PowerCat 1.12 is available to pre-order from today.
PUMA POWERCAT 1.12 MUNICH
Puma have a habit of release some great looking limited edition boots such as the v1.815 Ferrari and Puma PowerCat Tokyo. Now, to mark this year’s Champions League Final being played in their own back yard, down the road in Munich, Puma release two very special editions of their v1.11 and PowerCat football boots with plenty of local pride on display.
Munich is the capital of the German state of Bavaria and this special edition design is inspired by the feature the white and blue lozenge design of the Rautenflagge, the state flag and the official gold and black colours of the capital Munich.
The PowerCat 1.12’s stand out feature is the Puma 3D PST DUO technology featured in the the comfort of a soft and supple K-Leather vamp gives these football boots fantastic rebound qualities for super-charged shooting. The K-Leather upper offers the most natural ball feel while microfibre employed in the lateral quarter of the PowerCat 1.12 Munich keeps it’s weight down.
The Puma PowerLast combines with the Powercat 1.12 Munich’s stable yet flexible TPU outsole with bladed studs so these football boots offer outstanding comfort on firm ground.
The PowerCat 1.11 was a great success and the new improved PowerCat 1.12 delivers even more performance and is worn by the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Michael Carrick and Tomas Rosicky. We can certainly expect to see Cesc Fabregas wearing this colourway in the Final if Barcelona make it past Chelsea tonight.
The new Puma Munich boot collection including the White/Blue/Gold V1.11 and PowerCat 1.12 is available to pre-order from today.
UMBRO ST GEORGE COLECTION: SPECIALI III
It is St George’s Day in England and as the England football team look ahead to this summer European Championships Umbro reveals the complete St George collection. The collection is made up of the new England home kit, inspired by England’s patron saint’s flag, which was unveiled in February, boots and bags that Umbro hope will lead the squad to success. There is also some smart items of clothing that England will wear in their training camp this summer. The whole St George collection features the special stripe pattern Umbro developed from the St George’s flag, providing a smart, identifiable thread that runs through the whole range.
The first boot we look at is the Speciali 3 Pro St George Collection Football Boots: taking classic boot design to the next level.
Designed for players at the very top of their game, the Speciali 3 Pro represent the next generation of the classic Umbro Speciali boot, which has been a firm favourite over the last twenty years.
Tailored by Umbro for this summer’s big football tournament, the Speciali 3 boot comes in a distinctive White/Vermillion/Dark Vermillion/Deep Claret colourway and is expertly crafted from lightweight but strong leather. The laces are hidden on the Speciali 3 St George Collection, creating a larger flat strike surface and giving you greater power and accuracy, as well as better contact with the ball.
A premium soft leather upper extends around the medial midfoot for uninterrupted touch and feel of the ball, aiding fit and comfort to create a truly tailored boot. The classic Speciali A-frame is and internal reinforcement holding the midfoot in place. The boot also features ‘Clarino’, a suede grip sock that aids comfort and has much greater breathability than standard synthetic materials. A lightweight TPU outsole give the bot excellent forefoot flex and heel stability.
Offering great flexibility, support and an even better feel, the Speciali 3 Pro boots won’t let you down.
UMBRO ST GEORGE COLECTION: GT II PRO
It is St George’s Day in England and as the England football team look ahead to this summer European Championships Umbro reveals the complete St George collection. The collection is made up of the new England home kit, inspired by England’s patron saint’s flag, which was unveiled in February, boots and bags that Umbro hope will lead the squad to success. There is also some smart items of clothing that England will wear in their training camp this summer. The whole St George collection features the special stripe pattern Umbro developed from the St George’s flag, providing a smart, identifiable thread that runs through the whole range.
Umbro’s GT 2 Pro St George Collection Football Boots: innovative design for top-level players.
Tailored by Umbro for this summer’s football action, the GT 2 Pro boots have been designed to meet the needs of top level players with a fast and colourful playing style. In a smart colourway of White/Vermillion/Dark Vermillion/Deep Claret, these lightweight, highly responsive boots offer exceptional grip and traction on the pitch.
The GT II Pro is Umbro’s lightest, fastest and most futuristic boot to date. A lightweight Japanese micro-fibre upper provides both softness and strength, with asymetric concealed lacing providing a greater strike surface. A newly developed anatomical last is designed to offer the wearer a better fit, while the removable sock-liner with Poron Performance inserts complete the feeling of comfort.
On the outsole, the anatomically shaped plates are sculpted to reduce weight. The lightweight sole plate is built to give improved grip and traction, giving you an extra boost when you’re skipping away from defenders.
UMBRO ST GEORGE COLECTION: GEOMETRA PRO
It is St George’s Day in England and as the England football team look ahead to this summer European Championships Umbro reveals the complete St George collection. The collection is made up of the new England home kit, inspired by England’s patron saint’s flag, which was unveiled in February, boots and bags that Umbro hope will lead the squad to success. There is also some smart items of clothing that England will wear in their training camp this summer. The whole St George collection features the special stripe pattern Umbro developed from the St George’s flag, providing a smart, identifiable thread that runs through the whole range.
Geometra Pro St George Collection Football Boots: total control and support for visionary players.
Tailored by Umbro for this summer’s big tournament, the Geometra Pro boots are designed for creative players at the very top of their game. Comfort, control and support are enhanced in these responsive boots, which come in a smartly contrasting colourway of White/Vermillion/Dark Vermillion/Deep Claret.
The Geometra Pro St George Collection boots offer superior acceleration and grip, even in wetter playing conditions, as well as sensitivity and support during fast directional changes on the pitch.
A memory foam ‘pass pad’ on its instep aids ball control while a silicon-bonded grip zone on the toe to helps touch and feel allowing the wearer to add increased loft and spin to the ball. The specialist sole has a new stud configuration featuring a pivot zone inspired by squash shoe and allows players to turn away from trouble in even the smallest areas. Full grain ceramic leather wraps the foot while further safeguarded is provided by the inclusion of a solid heel wrap and stabiliser.
UMBRO LAUNCHES ST GEORGE COLLECTION
Umbro, the official kit supplier to the England team, has today unveiled the St George Collection, an on and off field range which will be used by the England squad at this summer’s European Championships.
The red and white of the St George’s flag is fundamental to this patriotic collection as is the striping detail inspired by the Umbro jacket worn by England manager Sir Alf Ramsey and which features on the current home kit.
The whole St George Collection is underpinned by Umbro’s commitment to delivering a smart look for on and off the field.
On the pitch, Umbro’s signature three pro boots; the Geometra Pro (worn by England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart), the Speciali 3 (worn by strikers Darren Bent and Andy Carroll) and the GT 2 Pro (worn by England and Tottenham defender Kyle Walker) have all been redesigned incorporating the distinctive St. George collection design. These boots will be worn at the 2012 European Championships by Umbro players who are selected for the squad. (See them here:)
As well as the Geometra boots, Joe Hart’s Geometra Pro gloves have been given the St George Collection makeover. Tailored for use at the highest level of the game, the Geometra gloves include newly developed hyper-extreme latex for improved grip teamed with an extended palm for greater ball control. The striping detail on the gloves doubles up as an embossed structured punch zone with a silicon coating to allow keepers the cleanest possible punch.
The new Neo 2 Pro, which will be used in England matches at Wembley, features an innovative 14-panel design uses fewer seams and allows for cleaner and larger strike zones. It is crafted with materials which allow maximum shape retention and consistency when striking the ball to give a faster and truer flight. The new graphic design offers better in-game visibility, allowing players to judge the amount of speed and spin on the ball with greater ease.
Off the field, the Umbro premium leather luggage ensures the England team looks as smart off the field as they do on it. The luggage, which players will use during the tournament, is crafted with fine black leather and includes subtle red design details.
Three headline products make up England’s high quality leather travelling range; the wash bag, messenger bag and weekender bag:
Joe Hart, Manchester City and England, said: “Umbro is known for producing smart gear and the new St George Collection is a perfect example of that.”
“It is an incredible feeling to step on to the football pitch and represent your country, and it’s great to see this collection embracing the colours of the St. George’s flag. The new Umbro Geometra boots and gloves complete the head to toe look for me and I love it.”
The St George Collection is available from May 4th from www.umbro.com
BOOT SPOTTING 21-22 APRIL
The Premier took yet another remarkable twist this weekend. Tottenham Hotspur saw their Top 4 chances take a knock with a loss to QPR, Manchester United opened the door to City when they drew an 8 goal thriller with Everton while City relegated Wolves. As we love to do, TRW brings you best boot spots from the weekend’s action.
We start with the Predator LZ. This weekend Adidas unveiled the next ’Lethal Zone’ as they continue their unique build up to the new Predators’ launch. This weekend saw the ‘Sweet Spot’ highlighted. This has been the tease campaign’s most successful weekend with both Nani and Samir Nasri finding the back of the net.
The weekend kicked-off with a massive London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal. In the end the game ended goalless as both sides’ defences put on an impressive display. Chelsea’s Gary Cahill has been in fine form of late which may be due to him retiring his Stealth Pro II boots and finally getting into the new Speciali III boots.
The Stealth Pro silo was launched in December 2010 and replaced by the Geometra Pro in June last year. Cahill isn’t the only player to remain in the boots with Aston Villa’s Nathan Baker also proving to still be a fan of the Stealth Pro.
Umbro’s current line-up is the strongest it has been for awhile so it is a little surprising that so many players are opting to stick with older boots. The likes of Terry and Carroll come to mind who prefer the Speciali R over the new Speciali III, while Fulham’s Brede Hangeland goes even further back in time wearing a pair of April 2010 White/Gold/Silver Speciali boots.
Demba Ba was unstoppable when he first arrived at Newcastle scoring 15 goals before leaving in January to join Senegal at the African Cup of Nations. Ba has struggled to find the back of the net since returning from the AFCON however. We wonder if he switched back into his old pair of Anodized Purple/Electricity AdiZero II boots in an attempt to return to his prolific form.
Puma’s King SL boots were released amongst much fanfare – thanks in part to Thierry Henry’s return to England. A lack of colourway updates has seen them loose a bit of momentum however. They are still one of the classiest looking boots on the pitch in our opinion with the likes of West Brom’s Jonas Olsson wearing the launch White/Navy/Orange colourway.
We have often said how much we love a good kit and boot match. Swansea seem to have the perfect boot matching away kit with first Adidas’ Black/Warning AdiZero MiCoach complimenting it and now Scott Sinclair showed how well the new Mango/Grey Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII goes with the orange away kit.
The Mango/Grey colourway doesn’t match the Norwich kit but it does make for an eye-catching colour combination. James Vaughan was an AdiZero wearer while on loan to Crystal Palace from Everton but has been in Nike Mercurials since joining Norwich.
Mark Clattenberg’s can’t be QPR’s favourite ref. Clatternberg sent Djibril Cisse off earlier this season and showed red to Adel Taarbt this weekend (both deservedly). Clattenburg was in Nike Tiempo Legend III boots when he sent off Cisse but recently has been wearing Adidas AdiPure 11Pro boots. We would be very interested to see what his MiCoach stats are compared to the players!
ADIDAS PREDATOR LETHAL ZONES: SWEET SPOT
Adidas’ unique tease campaign for the upcoming Predator LZ continues to gain momentum as they release the third of the ‘Lethal Zone’ teases. This week Adidas ask ‘Who is sweet spot?’
He can curve a bullet. He’s always bull’s eye. In the back of the net, his secret you’ll find. A sniper and two more make the lethal five.
The larger surface area on the medial side of the boot generates greater spin and pace when striking the ball. The base is connected with raised 3-D ribs to create an enhanced contact time on the ball.