UMBRO’S NEW ENGLAND AWAY JERSEY AND LIMITED EDITION SPECIALI
Tomorrow night will see England take on newly crowned African Cup of Nations champions Egypt at Wembley. It will be the first outing for four of Umbro’s newest products.
The new England away jersey was designed by Aitor Throup who also worked closely with Umbro and Fabio Capello on the new England home jersey.
Umbro’s tag line ‘Tailored by’ is an inspiration from the past as is the design of the new kit which has a distinct 1966 look about it.
The new jersey was first seen on Kasabian front man Tom Meighan. He wore it for their encore when they played at the famous Paris Olympia theatre on February 8th.
Along with the new jersey, be sure to look out for the England Red Speciali boots. Most likely to be worn be John Terry and Steven Warnock, (if he plays) the newest Speciali colourway is a collectors edition featuring the Three Lions crest on the sole. They are very much a ‘special’ collectors edition as there will only be 300 pairs available.
Also on the pitch will be the new Umbro Stealth Pro ball which will used for the first time along with the new Umbro goal keepers away gloves.
HAS FERGIE DONE ENGLAND A MASSIVE FAVOUR?
The game of soccer (or football) was created in England. The theory is therefore that they should be the most successful country in the sport’s history. That is however not the case. The Three Lions have only lifted the World Cup trophy once and that was way back in 66. Penalties, injuries and red cards have stood between England and glory. It seems they can’t build up to an important tournament without some kind of media frenzy, be it about Beckham or Rooney’s foot, or the latest scandal, ex-captain John Terry’s private life.
Every team that runs out seems to be ‘the Golden Generation’ but so far little gold has been received. Sure the likes of Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and Terry are not going to be around for much longer but there is some pretty good talent around in the up-coming generation. Just look at Aston Villa’s line-up; Ashely Young, Milner, Agbonlahor, Downing, Delph… The point is; this years’ World Cup isn’t the last opportunity England fans will have at seeing some silverware arrive on their shores.
In 2006 Wayne Rooney carried the hopes of a nation on his very young shoulders. He was not completely match-fit and most likely playing through the pain with a dodgy toe. Four years later and things have changed for the boy who saw himself sent off after earning a reputation as a hot head. The English media and fan base will not enjoy another quarter final exit – especially after a promising qualifying campaign. The hopes of the nation may well rest upon young Rooney’s shoulders again.
It was once said (with tongue in check) that Wayne Rooney was England’s best midfielder. The reason being that the Manchester United striker was often found frolicking around at left back or committing to crunching tackles in the middle of the park. His place is the six yard box and much criticism has come his way for not always being there. Roo was comfortably out-scored by Ronaldo last year – partly because he was often deployed wide left, while Berbatov ran down the middle. That has changed this year and the fruit of it is 21 league goals.
The question is what has brought about this change in goal scoring fortune for Wayne? I think there are two factors. Firstly; the ‘loss’ of Ronaldo. The Portuguese wingers ‘dream’ move to Real Madrid has meant that someone has had to step up and score the goals he took with him. Rooney has been used more centrally as well. The other reason why Rooney has become so prolific in front of goal – I think – is… Owen.
Michael Owen is an England great, a true predator and possibly the king of the six yard box. Fergie would never admit as much, but it’s possible that Owen arrived at Old Trafford for more reasons than to warm a bench (which is all he is doing at the moment). Maybe, just maybe, Sir Alex has shown his master class and brought in an aging, yet still highly gifted mentor. Owen’s legs are not what they were; his brain however, is as sharp as ever.
‘Well Wayne, what I normally do is…”
Owen didn’t sign a contract at United to play a couple of minutes here and there while others leeched striking tips off him. But exposure breeds change and that could just be what Sir Alex was hoping for. At the heart of every England footballer is a desire to see glory arrive in the Queens backyard. This is true of Owen. Despite his desperation to be a part of a successful England side, Owen would gladly help refine one of the best strikers around.
Rooney has matured, as a player, as a person and as a striker. Maybe it is because he became a father. Or maybe it’s because Sir Alex Ferguson exposed him to one of the greatest goal-poachers ever.
“It worked, just like you said Owen…”
THE MAGIC OF A DREAM
Greater Manchester boasts two wonderful stadiums. The first is the City of Manchester Stadium. Built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the stadium has a capacity of over 47 thousand and now belongs to Manchester City Football Club. The other stadium is Old Trafford. Belonging to Manchester United FC, the stadium is the second biggest in England after the national team’s home; Wembley Stadium. It is the 29th biggest football stadium and 57th biggest sports stadium in the world with a capacity of over 76 thousand. It was Bobby Charlton who summed up this stadium, its atmosphere, its fans and its football club the best when he gave it the nickname; ‘the Theatre of Dreams”.
Before the arrival of the Abu Dhabi-based investors, Manchester City were hidden in the shadow of United’s star. Manchester United have been one of the Premier Leagues dream clubs pretty much since the arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986. Sir Alex is United’s most successful manager. He arrived with a dream; ‘knock Liverpool off their ——- perch’. Bar some bumps in the road, Fergie and United have succeeded in doing so. The point that I’m trying to convey is that Manchester United are a club with vision, desire and dreams. United have a ‘magic’. Not many clubs have ‘magic’. Chelsea had money thrown at them and won titles and fans but, unless you are a true Chelsea fan, there is no magic there. That is true for every team. Each supporter will find ‘magic’ in the side he/she supports, but very few teams have magic that goes beyond knowledgeable football fans.
The FA Cup is full of magic but that’s not a team. A World Cup could boast magic moments but again, that isn’t a club. Now this isn’t a list of who does and doesn’t have ‘magic’. (It could be a hugely debated subject.) Rather what I want to say has to do with the lack of – or loss of – magic. The reason, I would say United possess this ‘magic’ is due to the fact that a non-football fan default ‘who is your favorite team?’ answer is Manchester United. Why? Beckham, Cantona, Rooney, Ronaldo etc. Players who have… MAGIC! The fairytale heroes of football…
Last season Manchester United needed to take every point to stay ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea to lift the trophy for the third season in a row. The game: United v Aston Villa, the score: 2-2… arrive boy wonder, enter Federico (aka ‘Kiko’) Macheda. At just 17 years old the young Italian slots home an injury time winner to secure United all three points. Just 6 days later he scored with his first touch after coming off the bench to give United a 2-1 win over Sunderland. If it was a movie we would all roll back our eyes and say ‘oh come on! That’s not very believable”. But it is what happened. It is like a movie script and it is what we call… MAGIC.
Where am I going? United currently sit between Chelsea and Arsenal in one of the closest title races we have had for a while. A lot has been said about United recently and the poorness of the performances. Sure second isn’t bad, but they haven’t been convincing by any stretch of the imagination. In fact imagination is part of the problem. United have lost or drawn often this season and have done so against relatively ‘easy’ opponents. Most people point to the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez as the reason for their misery. I don’t think losing them helped but that’s not United’s biggest problem. For all Ronaldo’s pomp and performance what he brought to pitch was… you know what I’m going to say… magic.
In the end United haven’t lost Ronaldo and Tevez, they haven’t lost players, they haven’t bought badly nor have they been choked by debt. What has happened is that United have lost their magic. Last season, irrelevant of the score, somewhere deep down sat a belief that United would win every match. With 5 minutes remaining, 2, 1, a couple of seconds even, United were a fairytale. Especially when playing on the magical pitch in the Theatre of Dreams! This season however has less sparkle, less fantasy. I’m not sure if the players believe they have it in themselves. When United fall behind everyone looks at Rooney as he throws his all into everything. One team, relying on one man… it is the reason United lost the Champions League Final to Barcelona. United pinned their hopes on Ronaldo and he didn’t deliver, Barca played as a team – that allowed Messi to shine. He didn’t have the pressure Ronaldo had. That night a little bit of magic died within United and they are suffering because of it this year.
United’s squad does lack a little bit of quality but no matter who is bought in the transfer window, unless Fergie can rewrite some magic into the script, United won’t see much success this season. I’m not shouting for Fergie’s head (here is a whole article about that:) but the question is can he play Walt Disney?
There are very few people writing for football related media who don’t pledge allegiance to one particular team. Me, I throw all my weight behind the English national side. But you can’t watch everyone every week, so one tends to gravitate. I used to gravitate towards the magic. Now United seem like just another team and are at times frustrating and possibly boring to watch. If you want to see some magic this season the team to watch in my opinion is Tottenham Hotspur (and they boast plenty of English talent). Lennon, Defoe, Huddlestone, Modric… there is plenty of magic there!
Supporters will always support their clubs and true love is tested by commitment. I’m committed to football and the magic of the beautiful game.
Within ‘the Theatre of Dreams’ resides a very good side, an experienced and trophy-winning side.
But a side that lacks…
MAGIC
IS THE TITLE A TWO HORSE RACE?
Chelsea looked unbeatable just over a week ago but with losses to Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City and a poor display in the Champions League against APOEL Nicosia, the Blues are reeling. I doubt that anyone is calling for panic stations but it certainly will come as a wake up call.
Chelsea’s main title challengers are floundering. Liverpool are far from their best and slipping further and further off the pace while Manchester United have a defensive crisis with Vidic and Evra the only two fit and available recognised defenders. Carrick and Fletcher have been doing a decent job, but they have hardly had to deal with the toughest of attacking talent. Manchester City, despite victory over Chelsea are not really a force to be reckoned with. I think they could disrupt someone’s party as they have ‘big team’ beating potential, but their inability to put small teams away could prove their downfall. Liverpool should have won the league last year. The main reason Manchester United were able to catch, pass and pull away was because they drew too many games.
Chelsea are playing brilliant football and have left many teams licking their wounds after handing them a pounding. Manchester United on the other hand have failed to be convincing. In fact, most of their good performances recently have been single half performances. United have gone into the break level or even trailing opposition and have managed to come out firing in the second half. This ability however, is what separates champions, from pretenders. It’s what Manchester neighbours, City have not been able to do. Liverpool, with a fit Torres and Gerrard and the rest of the side firing on all cylinders, are an incredibly hard team to beat – maybe even champion material – but their inability to squeeze out points even when not playing their best is what has enabled United to claim three successive crowns.
Chelsea must surely still be hot favourites to win the league and possibly even the Champions League. Losing Drogba and Essien to the African Cup of Nations will be a huge blow to them. The question is how big a blow will it prove to be? Chelsea do not lean on Drogba and Essien as much as Liverpool do on Torres and Gerrard, but the reaction of Ancelloti to news that Essien may be out injured until January, shows just how valuable they are to the Blues’ chances of success.
There is still a long way to go though. Looking at the top two teams, what strikes me the most are the squads. Manchester United, for the first time in a while, lack stars. The loss of Ronaldo wasn’t the end of United but the lack of a replacement could prove detrimental to title aspirations. United have a solid squad, not a brilliant one, not the perfect one, but certainly not a weak one either. I don’t think it is a Champions League winning squad however.
Chelsea will lose their African stars, and although January’s fixture list has been kind to Chelsea, they will be hoping for limited damage before the New Year. It could also be their last opportunity to buy for a while, so we can expect some big names and some young guns to arrive at Stamford bridge. Chelsea’s squad on paper is better than United’s. They have more ‘big names’ than the Reds. ‘Big names’ however don’t win you anything as we know, but with a brilliant coach and overbearing owner Chelsea have the ingredients needed to go all the way. The only question is, can they take the heat?
IS THE TOP FOUR ABOUT TO CHANGE?
Liverpool are having a terrible time of it at the moment. They did manage a 1-0 mid-week win against Debrecen to stop a run of losses. It didn’t help keep them in the Champions League however.
Top 4 is currently under siege from a host of teams such as Manchester City, Aston Villa and the current pole-sitters: Tottenham Hotspur. Sunderland, who sit just below Rafa’s men, have shown fine form – especially against the Top 4. They drew with Manchester United and recorded wins against Arsenal and Liverpool. Another team that Liverpool should be acutely worried about is Stoke City. Seriously? Stoke, if they had recorded as many away wins as they have home ones, would currently be sitting in 2nd.
The last time the Top 4 were breached was back in 04/05 when Everton pipped Merseyside neighbors Liverpool to the hot seat by 3 points. Liverpool got the European place due to having won the competition in dramatic fashion against AC Milan.
Tottenham came close to knocking Arsenal out of the Top 4 in 05/06. They just needed a win against Wigan Athletic. A bout of food poisoning meant that they only had enough energy to grab a draw. Unlucky!
This year Spurs have a much better chance of upsetting the norm and winning the fight for the lucrative 4th spot. It will cost someone. The biggest question now is who?
The answer to that must surely be; Liverpool.
BLAME MY BOOTS SAYS DEFOE
Jermain Defoe credits his goal scoring blitz to Spurs development coach Clive Allen.
Allen was a prolific striker in his day. It wasn’t a technique tip that got Defoe in the groove, but a boot choice.
Jermain was laced into the recently released Macaw Green F50i boot which Adidas had given him, when Allen stepped in and said he couldn’t wear them. The on-fire English hitman changed into the Silver/Red colourway.
A decision he won’t regret! Everything he touched seemed to hit the back of the net.
The price of Silver/Red F50i’s has rocketed this week after the demand increased seven-fold. Wigan boss, Roberto Martinez, went on a shopping spree to buy all his players a pair.
ENGLAND V BRAZIL PREVIEW
This weekend sees a host of international matches take place.
Eyes will be all over the place watching to see who comes through the play-offs to book a place in South Africa. (Will Ronaldo make an appearance for Portugal even though he is injured?) Others will be watching as their beloved countries take on each other. It’s all about the World Cup now. Tweaking the formations, sanding the rough edges, and settling on ‘the best 11’.
One of these matches that many (including me) will watch with much interest is a friendly being played in Qatar. Currently ranked number 1 in the world, Brazil, will be a good yard stick for the hopefuls from England.
Much has been said about the change around in performance and ‘winning attitude’ in the England side since the arrival of Capello. (Don’t send any text messages when you should be eating! He gets mad!)
The Three Lions came through qualifying relatively easily – just one slip up against the Ukraine. But how good are they? Have they become serious contenders for the World Cup? When picking who would make it to the quarter finals England is always there. The semis line up is most often England-less however.
Now they have an opportunity to step up and prove how serious this generation really is about winning a major competition.
Dunga has picked a virtually full strength Brazilian side. Capello has had to dive into his reserves a little however. Already without Gerrard and Lennon, the grim-faced Italian has now lost the service of Lampard (through injury) and Beckham (MLS play offs). David James hasn’t played much due to injury. Rio Ferdinand is also out with injury (and form…) issues. Ashley Cole is another worrying casualty.
That means England’s 11 will walk out on Saturday 6 men short of their best.
I think one or two players could count themselves unlucky not be in the squad. Joe Cole and Johnny Woodgate have had long injury lay-offs but their return has shown they haven’t lost any quality.
Darren Bent has received the call-up he has been seeking. Tottenham Hotspur have their two midfielders represented. Jermain Jenas makes a return and Tim Huddlestone receives his first senior call-up.
The squad doesn’t lack talent! But without some of their first choice starters they may lack the quality to test the men from Brazil.
The biggest worry for Capello has to be in defence. Robert Green, I think, will struggle. Matty Upson lacks pace and Wayne Bridge isn’t in Ashley Cole’s league.
A test of how far England have come, as well as a how deep Capello’s resources go.
Glamour, wags and cool haircuts aren’t going to win anything. But has Capello really changed that culture?
Saturday will give us an idea of just how far they’ve come.
My starting 11 would be:
Foster
Brown Cahill Terry Warnock
Young Barry Carrick Milner
Rooney Defoe
THE RIGHT WINGER SERIES PT8: CONCLUSION
So we have taken 7 weeks to get to this point: Who is England’s best Right Winger? After profiling 5 men; Beckham, Walcott, Bentley, Lennon, Wright-Phillips and Milner what conclusion have we come to?
England currently have some pretty good options in the midfield. Gerrard, Lampard, Carrick, Barry etc. Owen Hargreaves is returning to full fitness…
Capello seems to have settled on Lampard and Barry as his first choice partnership in the middle – although a fit Hargreaves could change that. This means that Gerrard has been used in a fluid left wing position. He drifts in and out and links up play. Therefore the only place left to debate really is the right wing.
Joe Cole and Ashley Young would be my back-up left wingers, so that means we only have 2 or 3 places left in the squad.
In a squad you want a couple of options. With that in mind I would pick Lennon, Walcott and Beckham.
Lennon should be England’s first choice winger. He is an out and out winger. He’s fast, tricky, a good crosser and possesses decent goal scoring ability. He can create space and goal scoring opportunities and that’s what being a winger is all about.
Beckham still has one of the best right foots in the game. His leadership and calm, mature head is a valuable asset to the team. And if plan A isn’t working, throw on Beckham and Crouch and I can guarantee you a goal.
Walcott is a good winger. He is lightening fast and has a good eye for a gap. He can also double-up as a striker.
A midfield with Gerrard, Lampard and Lennon sounds very dangerous. And looking across to the bench and seeing J.Cole, Young, Beckham and Walcott instills belief that England could just have the squad to challenge for top honors.
Read ‘Part 1-7′ here:
THE RIGHT WINGER SERIES PT7: MILNER
Leeds United have produced many great players. The list of past Leeds players is a long and interesting one. Rio Ferdinand, Jonathan Woodgate, Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, Alan Smith and many more. We have already had a look at one of their past wingers. Aaron Lennon made is debut for Leeds at just 16 years old. Today we look at another player who made his Leeds debut at just 16 – James Milner.
James Milner wouldn’t be described as a ‘typical winger’. He certainly possesses the ability to beat defenders – more because of clever play than speed and trickery however.
Milner has made an amazing 46 England U21 appearances! So what does James add to the team?
Milner is a great all-round player who is comfortable on the right or left wing. He has decent pace, a good eye for a pass and is happy to get stuck in and make some tackles. He reminds me a little of Park Ji Sung or Dirk Kuyt. He isn’t a prolific scorer (9 goals in his 46 appearances) but his ability to launch himself up the pitch and deliver a clever through ball, creates opportunities for others to score.
In my opinion wingers are in the side to create goal scoring opportunities. They hang wide to create space, they cut in to make use of that space or they use the channel to draw defenders away so attackers can utilize the created space. Yes, the more they can score the better but their main purpose – for me – is to create goal scoring opportunities. Be it a clever pass, a pin-point cross, a shot that gets parried…
James Milner does that job. His ability to read the game makes him a very dangerous player to have on the field. He can slot happily into the middle of the field as well as right or left back. England have a pretty good starting 11 and I don’t think Milner is good enough to be pushing his way in there yet but his adaptability could be an invaluable asset to the squad. Milner has been used mainly on the left for England of late. He probably finds himself behind Beckham, Lennon and Walcott. With the right so full of options, Joe Cole returning to full fitness and Ashley Young finding good form his place on the plane is far from guaranteed.
Read ‘Part 1-6′ here:
THE RIGHT WINGER PT6 – WRIGHT-PHILLIPS
Shaun Wright-Phillips is an interesting case. The former Chelsea player has always been there or there about when it comes to the England squad. He doesn’t seem to be Cappelo’s first choice right winger but how far down the pecking order is he? Beckham seems to have secured a place in the squad. Walcott has been injured for a while so hasn’t been picked. Aaron Lennon has been starting the last couple of games. So does that leave SWP only fourth? And therefore without a plane ticket…
There are certain players who when they get the ball, fear is visibly installed in defenders. Spectators want them to get the ball because they are exciting to watch. Their job is to run at defenders, whip in crosses, and cause chaos.
SWP doesn’t really do that for me. I sometimes think the defender should just let him run to the byline because when he tries to cross the ball, it will go out for a goal kick.
He does have ability; there is no doubt about that. I feel that his final ball however isn’t great. Sometimes his first touch can let him down and being small he can be easily pushed off the ball. I think many teams in the premier league would like to have him on their books because he is a talent. Perhaps, for me, just not world class.
Read ‘Part 1-5′ here: