Posts Tagged ‘Umbro’

Umbro.com Blogs

When Umbro.com asked me join their blogging team I was over the moon. I’m obviously dead interested in football shirts and parts of my match-worn collection are currently exhibited in the National Football Museum. Below, you can follow the links to my official Umbro blogs, which are in the main really geeky affairs, looking at the history of Umbro and football memorabilia.

Enjoy!

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1. Getting Shirty: Umbro examines the world of rare football shirts
“Hi guys, I have a limited edition Umbro England World Cup 1966 shirt in a gold case, only 1966 were made, and I was wondering how much would that be worth nowadays?” The above enquiry was posted on the Umbro blog recently, so we set intrepid writer and football shirt nut Jeff Maysh [...]
2.Getting Shirty: the story behind Beckham’s kit
As we mentioned earlier, Loaded’s Jeff Maysh is joining the blog team here at Umbro to give the inside track on all the world of football shirts. Jeff’s a big collector of shirts, and knows his football – despite being a Spurs fan. Here’s his blog for us, where he looks at the detail that [...]
3. England Shirt…Tailored By The Mighty Boosh
Here’s an England shirt as you’ll never have seen it before…designed by Julian Barrett and Noel Fielding of The Mighty Boosh. It was passed on to us by Jeff Maysh over at Loaded magazine, who’s going to be writing some blogs for us, starting later today. The Boosh designed the shirt for a Loaded charity [...]

Follow My New Umbro Blog

I’m pleased to announce I’ve joined the Umbro.com team and will be blogging regularly for the official Umbro Blog. Those who know me understand I’ve got a bit of a football shirt obsession, and that I’ve got a modest collection of match worn memorabilia, some of which is currently housed at the National Football Museum, Preston.

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For me, Umbro make the most stunning football shirts. I’m not just saying that- their golden era for me was 1994/5, and I’ve got a few examples from this period.

Me with Klinsmann and Sheringhams famous Umbro shirts

Me with Klinsmann and Sheringham's famous Umbro shirts

I was chuffed to be asked by Umbro.com’s top man, Aaron Lavery, to contribute to what I think is a really cool blog, and one that I follow religiously. There’s no fee here, brothers, it’s for the love, and I’m chuffed that stuff I’ve written here on my personal blog was picked up by what I believe is one of the best sportswear brands in the world.

My Umbro Byline Photo.

My Umbro Byline Photo.

In the near future I’ll be writing about ‘rare as rocking horse shit’ Umbro gear that pops up on eBay, basically serving as Umbro’s eye on the Internet. You can keep updated with my blog by following @Umbro on Twitter, or visiting the Umbro Blog.

The Day I Scored At Wembley!

So that’s another boyhood dream ticked off. On Wednesday 25th November 2009, I scored a 25-yard goal at Wembley stadium. Okay, it was quite a warped take on my actual boyhood dream: This was supposed to me playing for Spurs against Arsenal in the FA Cup final. Instead, my goal was set up by X-Factor winner Shane Ward, in a special match organised by superbrand Umbro. But they all count. Here’s what happened.

The away dressing room at Wembley

The away dressing room at Wembley

The magnificent Wemb-erly!

The magnificent Wemb-erly!

I do a lot of work with Umbro, and to celebrate the launch of their new Speciali boot and some superb new kitwear, they invited some journalists and TV types to play out a match on the actual pitch. Which was possibly the largest pitch I’ve ever seen. When you receive the ball, it feels like you’ve got weeks to decide what to do. Unless you have a touch as appalling as mine.

Preparing for action next to my strike partner, Shane Ward from X-Factor.

Preparing for action next to my strike partner, Shane Ward from X-Factor.

The team of out of breath journalists and celebrities

The team of out of breath journalists and celebrities

T4 presenter Rick Edwards: annoyingly fast footballer

T4 presenter Rick Edwards: annoyingly fast footballer

I spent much of the time upfront with Shane, but was marked by man-mountain Rick Edwards off the telly. Umbro weren’t overly impressed that my Speciali boots didn’t fit and that I wore my own Adidas pair. Nevertheless, like most of the players, I was here to score.

Zoo magazine's Leo Moynihan was playing a blinder before his Wembley dream ended ina trip to casualty

Zoo magazine's Leo Moynihan was playing a blinder before his Wembley dream ended in a trip to casualty

Being largely unfit, I found myself in on goal just twice in 90 minutes. But when a through ball from Ward slipped past ASOS’s Paul Drew, I wasn’t (as Harry Redknapp might say), going to fuck about. So I hit it from outside of the box and watched as it sailed in. Funny feeling that, seeing yourself score at Wembley. Embarrassingly, I remember shouting, “That felt alright!” and hearing it echo off the empty stadium walls.

My goal. 85th minute. I dont remember the 'keeper looking that sluggish...

My goal. 85th minute. I dont remember the 'keeper looking that sluggish...

Nevertheless, it flew in. Pele never got to play at Wembley. I did and it was a marvelous experience and probably one of the most enjoyable afternoons of my silly little life.

Is It A Rooney, Or Is It A Rodney?

So, despite being quite the knowledge on football shirts, I managed to buy a counterfeit England shirt on eBay this week. Can you spot which shirt below is the Rodney (the moody one) and which is the Rooney (the official one)?

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In fact, it appears this is the first of a batch of fakes produced in the Far East about to hit our shores, and unfortunately (for them) it was sold to a journalist who knows the chaps at Umbro very well. Anyway, careful what you buy on eBay, for the differences are quite subtle. Here’s what to look out for, because they’re coming to a market stall near you.

1. The famous Umbro logo. On The Rooney it’s made of a mat-finished cotton, the Rodney is all shiny and fakey.

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2. The button. If it’s ‘a Rodney’, the button is white, without the red colouring seen on the real thing.

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3. The three lions. Rooney’s shirt is pale blue, while Rodney’s is darker and looks like it was sewn on by prisoners.

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Remember, Delboy, if it’s too good to be true, it normally is. Buy your official Umbro gear from Umbro.com. Mange Tout?