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> England Home Shirt 09/10 (Umbro)
> Everton Home Shirt 09/10 (Le Coq Sportif) Visual Review
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Everton Home Shirt 09/10 (Le Coq Sportif) Visual Review
05.06.09
Everton and Le Coq Sportif together again, is it a good omen for Everton?
The developing trend that has seen football shirt manufacturers producing more retro-style shirts has continued with the release of Everton’s home kit for the ‘09/’10 Premier League season. Their partnership with Umbro has ended and so they have returned to Le Coq Sportif, a brand that has fond memories for most Evertonians as it was they who supplied out kits during the club’s 8-‘s golden era.
Andy Gray (left) models the classic 'Hafnia' kit (right) that has inspired Everton's new shirt.
Indeed, it is 25 years since Le Coq Sportif supplied us with the shirt that we wore while winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup, and that anniversary has spawned the retro design for next season’s shirt, which can be seen in many ways as paying homage to that famous design and the success that we enjoyed that season.
Upon witnessing the picture that leaked a few days ago though, I will confess I was very concerned that in attempting to modernise the classic design, they had butchered it. The iconic white ‘V’ that descends from the neck had been elongated to an extreme and it dominates the shirt rather too much for my liking.
Louis and Leon model baggy shirts, and it's not a good look.
Even worse though, was the presence of a peculiar horizontal seam that reaches out from the base of the ‘V’ and makes the shirt look rather more like a summer dress that an item of apparel that is designed to fit a footballer and allow them maximum flexibility and comfort during a game.
Perhaps, I thought, Le Coq Sportif is hoping to cater for the more traditional football fan who they see as having rather more to fit into a shirt and thus have tailored in some support for the ‘manboobs’ that a diet of football, pies and lager can leave many fans with.
In actuality though, the shirt is not as bad as it first appeared. Indeed, you have to question the directive of whoever organised the photo-shoot, because the shirts donned by Louis Saha and Leon Osman are far too baggy and make the shirt look plain awful.
Baines and Jagielka have shirts that fit, and look great.
However, when you see Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka sporting shirts that actually fit, you can see that actually, the shirt is quite nice. It is important to remember that, as a homage to the ’85 shirt, the tailoring is also a throwback and it needs to be a slim fit, figure hugging, as the shirts (and, more famously, the shorts) were back in those days.
I would still argue that the white ‘V’ is a little too large for my liking and the necessity of the horizontal seam is lost on me, but looking at the kit as a whole (especially with the change blue shorts) I have to say that I like it. The subtle stripes that are worked into the lower section of the shirt are an especially nice touch and I think that as long as the shirt is fitted properly, this will be a shirt that will look good on our players, and will certainly be a distinctive design in a time when football shirts are becoming less and less distinctive.
Whether the cut of the shirt is really suited to the supporter’s best interest though, is another question entirely. As I mentioned earlier, most fans physique isn’t that of a professional athlete and so wearing a slim-fit shirt may not be as flattering on them as it is on Baines. However, in recent years the fashion of wearing replica shirts as leisure wear (especially abroad) has received some vocal critics, notably Danny Baker, so perhaps this is not altogether a bad thing.
Overall then, I have to say that my initial disgust at the Le Coq Sportif design has been entirely dispelled. While certain design features could, in my opinion, have been better; I really love the subtle stripes as well as the return to a round neck collar. And after many seasons with Umbro as our kit manufacturer, it is nice not to see a kit that has all sorts of flashy bits of trim and strange patterns worked into the fabric.
Inside the collar of the new shirt is a tribute to Everton's greatest ever team...
I think that actually, as long as the kit is worn well, this could prove to be a really popular shirt. It will certainly be distinctive amongst the plethora of entirely familiar Premier League shirt designs and I think that can only be a good thing. And to be honest, it’s great to see the Le Coq Sportif logo back on the shirt, it brings the sweet smell of success to my nostrils.
Indeed, in many ways the shirt could be seen as a reflection of the current state of Everton’s team. Initially many might scoff at comparisons between it and its more illustrious predecessor, but I really think that the likes of Arteta, Jagielka and Cahill have the ability to lead this team into the territory that at present is the realm only of that great ‘85 team containing the likes of Reid, Ratcliffe and Gray.
...but can the current Everton line up emulate their success in the tribute shirts?
And let’s face it, if this is the shirt that we are wearing when we finally bring some silverware back to Goodison Park after fourteen long years of hurt, it will go down as an absolute classic, no matter what people think of it now.
England Home Shirt 09/10 (Umbro)
22.04.09
The shirt that England will wear in South Africa, can it bring us glory?
As an England fan, it must be said that we rarely have much to shout about with regard to how our team performs on the pitch, though fingers crosses, as usual, that could be about to change. However, despite out frequent disappointments on the field of play, when one travels the world, the site of the Three Lions sitting proudly beneath a pasty, sun cream covered nose is a familiar one.
Yes, we English are a proud and patriotic bunch. Our football team doesn’t give us much to shout about, but shout about them we still do, with greater aplomb than most other nations in world football. And so the release of a new England shirt, especially the home one, is often eagerly anticipated. Yes we’ll probably buy it whatever it looks like, but we always hope it’s going to be classy.
When England’s players unzipped their ‘Anthem Jackets’ ahead of the recent friendly match with Slovakia then, a large portion of our nation held its breath, and then had it taken away again when they saw the 2009 Umbro England Home Jersey. Or at least I did.
A man can dream can't he? A man can dream...
Umbro have been making England’s soccer uniforms seemingly forever now, and with this design they have gone right back to their roots. Recent England shirts still maintained some remnants of the excessive trimming and piping and all the razzmatazz that 90’s shirt design sort of exploded with, but this latest edition, that will see us through the next world cup, is very plain.
It is a return to simpler times, when the football shirt was just a shirt that footballers wore while playing. It has the England badge on its chest and a subtle white star and that is about it. And that is all it really needs isn’t it? My first thought, upon seeing it, was ‘nineteen sixty-six’. Of course the red shirt from that year is the famous one in all the photos but the white one is fairly iconic too.
Those '66 Shirts.
And I think that really, that is what Umbro were going for. I do not need to remind any English fans of the disaster that was our failing to qualify for Euro 2008, because the peculiarity of seeing a major tournament that doesn’t feature England was an entirely new experience for me, as I was only 5 when we missed out 0n USA ‘94.
And really, when we failed to qualify for Euro 2008, the nation as a whole took a step back and gathered their thoughts. We realised that we have a lot of work to do, that we are not one of the best teams in the world by right and that if we are not careful, we would continue to struggle on the world stage.
And we started afresh. In came Fabio Capello as a breath of fresh air, bringing with him a clean slate, fresh ideas and no prejudices regarding team and squad selection. And the beginning of his reign has been incredibly refreshing, with England starting to look like a team again, to rediscover the pride of pulling on an England shirt and the prestige of our great past.
So Umbro’s decision to return to a simpler shirt, reminiscent of our past is a fitting one. In its simple design, it too is a clean slate. It matches the way Capello wants England to play, simple football, back to basics. Good, honest and effective. And that sums up this shirt design.
In addition to being an appropriate reflection of English football’s current ‘fresh start’ ethos, it is also nice to see an England soccer jersey that is almost entirely white. In recent years they’ve featured blue shorts and red all over the place, but when you look at the St.George cross, it’s mostly white, and the red is provided for when the squad numbers are printed upon it.
Simple but effective; a shirt and a badge.
So in all, I have to say I am really impressed with the design of the latest England shirt. Yes, it’s very plain and some people may feel it is pretty much just a white polo shirt, but I feel that it is a refreshing change. The emphasis should be on the football itself, and so the main thing is that this shirt should allow our players to perform to their best.
And this aspect is something that Umbro have taken note of, and have taken the decision to tailor shirts to the exact fit of each member of the England squad. Of course, us loyal fans will not receive the same privilege, but I must admit, having tried it out for myself, I find the new shirt to be incredibly comfortable to wear, both as a sports shirt and as an item of leisure wear.
The fabric that it is made of is of a very high standard, and feels great. Most shirts these days are 100% polyester, but this one has 20% cotton in it, and while that doesn’t sound like much, it makes a difference. The outside of the shirt has a very cotton feel to it while the lining is light polyester, and so it has the comfortable feel of a proper cotton shirt but with the lightness of polyester.
And despite its cotton content, it is still a very breathable piece of kit, and won’t clam you up when you’re out on the pitch. It has vented sections under the arms which are really breathable as well as subtle vents in the lower back to allow heat to escape from these areas, and this helps, along with the fabric, to prevent the shirt from clinging at all.
A close up of the breathable fabric of the under-arm panel.
It is the little touches though, as much as anything, that really impresses me about the shirt. It features a traditional collar, but it is not too large or stiff as to restrict movement in the slightest. It has a single button at the neck which is covered, and the button itself features the dates “2009-2010″ and an identical spare is provided.
The star, that represents our solitary World Cup win is present, but in white, embroidered above the badge, which is a classy touch. Some have questioned the need for including the star because we have just the one, but in my opinion, we should be proud to have won one, and use it to spur us on towards adding a second. A really impressive touch is that the badge has been raised (allegedly at Capello’s request) so as to avoid chafing the nipples of the wearer; which sounds pedantic, but experienced players will appreciate it very much indeed.
The new badge design (with ribbon) and subtle white star.
The quality of the product is also impressive. The stitching is strong and secure and despite receiving a fair roughing up when I played in the shirt (I think my opponent genuinely did want the shirt off my back), it stood up well, didn’t ever feel like ripping and isn’t stretched, returning to its tailored fit. Thankfully, Umbro has resisted the temptation to adorn it with the usual bits of rubber or shiny holograms to ‘authenticate’ it as official merchandise too, because they were always a pain that clung a little when moving in the shirt.
In fact, the only downside I can find with the shirt is a slight one. When it is worn by our players in matches it is embroidered with a ribbon underneath the badge to commemorate the opposition (i.e. “vs. Slovakia”), a touch that cannot obviously be applied to the replicas, which may disappoint some fans who like to wear the ‘exact’ shirt that their heroes do.
At the end of the day though, I think that this is a wonderful football shirt. For the players and fans alike to wear on the pitch it is comfortable, breathable and flexible, while the design is classy and efficient. For England’s many fans on their tours around the world, it can also be a really elegant piece of patriotism, because it is essentially a polo shirt too.
The collar segment, proudly tailored in England.
Indeed, I think that Umbro have excelled themselves in the design of this shirt, and would hope that when it comes to the time to release the next away shirt they follow suit with that design. Having been fortunate enough to wear this shirt already, I would highly recommend any other England fans to go out and buy one. There’s nothing like showing support for your country, and in this shirt you can do it with comfort and style.
Ultimately, it will be a pleasure to see England’s players performing in these jerseys. I can only hope that the elegance, style and effectiveness that is so abundant in the England shirt will be reflected in the football that the Three Lions play. And I hope with all my heart that this shirt can go down in history, alongside its forty-three year old brother, as one that saw England lift the World Cup.
