Studs Up

I’m co-hosting Nike’s screening of the Champions League final in New York on Saturday so if you’re in NYC come on down to Nike Stadium at 276 Bowery and say hi. There’ll be free food, drinks, limited edition gear (including a t-shirt I designed for Nike) and it’d be great to meet some of you guys.

I’ll also be doing a Twitter raffle to give away one of tees I designed to a lucky guest at the event.

Flyer with event info and a sneak peek at the tee below, feel free to share with friends!

Just got back from London and incredibly hungry for some reason. Apparently 5 packs of Walkers Prawn Cocktail is not sufficient food for a long flight.

Coverage of the adidas event, review of the Predator and of course finally a brand spanking new comic all coming tomorrow. Can’t believe I was away when Rooney decides to shave his chest hair into novel shapes. Saw it on Sky and thought it was a tattoo with a flames design.

Getting on a flight in the morning to London for a few days as Adidas are flying me out for a boot launch. We were meant to keep it under wraps but since everyone’s already talking about it, including players tweeting pictures of said boot, it’s the new Predator.

As many of you who follow my boot reviews have noticed, I get sent a lot of Nike gear. It is awesome. I get sent pretty much zero Adi gear. That used to not be awesome but then I decided if they didn’t want me to check their stuff out, then hey I’ll keep telling reviewing and recommending Nike. Doesn’t seem much of a point for me to tell you guys how great some boot is that I haven’t even worn.

Thus the invite to this event was nice and even nicer was the fact they’re treating myself and a bunch of other site/blog types to suite at the Chelsea-Newcastle match on Sunday as well as the boot launch on Monday/Tues. I haven’t worn a pair of Adidas boots in, literally, years as the last review pair I was sent wasn’t in my actual size and thus I couldn’t even begin to try it out.

But this should be a good time – photos to come and a summary probably Wednesday when I get back. Toodles!

Shit, did I just say toodles? Well, can’t delete anything on the internet.

It’s been a little while since my last gear review, and I’ve got a shedload of new gear sitting waiting. So here’s the first of a number to come.

I’ll be unboxing three Nike kits, the first France home and away efforts as well as the recent USMNT red kit.

I was crazy excited when Nike took control of the FFF merch, they’ve been gradually raising the bar on how football and fashion and I imagined they’d bring their A-game for a nation that’s basically the home of the highest of high fashion. So I couldn’t wait to see how Nike intended to meet that challenge.

My package included three items. The home kit and Nike Sportswear sweater arrived on their own while I was sent the press-edition for the more recently launched away kit – hence the swanky box. The NSW collection of gear was an early statement of intent from Nike that their sponsorship of France was going to be about much more than just team kits.

The home shirt is a wonderful example of less is more, I expected possibly an attempt to try too hard to be high fashion but Nike reeled it way back to a subtle but significant new blue and two tone collar. The sleeves were noticeably longer than an average kit, with reason…

A single star for a single world cup. Wondering what Nike Better World is? Here, I’ll make it easy for you to check out if you want to read about a bunch of stuff Nike is doing to try and do their part for the world/environment that probably not too many people know about. I usually get the “recycled materials” rhetoric on press days but there were a lot of initiatives on the Nike Better World site that I had no idea about. Credit where credit is due.

The collar button is actually really high, when the shirt was released Nike made a point of explaining that the details were designed to give players ways to customize the shirt to their own taste and you can open the collar up a lot or do it all the way up. I liked the feel of the collar, structured but not uncomfortable.

As I mentioned, the sleeves were significantly longer than I was used to from a football kit. Too long for my taste, but they did have a purpose which was to allow the sleeves to be rolled up to reveal the third colour of the FFF – red.

So as part of the customisation effort, a plain blue shirt with a collar can be quickly converted to have some seriously popping red detailing. I wouldn’t wear the sleeves down because of the length, but also because I loved how the shirt looked with the red sleeve turn-ups.

A navy stripe down the sides completes the detailing, the same navy used for the collar.

As has become the norm for Nike kits, the reverse side of the badge reveals a message intended to inspire. In this case – “Our differences unite us”. I actually didn’t even look that up, I’m just using my my powers of deduction. So if I got that wrong, feel free to let me know.

Now the away kit may already be one of my favourite tops of all-time. Nike went all out on the fashion spin with this one, partnering with Paris boutique Colette and brands like Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel on a collection of accessories inspired by the kit’s design. When have we ever been able to drop those brands in a conversation about a national kit? Like I said… A-game.

Nike’s packaging has always been great but their press versions have been amazing lately.

The kit pulls from the famous marinière striped shirt synonymous with France, sailors, mimes and the like. I thought it was a brilliant touch and one that could have been comical, but instead looks absolutely brilliant. I’ve always loved hooped shirts like Celtic or QPR, but can’t think of a lot of thin-striped football kits. I can’t wait to see France take the field in this and see what kind of new visual it creates out on the pitch.

The sweater was a nice piece, a bit of a boxy US-streetwear fit which made sense coming out of NSW rather than a more streamlined European cut.

One detail I really liked was a pocket on one side of the sweater that was completely hidden.

I’m a big fan of pockets, even on fashionable items, but I wasn’t sure how a pocket on a sweater would keep its shape when full. From my tests a single item works – a phone or a wallet – but any more than that and one side of the sweater noticeably hang. Not the best look.

The box on the left contains the new USMNT red kit, again its the press version hence the top end packaging. The diagonal art on the front of the box of course represents the sash on the kit.

I didn’t expect to get a book with my kit, again with the silver sash graphic that really pops out.

You may well have seen the Red All Over campaign on twitter where Nike asked fans to help select the motto that would be sewn onto the sleeve of the new red kit. The winner ended up being “Indivisible” which, as a non-American, I had to be told is something from the pledge of allegiance. And here I thought it was just a defiant statement of unity.

The book was designed to take the press through the specifics and thought behind the product with some seriously beautiful photography. It seems like I end up saying it every time I talk about Nike, but their marketing is just through the roof. It’s like their goal is to elevate football to its most theatric, dramatic and artful at every turn.

“Don’t Tread On Me”

So I’m feeling better, that was brutal. I never get sick except an annual 2 week battle with allergies/flu/asthma that occurs just as the seasons change from cold to warm. It pretty much wipes me out of commission, but I’m just about getting my energy back.

The battle to cut out the term “Yids” from football banter is an interesting one, I fully understand that it falls into a racial slur when used with hate, and one of pride when used with affection, as other racial slurs have done over time. The problem I have with the campaign to eradicate it is, like everything else in football, about consistency. Football grounds or pubs are where you’ll hear some of the most brutal and, quite frankly, creative offensive language used anywhere. The idea that governing bodies, clubs or whatever else think that’s all just fine but once someone drops a racial term we should all gasp in horror is ridiculous. It’s a culture of football to lay waste to rival fans and players with verbal abuse and if people really want to put an end to it they have to put an end to all of it, to pick and choose the odd word to cut out solves nothing.

Words are just scribbles, its the intent that makes gives them their meaning and, in case this, their hurt. So if they want to cut out the hate then do it, but don’t get on a high horse about saying “yid” and join in when its about cunts because it’s going to be about as effective as the rest of their “Respect” campaigns (they sucked hairy bollocks).

Well not really, but I had a torrid case of the flu last week and am just barely recovering hence no comic Friday and, quite possibly, today. I sat staring at the Fulham MJ statue for about 3 hours today in a snotty, coughing stupour before deciding to go back to bed. Usually once the seasons change I get a lovely combination of flu, allergies and asthma. This is that time.

Hopefully all will be better tomorrow.

After a shakey start, our FIFA11 team is kicking ass lately and finished 49-16-19 this past month. And while we’ve been at max squad size for a few months, we’re going to open the team up again to new recruits and clear out some of the guys who haven’t been around.

We especially need a goalie, so safe hands-types please apply. Details below and recruits will be added to the team on a first come, first served basis.

Details on how to join are below:

Club Name: FC Studs Up
Abbreviation: FCSU
Region: North America
How to Join: Apply through this page or search for the above details on Xbox Live.
When we play: Officially Mon/Wed/Fri 8pm EST, but also whenever we all happen to be online.

I’ve not been to a lot of MLS games, but the guys at the New York Red Bull gave me the opportunity to pop down to the home opener against Seattle Sounders and I wasn’t about to turn down some live football. I’d been down there last year for the opening of the new Red Bull stadium when NYRB played Santos and was well impressed by a near-sell out crowd and raucous atmosphere – not to mention the brand new stadium itself. I was more than a little curious to see how things had developed since then, perhaps more so that the match itself.

Had they maintained the energy from that opening night? How had the experience evolved? I’m pretty easy to please when it comes to going to games as it’s tough for me not to enjoy live football, no matter who’s playing or where. That said, it’ll be better to take you through the trip in photos. First things first, we picked up some beers. They ended up stopping beer service at the 55th minute which is not uncommon, but still annoying when its freezing. No idea what that tall guy is laughing at me, if I had noticed at the time it would have been ON.

Walking to our seats, we went right pass the media/executive lounge. I had the privelege of being in there when Santos came to town but because I was with friends this trip I had to turn down media passes and instead sit with the crowd in the freezing cold. Friends once again prove greatly overrated.

For some reason, I really wanted to sneak up behind this guy and attack him. He just looked so vulnerable and unexpecting. I mean I could easily have gone up behind him and flipped him over that railing. Luckily, I didn’t. For HIM.

As we got closer to our seats and the stadium began to fill up, I wanted to capture a decent shot of what the stadium is like. So here’s a look left…

… and a look right. The stadium is actually very well designed and really feels like a proper football stadium. The spotlights were perfect and the place lit up beautifully. The acoustics are good too, with a solid roar being generated whenever the crowd got into things.

The view from our seats, lower tier in the corner for a nice view. The big draw is of course Thierry Henry, but as he tends to drift left our seats meant he would always be on the far side of the pitch. Still, a great view and nice and close to the pitch.

I asked the Red Bull to put us near the supporter’s section, but not in it. While the atmosphere would have been cool I wanted to be able to see them rather than simply amongst them. As far as support, this lot were honestly as good as I’ve seen in any stadium. They literally sung for 90 minutes no matter how good or bad the football was at any given moment. The main difference between this and perhaps other countries is that even though the supporter’s groups songs were pretty loud and clear, the rest of the stadium didn’t really get involved. I mean we were in the section right next to them and while everyone watched the hardcore fans go mental, it was almost like we were enjoying a show rather than being a part of it. The one exception was the more-than-excellent tradition of shouting “You suck, asshole!” whenever the opposition keeper took a goal kick. Of all the things that the supporter’s club got up to – that was the one thing that the whole stadium seemed to join in on. How New York.

Here’s Rafa Marquez taking a corner. I like this photo because the angle looks like he’s taken it with the outside of his left foot for some reason. I choose to believe this was the case.

Henry keeled over about 5 times during the match, not sure why. Here’s him with a stomach ache or something.

Henry still having some problems, hopefully not a Lineker moment.

Henry um… taking a break.

Lucky for ol’ Titi and the Red Bulls, they and the US have some new “next Adu” in this kid Juan Agudelo. This is him after scoring a nice cut and finish on a counter, and he’s also now playing and scoring for the US national team. He looked very, very raw, but then again he’s 18.

After the goal, the supporter’s section went mental with a smoke bomb no less, the Colombian flag was a nice touch too (Aguedelo is Colombian-American) . Again, I was really impressed with the hard core set of fans.

I did not expect the first live match I went to with smoke to be in the MLS. But there it is.

This woman was busy ruing a missed chance, but I especially love that guys jacket. “Debaggio” is an amazing name for an italian footballer. Who is he?

After the game, I wanted to capture the walk back. On the way to the stadium the fans filtered in over the course of about 30-40 minutes and never really hit a crowd but emptying out would be a different story. A crowd leaving a sporting even is one of my favourite social events.

Even the nearby warehouses are devoted to the Red Bull which added to the atmosphere of the stadium walk-in and walk-out.  This was a car lot I think across the way.

A night shot of a stadium in the distance is a  wonderful sight for any football fan.

The crowd was still singing and after a good result, were in a chipper mood. There was an excellent buzz that went all the way back to the train station.

All in, the Red Bulls match-going experience was a genuinely enjoyable football outing. It would’ve been nice if the general crowd showed as much enthusiasm throughout the match as the supporter’s group, but that’s asking a lot of any football club. The stadium wasn’t at max capacity, and it was freezing, but I could easily see the place filling up once the weather warms up and with such a wonderful purpose-built stadium it should make for a great time. I’ll definitely be going back once the temperature picks up a bit.

I wanted to do a comic about Al Fayed’s decision to put a Michael Jackson tribute statue in front of Craven Cottage, I really did. But no matter what joke or gag I conceived to put around it, it only seemed to lower the comedy value or fail to do the original story justice. I mean the sheer absurdity that this is something that is actually happening is hard to improve upon, and thus better left in its original state. Doing a comic on a story as perfectly comedic as this is akin to drawing a bushy moustache on the Mona Lisa.

I did this comic the morning before Spurs-Milan. During the match, Bale ended up coming on in the 66th minute.

Coincidence? Am I Jesus? Did Pengy have a word?

Some things better left alone…