I'm Back!

It's been a while since I posted on the blog but I am officially back after a few month's off. Expect a few less articles then normal but I am going to try and post a bit more often.

Newcastle Jets (Home-2012/13)

My first Hyundai A-League game was all the way back in 2005 but my first game since then was Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets at the start of the 2012/13 season. It was Alessandro Del Piero's first home game for Sydney and Emile Heskey's second game for the Jets. 35,000 pakced out Allianz Stadium and the atmosphere was deafening compared to most of the rugby league games I'd been to that year.

The Jets scored an upset victory and I was signed up as a member just a couple of days later. It was an enjoyable first season as a Jets fan and I bought their red and blue ISC home jersey. I also bought a second shirt when they were on sale and got "Heskey 9" on the back and although it's hard to see above, the great man signed it himself after a game one night. 

My Top 10 World Cup Jerseys-Part 1

I thought I'd do something different for once. I've decided to come up with a list of my 10 favourite 2014 World Cup jerseys. This isn't in any particular order. With that being said, let's start.

I'm in the process of buying myself a Belgium away jersey. That's how good I think they are. The colours of the Belgian flag are represented perfectly on this design and let's be honest, who doesn't love a sash on a football jersey. Burrda Sports aren't a very well known brand but they do a good job of all three Belgian shirts for Brazil 2014.

They may only wear this kit against South Korea looking at the other teams in their group but that still doesn't take away from the fact that this is Belgium's best kit this World Cup. 

A lot of people trashed this kit when it came out and I must admit I am one of them. I think it would look better with blue shorts but the reason I included it on this list is simply because of it's colours. It's red, it's white and it's blue. It's as American as apple pie and for that it is up there as one of the better World Cup shirts in 2014. I own one of these and it's a very nice shirt.

A lot of the jerseys I'm including on this list are being including just for their simplicity. France's home jersey is an example of that. The dark navy blue is good but is brought out beautifully by the accompanying white trim. The collar, the Nike swoosh and the French logo really make this shirt look good. This is another World Cup jersey I already own.

Watching the game last night, I couldn't help but admire Brazil's kit. It's mainly the history behind the kit that really makes it one of the more recognizable kits in world football. The yellow and green shirt, the blue shorts, the white socks. This is simply Brazil. The stadium looked beautiful last night with a sea of yellow drowning out any checkered Croatia shirts.

Whilst mentioning Croatia, their jersey I have to include on this list due to it's originality. I cannot name any team in football that wear a checkered shirt like Croatia's. They could just wear a red and white shirt and look like Stoke or Sunderland or the 100s of other red and white teams but that wouldn't work. This jersey makes anyone instantly think, Croatia. 

I'll be posting Part 2 of this list later on tonight so keep an eye out.

Brazil v Croatia Thoughts

I was absolutely hyped for the opening game of the World Cup when I got up to watch it earlier today. But to be honest, the game wasn't better than any other I've seen. What made me really enjoy it was the crowd. The sea of yellow was just spectacular to see at the Sao Paulo Stadium and the noise inside the stadium must have been deafening.

The crowd made the game feel so special, feel like a World Cup match. From the stunned silence when Marcelo conceded the own goal and the outpouring of delight when Oscar sealed the victory, Sao Paulo should be proud of their efforts. It was amazing to watch.

Onto the game and I actually had a bet on Brazil to win 3-1. I've been thinking for weeks that it would be 3-1 and luckily for me that's how it ended. I won $100 which was a very nice way to start the World Cup. The emotion through the National Anthems was just amazing. I could feel the importance of the game to each and every player on the field.

Finally, Brazil, what can I say. They are such a good team to watch. Neymar, Oscar, Paulinho, hell even David Luiz. They're all such good players and I can see them going a long way in this World Cup. It was good to see Oscar shine on such a big stage as he is one of my favourite non-Man City Premier League players.

All in all it was an exciting start to the World Cup and there is so much more to come.

Reading (Home-2012/13)

Hey I'm back after a busy few weeks. This is Reading's home jersey from season 2012/13 which saw them play in the Barclay's Premier League. They were relegated of course which meant this jersey was pretty cheap on the classicfootballkits.co.uk website after the season had ended. I picked it up for around $15 which is just a bargain.

It doesn't stand out too much compared to other shirts but it is a pretty nice Puma design. I'm not a big fan of the logo being in the middle but I guess it makes the shirt more unique. I might dust it off and wear it if Reading get promoted next season. Till then it's staying in the cupboard.

Scotland (Home-2013)

Dark navy blue and white is synonymous with Scotland and their national football team have traditionally worn the colours of Scotland.

This Adidas kit is very nice with the old style collar being the stand-out part of the design. It really does look like a vintage shirt from the early 20th century.

Finally, it's hard to see in the photo but there is a design in the actual material that is based on the Scottish flag.

Australia (Away-2013)

Australian away kits are always nice as they're normally dark navy blue and gold. This particular one is one of the better Socceroos away jerseys in recent memory.

The basic Nike Striker template is used for both the home and away jerseys and it really does suit the Socceroos colours.

The jersey is made from a shiny looming material and the Australia badge is really nice. A very good job here by Nike.

Argentina (Home-????)

This was actually the first soccer shirt I ever got. It's just a cheap knock off supporters shirt from an op-shop (thrift shop) but it does the job I guess. I personally wouldn't wear it. That's all there is to say about this shirt.

Broadmeadow Magic (Home-2013)

I started following the local Newcastle comp last season and the team I decided to support and watch was Broadmeadow Magic.

Magic are one of the premier clubs in Northern NSW and have won 3 straight Grand Finals. Being a club founded by Macedonians, their colours are unsurprisingly red and yellow.

This was their home jersey from last season and for a no-name brand it is a very nice shirt. 

Everton (Third-2013/14)

Everton's set of jerseys this season are arguably the best in the Premier League. My personal favourite is their white and navy blue third kit.

I like it that much that it was the first Premier League jersey I bought this season. It's a really nice design by Nike and the colours go together perfectly. And once again, Chang's logo matches the colour of the kit. 

Germany (Home-2013)

This was one jersey I bought when I was in Melbourne for the Victory v Liverpool game last season. I got it from a good little soccer shop on Swan St.

Germany is one of my favourite soccer nations as they always have a continuous  assembly line of young, talented players coming through. 

This jersey isn't much of a stand-out however the logo is one of my favourites in my collection. The three stars represent Germany's World Cup wins and the black logo is just really classy.

England (Home-2012)

With the England 2013 Away jersey sitting in my wardrobe and already being featured on this site, it's now time to talk about the first England shirt I bought, the 2012/13 Home jersey. This was the last England home shirt made before the national side made the switch from long-term kit suppliers Umbro to a new 5-year deal with Nike. 

I own a few 2012/13 Umbro shirts and I'm not the biggest fan of the material. I'm not a expert on fabrics or anything but I can tell you that this shirt is thicker than most of the others and isn't that comfortable to wear. I've only worn it once and found myself sweating on a rather warm day here in Australia. It'd be a good shirt to wear on a cold day but for any day above 20°C and any day that involves a lot of physical activity (jogging or training) I'd suggest a different jersey.

Onto the actual design, I'm a big fan of Umbro's collar on this and a few other jerseys. It really does make the look of the shirt that much better. This jersey is actually a unique one as it is the first and only England shirt not to feature any of the traditional blue on it. That alone makes this one stand out amongst other English jerseys.

England (Away-2013)

England's 2013 away jersey wasn't exactly a memorable design or anything but the gold 150 years logo is what makes this shirt unique. Apart from that, it's a basic all-red Nike shirt. I do like the entire kit design with the white shorts. When you think of England you think red and white and this kit does it justice. Simple and effective. 

Russia (Home-2014)

The first 2014 World Cup jersey I bought was that of Russia. The Russian national side went from traditional red, blue and white to this maroon design this year. It really does look good. I'm not sure if Russian fans like it as it does seem like they've gone with an unorthodox colour but I myself like it. 

The gold trim is a nice touch added by Adidas. I can see Russia making the Round of 16 as long as they can get past Korea. Belgium will be too strong and Algeria will struggle so Group H will be an interesting group to watch in Brazil next month. 

Republic of Ireland (Home-2012)

I've bought a few jerseys on sale on Kitbag and this one was about $30 which is an absolute bargain. When you think Ireland, you think green and this jersey does the job very well as do most Umbro designs. The jersey I have is a supporters one which means there is a sponsor (in this case, 3 mobile) instead of the kit number.

This is a great shirt to wear on St. Patrick's Day (I'll be making sure of it next year). The best part of this jersey is the lack of trim, or stripes or anything like that. It's green and it represents the Republic of Ireland, straight to the point.

FC Barcelona (Home-2012/13)

Big clubs rise and fall constantly in world football but FC Barcelona is one that has consistently achieved success both domestically and in Europe for many years now. As for their jersey, Barcelona own these colours. When teams like the Newcastle Jets show up wearing red and blue, they're accused of 'copying' Barcelona, that's how famous these colours truly are.

I got this particular shirt on sale off Kitbag and I have to admit it's not my favourite Barcelona design and I'll probably buy a traditional stripped one someday. It's still a nice shirt but the whole gradient thing just looks a bit tacky and I feel a single stripe would have looked much better.

One thing I really like about this jersey is that it came with the La Liga badge as well as the "3" sponsor on the other sleeve for free which is a nice break from paying extra for Premier League badges. 

Manchester City (Third-2013/14)

A new tradition for me is to buy all three Manchester City's kits every season. This season's third kit is a smart-looking all white number based on the Nike Striker III template. However unlike many of the Striker III shirts, this does not feature the the stripe around the sleeve. The best part of this particular shirt is the main stripe is made up of two colours (navy blue & sky blue).

City capped the jersey off with matching white shorts and socks. If memory serves me correctly, they only wore this jersey in the UEFA Champions League but it is still a very neat kit.

As with most of my City shirts I got a name on the back and this time I got Yaya Touré #42. Touré is one of my favourite City players so I was always planning to get his name on the back of a shirt sooner rather than later. 

My Thoughts on Germany's World Cup Side

Germany recently named their provisional 30-man World Cup squad for Brazil 2014. Whilst there was the usual suspects like Ozil, Lahm, Neuer, Schweinsteiger but it also threw up a few surprising call-ups. I'm mostly going to talk about three Schalke players in Leon Goretzka, Julian Draxler and Max Meyer.

I did a career mode on FIFA with Schalke so I was aware they had a few talented youngsters and if I had Setanta Sports I'd be watching them play every week. Goretzka and Meyer are the youngest and most inexperienced players on the German side and I'm hoping that the can crack the 23 man squad and make the trip to Brazil.

I'll admit that I don't really know Goretzka too well but I watched Max Meyer play against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League and he is extremely talented for his age. At just 18 he may very well be playing for Germany in the upcoming FIFA World Cup and I couldn't be happier. He's just one of the continuous talented youth products from Germany. It's quiet stunning how the German's just keep developing these youngsters.

Draxler as well is only young but is highly-rated and was heavily rumoured to be making a move to Arsenal before last season. He'll surely be in the final 23 man squad and it's well deserved. He can get forward and score goals as he's proven time and time again for Schalke.

Germany play Poland later tonight so I'll be having a look at the highlights and seeing if the three Schalke youngsters get a run. I still think Germany will win the World Cup if Brazil don't. They were my tip in South Africa and they're my tip now if the hosts don't get the trophy. I know Australia probably won't make the Round of 16 so I'll be ready to cheer Germany onto victory.

It's youngsters like Meyer, Goretzka and Draxler that make the World Cup so memorable, so special. They have the chance to make an impact on a stage like no other.

Germany play against Ghana, USA and Portugal in Group G of the World Cup. Here are their fixtures:

Germany vs. Portugal

June 16, 2014, 13:00 local time

Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

Germany vs. Ghana

June 21, 2014, 16:00 local time

Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza

United States vs. Germany

June 26, 2014, 13:00 local time

Arena Pernambuco, Recife

Slough Town (Home-2013/14) (The Team I Sponsor)

Now for a bit of a different jersey. This is the home shirt of Slough Town F.C, who this season played in the Calor League Division 1 Central (Level 8 on the Pyramid). I did a bit of research on fan-owned teams and found the website "myfootballclub.co.uk" which a couple years ago owned and ran Ebbsfleet United FC. They had to give up the ownership and now sponsor Slough Town so I joined up.

To join up with the website costs 25 pounds or $40 Australian. The supporters have set up a forum and are always discussing the future and the direction of Slough Town. I decided to join up just so I could feel a part of something unique. It feels good to give financial support to a team from a place I had never previously heard of. 

I bought both the home jersey and the away jersey (I'll put a review of that up in the coming future) and wear them occasionally just so I can spread the word and tell people about Slough Town FC. I was delighted last weekend to hear this news that Slough had won their play-off final and secured promotion to the Southern Premier League (Level 7 on the Pyramid). They came from behind to win against Kettering Town which is just great.

I know I'll never see Slough Town in the Premier League. But hopefully one day down the line they might make the move from part-time football to the Football League. But for now, a promotion to the Southern Premier League is good enough.

Congratulations Slough Town FC. I'll be back to support you guys next year. 

Italy (Home-2013)

Italy are one of the more famous footballing countries in the world and the Azzurri's blue jersey is instantly recognizable. This Puma design is somewhat unorthodox with the unusual collar but it is very comfortable to wear and the material allows for a fair amount of air-flow on the field. In fact, I've worn this to training and it didn't leave me sweating a lot like some other shirts have. 

As a Manchester City fan, I was and still am a big fan of Mario Balotelli. The man, the player, the controversy, it's all so entertaining and in my opinion Balotelli is one of the great characters in world football today. Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him or his ability. 

For that, I made sure to get Balotelli #9 on the back on the shirt for a slightly extra cost. The font used by the Italian side is very unique and in fact is in all lower case. I really like the abstract number as well. It makes this particular name and number different than most others. 

Whether or not we'll be seeing the Azzurri make a big impact at the World Cup is yet to be seen but I have a good feeling Italy will be there or there-abouts come late June and early July.

Newcastle Jets (Home-2013/14)

My hometown club is the Newcastle United Jets and for those who are from overseas, they play in the national league of Australia, the Hyundai A-League. The Jets were champions six years ago but have failed to reach similar heights since then. They changed their colours from gold to red and blue a few years ago to match our rugby league team (the Knights) and to better represent Newcastle with our city's adopted colours.

The Jets signed former England international Emile Heskey to a two-year deal at the start of the 2012/13 season. Heskey has recently left us but his impact on the club will be long-lasting. Anyway, this particular jersey is our current home shirt and it is of course red and blue. The kit maker (ISC) is known more for their rugby league jerseys but this is a very good shirt to wear.

I also own the shorts and the little piece of gold (along with the gold collar) is an excellent nod to the club's history. Unfortunately we didn't make the finals this year but next year is already looking to be a good one for the Jets. 

Manchester City-Barclay's Premier League Champions 2013/14

As a Manchester City fan, I wasn't expecting them to be challenging for the league title throughout the early weeks of the 2013/14 season. A loss away to Cardiff, a draw at home with Stoke, and although they defeated United 4-1, they still couldn't find a way past Aston Villa in late September. But from there, things picked up and big wins against Tottenham and Arsenal helped City end 2013 on a high.

The League Cup was a success but as a City fan, I wanted to see them win more than just the League Cup. One week where I didn't think they'd win anything major this season was the week that they were stunned at home and knocked out of the FA Cup by Wigan Athletic. The Wigan hoodoo struck again after last season's FA Cup Final. Then the embarrassing loss in the Champions League Round of 16 to Barcelona. City were in a slump.

Clean sheets against Hull, Fulham and most importantly a 3-0 win at Old Trafford saw City become one of the favourites to take out the Premier League title. Arsenal held firm in a 1-all draw at the Emirates in late March but it was the 3-2 loss at Liverpool that almost had me give up hope for City, the cruel error by Vincent Kompany gave Liverpool the win and the advantage.

But there'd be more twists. A 2-2 draw with Sunderland saw City almost lose touch with the league leading Liverpool but then another twist in the Premier League season. Steven Gerrard's slip-up against Chelsea will be remembered for years to come. Some laughed, some cried, but that moment will be remembered as the season-defining moment of 2013/14.

Liverpool's stunning collapse against Crystal Palace allowed City to put one hand on the trophy and with 5 straight victories to end the season, Manchester City claimed their 2nd Barclay's Premier League trophy and 4th league title in their club's history. The noisy neighbours had done it again. 

You can talk about the money, and the amount of foreigners in the team but Manchester City proved themselves as the best team in England this season. And for those who dispute the amount of money poured into this club, I ask, wasn't this season's title race one to remember? Wasn't this team one to remember? Money doesn't buy success. City bought the players yes, but the players won the title. The players are the ones with the winners' medallions. 

Lastly, the City fans. Anyone who doesn't really know football would think City fans are rich, arrogant, maybe a bit too cocky. But these fans aren't that. They're the long-suffering, blue-collared Manchester faithful. They've waited decades to see their club taste success like this. Long gone are the Division Two days at Maine Road. Premiership success at the Etihad will continue for years to come. This team is creating a dynasty and they want to become the best club in Manchester.

I'm not like the majority of City fans (and United for the matter) bagging out Steven Gerrard for his slip-up. Am I happy it happened, yes. But I have to feel sorry for Gerrard. He has done so much for English football and many would say he deserves the title. But that's football. Twists and turns until the final day, the final whistle. 

United fans tried to take their frustrations out on Liverpool by referencing their 20 league titles but the funny thing is United were no-where to be found in this year's title race. So to the Liverpool fans I say thank you. Thank you for the challenging title race, the emotions, the joy and the despair. 

It made me so happy to see Vincent Kompany hoist the trophy above his head once again. There aren't many like him. Courageous, skillful, a true leader in every way. And how about Yaya Touré. Or Sergio Agüero, Samir Nasri, Joe Hart. This is a team of champions. 

The blue moon has risen again. 

Congratulations Manchester City, champions of England for a fourth time.

FC Schalke (Home-2013/14)

As I mentioned on my Huddersfield Town post, one of my traditions is to buy the jersey of the teams I manage on FIFA. I had a very enjoyable career mode with FC Schalke 04 of Germany and therefore I now have their jersey in my collection. That being said, Schalke are a very strong outfit in Germany at the moment and have some extremely talented youngsters coming through. 

Onto the shirt now and it's another basic Adidas kit, but the diagonal dark blue stripes across the front helps makes this particular Adidas shirt stand out a bit. I wear this one a bit as not many people in Newcastle or Australia for that matter would know who Schalke are. Plus they are my favourite German team. 

Very soon I'll be introducing some Season 2014/15 Jersey Previews where I'll be taking a look at the new kits for next season as they're released. Schalke have already unveiled their new kit so I'll be putting up some pictures and a review very soon.

Newcastle United (Home-2013/14)

What would my Premier League collection be without the famous black and white stripes of Newcastle United. This is one of the first Premier League shirts I added just because I like the design so much. It's simple, it's effective and it hardly ever changes. 

I talked a few posts back about sponsorship integration. In this case, Newcastle have altered their strip and added a blue trim to match with Wonga.com's logo. I'm not a fan of this. The blue box in the middle of the jersey really takes away from the black and white stripes and the blue trim just seems like a last minute addition to make it seem like it fits in. It simply doesn't. 

Onto the actual shirt now, and as I said before it is a very simple black and white stripe jersey. More white than black this season but still a very nice combination. I had the Premier League badges added on as normal, and the gold Puma logos along with the current Puma collar really make this shirt a standout. Take Wonga.com's blue logo out and it would be one of my favourites.

Everton (Away-2012/13)

When I bought Everton's 2012/13 home jersey on sale, I also bought the away jersey as well. This is an example of how the collar should have been on the home kit. Anyway, I am a big fan of black jerseys with gold or yellow trims. In this case it is arguably yellow, arguable bronze almost. 

Once again, Chang does their part by changing their unusual two elephants logo to match the trim of the jersey. Same can be said about the Nike swoosh. One jersey I wear a lot is this season's Man City away kit which I can pretty much admit is just a copy-and-paste of this jersey. Nonetheless, Everton looked really good the few times they wore this kit last season (notably against QPR)

Everton (Home-2012/13)

Guess what? It's another blue jersey! This time it is the 2012/13 home jersey of Everton (the other club in Liverpool, yep that's right, the blue one). I am a big fan of the Everton kit, especially when they were matching blue shorts (i.e, away to Man United). The collar on this particular shirt is the only blemish on what is a neat kit.

Whilst there is always controversy surrounding alcohol brands plastering their logo all over football kits, I must say that Chang have done an excellent job with their logo on the Everton kit. There's no white boxes, no colourful branding, just the company logo in white. 

Anyway, from memory I got this jersey on sale which is always a very good way to buy!

Chelsea (Home-2012/13)

The Chelsea home shirt of 2012/13 really kicked off my vast collecting. From memory, it was the first English jersey I bought that wasn't Manchester City. At the time I really liked the look of this typical blue Chelsea shirt with the elegant gold trim but now I much rather their normal white trim and I'll probably end up buying one of their 2014/15 home jerseys.

One thing I really like about soccer kits is the sponsor integration. Here, Samsung's familiar logo has been turned gold and really blends in well with the rest of the kit. This kit is a nice one, simple & elegant at the same time. The white socks (as seen above) cap off what is one of Chelsea's better kits in recent memory.