All posts tagged Premier League

Do The Best Football Boots Really Make A Difference To Your Game

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It would be nice to be in the position of a Premier League footballer player like Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney who practically get a new pair of football boots thrown at them almost every week, along with the likes of Beckham, Ronaldo and Messi.

Not many of us have that luxury and actually have to pay for our footy boots, so are the latest football boots, for example Adidas Predator, actually worth paying over 100 for and do they improve our game?

I have played football competitively since I was 9 years old but it was only from the age of about 13 or 14 when I began to understand the importance of a good pair of boots. When I was about 16 I bought myself a pair of Adidas world cup and although they were a quality boot they were too narrow for my feet.

Lesson number one learned sounds obvious, make sure the boots fit. I tend to by boots now that are a little bit tight because after a few games in the rain they stretch a bit.

Next I discovered copa mundial which were a dream pair of boots as long as you were playing on a decent surface as they only came with a molded stud. I always thought they were like slippers that you could play football in, as they were so light and comfortable. The leather was of high quality which I believe is reflected in the improvement in quality of your touch and control of the ball and as there was no excess weight from a metal stud they definitely helped my game a lot.

Since then I think that the high end adidas boots just keep getting better and better although only slightly as the quality now is so good that it must be hard to improve significantly I a short period of time. my latest boots are the adipure. I’ve had about four or five pairs over the last few seasons and for me they are similar to copa’s but with studs which is more suited to the english pitches and weather.

I am yet to sample a pair of Adidas predators so would like to know how they perform and if the technology that is used in them really works.

In my experience then I think that a quality boot is definitely worth investing in as long as they are right for you and are suited to your own particular style of play.

Steps To Buying A Signed Football Shirt

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Many people are now purchasing signed football shirts as either part of a personal collection or as a gift for a friend or loved one. There are many things to take into consideration before purchasing as the sports memorabilia market has taken some major criticism in recent years. The important thing is not to let this put you off as there are many very reputable companies out there presently and they are selling 100% authentic memorabilia.

Now is a great time to purchase a signed football shirt as well as various other sports memorabilia items as the sports world is currently full of world class stars who have become very famous outside of the sporting arena. You only have to take a look at the Premier League to see the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, Robinho, Fernando Torres and Wayne Rooney.

Firstly it is important to decide exactly why you want to purchase a signed football shirt. Is it going to be part of a personal collection or is it a gift for someone else? You may be purchasing it because it is your favourite player or team or your primary concern could be the items investment potential? If you want your shirt to increase in value then choose very carefully which player or team you want. Obviously signatures of the tops stars like Ronaldo and Gerrard are going to increase in value, but if the market is saturated by these particular players then this is going to have a negative effect.

Once you have decided what exactly you want then be very careful choosing the company you purchase from. Feel free to ask them as many questions as you like before making a decision. If they are genuine then they will be happy to answer pretty much anything. Don’t be fooled by ridiculously cheap items! If something is that cheap then it is more than likely FAKE. A shirt signed by the likes of Fernando Torres or Wayne Rooney should cost you in the region of 139 – 175. There is no point in buying a piece of signed sports memorabilia if it isn’t authentic. If you want the real thing then you will need to pay what it is worth.

Another important part of collecting sports memorabilia and something that is often not taken seriously is how you display it. Many people spend serious amounts of money putting together a great collection and then display it poorly. There is no point buying a beautiful Lionel Messi signed FC Barcelona shirt and then displaying it in a cheap wooden frame. A cheap frame or display case can make an expensive piece of memorabilia look very ordinary! Take as much time in finding and choosing your method of displaying your memorabilia as you do in purchasing the item itself.

In summary please follow these steps:-

Take time to decide exactly which piece of sporting memorabilia you want.
Research different sports memorabilia companies and ask as many questions as you like before making a decision.
Don’t go for the cheapest items as the chances are they may be fake.
Spend as much time on deciding how you are going to display the item as you do buying it.

Relaunched Football Site Is Now A Football Community

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The New Football Pools has been relaunched for the 2008/09 football season. While many still strongly associate it as simply a betting company, The New Football Pools is no longer solely about gaming. In fact it’s rapidly becoming one of the leading providers for interesting and varied football content.

From a free monthly online football magazine to podcasts, thought provoking and controversial football blogs including columns from the likes of Liverpool legends Alan Hansen and John Barnes, ex Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino and referee Graham Poll as well as forums and to up-to-minute football news, there really is something for everyone – punter or not.

Away Win magazine is the free monthly online football ezine from The New Football Pools. Filled from cover to cover of entertaining football stories, free football themed games and celebrity interviews with some of football biggest and most popular characters while the regular Big Fat Monthly Quiz does its typical best to infuriate readers – there always seems to be one or two faces you just can’t put a name to, Away Win more than gives you your needed football dosage. And if nothing else, it certainly makes the time pass a little more enjoyably!

If you are one of those football fans who likes nothing more than sitting around with your mates talking about football? Well here’s an idea – why don’t you sit around and listen to another set of blokes sat around talking about football!

After the success of the Euro 2008 podcasts, Mark “Chappers” Chapman – of Radio One and Football Italia fame – has stepped out of Scott Mill’s shadow to reclaim his place as the host of The New Football Pools podcasts for the new 2008/09 season. Chappers is once again joined by a motley crew of footballing experts including such regulars as referee Graham Poll and Match of the Day’s Kevin Day, all of whom are poised and ready to talk about whatever the upcoming season throws at them.

The New Football Pools also has an ever-increasing online football community where members can create their own profiles, upload photos, share their favourite football experiences, make friends and comment on other member’s message boards or ‘walls’. Members are also able to contribute to the forums and Pundit’s Corner – the pools’ own football blog site.

For the new season, Pundit’s Corner is set to feature a new star-studded panel of newly-appointed Pools Pundits who will be giving their opinions and making predictions on every big weekly game. The ‘Pundits Panel’ include the likes of Match of the Day’s and former Liverpool player Alan Hansen, Sky Sports’ and ex-Chelsea Tony Cascarino and Newcastle and Tottenham star Les Ferdinand.

Their comments about controversial and headline-making issues surrounding the game as well as their views on the players to watch, the big transfer deals and the teams they reckon will pick up silverware will be published on The New Football Pools website on a weekly basis.

In addition to these opinion-based football articles, The New Football Pools also has a vast supply of up-to-date and current new stories for all Premier League, Championship and SPL teams as well as individual team news pages for all the Premier League sides. So if something is going on in the world of football, The New Football Pools has more than got it covered.

Are Foreign Imports Ruining The English Football Game

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In the early 90s, when Manchester United were becoming the dominant team in English football, our teams didn’t exactly excel in Europe and attendances and money in the game weren’t the greatest.

Now the English league is the strongest in the world and English teams have participated in each of the last 4 European Cup Finals, and no English team lost to a foreign team in the 2007/2008 tournament. But our national team is not even ranked in the top 10.

Back then, clubs were only allowed 3 foreign players in their side at any one time, nowadays, only a third of premiership players are English. Foreign imports have been a huge factor in the recent success of the English game, but are we prepared to accept the poor form of the national team in return for a strong domestic league?

The national side recently slipped out of the top 10 in the world rankings, and its no surprise why, what with a lack of big match experience, and reluctance to play meaningful friendlies, it seems the English team is beginning to suffer from bad habits started over a decade ago.

There can be no doubting that the first team is fantastic, consisting of big match experienced star players, but who are the leading lights of the future, and are they getting the necessary experience at club level?

Probably not. With only a third of premiership players now hailing from England, only the top few players are now able to make careers in the Premier League. Players that might have developed into potential internationals 10 years ago are now being offloaded to championship sides if theyre lucky, or rotting in their clubs reserves if not.

Even the best of English talent is not guaranteed a start these days. England internationals like Crouch, Shaun-Wright Philips and Bridge have all had time on the sidelines recently.

But as the current set-up fails to impress, and the future looks bleak as players prefer not to play in tournaments for their country for fear of risking burn-out for the season ahead, we, the fans, only have ourselves to blame. Most of us would prefer our club side won a trophy over England lifting a cup, and as you cant have both, we need to start thinking seriously about which we want.

Until we change things, England will continue on a downward spiral, and managers will continue to get it in the neck, despite their best efforts.

The Reason For Which Bookmakers Offer Free Football Bets

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Free football bets happen to be among the main kinds of a free bet that is at present released by bookmakers as a way of increasing interest & understanding of the service they make available.

Betting happens to be a huge industry & bookmakers can release gratis football bets as a manner of getting possible clients to get signed up and test a service ahead of committing big volumes of their personal money.

There’re various manner of finding free football bets. The most well-liked manner is going online & searching through complimentary online betting websites. There’re various football free bets which are put forward by the lots of diverse online bookmakers, and a few of these offers happen to only be valid to clients who get signed up in a website online.

One more manner of finding free football bets happen to be by browsing the sports part of a newspaper / going inside bookmaking shops for finding offers. For the majority of people, though, making use of free betting websites is expected to be the most excellent alternative.

Free football bets would be working in two diverse ways. Initially, there is going to be matched bets. Such offers would be working on the base that the bookmaker would be matching the primary bet which you place on any football connected betting marketplace.

The subsequent option’s a certain sum of capital which is going to be let on the loose by bookmakers in the form of a totally free bet. Such offers would be working on the foundation that no deposit’s needed but an exclusive bonus code’s needed. Customers are able to enter the code in their online account & the funds are going to be released on behalf of them to do with like they please.

Football’s among of the largest sports of the UK and record numbers of individuals still would be watching matches. Betting’s moreover trendier now than it’s ever been and free football bets happen to be a good method for football followers to get pleasure from their much loved sport just somewhat more.

The major reason for which there’re additional free football bets compared to any other kind of bet’s because there’s a larger number of games to bet on compared to any additional sport.

There’re some rules & regulations which bookmakers must put up with regarding offering bonuses & incentives. Such regulations are there merely for the defense of the customer.

Free football bets happen to be unique regarding that they’re able to be made use of across dozens / hundreds of diverse marketplaces in the sport.

This does make free football bets additionally tempting to a client since they’re suppler and give additional chance to potentially make a hazard free profit.

Discover the most recent free football bets being presented by the online bookmakers, which include Premier League betting special offers at free-bet-advice.com, among the top free betting sites.

Read here for the majority of such sites would be having FA cup complimentary odds. For more option here..