FOOTBALL BOOTS HAVE come a long way since the birth of the beautiful game.
100 years ago, players wore what would be more at home on a building site than a football pitch today – trudging around in horribly heavy boots with steel-capped toes.
According to FIFA: “It wasn’t until 1925 that the first replaceable studs – changeable according to the underfoot conditions – came into existence, although it took another couple of decades for the focus to shift from merely protecting players’ feet to providing a boot better equipped to control, pass and dribble with.”
New technology and major investment by sports manufacturers into R&D means some of the futuristic feather-light footwear players compete in is barely recognisable to what their counterparts wore as recently as the early 1990s. Not to mention the fact that they now come in every colour imaginable.
Buying a new pair is an art in itself and the brand, style and colour you decide on often speaks volumes about type of player you are. Below, we will attempt explain how:
The flashy winger
The no-nonsense hardman
The big-time Charlie
The misunderstood outsider
The exotic one
The traditionalist
The knobhead
The specialist
The code-breaker
The occasional five-a-side player
The maestro
And finally... the lad who really isn't much good
Shows serious squad depth when you can bring on a player of the caliber of La Touche Cosgrave
@Hugh: bench is fierce strong…boylan some man to catch a ball
Limerick and Kilkenny look to be very strong it’s a brilliant championship.
@Gerry W: Glad to hear your enjoying the championship Gerry. And it’s great to hear your back playing sport again after a long term injury.
@Flembomb: still in retirement yourself flembomb? Never fully recovered from that hamstring injury…
@Gerry W: c
@Gerry W: cork could have something to say about that. But that Limerick side are very good. Kilkenny are growing with every game. 3 really good teams. Did I hear it’s Kilkenny vs Antrim in the Semi and Munster winners vs Galway?
@Jason Pierce: ya thats it alright…no disrespect to antrim but thats Kilkenny in the final anyway…Limerick still have to beat cork/waterford and galway, its not a given yet
Limerick have six senior forwards Peter casey, Barry Nash, Cian Lynch, Kyle Hayse, Tom Morrissey, and Aron Gillane throw in Ronan Lynch and Sean Finn and you would expect them to land the All Ireland again.
I couldnt say we played well, despite the 13 point winning margin. We certainly did had some very good patches of hurling. That we left Clare get back to within five points despite being totally dominant in first half, is somewhat annoying/concerning. The game as a contest should have been finished at half time, we wont get away with missing all those goal chances against Cork/Waterford.
Limerick played in third gear throughout. It was like a challenge match for large parts, Clare were just not at the races, particularly around the middle of the park and on the 40.
Limerick have much improving to do if they are to stand up to the challenge of either Cork or Waterford in the final. Either of those sides will represent a step-up in quality from Tipp and Clare.
Limerick prob fav’s to repeat the feat of U21 Munster and All-Ireland again,but that Cork/Waterford and potentially Galway team have a seriously talented panel too, way too close to call tbh, some great games to be decided over the coming weeks
@Now or Never: a senior all Ireland win for Limerick in the next few years given the strength of the u21s …oh wait
@John Ryan: seen it all before John. Hard to be hopeful.