What to wear - as a Premier League Champion

20 years of the Premier League. 5 winners. 4 brands.

The Premier League has evolved and improved year on year since it's inception in 1992-3.  The teams have got bigger and better as has their stadia.  The worldwide appeal of the English game has made it the most watched league in the world and television companies and sponsors all want a part of it.  Manchester City's win this weekend in unbelievably dramatic fashion made them only the 5th club to win the title joining Manchester United, Blackburn, Arsenal and Chelsea in this elite group.


During Sunday's final moments I noticed that Manchester City were wearing the decided brand of Champions in Premier League history, Umbro.  Although Umbro may not be seen as the biggest of football brands or kit suppliers these days with the emergence of Nike and Adidas in the Premier League era, it is still the most 'successful' in terms of teams wearing their kits and winning the league... 


Umbro was the biggest kit supplier to Premier League teams during the 1992-3 season with half of the teams wearing their distinctive logo,  11 of the 22 were Umbro.  Some of the other brands that were making kits that season will be a real blast from the past to some, and unheard of to others. He's a list of who else supplied kits during the first Premier League season


Umbro - 11
Admiral - 4
Adidas - 2
Ribero - 3 (Crystal Palace changed from *Bukta to Ribero in December)
*Bukta -1
Brooks -1
Asics -1
Nike - 0


The first Premier League winners were Manchester United and they wore Umbro, in fact Umbro and Manchester United won 4 out of the first 5 Premier League titles with Asics and Blackburn picking up the 1994-5 title.  All of these first 5 titles were won by Scottish managers (x4 for Alex Ferguson and x1 for Kenny Dalglish).  It wasn't until 1997-8 that a team managed by another nationality other than Scotland won the title, that man was of course Arsene Wenger as he lead his Arsenal team to the title sporting their Nike kits.
Between 1998-2001 United again dominated the league, winning 3 consecutive titles (the first team to do so in Premier League history) and again, they did it all wearing Umbro.  The 2001-2 season saw Arsenal win the league the last day of the season at Old Trafford to pip United and clinch their League and Cup double, again another win for Nike.  Nike signed a huge multi-million pound deal with Manchester United to replace Arsenal and that was good business for them as Manchester United won the title the following year 2002-3. Arsenal and Nike were back at it winning the 2003-4 title with their "invincible's".
2004-5 saw the arrival of 'the special one' Jose Mourinho in England and he swiftly lead Chelsea, wearing Umbro, to the back-to-back titles (2004/5 - 2005/6).
Nike had a hat-trick of titles with United following Chelsea's brief domination, before coming back on the scene in 2009-10 wearing Adidas kits (picking up the German brands first Premier League title) and the first Italian to win it, with Carlo Ancelotti doing a super job in his first season.
2010-11 Manchester reclaimed the title for their 12th in the past 20 years and again did it wearing Nike.


Umbro have come back into the fold for the first time in 6 years with Manchester City's triumph, to claim their 10th league title, compared to 8 for Nike, and 1 a piece for Adidas and Asics.  Had Umbro kept hold of the Manchester United contract they would have been sitting on 15 wins.  Instead they have slowly lost teams to their rivals, although maintaining the England National team's manufacturing rights.
20 years ago Umbro had half the league wearing their gear as they dominated the English game, now due to the emergence of other brands and their superior financial clout Umbro are down to 3 teams, the Champions Manchester City, the relegated Blackburn Rovers and the mid table Sunderland.

There's been some crazy shirt designs and kits during the 20 years of the Premiership, some iconic, like the Umbro collar that Cantona so famously flicked up or the grey shirt Sir Alex did away with at half time away at Southampton.  Hopefully we can continue to see more good, bad and ugly kits in the future, and maybe we'll see Nike finally over take Umbro as the kit supplier of England's Champions, but if Umbro manage to hold onto Manchester City though, there could be a few more titles coming their way.


Table of League winners with kit makers.

• 1992/3 Manchester United - Umbro
• 1993/4 Manchester United - Umbro
• 1994/5 Blackburn Rovers - Asics
• 1995/6 Manchester United - Umbro
• 1996/7 Manchester United - Umbro
• 1997/8 Arsenal - Nike
• 1998/9 Manchester United - Umbro
• 1999/2000 Manchester United - Umbro
• 2000/1 Manchester United - Umbro
• 2001/2 Arsenal - Nike
• 2002/3 Manchester United - Nike
• 2003/4 Arsenal - Nike
• 2004/5 Chelsea - Umbro
• 2005/6 Chelsea - Umbro
• 2006/7 Manchester United - Nike
• 2007/8 Manchester United - Nike
• 2008/9 Manchester United - Nike
• 2009/10 Chelsea - Adidas
• 2010/11 Manchester United - Nike
• 2011/12 Manchester City - Umbro

Totals

Umbro =10

Nike =8

Asics =1

Adidas =1

I couldn't finish the list without a quick mention of 2 new brands who will be working with Premiership teams next year, two American companies will take over Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.  Warrior will make Liverpool's kit (as well as Lacrosse equipment Stateside) as they move away from Adidas and rising power Under Armour will make Spurs kit as they move away from Puma.  There's been some random and classic brands making kits throughout the Premiership years, here's some you might be surprised by...

Brooks, Lotto, Kappa, Le Coq Sportif, Canterbury, MiFit, Burrda, Errea, Vandanel, Macron, Fox Leisure, Clubhouse, Pony, Nutmeg, Loki, Avec, Reebok, Mitre, Uhlsport, Fila, CCFC Garments, Saints, Diadora, Joma, Xara, Hummel, Lonsdale, Airness, Jako, JJB, Champion and even no manufacturer for some...WBA 2002/3.

The Final Day of the Season - "FOOTBALLLLLLL!"

What an end to the best Premiership season ever.  High drama at the bottom with Bolton down on the final day, but it was the team that stayed up, at their expense, that were part of the real fireworks.


Queens Park Rangers gave the blue half of Manchester the biggest scare and saddest low before the greatest high in the last 44 years.  If Manchester City matched Manchester United's result they would be Champions of England for the first time in 44 years.  United were away to Sunderland and everyone knew they would do their part and pick up 3 points to put some pressure on their noisy neighbours.  City were expected to do the business at home, and comfortably, against a scrapping west London side in the relegation dogfight at the bottom of the table.  
The form book had it down as a home win. QPR are awful away from home.  City are brilliant at the Ethiad (dropping only 2 points there all season!).  It was a home win banker... Or was it?

QPR were 1 nil down after a mistake from Paddy Kenny 5 minutes before half time.  The stadium, an unopened pessure cooker, poked a hole in the lid and released some steam with Pablo Zabaleta's first goal of the season.  That whole was stuffed closed when Djbril Cisse pounced on a Jolean Lescott mistake to fire past Joe Hart.  The tension and expectation was rising again when ex-Manchester City player Joey Barton went on an idiotic spree of aggressive behaviour, elbowing Carlos Tevez in the throat (some say he might have deserved it after his behaviour this season - and the swing out at Barton moments prior) but the knee to the back of Sergio Aguero wasn't justified, neither was the attempted head butt of City captain Vincent Kompany (who didn't 'drop his spuds' as Barton accused Alan Shearer of doing when Roy Keane had a swipe at him years ago during a strange anti-Shearer rant on twitter after the game) before being escorted down the tunnel.  Anyway, with that maniac off, the game could continue.  What wasn't in the script was Jamie Mackie's diving header shortly after putting the away side 2-1 in front! QPR were playing with a freedom that eluded City on this, the biggest of occasion in their recent history (FA Cup winners last season).  The lid on the pressure cooker that was the Ethiad was firmly tightened and the heat was turning up, and fast.

With the time ticking down and the news filtering through that United were 1-0 up at Sunderland and cruising many City fans began to fear the worst, and some even left the Stadium before the 90 minutes were up, deflated and abject that they were throwing it all away on the last day.  Some will have thought they were cursed and this just wasn't their day.  Those that stayed will have thought the same thing when a Mario Balotelli header was kept out from 4 yards by an excellent Kenny save (who did more than enough to atone for his earlier error).  The multi-million pound squad assembled by the classy Roberto Mancini who had been so ruthless infront of goal all season was now hitting the corner flag with snap shots and seeing efforts roll harmlessly out of bounds for throw ins.  Mancini on the sideline was a joy to watch.  The Italians gesticulations were so emotional that the neutral couldn't help but get caught up in it all.  He was marching up and down his side line with no regard for the technical area or the 4th official (who to his credit kept out of it) he was crouching, jumping, running, punching the air in disgust, swearing bloody murder (in a mixture of Italian and English from what I could lip read) and looking lost at times with what to possibly do next.  Thanks to the Joey Barton affair City had 5 minutes of added on or 'Fergie time' to save themselves and their season.  Another corner for City followed, the 90 minutes was up, David Silva swung in an inviting ball and Edin Dzeko did what Balotelli couldn't from 6 yards.  His header was barely nestled in the back of the net before the ball was being picked out and sprinted back to the half way line with.  The crowd cheered, but seemed to urge more than anything, as the occasion and energy got too much for some and they broke down in tears of raw emotion.  What followed was nothing short of miraculous.  On the edge of the QPR box heading centrally into traffic Sergio Aguero, the Argentinian forward who has been fantastic for City all season, played the unlikeliest of give and goes with Mario Balotelli, the Italian forward who has been fantastic entertainment all year (but not necessarily on the pitch).  Aguero after passing to Balotelli, who tried to turn, kept on the move, Balotelli after almost losing control under pressure managed to poke a ball, from a seated position, into the stride of Aguero who rather than lashing at it, took a lovely first touch into space around the despairing lunge of ex-City man Nedum Onuoha (who made contact) before thumping the ball in for City's 3 goal, with their 44th shot to end 44 years of hurt and being the 'second team' in Manchester.
Cue bedlam.

City fans screamed, yelled cried, jumped, collapsed and went absolutely insane.  With almost the last kick of the game, on the last day of the season in the sunshine of Manchester the noisy neighbours had done it, and done it the City way, with a struggle, but with the quality of a billion dollar organisation.  Mancini and his 40+ strong backroom staff flooded forward, leaping hugging and going bananas.  The day, and the title was finally theirs after 44 years of waiting.

The team who wins the league undoubtedly deserves it, and the best team in Manchester won it this season, and will plan to continue doing so for the foreseeable future, but they will never win a league in quite as dramatic a fashion as that. Incredible.


As Paul Merson narrates fantastically here...

Survival Sunday - The finale

The best day of the season? Maybe.


The best last day of the season for sometime? Definitely.


Survival Sunday is upon us. It's a wonderful day for top flight English football. All games are played at the same time for the only day of the season. There is real excitement and tension at either ends of the table with the title and top 4 still to be decided and the 3rd relegation spot still yet to be settled.


The situation is this.


If City win at home (where they've won 17 of 18 this season) against a battling QPR side (rancid away from Loftus Road this season) then the first title in the Premiership era (and for 44 years) will be theirs.


There's the hype of it being a 'grudge match' for Mark Hughes after his 'unethical'?! dismissal from the club half way through the 2009/10 season. Fergie wishes Sparky was playing against the club he once
managed, but instead it will be Bobby Zamora, Djibril Cisse and Jay Bothroyd standing in the way of the Champions to be...
Ferguson hopes that mirrors will help his United team lift the trophy. "If you analyse Mark Hughes as a player and manager, all his teams seem to mirror him.
"He was a warrior as a player and I wish he was playing. If his team can mirror him then you never know." Mirror, mirror on the wall.  The City fans will be going wild with excitement if their team take an early lead, but the longer it remains goaless the more the tension, and nerves will rise.  An early goal and the game and title is over, if QPR keep them quiet for an hour it could be a very intense finale.

United will do their best to batter Martin O'Neil's Sunderland at the Stadium of Light (which shouldn't be too hard seeing as Sunderland seemed to have reverted to how they played under Steve Bruce in the past month or so). The United game will only add pressure to the City match. These City players don't have the Premier League winners experience that United have, but it shouldn't really matter, QPR at home is an easy fixture to finish up with, and if you'd said to Roberto Mancini 8 games ago all they had to do on the last day is beat the R's at home, he would have licked his lips and flicked his quiff in delight.


Tottenham, Newcastle and Arsenal are all playing out their own mini-drama in the battle for the 3rd automatic Champions League spot (if Chelsea win against Bayern in a just over a week then 4th place won't mean dick). 4th place will probably be enough as Bayern should beat Chelsea at home in the final May 17th, but it's not worth the risk (and extra games, of finishing fourth and going through the preliminary rounds of the Champions League qualifying.


Tottenham will play Fulham at home, they should smash the Cottagers who have nothing at stake.  The Yids start the day in fourth but will hope to pip north London rivals Arsenal to 3rd to avoid more piss taking about the 'mind the gap' banter earlier in the season.

Arsenal will play WBA for the England's managers last game in charge.  West Brom aren't too bad at home against Arsenal and the Gunners might slip up here and end up in 4th.  Maybe a big performance from the West Brom players as a thank you and fair well to their gaffa, as well as a thank god that we don't have to get drilled so hard in practice from now on!  Wenger has looked nervous all season and I'm sure he'll be clutching his stomach at some stage as he sits in his sleeping bag jacket on the bench at the Hawthornes.  The result against Norwich last week could haunt the Arsenal, who will be playing for their dark tinted spec wearing assistant Pat Rice who is retiring as an Arsenal legend after this game.

Everton will host the other contenders Newcastle, who will fancy scoring at Goodison with Cisse and Ba up top, but will be weary of David Moyes side who hit form late every year and look strong at home.  This could be the last time Newcastle's team plays together before they get pillaged in the summer by 'big' clubs. Cabaye, Tiote, Ba, Krul, Cisse and Ben Arfa will be monitored closely by multiple clubs this summer who know that  Mike Ashley has no problem selling his best assets, and Pardew, the recently voted manager of the year, has already admitted some players may go this summer.  Newcastle have to win, and hope for a slip up from either London club, unlikely.

At the bottom Owen Coyle will be kicking every ball on the side lines (in his full kit with trainers - ODD LOOK!) as Bolton take on Stoke at home.  The Potters lost on the last day of last season to allow Wigan to stay up and the Trotters will hope for a repeat of that.  The 2 late goals conceded to West Brom last week will have kept Coyle up all night this week, but they know that QPR will probably get mullered at the Ethiad so know a win will see them through.  I fancy Stoke to do a number on them here, even though half the team is already on the beach, and one of their most motivated players of late has been Ricardo Fuller (which is saying something!!!)  I'd prefer QPR to stay up because I love the home support at Loftus Road, it's small, compact and a real football ground.  Bolton have been crap all season and without the awful Fabrice Muamba situation I don't think many would have much sympathy  for them if they did get the drop.  Coyle also talks like he needs a drink and has peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth which irritates me wildly in his post and pre-match interviews so I'd prefer to listen to Mark Hughes' drivel next season over Coyles'.  He has a good reputation as a manager and is well liked in football circles, but I'm not sure why, he hasn't done a particularly good job at the Reebok and the off the field drama of this season has detracted a bit from the poor on the field performances, style of play and results.

So... for me, this is how I'd like it to finish...

At the top...

1. Manchester City

2. Manchester United

3. Tottenham Hotspur

4. Arsenal (with Chelsea winning the Champions League so Arsenal don't qualify for the Champions League)

5. Newcastle

At the bottom...

Relegated - Bolton

Safe - QPR

It will probably end up completely different to this, but wouldn't be the worst bet in the world.

Barcelona and Real Madrid, the battle for supremacy moves from home to Europe

The Champions League is back and it's not only football fans that are excited and relived to see the most prestigious and famous tournament in club football blasting out it's wonderful action, drama and goals in the group of 16 knock out stages. A certain Pep Guardiola will be more than happy to see his boys travelling to Germany to beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 last night as they attempt to become back-to-back champions.

Compared to his biggest rival in Spain, Real Madrid's own 'special one' Jose Mourinho, Mister Guardiola has had a relatively quiet time in the press so far this season. Since the Copa Del Rey 'el clasico' series which Barcelona won, the pressure all seemed to be on Mourinho. There were tales of training ground bust ups including arguments with two of Spain's 2010 World Cup winning hero's and Madradista's Sergio Ramos and club and national captain Ilker Casillas. There were rumours that Mourinho wanted out of Real and was looking for a return to England where the press and public took to him like one of their own, so much so he's been linked with the vacant England managers position. During this pressurised time Mourinho has showed why he is so special, Real have been winning, and winning a lot, and winning more than their bitter rivals. These recent events in La Liga now see Guardiola facing some difficult and previously unasked questions.

Are Real Madrid now the best team in Spain?

The league title looks to be going back to the Capital after the three years it's spent in Catalonia. Real Madrid have amassed a 10 point league over Barca. This means that even if Barcelona win all their remaining games (something that looks highly unlikely on current form) Real can afford to lose 3 games and still finish as Champions come May (providing they win the other games - which is much more likely). So, why have Barca gone off the boil domestically? Head-to-head in the various clasico's they seem to be far more accomplished a side, but during the season they have struggled to turn possession and fluidity into points. Real on the other hand, outclassed in recent clasico meetings, have powered through teams with dynamic efficiency and bags of goals. Barca won the battles, but Real are winning the war.

The total football inspired by Johan Cruyff, nurtured in La Masia and polished and perfected by Pep Guardiola wins plaudits the world over. Mourinho's huge squad stacked with talent doesn't win the same respect, but certainly churns out some staggering results and scorelines. Cristiano Ronaldo's sixth hat-trick of the season in this past weekend's 4-2 win over Levante has certainly helped in the 'goals for' department, but Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema have smashed their fair share in too. Real are exciting, powerful and dangerously fast on the break and domestically this means they exploit teams in seconds. Barcelona pass you to death, Real break you to death.

The return of the Champions League means that Guardiola and the Catalan press (who have already conceded the league to Real) can try to deflect attention from home issues and allow themselves the opportunity to show that they are still the best team on the biggest stage. La Liga is a two horse race every season, but recently Barcelona have dominated Europe with three Champions League titles in the past six years and Real not even qualifying for the knock out stages in some of these. If Real can force themselves into the reckoning come the 19th of May in the Fußball Arena in Munich, then they will have well and truly knocked Barca and Guardiola off their dominant perch.

Either way, 'the special one' has done a job on Barcelona many didn't think he could, and domestically at least, his team is the most clinical and efficient. The interest now lies with how both teams perform in Europe in the next few months, something Barcelona (and their press) will be keen to make their own to restore some of their 'untouchable' gloss.