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Product Reviews

Review: Celtic home jersey 12-13

“This Shirt Was Made For You And Me”

Review Celtic FC Home Shirt 2012-13 by Steven D. 

 

Sunday, April 21st 2013 – LIER, BELGIUM In the world of football, there are few shirts that are as recognisable as the ones from The Celtic Football Club. Every year the Scottish giants bring out a shirt that the Celtic supporters are proud to wear and to see worn by the players. For the still ongoing 2012-13 season, Celtic and manufacturer NIKE have worked together to create a shirt that captures people’s imaginations. So what’s so special about this shirt? This review will give you a better insight.

Celtic home jersey

The History

The design is one that dates back to the early history of Celtic FC. As you may know, the club have strong Irish roots thanks to Brother Walfrid (Andrew Kerins). He was the Irish founder of the club back in 1887. As a priest coming over to Glasgow from Sligo he intended to raise funds for poverty in parts of the Scottish capital by founding a football club named Celtic. When they played their first game in 1888 against Rangers FC – who would later prove to be their ever bitter rivals – a green and red Celtic cross could be seen on their white shirts. A couple of seasons after that they played in vertical green and white stripes, but it was not until the 1903-04 season before the advent of the now famous horizontal green and white hooped jerseys.

The Shirt

The shirt contains a lot of great details. Let us start with the badge. This season Celtic FC celebrated their 125th anniversary. The special badge with its typical Irish shamrock in it has a Celtic knot around it and below the badge we can see the 1888-2013 hinting towards the long and history of the club.

Celtic logo

 

 

On top of it a star marks the European title of the 1966-67 season when Celtic beat the Italians from Internazionale 2-1 on a sunny 25th of May in Lisboa, Portugal. It was the first time the European Champion Clubs’ Cup has been on British shores. That deserves a star indeed, but let us not forget they won the Scottish League, the Scottish Cup, the Scottish League Cup and the Glasgow Cup that season as well!

 

The badge itself is a high quality embroidery which also feels very soft. The star, knot and numbers are plastic glued onto it, which I fear will not withstand the test of time. So be careful not to wash this too much! But other than that it looks like a great and mighty badge.

 

It doesn’t happen very often that sponsor printings blend well into the shirt. But on this occasion NIKE and sponsor Tennent’s have made that happen. Just below the badge they glued on the little plastic logo of the UK beer trademark. Very subtle, but it works and catches your attention. The big advantage is that you have a shirt that actually still looks like a football shirt. The green and white hoops predominate.

Celtic sponsor badge

 

A nice detail to know is that there are also unsponsored shirts for sale, but they are harder to find. Celtic FC were asked to make them for when they played European games in countries such as Sweden, where alcohol sponsorship is prohibited. The hoops weren’t allowed to continue all the way at the back due to visibility of the back numbers (UEFA regulations). But strangely enough this shirt with the white space isn’t sold, so it’s only there for the Celtic players.

Celtic players

21st August, 2012 – Helsingborgs IF vs. Celtic FC in the UEFA Champions League Play-off round. Celtic won 0-2 at the Olympia Stadium in Sweden. Notice the UEFA Champions League Starball and the white back of the unsponsored shirts.

The Collar

The collar is a normal white one, which I find a bit disappointing. V-neck collars represent the tradition more I reckon. Inside the shirt you have the NIKE swoosh and a plastic authentic crest of the club, together with the years 1888 and 2013. At the back of the collar you’ll find the subtle text “CELTIC”, only contributing more to the characteristics of the shirt.


Celtic jersey collarCeltic neck backside

 

The Printings and Patches

Entirely optional are of course the printings of a name and a number. The typical Scottish Premier League style is made by Sporting iD, the same manufacturer as for the English Premier League. The numbers and letters really look great. At the bottom of the numbers you can see the Scottish Premier League cup.

Celtic jersey name and numbers

A nice little addition is that you can always add patches to football shirts. You can for example add the Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League badges. The gold ones are for the champions only. But personally I prefer to have a UEFA Champions League Starball on the right sleeve. Really great material.

Celtic jersey Scottish League patchesCeltic UCL Starball badge

 

The Feel

When you first wear it, you notice the shirt has a great comfy feel. It actually feels slightly warm but at the same time it gives you a certain lightness. You barely notice you are wearing it, and the DRI-FIT technique absorbs your body sweat, which is awesome when playing football for example.

 

                             Conclusion

This really is a high-end shirt and a great overall effort by NIKE. Definitely worth a 9.5/10. And remember this will always be a champion’s shirt, since Celtic beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4-1 today to clinch their 44th Scottish Premier League title! Personally I’ve been a fan of Celtic since their Champions League campaign in 2006-07, which really attracts the bigger public abroad. Next September I will visit Celtic Park, when the Belgian national team play Scotland in our quest to the World Cup Finals in 2014. I try to follow as much as I can from Celtic and I know for example that the club still runs a lot of charity funds. So when you are looking at this shirt, do it from a historical perspective and try to think of where its foundations lie, because…

 

This shirt was made for you and me. For the people. For the Celtic faithful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Finance News

Soccer Jersey of the Year 2012

The Soccer Jersey of the Year 2012 Award

Soccer Jersey of the Year 2012

 

We would hereby like to invite you to read our latest report titled Soccer Jersey of the Year 2012.

The report has one simple quest: To grant the award of being best in class to the greatest jersey of the season 2012/13!

Click here to download the report Soccer Jersey of the Year 2012!

 

The report covers the jerseys of the major clubs in international soccer like Real Madrid , FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool FC etc.

Besides bringing detailed analysis of fan sentiments towards the jerseys, the opinions of fashion designers + useful data and statistics the report also has an aesthetical side. Beautiful photos of the jerseys!

Below you will find an example!

 

 

Manchester United home jersey model photo

 

 

Categories
Manchester United

Q & A with Man Utd away jersey reviewer

Man Utd away jersey reviewer in the mixed zone

A chat with TS from Singapore.

 

Q: Which are the most popular teams in Singapore and why?

 

A: Due to our colonial past and English being the primary working language, the English Premier League is most popular here. Traditional teams such as Manchester united, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea gather much support. 

 

Q: What do you like the most about the jersey you reviewed and why?

 

A: Main thing is it is the shirt of my favorite team! Although it is not a centenary or special commemorative jersey, it is a decent effort by Nike. 

 

Q: If you were to give a piece of advice to the playing kit manufacturer what would that be?

 

A: Perhaps for more consistent sizing and make the jerseys slightly more form fitting. 

 

Q: If you were to give a piece of advice to the name and number set manufacturer what would that be?

 

A: Specifically for Sencilia, although the quality is great compared to PU sets, I noticed that the white Senscilia prints lose their lustre quite easily compared to the coloured ones. Perhaps this is due to them being white and felt-like. If there is something that makes them retain their pristine white colour more easily, that would be great. 

 

Q: When evaluating the club at the current moment what is more important: the legacy or the players in the current squad? Or on a general note: Club or Athletes?

 

A: There is nothing more important than the club and its philosophy and that is true today. However, the club on its own is hollow if there are no legendary players/manager/staff to create that history. Of course, no player is bigger than a single club. So I would say the club and its history/philosophy is more important than any trouble players might bring, but the relationship is very much symbiotic and interdependent.  

 

 


Categories
Manchester United Product Reviews

Review: Man United away jersey 12-13

Review: Man United away jersey Long Sleeve 12-13

Here it is, the 2013-13 Manchester United Away shirt, made from 100% Nike Dri-Fit polyester, a special material that keeps the skin dry and well-ventilated. This is especially useful in a country like Singapore, where you get year round sunshine and high humidity!

 

Man United away jersey long sleeve 12-13

 

Over here, I have chosen the long sleeved version, rather than the more practical short sleeve, as the long sleeve shirts are generally rarer and more collectible. My review will be based on the categories of Form (overall feel and look), Function/Fit (cut and sizing, useful aspects of the jersey) and Features (unique features about this particular jersey). I will not go into a lengthy introduction of Manchester United and repeat what you can easily find on the internet, as I believe reviews should be based on personal opinions rather than simply repeating what the manufacturers/other websites say 🙂

 

Man Utd away jersey LS back

 

Firstly, the Form. Design wise, the Away jersey is sharply contrasted with the Home shirt, which comes in a plaid design and v-neck collar for 2012-13. The Away shirt which I have here is based on simple pure white, with tasteful dashes of red and black trims. I like how the AON, Nike logos and Manchester United Club Crest are all in the same colour; it offers a beautiful symmetry not always available in club jerseys.The collar with red trimming adds a fine balance to the overall silhouette. When you revisit the history of Manchester United, you will remember that many significant moments have been made in the White/Red/Black combination away shirt (e.g. Giggs solo goal in the 1998-99 season), and hopefully many moments of history will be created in this shirt too!

 

Man Utd away jersey chest

Symmetry of logos and club crest

 

Next, on to the Function.The sizing of the shirt this year is slightly baggy compared to last season’s blue and black away shirt, but still within acceptable limits to be deemed ‘true to size’. Only just, though. As for the sleeves, because this is a long sleeve version, the sleeves are understandably slightly bigger in length and width compared to typical t-shirts. Not too much trouble though, because you can always roll it up half way like what Ronaldo used to do in a United shirt! The Nike material feels great and soft, although it does not wick sweat as much as the Authentic jerseys do. Understandably though, since this is a replica version.

 

Finally, Features. I like how the buttons have been added to the collars, as it adds a classy look. The specially-designed collar deserves a mention too, as you do not get this type of collars in a football jersey often, if at all!

 

Man Utd away jersey collar button

Buttons add a classy touch

 

Another feature I quite like is the black devil symbol at the back of the collar. Very subtle way of identifying the jersey as a Manchester United property! For this shirt, I have decided to add the official Premier League Senscilia printing of United legend Ryan Giggs, complete with the Premier League Player Size sleeve patches. Giggsy, oh Giggsy, what else can we say about this great player that has not been said. With United currently 15 points clear in the Premier League and going for a domestic league and cup double, there is no better name to adorn this jersey than the evergreen, everpresent Giggs. Great credit to Mikel and the friendly chaps over at Mmsports too, for being able to print the Senscilia Player size prints. Not only does it look and feel better with its felt-like texture, it is also more durable than the PU prints the club shop offers.

 

Man Utd away jersey official printing

Official Senscilia Player size GIGGS 11 and Premier League Patches

 

So there you have it, my little contribution to this wonderful project here. Will be glad to come back for more, especially with great offers from the wonderful staff at Mmsports!