Alive and Kicking

Celebrating 25 years of the Premier League

Introduction by John Fendley

Getting Away With It

Scarborough 1994. Monday Night and I’m round at my mate’s. For the record, the fact his dad has got Sky Sports is only a small contributing factor in our friendship. He’s a good lad. But back then “the dish” was a game changer. It wasn’t the norm. How many people do you know who’ve got an electric car? Thought not. Same question but change the car to a Sky Sports subscription – guarantee that in most homes not many hands would have gone up. If I’d had a set top box back then I would probably have added that information to my CV. Back to the football. Liverpool 3-3 United. This Monday Night Football could catch on.

London 1996. Two years later and I am standing in the Sky Sports Canteen.

Somehow I’ve been accepted on a week’s work experience. Sporting a thick mop of hair and an absolutely magnificent cream Henri Lloyd reflective jacket. I’m out of my depth. Suddenly a shout of “Oi Supergrass!” goes up from one of the football producers. The canteen fall about. “Supergrass?

Supergrass?” I seeth inwardly whilst gurning compliantly, as if to agree that “This is great banter”. I make a mental note.“ Hair needs thinning”.

21 years later and nature has taken care of that for me. I’m still here.

Not sure where that jacket is. The Premier League and Sky Sports are still here. They’ve been going steady for 25 years now. I’m still out of my depth, still doing the job that I love and still amazed I haven’t been found out yet. It’s only a matter of time.

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Scarborough; nineteen eighty something. The ‘80’s kind of rolled into one for me until ‘89. For arguments sake let’s go with 82’. 8PM and I’m closing the kitchen door so I can listen to the second half of Liverpool’s latest foray into Europe. Back then you couldn’t watch.

Listening was the only option; and for some reason you only got the second half. Don’t get me wrong, it was brilliant, I loved football on the radio, still do. If I’m lucky, the goals might be on Sportsnight.

If not I’ll use my imagination. Point being - that football on TV back in the greyties was in short shrift.

Words by Michael Richardson

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years ago something happened which changed the face of English football.

French genius Eric Cantona swapped Leeds United, the reigning champions of the Football League for bitter rivals Manchester United. I found-out about this momentous transfer over the course of a long Autumn day. A mate said he’d heard something was happening from another mate. None of my other mates had heard anything, the radio revealed nothing, the boards outside newsagents didn’t mention it and the calls I made to Man United’s official Clubcall number gave no information. I had to wait six hours until Granada Reports was broadcast at 6.30pm to find out that it was true.

Alive & Kicking

Cheerleaders, pop groups on the pitch and names on the back of shirts were the most immediate visible changes following the Premier League takeover. The first two were soon ditched and it’s difficult to imagine players without their names on their backs now.

Not everybody noticed these changes at the time because, due to the technology required, only 14 people in the UK could watch matches on Sky for the first 18 months.

25 years later, after months and months of online speculation, another iconic French footballer’s arrival at Old Trafford was revealed via a series of tweets, Instagram videos and viral adverts featuring a Grime MC, hashtags, emoji’s and lots and lots of dabbing. A scenario and sentence that, during Eric’s time 25 years earlier, would have made absolutely no sense at all. Over those 25 years, the game of football in this country and beyond has changed irrevocably.

Also happening 25 years ago, just before Eric made his trans-Pennine switch, was something which drove that change and would have an even more profound effect on the game and alter the face of English football forever. The FA Premier League arrived hand-in- hand with Sky TVs satellite coverage and set-about bringing us ‘A whole new ball game’. That is what Sky promised all those years ago and looking back from where the game is now it’s impossible to argue that that is exactly what we’ve got.

Paul Pogba’s €100 million arrival at Old Trafford last year accompanied by four haircuts, golden boots and his own dance craze might’ve wound-up the sneering 40-somethings in expensive anoraks but it didn’t actually surprise anybody. The past was yours, the future’s theirs.

The first few seasons of the Premier League saw the arrival of foreign players we’d only seen at major tournaments. Fair enough Germany’s Stefan Beinlich at Villa, Liverpool’s Hungarian Istvan Kozma and Forest’s Icelandic international Thorvaldur Orlygsson were not ones to set the pulse racing but they were the pioneers that would start to change the make-up of the Premier League forever. They were three of just 37 foreign players across the 22 clubs, a number which would change dramatically across the next 25 seasons. In 1992/93, the idea that a Premier League club would one day line-up without a single English player would’ve seemed ludicrous.

With all due respect to the 37 it wasn’t long before genuine superstars started to arrive. Jurgen Klinnsman joined Tottenham!

Ruud Gullit signed for Chelsea! Arsenal bought Denis Bergkamp! Juninho and Ravenelli joined Middlesbrough!

Middlesbrough!! The opportunity to watch such exotic superstars in action meant that before long viewers were acquiring the technology and Sky’s viewers and influence began to grow.

22 clubs lined-up for the inaugural season of the Premier League. The giants of the game were there and have largely remained there ever since (although the now mega-wadded Manchester City dipped as low as League 1 in the 90’s). Perennial yo-yo clubs like Palace, Middlesbrough, Norwich

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Little By Little

and QPR were there, alongside Oldham (relegated the following year never to return), Wimbledon (no longer exist as they once did), Ipswich, both Sheffield clubs and the perennially mis-managed Forest, Leeds and Blackburn. No club has fallen further than Coventry, Premier League members for the first nine seasons but now about to kick-off their campaign in League 2.

The Premier League has given us moments that we will never forget; Beckham scoring from halfway, Rooney scoring from mid-air, Shearer scoring from everywhere and a beach ball scoring against Liverpool. All of these regularly featuring on those montages that Sky like to show us. It’s also given us images that Sky don’t use in montages quite so much but remain seared onto our brains; Cantona twatting that Palace fan, Di Canio twatting the ref, Tim Cahill twatting corner-flags and Newcastle team-mates Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer twatting each other.

Personal favourites remain a pissed-up Delia Smith rousing the Norwich crowd, Ricky Gervais managing Hull for a season and England keeper David James playing centre forward for Manchester City. There are hundreds more, you’ll have your own, that’s the joy of it innit?

It is of course impossible to talk about the last 25 years without talking about the Internet. You’re probably only reading this magazine because you read about its existence on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat.

The web has had the single biggest effect on the world since the invention of the spinning jenny so it’s no surprise that it has changed the world of football too.

The Internet has undoubtedly played its part in the virtual death of the printed football fanzine but access to the internet has allowed the influence of fanzineculture to permeate and influence contemporary coverage of the game. Without the football fanzines of the past, there’d be no Fantasy Football, no Soccer AM, no

The impact of Social Media on football has been seismically scene-shifting. Twitter has absolutely changed football in terms of consumption, promotion and interaction; Want to express your disgust at your strikers missed chance? Tweet him. Getting impatient for a new signing? Tweet your club and demand they ‘Announce!’ him. Hate an opposition player? Take to Twitter to wish death upon him or a family member.

“ After all, Paul Pogba didn’t return to Manchester because he missed Deansgate Locks or chip barms

After all, Paul Pogba didn’t return to Manchester because he missed Deansgate Locks or chip barms (although the chip barms probably played their part tbf).

The latest rights agreement between broadcasters and the Premier League begins this season and this staggering £8 billion TV deal will ensure that all 20 Premier League clubs are among the 30 wealthiest in Europe. Hundreds of matches will be shown, most of them arranged around the schedules of the broadcasters but he who pays the piper and all that and the rancorous debate that used to accompany such meddling with the scheduling is nowadays reduced to a quiet grumble as most of us want to be able to watch the matches.

As a symbol of how much has changed since the first season, the sight of new signing Vinnie Jones turning-out in midfield for a pre-Abramovich Chelsea is pretty telling.

Bournemouth have just signed a player from Chelsea for £20 million. You could read that on Twitter and it wouldn’t hit you as anything that remarkable. In 1992 it wouldn’t have been remarkable it would’ve literally been incomprehensible, irrational and impossible. As incomprehensible, irrational and impossible as a club changing its shirt from blue to red, or a club paying a player over a million pounds a month or a player having a glass tank under his kitchen floor with a shark in it.

”

So much change has occurred within English football over the 25 years of the Premier

Of course there’s a reason more and more people are engaging with football players and clubs via social media and it’s a reason that the Premier League and Sky can be ‘blamed’ for and that reason is that everybody is a football fan nowadays.

Pre-1990’s football was still a niche, dank and male enclave and whilst many of us get misty-eyed about those days of crumbling stadiums, abhorrent treatment of fans and lack of exposure, the Premier League has made the game far more accessible, a lot safer and comfortable and opened it up to a far wider group of people.

League that it’s impossible to predict what may happen over the next 25. When it comes to writing a piece marking the 50 th season of the Premier League, the writer will could be discussing extending the use of androids as outfield players rather than just goalkeepers, the merits of FIFA President Theo Walcott’s plan to allow hover-boards to be used during extra-time in cup matches, the proliferation of 12 year-old X-Box players being bought for £100 million, the predictability of China winning the upcoming World Cup for the 3 rd time in a row and how next year will definitely, definitely, finally be Liverpool’s year.

Much of this change has been enabled by the vast sums that TV broadcasters have poured into the Premier League. The member clubs pocket huge amounts for their involvement in the Promised Land and many of these have gone into improving facilities and content for spectators in both stadiums and on TV.

Alive & Kicking

I’ll give over the last word here to former international and Premier League midfielder and now TV pundit Andy Townsend who mused in the 1992; “The Premier League. What’s that all about? It’ll last 5 minutes”. Always on the ball Andy. Always on the ball.

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A few clubs have made a fleeting visit and then never been seen since; step forward Barnsley, Blackpool, Cardiff and Swindon.

The idea of any of these clubs returning any time soon seems remote but then we’re talking about a league that currently includes Bournemouth, Burnley, Huddersfield and Brighton and had Leicester City as it’s champions 12 months ago so who knows?

606, no club forums or contemporary magazines (you may not think these developments are positive but their influence on football is unarguable. Just go and buy a new anorak if that upsets you). And to be honest, the football fanzine hasn’t been completely killed-off.

You’re reading this aren’t you?

ex l a r i s u o y #thank

Everybody Shirts ARSENAL, AWAY 1994-95 ‘Nice Nike’ It’s seems odd to think now, but Nike have not long been a site to behold in the Football shirt arena, (actually Sunderland were their first sponsored side in 83) but the company really entered the big time kit wise, when they broke the 8 year stranglehold adidas had over Arsenal. Like most newcomers, they shook things up, the Nike logo was placed steangely but coolly up the chest and I love the shadow lightning chevrons and use of Blue on Blue (spoiled by the gothic writing on the rear).

Alive & Kicking

‘The Cantona Black’ One of the poorest decisions ushered in with the new all singing dancing Premier League, was the abandonment of the rule allowing only the referee to wear black. One benefit was, Savvy and ever boundary-pushing Umbro allowed Man Utd to become the first team to spot the potential of a black shirt, and for me, it’s a beauty. Finished with Golden Yellow details the team looked dead hard, and Cantona totally got into the spirit of the shirt whilst he wore it in the infamous Kung Fu incident.

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When he’s not recalling obscure sports shoe facts, NEAL HEARD does the same thing but about football shirts.

The cool-kit cat wrote last year’s A Lover’s Guide to Football Shirts and here, he chooses his favourite five Premier League outfits.

MANCHESTER UNITED, AWAY 1993-95

ARSENAL, HOME 2005-2006 ‘The Redcurrant’

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This shirt is a bit of an opinion divider, especially amongst Gooners, who think it was wrong to move away from Traditional Arsenal Red. The shirt was actually produced by Nike to celebrate theCCentenary of Highbury Stadium being the home of Arsenal, it’s said the designers went back to the original team photograph to match the original Redcurrant jersey, but apparently there was a mistake as the pic came across in black and white, and the interpretation was incorrect, but for me, it’s a happy accident, great colourway, finished off nicely with classy gold details.

CHELSEA, AWAY 2015-16 ‘The Quiet One’ This shirt has slipped under the radar to most, lost in the chaos of multi-shirt offerings from all and sundry brands and teams. For me this is a work of pure class. The adidas white away is finished with a tri-color of red and blue on the sleeves for a fresh look and feel. I even think it’s an instance when the sponsor fits a shirt, and Yokhama Tyres looks bang tidy!

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NEWCASTLE UNITED, AWAY 1995-96 ‘The Grandad Collar’

I just love this shirt, adidas ran out in a shirt which was a nod to their early days when Newcastle West End wore a similar styled shirt before they joined East End to create UTD. The colours are unusual, but the authentic use of the original Granddad style collar was a master stroke, and finished with button down front placket, it’s a class act.

A Lover’s Guide to Football Shirts by Neal Heard is out now

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“ My greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f#£!ing perch. And you can print that. ” Sir Alex Ferguson

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10 Biggest songs of 1992

Biggest films of 1992

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. Aladdin 2. The Bodyguard 3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York 4. Basic Instinct 5. Lethal Weapon 3 6. Batman Returns 7. A Few Good Men 8. Sister Act 9. Bram Stoker’s Dracula 10. Wayne’s World

I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston Rhythm Is a Dancer - Snap!

Would I Lie to You? - Charles & Eddie Stay - Shakespears Sister Please Don’t Go/Game Boy - KWS End of the Road - Boyz II Men Abba-esque (EP) - Erasure Ain’t No Doubt - Jimmy Nail Heal the World - Michael Jackson Goodnight Girl - Wet Wet Wet

Biggest albums of 1992

Names that sum up 1992

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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Stars - Simply Red Back to Front - Lionel Richie Greatest Hits: 1965–1992 - Cher Glittering Prize 81/92 - Simple Minds Dangerous - Michael Jackson Diva - Annie Lennox Timeless: The Classics - Michael Bolton Divine Madness - Madness We Can’t Dance - Genesis Up - Right Said Fred

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Boutros Boutros-Ghali Mike Tyson Rodney King John Gotti Bill Clinton Nigel Mansell Alan Shearer Nick Hornby Mark Fowler Reg Houldsworth

“

When I score, I don’t celebrate because it’s my job. When a postman delivers letters, does he celebrate?

” Mario Balotelli

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GAME Liam Fray, Middleton Songsmith “My first game. ‘92. United beat QPR 2-1. Hughes & Cantona scored. I’ll still never forget that feeling walking up through the concourse and seeing all those people. It was just incredible.”

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Alive & Kicking asked some people you might have heard of for their favourite things about the Premier League. Here are 25 of the things that made watching top flight football quite good since 1992.

Matt Le Tissier – Southampton Stalwart “Saints 3-2 Arsenal. It was the last game at The Dell, so it was special.”

GOAL Robbie Fowler – Property Magnate “From a personally point of view, mine vs Charlton in the last game of the 2001 season was special. It wasn’t an unbelievable finish, but it meant a lot to the fans. We needed to win that game to qualify for the Champions League and that kicked us into action. I got a quality reception from the Charlton fans that day too, very classy from them.”

MOMENT Peter Hooton – Main Farmer “Andre Mariner sending off the wrong Arsenal player at Stamford Bridge in 2014 – he sent off Keiran Gibbs instead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for handling on the line. Awkward.”

KIT Joe Donovan – Blossoms Drummer “I’ve been too busy to pay quite as much attention the last couple of years but I had a season ticket at the Etihad before the music thing kicked off. My favourite kit was the City one that was dead classy. 2009-10 season I think. Just blue and white.”

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A Certain Romance

GAME

GOAL

GOAL

Lloyd Griffith – Funnyman

James Brown – Loaded founder and multi-tasker “One of Yeboah’s two against Wimbledon or Liverpool. I was in a cottage in Haworth, Yorkshire, being romantic in bed with my girlfriend with an eye on Match of The Day and when Yobbo unleashed the shot I actually jumped back into the air screaming “F*cking Hell!” She was in total shock as to what was going on.”

“Has to be David Beckham’s lob from the half way line against Wimbledon. That was the moment that put him on the map.”

KIT Neal Heard – Football shirt geek of serious repute “Man Utd 1993-9, away – the black ‘Cantona Kit’.

INJURY

Savvy and eve boundary-pushing Umbro allowed

Daniel Sandison – Mundial Magazine Editor “Phil Babb slide-tackling the post was pretty special.”

United to become the first team to spot the potential of a black shirt, and for me, it’s a beauty. Finished with golden yellow details got into the spirit of the shirt whilst he wore it in the infamous Kung Fu incident.”

GAME Rob May – Laces Out Trainer Festival “It won’t surprise many people, but Liverpool v Newcastle 4-3.

It was before I had a season ticket when I used to bunk in with my dad to all the games and sit on his knee, this was the most memorable.”

MANAGER Neal Heard – Author, Trainers and A Lover’s Guide “Has to be Wenger, he changed the archaic landscape of English football for ever, and a proper thinker and gent.”

BEST XI Robbie Fowler – Genuine legend “From players I’ve played alongside it’d be:David James, Jonathan Woodgate, Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher, Jason McAteer, John Arne Riise, Javier Mascherano, Steven Gerrard, Steve McManaman, Mark Viduka and then myself. Also, a token shout for Rob Jones. Just got off the phone to McAteer and he said he’d give £100 to charity if I mentioned him.”

PUNDIT Matt Le Tissier – Free Kick Specialist “Graeme Souness. When he talks, you listen.”

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the team looked dead hard, and Cantona totally

HUMDINGER

MISTAKE

Paul Ramsdale - Scotts Menswear “Sheffield United 6, Spurs 0. This rout included a humdinger of a goal from blades legend Dane Whitehouse. That’s how Martin Tyler described the goal anyway, a humdinger.”

Michael Richardson – Mancunian Mouthpiece “Liverpool were finally going to win the Premier League. After 25 years of trying the title was going to return to Anfield. Steven Gerrard, their greatest ever player was going to lead them to the crown in his last season. They topped the league. “This (lead) does not slip!” he declared. And then he went and fucking slipped! He actually slipped! He didn’t trip, or fall, or topple, he actually, literally, comically slipped.

James Brown – Author of Above Head Height – A Five-a-side life “One of my favourite games was away at Southampton in November 2005, Leeds were 3-0 down with twenty minutes to go and scored 4 to win. Liam Miller and David Healey (who I was stood near) were brilliant and the sense of excitement and disbelief as our sarcastic half time chants of “We’re going to win 4-3” turned to reality was just superb. The look on the Southampton fans faces were hilarious.

My mate and I also had one of those rare moments that because we were stood on the end of the back row halfway up we could see ourselves on video going absolutely bonkers against the white back wall. Another guy I know left at half time.”

KIT Thomas Turgoose - Lincolnshire Thesbian “Weirdly I like a lot of the training kits teams release. I think when I was about 10 I had a couple of Man United ones. I think most home and away kits are all the same nowadays.

Money makers that’s all.”

MANAGER Marcus Reed – Good at drawing “Bobby Robson by a mile, don’t even have to explain why, a great man in every sense.”

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GAME

Demba Ba took the ball, scored, Chelsea won and Liverpool blew it. When commentators trot-out the cliché “You couldn’t write this script” they’re usually spouting shite but in this case it’s all too true. Even as a Manchester United fan I have always held my hands-up to the fella’s talent. Gerrard was an unbelievably good footballer. He could do everything.

Defend, attack, pass, dominate, score, inspire, lead; all of that and more. I’m approaching sacrilegious territory but he’s the closest thing I’ve seen to Bryan Robson. He was actually that good. But he slipped. That single slip turned Stevie G into Slippy G (and ensured Luke Chadwick still has more Premier League winner’s medals than him). Poor Stevie.”

PERSON

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE

CELEBRATION Rob May – Footwear Obsessive “As a goal celebration and a moment in general, Robbie Fowler snorting the 18 yard box became pretty iconic for obvious reasons!”

Thomas Turgoose – Good at acting “Ibrahimovic has improved like a fine wine.

Love the guy love, his class and his arrogance, but he can easily back it up.”

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

PLAYER Marcus Reed – Geordie Creative “Been so many greats over the years, it’s hard to pick just one....Shearer, Bergkamp, Cantona, Henry, Ronaldo, Ginola, Le Tissier. But I’m going for Peter Beardsley, greatest player ever to wear a black & white shirt, a superb player.”

Alive & Kicking

James Brown – Follows Leeds “Gary Speed. If he was still alive I don’t think he’d mind if I went for team mates David Batty or Gary Kelly but he’s not so I’ll say Speedo. He was a great player and a lovely guy. He was an exemplary professional football and international manager. I was devastated when he died. As were so many other family, friends and fans.”

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Daniel Sandison – Good at Internet “Kenny Dalglish. The things he’s done for Liverpool as a club and a city are incredible, I don’t think we could ever thank him enough.

It was genuinely, an absolute privilege to see a Liverpool side managed by him again.”

MANAGER Neal Heard – Author, Trainers and A Lover’s Guide “Has to be Wenger, he changed the archaic landscape of English football for ever, and a proper thinker and gent.”

TV MOMENT Ed Quiligotti - Marshall Artist “Chris Kamara, Portsmouth v Blackburn missing the sending off, I could watch that every night.”

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MOMENT Stephen Graham – Scouse Actor “Lots of things stick in the memory about the Premier League. Man United’s grey kit, Robbie Fowler’s goal celebration against Everton, players like Thierry Henry and obviously Steven Gerrard. But, the best moment is probably Aguero’s goal for City to win the league.”

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I’ll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them.

Love it. ” Kevin Keegan

Alive & Kicking

Interview by Josh Kelsall – Scotts Menswear

(Don’t) shoot the

How did your career begin on Soccer AM? I was fortunate to get two weeks work experience at Sky Sports when I was 16. On my first day they said I was on Soccer AM, seeing how it was put together. I was buzzing as I watched the programme religiously every Saturday morning. I got on well with everyone so they asked me to come in every Saturday to help out, make teas etc. I’ve been here ever since.

How did your own segment on the show come about?

I had made a few appearances in sketches and quite frankly shit myself on every occasion, believe it or not I’m actually quite shy. Rocket announced he was was going on holiday for a week and at that time he had a regular character on the show.

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runner Peter Dale is a shy type, despite his on screen persona. As Soccer AM stalwart Tubes, he’s interviewed them all. He’s been responsible for perplexing Hollywood stars with his deadpan delivery, as well getting a lot more out of media trained players than most. Scott’s Menswear asked him about his nickname, making stupid noises and why he no longer pretends to be a rapper.

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It was November and I nearly froze to death. It proved popular, so did that for 2 years. When that got boring, I was asked (told) I was doing one question, one question only. I thought I’d do it in a different way trying to be a rapper etc. That’s when “Peter the Test Tube Baby” became “Tubes”. It was amusing for a few years and did some funny interviews, but at the age of 30 I said I didn’t want to be a rapper, ripping my shirt open, pouring curry on my head, making stupid noises anymore It didn’t go down well with my boss at the time, but I wanted to interview footballers in a more grown up yet different way to how everyone else does it. That’s what I do now and I absolutely love it.

Most difficult interview?

Steve Coogan Do you get stopped/recognised in the street?

I do yes. People are so nice to me which I’m very grateful for.

What’s next for Tubes?

Another season on Soccer AM, I’m also working on a few extra projects.

What was the first PL game you attended?

Chelsea v Watford when I was 4 years old. My Dad had to take me home after 70 mins. He was fume boat, I’ve had a season ticket since I was 5.

What is your favourite PL moment?

Chelsea winning the Premier League for the first time.

Your favourite PL goal?

Franks Lampards two against Bolton to seal the title for the first time. And that Tony Yeboah one... you know the one.

Who is your favourite PL player of all-time?

The little magician, Gianfranco Zola.

Your favourite PL manager past and present?

Antonio Conte and Roberto Di Matteo (he won the Champions League after all.)

How do you see this season going?

Champions?

Chelsea again, closely followed by City.

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Tim Lovejoy called me up and said do you fancy being “Peter the Test Tube Baby”. I said “What on earth does that mean?” he said “dress in a nappy, holding a fake cigarette and a can of beer and bring the balls out for the end game” I said “ummmmm alright”.

Your favourite interview?

Rap game – Denzil Washington, Colin Farrell, 50 Cent. Footballers – Super Frank, JT, Ash Cole, Didier Drogba, Gianfranco Zola – I’m a massive Chelsea fan.

Manager of the most PL teams:

Sam Allardyce 6

Leading scorers:

Most appearances:

1 Alan Shearer........ 260

1 Ryan Giggs.......... 632

2 Wayne Rooney........ 198

2 Gareth Barry........ 628

3 Andrew Cole......... 187

3 Frank Lampard....... 609

4 Frank Lampard....... 177

4 David James......... 572

5 Thierry Henry....... 175

5 Gary Speed.......... 535

6 Robbie Fowler....... 163

6 Emile Heskey........ 516

7 Jermain Defoe....... 158

7 Mark Schwarzer...... 514

8 Michael Owen........ 150

8 Jamie Carragher..... 508

9 Les Ferdinand....... 149

9 Phil Neville........ 505

10 Teddy Sheringham... 146

10 Rio Ferdinand...... 504

Most Clean Sheets:

Most Assists:

1 Petr Cech........... 149

1 Ryan Giggs.......... 162

2 Joe Hart............ 119

2 Cesc FĂ bregas....... 107

3 Tim Howard.......... 116

3 Frank Lampard....... 102

4 JosĂŠ Reina.......... 114

4 Wayne Rooney........ 101

5 David de Gea......... 75

5 Dennis Bergkamp...... 94

6 Mark Schwarzer....... 75

6 Steven Gerrard....... 92

7 Simon Mignolet....... 73

7 David Beckham........ 80

8 Edwin van der Sar.... 72

8 Teddy Sheringham..... 76

9 Brad Friedel......... 65

9 James Milner......... 75

10 Ben Foster.......... 62

10 Thierry Henry....... 74

Alive & Kicking

r Most Premie es: League titl

Manchester United 13

r Most Premie goals: League own

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1992-2017 in numbers

Richard Dunne 10

rial Most manage to the PL: ns io ot om pr

Steve Bruce 4

First ev er Premier League go al:

Brian Deane

for Shef field 15 August United 1992

Alan Shearer Illustration by Marcus Reed

Words by Mark Smith

A new order -

PREDDY

Alive & Kicking

Your Dad or Grandad will proudly tell you about having to hammer actual studs into their boots, which were probably made of lead which grew wild back in those days. Let’s not look quite so far back though. For the purposes of this here publication, let’s take it back to 1992. It may have been a whole new ball game, but the boots were just a gentle evolution from the late 80s, with very little going on technology wise. Adidas still remained at the forefront, while some players plumped for boot deals with everyone from Hi-Tec to Mizuno.

Lotto’s game was strong and even the likes of Brooks and Quaser played a cameo role.

Then everything changed. Craig Johnston was known to legions of pre-Premier League football fans as that mad Australian bloke who sometimes came off the bench for Liverpool. His corkscrew hair make him look like a mixture of Mick Dundee and Marc Bolan, but there was a lot more going on under that frizzy wig than most would have thought. For it was Johnston whose revolutionary football boot design ushered in the modern era for football footwear, although it nearly didn’t happen.

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In these times of football boots weighing less than air and having laces conspicuous by their absence it would be easy to forget it wasn’t always quite so George Jetson.

It wasn’t until he coerced three German footballing greats into trialling his test boots that adidas sat up and took notice. When Franz Beckenbauer, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Paul Breitner tell you something about football, it’s probably time to listen, and listen is what adidas did, kickstarting a two decade long journey in football boot development. Many world stars got onboard the Predator bandwagon, perhaps most notably a certain David Beckham, whose career went hand in hand with customised Predator boots.

If there’s a boot which came to define the transformation of football in the Premier League era, it’s the adidas Predator. It says a lot for how things have moved on that the first Predator from 1994 now feels just as heavy as your Grandad’s lead boots, but without the Predator who knows where we’d be now?

They were a game changer, quite literally.

We got together with @thepredcollective to illustrate the lineage of the Predator.

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Having produced a procession of prototypes, poor Craig couldn’t get any of the major brands to bite. Even adidas weren’t keen at the start. The initial seed of the idea came when Craig had retired and was coaching in Australia. The same rubbery friction which a table tennis player could achieve with their small bat was something Johnston desired on his football boot. He believed it would add something extra to a player, whether that be through a bit of swerve, increased power or just general ball control.

“

I just yelled: ‘Off you go, Cantona. It’s an early shower for you’. ” Matthew Simmons

born in bavaria Since the Liverpool fans in the 70s & 80s brought adidas to our shores it's been a fans favourite.

Here's the latest offerings available at Scotts menswear BERMUDA £75 Grey/Blue Navy/Arg

MUNCHEN £80 Sesame/Brown Cargo/Sesame

JEANS £80 Navy/Solar Energy/Turbo All available in-store and at

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I’m applauded, and then forgotten 25 Premier League stars you’d struggle to remember... and what they’re up to now

Bosko

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Premi Leagu histo ry.

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Sergio

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Words by Michael Richardson

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an t t- -The Romanian who spent Razv anRa Ra The Romanian who spe a decade at khtar Donets a decade atSha k, was at WestntHam Sha ar Donets k, was at West Ham for a season a kht r or for a season ayea two bac k inbet ween r or two back in-bet appearing in all yea ween m Harry Potter movies appearing in allthe the . m Harry Potter movies .

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